“YOU honestly have no idea how shocked I was then.”
The young man sighed dramatically and gave an exaggerated shrug.
Charles Everett was Linus’ best friend. Despite being more than ten years older than him, he treated the royal spare like he would anyone else, without any regard for the boy’s royal status. Some might even call Charles an eccentric. He was already a high priest at a relatively young age, so there was no questioning his talents.
For those reasons and more, Linus entrusted Fiona to Charles.
“And who in their right mind wouldn’t be when someone summons you only to tell you to adopt and protect a child? Though I had no intentions of marrying, I also never imagined I’d become a father first.”
“I didn’t have a choice. You know as well as I do it would have been practically impossible to protect her in the palace.”
It wasn’t a simple matter for a fourteen-year-old second prince to take in a girl younger than him of unknown background. He hadn’t liked the idea of unsavory rumors hurting Fiona, but he’d been even more afraid of his father, the king, and his older brother, the crown prince, finding out about her.
“So…do you think she’s, you know…?”
“Likely, yes. Based on what Your Highness told me about her, combined with that black hair and the nature of the magic she possesses, I don’t think Fiona is of our world.”
Linus nodded in agreement with Charles’ words.
The day Fiona appeared in the courtyard, a summoning ritual to call forth the Saint of Sea Bounty was underway in the royal palace. He’d heard the ceremony failed and no saint appeared, but he’d wondered if Fiona was the saint ever since learning of the summoning.
“In this case, I think how you handled everything was good for her. Because if she’s revealed as the saint, she will become the future queen… Age-wise, she will become the crown prince’s consort since the king is far too old for her. I hate to say it, but that future would only have brought her unhappiness.”
Though the remark disrespected the crown prince, Charles spoke the truth. At the moment, Linus’ older brother was a bachelor, but everyone in the country knew about his womanizing ways. To add insult to injury, he rarely studied or engaged in physical training and lacked the personality to stir the people with his words and deeds. Frankly, he couldn’t think of a single thing his brother excelled at. It was no exaggeration to say that he attained his current position only by virtue of his birth, and he often used his status to behave arrogantly.
Frankly, the man was an utter embarrassment. So when they rescued Fiona, they decided that she couldn’t be kept in the royal palace because they didn’t want her to be misused by the crown prince since the saint was a symbol of ultimate authority.
“The country isn’t in dire need of a saint.”
“It’s unfair to ask a ten-year-old girl who lost her memory to work as a saint.”
“Becoming the wife of an idiot crown prince over fifteen years older and with a terrible reputation as a womanizer is too cruel of a fate to place on her.”
Charles had agreed with Linus’ pleas and adopted Fiona as his daughter. It was a serious act of betrayal to take custody of a person who was likely a saint summoned by the country and then hide her. However, his brother’s character was so terrible that even Charles, a high-ranking priest, despised him. Linus wouldn’t be surprised if his brother ended up assassinated one day.
“You haven’t forgotten our promise, right? Once Fiona is an adult, we’ll tell her the truth of her circumstances and let her choose her own path.”
“Of course I haven’t. It’s her life, and she has the right to decide where it goes. I’m curious, though… You keep reminding me over and over again. Why?”
It would soon be a month since the two of them took Fiona under their protection. But every time Linus visited the Everett residence, Charles insisted on bringing up their promise, and he was getting fed up. Perhaps his friend was afraid of Linus monopolizing the saint’s power. He should know better than to think he’d do something so troublesome.
In response, Charles frowned and fell into a thoughtful silence.
“Your Highness…don’t tell me you haven’t realized?”
“What?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Father.”
A knock sounded on the door, followed by Fiona entering. Unlike the first time they’d met when the little girl with the lustrous black hair and caramel-colored eyes saw Linus, she beamed at him. That, more than anything, told him she led a peaceful life here, and he smiled back at her.
“I baked cookies. I added the walnuts you love so much, Father. Will you try them?”
A sweet scent wafted over them from the plate she carried so carefully. Charles smiled at her.
“Thank you very much, Fiona. Of course, I’d love to. Let’s eat them together.”
Her expression brightened, but she immediately shook her head.
“No, I can’t. Um…I don’t want to intrude on your time with His Highness. Besides, I still have another batch to make.”
After she put the plate down on top of the table, she turned around to leave. Without thinking, Linus gripped her hand.
“Your Highness…?”
Though he realized he had surprised Fiona, Linus still wasn’t inclined to release her. The way she tilted her head in confusion was adorable, and the fact that, at that moment, the only thing she saw was him made him feel strangely fulfilled.
“You know, I like honey.”
She blinked those beautiful eyes at him several times before nodding in understanding.
“Then next time, I’ll bake cookies with honey, too.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Me neither!”
She smiled happily at him, and he finally let her go. After she was gone, Linus picked up a cookie from the plate and munched on it. The pieces of walnut in the cookie were rich and flavorful, but he felt vaguely dissatisfied when he thought about Fiona making the cookies for Charles.
“You really haven’t realized?”
“And I repeat, what are you talking about?”
Sighing deeply, Charles watched Linus pick up another cookie.
“You love Fiona, don’t you?”
“…What?”
He cocked his head in confusion, his brain unable to process Charles’ words. His friend wasn’t the type to throw out baseless accusations, so he must have seen something to lead him to make such a judgment.
“Wait, do you think I’m protecting Fiona because I’m in love with her?”
Linus wouldn’t deny his interest in her. He still hoped she would be the something special to liven the monotony of his days and never tired of watching her.
“You exasperate me. Usually, you’re so sharp, but you’re so dense in the strangest ways.”
“The country doesn’t need a saint in these peaceful times; it’s wrong to make her work as a saint when she doesn’t even remember who she is, and there’s no way she’d be happy as Brother’s wife. You agreed with me on all these counts, Charles.”
“None of what you said is a lie, but they’re also official reasons to convince me, aren’t they?”
Charles picked up a cookie and held it aloft to show him.
“Riddle me this. Why did you stop Fiona and tell her you like honey? Because you were jealous of these walnut cookies, weren’t you? You barely show any interest in others, Your Highness, so from the moment you put your time and effort into protecting her, it was proof you think of Fiona as special.”
Charles popped the cookie into his mouth, chewed in satisfaction, and, after swallowing, reached for his teacup.
“Special.”
Linus realized Charles was right. He had just thought of her as something to brighten up his dull life, but…he’d been wrong.