Chapter 88

“Your Highness?”

 

I had promised to meet him at the temporary base. My confusion at finding Freyer here lasted only a moment.

 

“You really do get lost at every opportunity.”

 

Freyer explained that he had been informed by Winnie that I was missing. A sudden urge to protest welled up inside me.

 

“It’s just because the crowd was so big, and having a bad sense of direction is… well, it’s a family trait!”

 

It felt unfair to be blamed for being swept away by a literal sea of people, and besides, my lack of direction was a hereditary misfortune I couldn’t help. My father was even worse than me—he occasionally managed to get lost inside our own mansion.

 

“I’m just so glad I ran into you. Shall we head back to the shop then?”

 

Winnie must be worried sick; it would be best to let her know I was safe.

 

“No.”

 

“?”

 

“I’ve already contacted your maid to tell her I found you.”

 

When? I had been with him this whole time and hadn’t seen him pull out a communication device once. I tilted my head in confusion.

 

“The moment I found you.”

 

“Did she say anything?”

 

“She told us to enjoy the festival.”

 

My eyes lit up at his words.

 

“The festival!”

 

“In that case, shall we move according to our original plan?”

 

The thought of enjoying the festival made my heart flutter with excitement. Freyer gave a gentle smile and softly wrapped his hand around mine.

 

‘Why the hand all of a sudden?!’

 

My face flushed at the unexpected touch, and I hurriedly turned my head away.

 

“Just in case you wander down another strange path.”

 

He said it out of concern that I might get lost again. But why was my heart racing like this? I’ve been acting so strange lately.

 

“Shall we?”

 

He tightened his grip slightly on my hand. I was just relieved he couldn’t feel my pulse racing through my fingertips.

 

 

***

 

 

With the hand Freyer wasn’t holding, I pointed toward a circus performer. Oh my goodness. They were using magic to float in mid-air while spinning plates—twenty of them at once!

 

“Your Highness! Look at that!”

 

A person even leaped out from a burst of fire shaped like a lion. I was so amazed my mouth hung open.

 

‘So this is what a festival is like! This is so much fun!’

 

“Your Highness, let’s go over there too!”

 

I practically dragged Freyer toward the street stalls.

 

“That looks delicious!”

 

There were so many traditional Pearching dishes I had never seen in the empire, from meat sandwiches to fried pork rinds. Since it was dinner time, my stomach let out a thunderous growl.

 

“Let’s try that one, Your Highness!”

 

I turned back toward Freyer. In that split second—

 

Whoosh—

 

“Careful.”

 

Freyer quickly pulled me toward him, wrapping his arm around my waist. Held firmly by his strong hand, I found my face buried against his broad chest.

 

Thump.

 

I peeked back and saw a passerby carrying heavy water buckets on a yoke over his shoulders. If Freyer hadn’t saved me, I would have been soaked like a drowned rat, looking more pitiful than anyone. I had been so distracted by the festival that I’d completely lost track of my surroundings.

 

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

 

As I tried to pull away, Freyer tightened his hold on my waist, pulling me closer. A low voice vibrated near my ear.

 

“By the way, Lilithia.”

 

A strangely sultry breath tickled my ear. I swallowed hard as his voice turned playful.

 

“You aren’t trying to announce my identity to everyone, are you?”

 

Identity? I let out a soft gasp as the realization hit me. Freyer was the Second Prince of the empire. Calling him “Your Highness” in a public place like this was a mistake.

 

“Everyone is staring at us because you keep saying ‘Your Highness’.”

 

“!”

 

Especially since Freyer wasn’t here on an official visit. Then what was I supposed to call him? While I was lost in thought, he spoke.

 

“Freyer.”

 

At his faint smile and the soft cadence of his voice, my jaw dropped.

 

“In case you’d forgotten. My name.”

 

He was telling me to call him by his name. How could I call Freyer—the Prince—by his name! How could I say out loud the name I only ever used in my head!

 

“I can’t call Your Highness by your name!”

 

“If you’re shy, another name is fine. Like ‘Ray’.”

 

‘Ray’…?

 

Since my father occasionally called me ‘Lili,’ I recognized immediately that ‘Ray’ was an affectionate nickname. Using a nickname carried a heavy weight—it was reserved for family or a very special relationship.

 

It was as if… he wanted us to be in that kind of relationship.

 

The permission to use a nickname made my heart pound uncontrollably.

 

“Lilithia.”

 

Under his intense, unblinking gaze, I looked down at my feet, agonizing over my choice.

 

‘Okay. Be brave, Lilithia Baimery.’

 

“…Fre…”

 

“What was that?”

 

Was I too quiet? I squeezed my eyes shut and forced the difficult word out.

 

“I-I’d prefer to call you… Freyer! Your Highness!”

 

I did it!

 

I thought it would be hard, but it wasn’t so bad.

 

I looked up with a proud smile, only for Freyer to flick the tip of my nose and laugh, his eyes crinkling.

 

“You said ‘Your Highness’ again.”

 

“It’s hard…”

 

“It’s not even the first time. Why the fuss?”

 

Not the first time?! I stared at him with wide eyes, certain that I had only ever called him by name in my thoughts and never out loud.

 

“When did I ever…!”

 

“To think you don’t remember. That’s a bit heartless.”

 

He released me from his embrace and changed the subject.

 

“That food over there looks good.”

 

The roles had shifted; now Freyer was the one leading me. Though I felt a vague sense of being teased, I was soon distracted by the street food he pressed into my hand.

 

I feel like I’m being tamed somehow.

 

 

***

 

 

“Your Highness, is it really okay for us to enter this place…?”

 

“You’re calling me ‘Your Highness’ again.”

 

“But unlike back there, there’s no one else around.”

 

Freyer furrowed his brows, then placed his index finger to his lips and scanned the area.

 

“Shh. Someone’s coming.”

 

“Then we should leave—”

 

Before I could finish, Freyer pulled me by the hand until we reached the very top of the castle wall tower. My heart was racing with the guilt of a thief; I looked around frantically, terrified that guards were about to swarm us.

 

“What if we get caught…!”

 

The wall towers were strictly off-limits to anyone but the guards.

 

“We’ll be thrown into the dungeon if they find us!”

 

“Look down there.”

 

Freyer leaned against the window and pointed down. Following his finger, I saw a group of guards who looked completely wasted.

 

“The festival is a day of joy for everyone. Even if there are guards on the walls, there are probably only one or two sober ones left. The chances of getting caught are almost zero. Relax.”

 

Freyer beckoned me to stand beside him. I leaned against the window, finally feeling at ease enough to look down at the view. The faces of the people below were filled with pure ecstasy at the rare celebration.

 

The night sky was stitched with stars, and colorful wind lanterns drifted upward, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty. It was so fantastically surreal that it was hard to look away.

 

“It’s beautiful.”

 

“It is.”

 

“It really is! I want to burn this image into my memory!”

 

“Yes, I want to keep this forever.”

 

We were in agreement; our hearts felt perfectly in sync. Bracing my arms against the windowsill, I watched the lanterns ascending and said, “I heard people talking earlier. They say if you write a wish, put it in a lantern, and fly it, the wish will come true.”

 

“It’s just a lantern, though.”

 

“I think everyone knows that. They know it’s just a superstition. But it’s a lovely thought, isn’t it?”

 

I shook my head and partially closed my eyes.

 

“To want something so desperately, for yourself or for someone else.”

 

Thinking of them not just as lanterns, but as vessels for hopes and dreams, made them seem to glow even brighter.

 

“If I were to make a wish, I’d write that I want my family to be healthy and my merchant group to prosper.”

 

‘And that I want you to be happy.’

 

I would write that on a note, put it in a lantern, and let it fly. I knew it was just a myth, but if it could make my favorite character happy or make my wishes come true, I’d fly a thousand lanterns.

 

“If a lantern could really grant a wish, what would you write, Your Highness?”

 

I turned toward him with a wide smile, only to meet Freyer’s deep, unreadable gaze.

 

“I wonder.”

 

Wait, has he been looking at me like that this whole time? He shifted his gaze back to the lanterns and spoke.

 

“If a wish could truly come true, I’d wish for this happiness to last forever.”

 

Happiness. Freyer was saying he was happy.

 

Even though his love with Nazlee hadn’t come to fruition. Even though he was here with me instead of her.

 

“…Are you happy right now, Your Highness?”

 

Freyer looked into my eyes with the most contented smile I had ever seen.

 

“Yes. More than anyone.”

 

He drove the nail home, sending my heart into another tailspin.

 

“This is the happiest moment of my life.”