Chapter 99

I rubbed my body against the warm air and a comfortable pillow, shifting my posture to settle in. It felt soft and velvety, as if I were lying on a cloud. My entire body felt pleasantly heavy.

 

‘This feels so good.’

 

“Lili…”

 

“Mmm….”

 

“…Lilithia.”

 

A pleasant, melodic voice woke me. I slowly lifted my eyelids to see Freyer sitting by the window with a wide, beaming smile.

 

“Freyer…?”

 

I was certain Freyer had traveled to the Oneren Kingdom.

 

‘I must be dreaming.’

 

However, the room looked exactly like the large chamber of our temporary merchant base. I was supposed to be in the palace bedroom Scarlet had prepared for me. Yet, as if to prove this wasn’t a dream, the documents I had been reviewing the night before were scattered all over the place.

 

“Have you gotten too comfortable while I was away?”

 

“Ar-Are you really here, Your Highness?”

 

“Do you dislike that I’ve come back, Lilithia?”

 

Only then did I bolt upright. I felt the vivid sensation of the bed swaying from the sudden recoil of my movement.

 

His brilliant silver hair fluttering in the gentle breeze from the open window, the soft curve of his lips, the texture of the blanket against my fingertips—the scenery of the room was too sharp to be a dream.

 

‘It’s real! It’s actually real!’

 

Freyer had returned sooner than expected. I hurriedly closed my mouth, which had hung open in excitement, and bowed my head, frantically touching my face to check my appearance.

 

‘I think I drooled while sleeping.’ I felt my lips with my hand. ‘Did I have sleep in my eyes?’ I rubbed my eyes, smoothed back my hair, and looked at Freyer again.

 

Incredible. It really was Freyer. The radiant silver hair. The brightly sparkling emerald eyes. A masterpiece that looked as if it were carved by the greatest sculptor in history. It was him.

 

“How did you get here so early?”

 

“Because I missed you.”

 

Lately, Freyer’s directness had been making my heart skip a beat. I had always wanted my “favorite character” to be happy, but there was something I wanted to hear from him specifically.

 

Come to think of it, I was the only one making assumptions; Freyer had never directly told me he liked me. Even though everything he did—worrying about me, wanting to see me—was his way of saying it indirectly, I wanted to ask him again.

 

Freyer approached me with long strides and sat on the edge of the bed. His gaze, fixed solely on me, held a faint smile. His face drew closer and closer. I hurriedly gripped the blanket.

 

Five centimeters, three centimeters, one centimeter.

 

At this distance, surely… I squeezed my eyes shut.

 

‘Our lips are going to touch.’

 

Tap.

 

I was anticipating something moist, but I felt a sensation on my nose and snapped my eyes open.

 

“Ah.”

 

“Distracted again. I wonder what you’re thinking about so intensely every time.”

 

“Well, it’s just….”

 

‘I was wondering if I’m the person who can make you happy. If I could confirm that, I think I could tell you how I feel.’

 

When I regained my senses, Freyer was looking down at me with a broad, lingering gaze. Realizing my face was flushing, I quickly covered my cheeks with my hands. My face was surely as red as a ripe apple. Freyer ran his fingers through my hair, stroking it while looking at me with soulful eyes.

 

“I have something to give you.”

 

“For me!?”

 

Oh my goodness, Freyer returned quickly from a busy schedule just to give me something!

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

My eyes sparkled as I watched him reach into his coat. What could it be? I was so curious that my head naturally leaned toward him.

 

“Close your eyes.”

 

‘Wait, is this a proposal?’

 

Shouldn’t the confession come first? The order felt a bit skipped, but my heart pounded at the sound of rustling fabric. I scolded myself for expecting too much, yet a shy smile crept onto my lips.

 

“Open your eyes.”

 

I slowly opened my eyes. But instead of the ring I expected…

 

“Winnie…?”

 

Winnie was looking down at me with a strange expression. I blinked hard in disbelief and rubbed my eyes, but it really was Winnie.

 

“My Lady!”

 

“Where’s… Freyer?”

 

“The Second Prince?”

 

I nodded vigorously and scanned the room. I had clearly seen him sitting by the window, his silver hair glowing in the moonlight. I had heard his sweet voice that stirred my soul, felt his breath that made my heart flutter, and felt the comfort of his unique warmth. But Winnie’s next words hit my heart like a bolt of lightning.

 

“His Highness went to the Oneren Kingdom, didn’t he?”

 

A dream. It was a dream.

 

I couldn’t believe I had mistaken such an absurd dream for reality. I felt like I was possessed. Actually, deep down, I knew. As soon as I woke up, I realized Freyer wasn’t here. This wasn’t the temporary merchant lodging, and the dark black jacket he used to drape over the sofa wasn’t there, nor were the books he habitually read on the table.

 

‘Why am I like this…?’

 

I wiped my face with my hands, overwhelmed by a subtle, lingering emotion. Dreaming of Freyer made it feel like I missed him so much it manifested in my sleep.

 

“Did you have a bad dream?”

 

It was a cruel dream—one where I experienced happiness only to wake up to reality.

 

“I heard the festival in the Pomponio Kingdom is quite beautiful.”

 

…Surely, it’s just because I’m excited about the festival. I buried my face in my hands and whispered to myself.

 

‘I’ll see for myself just how beautiful it is.’

 

I needed to finish the merchant group’s schedule quickly and head back to the Empire.

 

 

***

 

 

I reminded myself why I was staying at the palace.

 

‘Scarlet said she wanted to make a tailcoat.’

 

And she asked me to attend the banquet wearing the dress that won the costume design contest.

 

Leaving Winnie in charge of the merchant group, I stood before a mannequin with Jonas, furrowing my brow in deep thought.

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to design the outfit in this direction?”

 

Jonas showed me the paper he was holding. It was a sketch of a suit that showed signs of days of deliberation. The design was clean. His skill was perfect enough to win a contest, but there was one thing he was overlooking.

 

“It’s perfect.”

 

“Then, let’s proceed with—!”

 

“It’s a design that would be possible if we had over a month.”

 

Princess Scarlet’s birthday banquet was less than five days away. Embroidering the vine patterns in gold thread on the tailcoat jacket would take an enormous amount of time. I pointed to the accessories in the drawing—the cravat, the brooch with a large opal, the gold buttons.

 

“Where would we even get these accessories?”

 

“If we ask the Princess….”

 

“To be honest, this design isn’t a tailcoat for the Princess; it’s just a way to show off your skills, Jonas.”

 

“……”

 

Jonas looked as if a dagger had been driven through his heart. His hand, which had been holding the sketch, dropped limply.

 

“I’m not saying your skills are bad! The winning dress from the contest is truly beautiful! You don’t need to be depressed!”

 

“You’re right.”

 

“It’s a perfect dress, so I’m sure a more perfect tailcoat for the Princess…”

 

“I think I was being too arrogant.”

 

Jonas clenched his fists and looked up with fire in his eyes.

 

“Arrogant?”

 

“I was thinking about making a more spectacular and flashy outfit using the prize money I received. But I’ve only just realized that my inspiration shouldn’t come from money, but from the joy of the customers who receive my clothes.”

 

At that moment, Jonas looked at the fabric on the table with a firm gaze.

 

“Can we get more fabric? I think I can come up with a new inspiration.”

 

“Merchant goods will be entering the Pearching Kingdom this afternoon.”

 

“I’ll redesign it. Give me a few hours—no, just give me one hour.”

 

Jonas picked up a pen and set it to the paper. The pen began to dance across the page like a flowing wave.

 

“…….”

 

It seemed my words had pushed Jonas’s pride button. To avoid disturbing his intense concentration, I quietly stepped out of the room.

 

 

***

 

 

After a journey that lasted nearly a week, Derek and his party finally entered the Pearching Kingdom. When conditions were poor, they slept outdoors, and the accumulated fatigue had left Derek exhausted.

 

It was almost a miracle that the coachman was still in one piece after such a long trip. The urge to lie down on a bed and sleep all day rolled over him like a thick cloud.

 

“His Highness isn’t picking up.”

 

He had been informed that Prince Freyer had headed to the Oneren Kingdom. They had been constantly exchanging their locations, but strangely, he hadn’t been able to reach the Prince for a few days.

 

‘He must be busy.’

 

Diplomacy with the Oneren Kingdom wouldn’t be easy. Derek tucked the communication device back into his coat, deciding to try again later.

 

“But to think he’d ask us to bring the goods to the palace instead of the merchant base.”

 

Just before arriving in Pearching, he had been contacted by Miss Winnie.

 

“Did they actually sell items to the Royal Family?”

 

Lady Lilithia had a good head for business, so it was possible she had found a new opportunity and made a connection with the royals in his absence.

 

He led the goods to the palace and was guided to where Lady Lilithia was staying. Derek’s eyes widened.

 

Scraps of fabric and loose threads were scattered across the floor like dust. In the middle of it all were Lady Lilithia, the kid, and a man who looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

 

“Lady Lilithia…?”

 

Derek spoke with a bewildered voice at the sight of the makeshift workshop.

 

“Sir Derek! You’ve arrived at the perfect time!”

 

“This is the fabric!”

 

The stranger snatched the fabric Derek was holding, his eyes gleaming with greed. Derek didn’t know what was going on, but the eerie atmosphere made him reflexively shrink back.