Linde 2
White Lily Soliloquy
✦ ✦ ✦
THAT day, when I went to the salon as usual, I found Prince Helios alone, silently going about his official duties. Normally, Seren or Prince Helios would have been the first to arrive, but now that Seren was no longer a salon member, it was always just Prince Helios.
In the past, sometimes Prince Helios would stroll in a bit later, chatting leisurely with Lord Mashlo and the others, but recently, he hasn’t said two words to Lord Mashlo or anyone at the salon. Not unless it’s to discuss work matters. The atmosphere at the salon has become quite gloomy.
I’ve been a little worried about whether or not Prince Helios is even finding time to relax.
After saying hello and going to make a cup of coffee for His Highness, I set about my work. But every now and then, Prince Helios would let out a deep sigh, which I found unnerving.
Lady Ladia was out today, delivering some documents to Prime Minister Borden. So it was just me and Prince Helios in the salon. In this quiet space, with just the two of us here, I couldn’t help but overhear Prince Helios’s hushed sighs.
I’d pretended not to notice them for a while, but I felt guilty about ignoring someone in turmoil. So, I spoke up.
“…You seem to be sighing quite a bit today.”
Prince Helios brought a hand to his mouth in surprise, and I felt the need to suppress my grin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“No, it’s okay… It’s hard to notice one’s own sighs, isn’t it? But what’s wrong? Is it because Lady Seren got married?”
Prince Helios’s face was solemn, and I realized I’d hit the bullseye.
Perhaps I’d better not press him on the matter. But then again, a man of Prince Helios’s status… Where else would he find someone he could safely confide in?
And luckily, there was no one else around at the moment. I’d be glad to listen as he spilled his soul if he’d have me.
That said, I wasn’t going to be pushy about it. I remained silent as Prince Helios hung his head, and I continued busily working on my calculations.
“…Yes, it might be that.” Prince Helios’s voice was faint.
I stopped what I was doing and turned my attention toward him. It seemed he was thinking out loud, so I refrained from responding.
“I never thought Seren would get married this soon…”
I nodded slowly. Silently.
I was surprised, too.
Despite her demure looks, Seren is a woman of pure determination. Once she makes up her mind, there’s no stopping her.
“Yes, there’s the shock aspect of it, of course…”
Ah, yes, no doubt he was shocked.
I was surprised to learn that the two of them had never been on any real dates. Then, when Seren told me she’d been for a stroll around town with him, I’d wondered if he’d begun to have genuine feelings for Seren rather than focusing only on his official duties all the time.
Still, that aside, it must be a bit shocking when the woman you planned to spend your life with up and marries another man. I could certainly understand his reaction.
“And to think… Archmage Viol, of all people,” he sighed.
“Indeed, it’s hard to wrap one’s head around. And Archmage Viol is a notorious misanthrope, I thought. Honestly, I’ve been quite shocked by it all as well.” I chuckled, but Prince Helios pouted.
“I knew something was weird when he suddenly invited Seren to dance. Now when I think about it, he must have already had feelings for her back then.”
“It seemed like even Seren was surprised at the time.”
“Was she?”
Prince Helios looked a little relieved. Well, good. Obviously, Seren hadn’t harbored any ulterior motives. It was good that he knew that, too.
“Back then, I don’t think she really ever interacted with Archmage Viol much… But she did say something about how much she respected him after she became a High Mage,” I said.
“Respect… I suppose some people get married based on mutual respect, don’t they?”
“It’s probably an important factor… I mean, I’ve still never experienced falling in love with anyone, so it’s not really for me to comment on.”
Prince Helios’s eyes widened a little in surprise when I confessed that. “You haven’t? I thought all young ladies knew all about the ways of romance.”
“It depends on the person. I’m not much of a romantic. I certainly have my crushes, but when everyone at the Academy talks about love and so on, I’m one of the ones who are just listening along.” I chuckled, and Prince Helios looked relieved for some reason.
“I see. So you don’t focus on all that kind of stuff, do you, Lady Linde?”
“I plan to become a civil servant. There’s no rush for me to fall for someone. Maybe in a decade, if I still haven’t found anyone to get interested in, I’ll start to worry a little.”
“You’re very strong-willed, Lady Linde.” Prince Helios muttered like he was surprised by it. But really, I was just saying what I thought.
Am I so strong-willed? True, in a decade, I’d probably be a bit too old to marry by society’s standards. By that time, my parents would have probably given up on the prospect. I don’t think I’d mind that.
“I wish I could be as cool and composed as you, Lady Linde.”
“Well, I wouldn’t advise taking things to my extremes. But why not shelve all that for a while and take it easy?”
“If only I could.” Prince Helios frowned, looking troubled. “Since my engagement with Seren was called off, I’ve been getting constant engagement offers from parents and approaches from other young ladies. To be honest, it’s exhausting.”
“Oh, I suppose that would be an immediate problem. I do sympathize with you.”
I’d seen it myself, at the balls and soirees. The competition for Prince Helios was extremely fierce.
Whether at evening events or the Academy, the question of who Prince Helios would choose now was often the hot topic of conversation. I’d wondered myself if Prince Helios wasn’t feeling a bit stressed out by it all.
“I’d rather not think about marriage for a long while… After all, I’m too busy for all that at the moment.”
I chuckled a little at the prince’s effort to justify his disinterest. No doubt, he was a busy man. But it was also obvious he wasn’t interested in the idea of marriage right now.
I shrugged, pointedly avoiding eye contact as I spoke next. “You don’t have to think about it, do you?” I glanced up at Prince Helios, who looked confused, and cleared my throat. “No doubt the king and queen think the same. Seren said Her Majesty told her there was no need to make hasty life decisions so young.”
Seren had made her decision anyway. But if Prince Helios asked for more time, I had no doubt the king and queen would not protest.
“The only ones to complain would be those desperate to take Seren’s place. They’re not thinking of you,” I said. “They’re just thinking of what THEY want. There’s no need for you to worry about THEIR feelings, though, is there?”
Prince Helios’s eyes widened. And then he smiled, the first real smile I’d seen from him in a while. “You’re not wrong there.”
“Surely, you can think about marriage and all of that once you find the right person.”
“Indeed… Yes, of course.” Prince Helios chuckled.
Oh good. The gloomy atmosphere of the salon seemed to have lifted.
“Ah… I feel so much better now,” he said.
“Well, I’m glad.”
“Thank you. I had all these confusing feelings that I couldn’t even begin to unpack by myself, so I didn’t feel like talking to anyone about it.”
“Well, I think I more or less understand. If you’d like, I’m always available to listen,” I offered.
“That would be helpful. You’re very easy to talk to, Lady Linde. Maybe it’s because you’re so straightforward.”
His cheerful smile was so different from how gloomy he’d been of late that I was a little taken aback. In fact, since we mostly discuss work at the salon, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such a smile from him before.
Prince Helios’s solemnity and his sense of responsibility are to his credit, but everyone needs to take a break sometimes. No one carries a heavier burden of responsibility than the crown prince, so perhaps it can’t always be avoided… But I’d like to see him smile like this more often.
“Yes, sometimes people say I speak as if I were a man,” I said. “But if that makes me a good conversation partner, then I guess I’ll take it.”
“Well, please lend me your manly ear from time to time then, if you would.”
“Certainly. Anytime.”
I smiled brightly, and Prince Helios smiled back. It was a carefree smile, like the kind you might show a close friend you haven’t seen in a long time.
After that, we were able to focus on our work.
There was no more heavy sighing coming from Prince Helios. No doubt what he’d said was true… Talking to me really made him feel better.