Estelle smiled at the prince, then looked at the ring on the ring finger of her left hand. Perhaps what had brought Estelle the most relief after she’d come back to the Libra Palace had been getting her engagement ring back from Leah.
Arcrayne reached out and placed his hand on Estelle’s left.
Unfortunately, however, the sweet mood ended there, interrupted by a knocking on the door. Looking upset, Arcrayne reluctantly got up and went to open it.
On the other side was Claus. He whispered something to Arcrayne, at which point the prince’s expression underwent a sudden change and murky mana began to rise from his body like a haze.
As if reacting to it, various objects around the room began to float.
“Your Highness! You must contain it!”
Claus’s words made Estelle realize Arcrayne was responsible for this phenomenon.
“You could hurt Estelle if your power goes out of control!” continued Claus.
But as he reached out for the prince, sparks began to fly, making Claus grimace. It must’ve been painful.
Arcrayne turned Estelle’s way and called her name. His deep blue eyes landed on her. At the same time, the mana swirling around the room wavered.
The prince took repeated deep breaths. It looked like he was trying to get the mana raging in him under control. Gradually, its darkness abated, and with heavy sounds, the floating objects fell on the floor.
He seemed to have calmed down. His face was pale, however.
“Are you all right, Lord Arc?” asked Estelle, running up to him.
“I’m sorry for scaring you.” The prince was trembling.
“You are suffering from the aftereffects of having to suppress your power that almost went out of control, are you not? You should rest in a different room,” said Claus, a worried look on his face.
“But my work...”
“We are not so incompetent as to have to rely on you when you are in a state like that, Your Highness.”
Flatly shutting down Arcrayne’s attempt at resistance, Claus went to call someone.
✦ ✦ ✦
Employees of the Leo Palace came running and immediately prepared a bedroom for Arcrayne. Estelle accompanied the prince to it. He looked unwell all along.
“I’m sorry... I couldn’t keep my anger in check,” he said after getting in the bed.
“It surprised me. What happened?” asked Estelle.
The change in Arcrayne had occurred right after Claus had whispered something to him.
“Mircea Marwick is dead.”
The unexpected news took Estelle’s breath away.
“How...?” she asked.
“Apparently he hung himself while the guards weren’t looking.”
Estelle acutely felt the prince’s anger through his deeply dark mana and the look on his face.
“I was told he remained silent all this time. So he chose death as a means of escape?” she asked.
“That’s right.”
“How awful...”
It was hard to accept the sudden death of their political opponent. This was the case even for Estelle, so it must’ve been even worse for Arcrayne.
“Lord Arc, you look too pale. Please rest for now.”
“I don’t think I can. I’m too angry for that,” he said, looking glum.
Estelle wasn’t about to back down, however. “Lying down with your eyes closed will still make a difference.”
“All right,” the prince reluctantly said after a pause.
Forcing a smile, Estelle pulled the bedclothes over him. Suddenly, he grabbed her by the arm, pulled her onto the bed too, and embraced her tightly.
“L-Lord Arc?! What are you doing?!” she asked in confusion.
“Sorry. Let me do this for a minute,” he said quietly, sounding miserable.
Estelle stopped resisting and looked at his face, at which point he tightened his arms around her.
“At least let me take off my shoes,” said Estelle.
“All right.” Arcrayne reluctantly let go of her.
Once she was done with that, the prince once again pulled her into the bed and buried his face in her chest.
“I can hear your heart,” he said.
The way he acted reminded Estelle of Snow, when the cat would nuzzle up to her. It triggered something like a motherly instinct in her, and she put a hand on Arcrayne’s head.
His hair was silky and soft, which further reminded Estelle of a cat. As she combed it, Arcrayne lowered his eyes and relaxed his arms around her. Estelle didn’t have anything against her own chestnut locks, but she admired flashy blond hair. To make things even better, Arcrayne’s hair was smooth, and her fingers passed through it easily.
And he’s a man, unlike me, she thought with a hint of jealousy as she continued to stroke the prince’s hair.
“I wanted the duke to pay for his crimes,” said Arcrayne.
“Of course.”
With his death, so many answers were lost forever—including those pertaining to attempts on Arcrayne’s life. Estelle was frustrated too.
“Silvio insists everything was on Mircea’s and the queen’s orders... The queen has been relatively honest, but who knows how much of what she says is the truth...” uttered the prince, stumbling over words here and there.
Estelle listened without a word.
“I’m visiting the queen tomorrow...but I’m not sure I can stay calm... Can you come with me...?”
Arcrayne had never relied on Estelle in such ways before. It made her happy, despite the situation they were in.
“If my presence would help, certainly,” she said.
Having him rely on her in his weakened state made Estelle feel like they were a little more equal than usual.
“Thank you...” The prince was visibly dozing off.
“If you feel sleepy, you should sleep.”
Estelle stopped stroking Arcrayne’s hair and let her hand rest motionlessly on it. Not long after, she heard rhythmical breathing coming from the prince.
She’d meant to leave once he’d fallen asleep, but given the proximity, she couldn’t get away. Quickly giving up, she entrusted herself to Arcrayne’s warmth.