Chapter 58: The Prince and Iris
THE blood drained from Iris’s face. Nothing had visibly changed about her, and yet, everyone was suddenly looking at her in a whole new light. She wasn’t really that happy about it, either; mostly, she felt vaguely alarmed. She clung to the tree trunk.
“Come here, Iris. Homeroom’s about to start.”
Reseda spread his arms out wide, grinning at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes—one she recognized from their childhood together. No matter what they were up to, good or bad, those flamingo-pink eyes always sparkled for her.
“Come on. Hurry back to me.”
At this, the girls nearby all shrieked.
“He sounds just like a prince!” the fairies shouted as they flew to and fro. “Come on, Iris, let’s go!”
They gave Iris a little push, and she smiled at them. She stood up on the branch and leaped straight into Reseda’s arms sticking out through the open window. He caught her and pulled her into the building, and together, they collapsed to the hallway floor.
“I finally caught you. I swear, you’re such a tomboy,” he laughed.
“I’m so sorry, Prince Reseda!” Iris blurted, flustered. She tried to get off him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug. He was much stronger than she remembered.
“I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt.”
As Iris rested her head on his chest, he let out a sigh of relief. He was so warm, she was half-worried she might get roasted alive.
“Um…Prince Reseda…?”
She pushed against him slightly to prop herself up, and he relinquished his grip. This caught her by surprise, and…it made her a little sad. Iris looked down at him from above, her curls dangling against his cheek.
“What’s wrong?”
Smiling shyly, he tugged on one of her ringlets and released it, making it bounce against her chest.
Wait, what am I DOING?! I’ve got His Highness pinned to the floor!!!
“I-I’m so sorry! I…um…!” Hastily, she got up, blushing all the way to her ears.
Reseda thought back to that day at the royal gazebo and snickered. Back then, Iris was so startled by his confession, she shoved him as hard as she could, and they both fell to the ground. She was the only one who had ever pushed him down…and to him, Iris was the only one who could.
“I’m not offended, you know,” he told her as he sat up.
At this, the memories of that fateful day flared up in her mind:
“I’m in love with you, Iris, even if you’re not in love with me.”
Iris pressed a hand over her mouth and tried to recoil, but he grabbed her arm again. “What’s wrong?” he asked, smiling, and she realized she was being far too self-conscious, getting flustered over an old memory. Besides, as far as she knew, he had only intended to propose to her if she became the Holy Maiden—and she had failed. For some strange reason, the thought made her chest ache.
“Iris, if you go by yourself, this’ll happen all over again,” Reseda cautioned her as the other students crowded around them. He had a point: if Iris tried to make a run for it, they would surely give chase.
“Nnngh…”
She really didn’t want that to happen. But because high society had always rejected her, she never had the opportunity to learn how to politely decline such things.
“Take my hand, Iris. I’ll escort you to your classroom.”
Reseda offered her his hand, and she gingerly accepted it. With a satisfied grin, he slid an arm around her shoulders and glared around at the crowd.
“Now then, I must ask you all to stop chasing her around on campus. For one thing, it’s disruptive, and more than that, it’s not safe,” he chided them. They nodded obediently. With their understanding, he smiled darkly and cast a tiny hint of intimidation magic. “If you hurt her, I won’t be happy.”
His aura was so threatening, everyone present immediately took a step back.
“Huh…?”
Iris hadn’t seen the look on his face, so she had no idea what had just happened. Like most magic, intimidation magic never really worked on her. She looked at Reseda, but he was already back to his normal smile.
“Huh??”
But when Iris looked back at the crowd, they all flinched and hurried away.
“Huh???” She blinked. “What was that?”
She looked at Reseda again. He was still smiling softly, just like always. “It looks like they finally took the hint. Good news for you, eh, Iris?”
As usual, he always managed to effortlessly solve her biggest problems. She beamed back at him. “Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!” she told him sincerely.
Wordlessly, he patted her on the head and chuckled at her utter obliviousness.