༺ After Story : Crownhall 100 Years Before ༻
Second Prince Irid was a hasty and clumsy person. This was because he grew up always being compared to the competent First Princess and Third Prince.
The Imperial Family had an atmosphere so strict it could be seen as cruel to a child. To ascend to the throne, one had to be strongest in mind, body, and spirit. As such, the Second Prince was thrown into a trajectory of endless competition as soon as he began to speak.
His distinctive decisiveness was underlain by the psychology of ‘needing to stand out by any means’, and so was his paranoia. A person who lacked confidence in themselves could never truly trust in anything, after all.
He was like a person with a hole in the vessel that is their heart; no matter how many good things were poured in, it all trickled away if there was a puncture.
That was why he was so drawn to Centra.
After all, she had filled the empty spaces that no one else could fill, the parts that were always found wanting.
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Second Prince Irid inspected the secret passage with Agent C of the Defense Bureau.
The secret passage was quite different in appearance to its counterpart 100 years in the future. It was cleaner and the lighting was relatively brighter. There were no traces of the fierce battle between Irid and Ronya. No bloodstains, no bodies; just a bit of dust accumulated in the corners.Irid knelt on one knee and touched the spot where Centra had lain. He remembered how she wept for him and her scent: every little part of her lingered in his mind.
If he closed his eyes just like this……
It all came back to him vividly, as if it had just happened.
“Second Prince, I heard you had some suggestions to improve the secret passage.”
“I think a bulkhead that comes down…….would be good. After all, even if the enemy does not know the mana cryptogram of the secret passage, they could break in with enough force.”
“I will request funds for the improvement of the secret passage.”
“Pay it from my personal funds.”
The Second Prince stood up. Today, he planned to wander around Crownhall for inspection. Not for the safety of the imperial citizens……but because he missed her terribly today and thought of reliving the nostalgic memories with her.
The Second Prince truly thought someone should praise him for not rushing to the Purple Magic Tower immediately. Preferably a woman with black hair and blue eyes, while he was at it.
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The Second Prince walked the streets of Crownhall.
The people were boisterous. War was raging at the borders, but the Imperial Capital was nothing but wealthy and beautiful. The citizens were busy with their own livelihoods.
Second Prince Irid touched the end of the hood covering his hair. Before experiencing Dimensional Travel, he had proudly showed off his blonde hair and received the respect of the citizens. Everyone bowed their heads in the majesty of the imperial bloodline.
He wanted to at least affirm his worth, even if it was merely in that way.
“Second Prince, would you like to eat something?”
Defense Bureau Agent C exhibited her quick-wittedness. With the perceptiveness that her very livelihood depended on, she had calculated from all angles before suggesting lunch at the perfect time.
The Second Prince glanced around and gestured towards a cafe with a clear view of the church’s spire.
“Let us go there.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Should I clear out the citizens currently using the cafe?”
“No, it is fine.”
C’s eyes curved. The Second Prince of before would have naturally flaunted his authority and in the Empire, that was completely normal. There was an insurmountable gap between a Prince and ordinary citizens, after all.
But the Second Prince of now knew how to view the world from below. During the inspection, he didn’t superficially pass by, but instead, carefully checked specific points such as dark alleys. He had even surveyed places not reached by the guards.
Originally, she would have advised, ‘To ensure the safety of the Imperial Family from assassination, we must drive out everyone from the cafe’ and ‘The Empire is more than capable of running itself well without looking into such minute details’, but……
C was someone who rose to the status of an Analyst of the Defense Bureau as a commoner. To think that such a noble existence truly understood and cared about places meant for those who were lower in this ladder of society. Moreover, it was not for some performance but genuinely. Obviously, she could not help but be glad.
C was ready to forgive the Second Prince even if he said ‘You pay for food and drinks’ in the cafe.
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Two cups of coffee and well-baked madeleines.
Although the chef instantly switched modes, becoming more courteous, upon discovering the Second Prince’s blond hair under his hood and Analyst C had a plea in her eyes that seemed to say ‘I can eat only after you do……’ behind an expressionless mask……
Ignoring such external events, Prince Irid leaned his chin on his hand and looked out the window. The church spire was an unforgettable place for him.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
With the grappling hook gun, they embraced each other, flying in the sky.
When the Second Prince reminisced about the most beautiful moments, his recollection continued to circle around and around, like an ouroboros, refusing to end. What had occurred before flying in the sky with the grappling hook gun?
So…..Centra had held him. And he remembered the mind-blowing sensation of a……weightiness on his chest and stomach, transmitted from the skin-tight attire.
“……It was not intentional.”
Irid subconsciously uttered these words. It was a mutter that was unknown as to who the recipient was; a futile excuse that would never reach her.
“Looking back now, controlling my gaze was an impossi…….No, that would be an excuse. If it was unpleasant, I truly should have apologized in advance…………”
After waiting for about 25 minutes, C decided and proceeded to eat everything alone.
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The stable was clean and well-maintained. The stable owner ran out barefoot to attend to the Second Prince, who told him not to worry as he would look around by himself.
Irid gazed at the haystack. They had hidden there, just the two of them, holding their breath to elude pursuers.
He remembered the promise he made with her.
Irid raised his pinky finger. The promise that if they ever met again, he would call out her name.
What exactly did that mean?
C, observing the Second Prince staring blankly at the haystack, spoke.
“Is Your Highness…….reminiscing about someone?”
“That is right. Someone I can not see anymore.”
“Would Your Highness perhaps like to describe their appearance? I may be able to inquire about family or relatives.”
“……Perhaps. I see. That could be a way to extend favor to her family.”
Despite a century separating them, Centra’s bloodline would still exist, after all. Maybe he could even find her distant ancestors.
Irid, recalling her image, spoke.
“She had long eyelashes and blue eyes. It was as blue and refreshing as the vast sea. Her hair was black, long enough to cover half her back.”
“……Was the hair perhaps black with a tinge of blue?”
“That is right……..”
“Although I am not sure if it is the same person……….I know someone with a similar description.”
C had an inkling, recalling a past case she had actually reported herself. Coincidentally, even the locations matched as well.
“The person was in the Defense Bureau’s report on dangerous individuals. Heart, who only sold conversations in the brothel ‘Rosaria’. Her alias was the Lady of Illusion.”
“…….Is there a portrait remaining?”
“Yes. Many artists have painted her portrait. Most likely, there will be one remaining in ‘Rosaria’.”
“Can I see it?”
“Yes.”
Irid and C retraced their steps. And once again, they headed towards ‘Rosaria’.
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“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Irid stood silently in front of Heart’s portrait.
He clearly remembered every detail of Centra’s features. When comparing Heart with Centra, they resembled each other too closely to be distant ancestors.
If they were the same person…..
She must have sought a Dimensional Wizard. Hadn’t he mentioned it himself? That there was a genius wizard who restored Dimensional Magic in the Purple Magic Tower. That it was possible to traverse time through that magic.
She must have paid some price…….to perform the Dimensional Magic. To meet irid. But then, why didn’t she seek him out? Why did she use the alias, Heart?
After undergoing Dimension Travel and crossing over to the past, Centra must have been deeply troubled.
She didn’t know whether the present was ‘before Irid experienced Dimensional Travel or ‘after Irid experienced Dimensional Travel’. After all, fearing the commotion over Dimensional Magic, the Imperial Family and the boy knight had hidden the fact that Dimensional Magic had been restored in the Purple Magic Tower.
There was no way to find out that the ‘Second Prince had experienced Dimensional Travel’.
If it was ‘before Irid experienced Dimensional Travel’, revealing the name Centra would be nothing more than poison. After all, it could backfire. If Irid learned about Centra in advance……..the future would change.
After all, the Irid who had undergone Dimensional Travel was an Irid who ‘did not know Centra’.
Unable to seek or call out to him, she had no choice but to wait. At the inn, the place of their shared memories. In the brothel ‘Rosaria’ of the past, she used the alias ‘Heart’ to signify she was waiting for her love.
She would have prayed that Irid would one day notice her, lingering in the hopes that he would come find her and call out her name.
And after waiting like that for 3 years…….As Irid never came and when her time ran out……She must have returned to her original world, to the future.
She had come here. For him.
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Irid staggered up to the third floor.
In that place was Centra’s room. It was also where Heart had stayed.
He opened the door. The interior was the same. A small room, a bed occupying one corner, a small desk and manuscript paper. Various books. And a small, empty vase.
But her scent was not present.
He had to be sure. After all, the brothel room of the present, precisely where Heart had stayed, was exactly the same as in the future, 100 years later. Only the types of books and the empty vase were different.
She had come to find him.
Thud, thud. His heart trembled as if his entire body was vibrating. Irid was positively shaking. The surging emotions felt like they would burst his heart, so he clenched his teeth to endure.
In the small room, with no space to even spread out a table, Irid carefully sat on the bed. Here, he had sat side by side with her.
He is remembering.
Centra had leaned her head on Irid’s shoulder. He had felt a pleasant weight and happiness had seeped in. In silence, the two had communicated through the exchange of body heat, weight, atmosphere, scent, and the soul.
He was remembering. The promise.
“If we ever meet again…….Could you call my name?”
He remembered.
Irid, gazing at the vase on the desk, belatedly kept his promise.
“……Centra.”
No answer came.
Irid buried his face in his hands and wept.
Rain fell.
A cascade that seemed as if it would never stop………..
***
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