“Well now, Prince Izlarich. What exactly are you doing here, all by yourself?”
Pretending to have some errand, I’d slipped away from the tea party, circled around the garden, and approached the covered walkway from behind. There, the young prince stood, half-concealed by a pillar, staring intently at Bertia and June.
“Eek! P-P-Prince Cecil! W-What are you doing here?!”
He nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning around as if I’d appeared from the spirit realm. He even pointed at me, hand trembling.
Honestly. Did no one ever teach him that pointing at people is impolite?
“I saw you from the other side,” I said cheerfully, as if nothing were amiss. “You looked a little too shy to come in, so I thought I’d come fetch you myself.”
My smile must not have had quite the comforting effect I intended, because his expression tightened even further, and he took a cautious half-step back.
“I-I wasn’t planning to attend the tea party in the first place,” he stammered.
“Ah, I see.” I folded my arms lightly. “So, what were you doing here, then? Peering at the ladies from behind a pillar for no reason? You do realize that’s not exactly appropriate behavior for a prince.”
Even if he had some legitimate reason to be there, silently lurking in the shadows while staring at women wasn’t going to earn him any praise.
“I-I was just…”
He faltered, clearly searching for an excuse and finding none. His shoulders slumped, and he stared down at his boots in miserable silence.
For someone who frets so much about acting “manly,” he certainly loses all composure when it counts.
I sighed softly. “Miss June seemed rather disappointed you weren’t here, you know.”
Well, “disappointed” wasn’t quite the right word. “Irritated” would’ve been more accurate. But there was no need to twist the knife just yet.
“R-Really?”
He looked up at me tentatively, eyes uncertain and hopeful. Being gazed at from below like that by another man was not exactly my favorite experience, but I decided to let it slide for now.
He was fragile enough already. Push him too hard, and he might bolt entirely, which would only make things worse.
“Yes, really. She even mentioned that she asked you again yesterday. Isn’t that right?”
His mouth tightened, and he glanced away, mumbling, “She did, yes.”
“The empress dowager and the queen consort never intended to have the former king or the current king escort them today. Both men are tied up with work anyway, so their absence isn’t exactly a tragedy. But you, on the other hand… You’re different, aren’t you? Lady June invited you several times. To be met with silence and no clear reason? It would be strange for her not to feel lonely.”
“I…”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, fumbling for an excuse that never came. Of course, he had none. The truth was simple: he’d been sulking because June hadn’t been showering him with as much attention lately, and so he’d decided to punish her with coldness in return. A petty, childish move, but unfortunately, a common one.
“If you keep acting that way,” I said quietly, “you really will drive her away.”
His head snapped up. “T-That would be terrible! She’s my fiancée. My future wife!”
You realize shouting that at me won’t help, right?
“Then show it through your actions,” I said. “Most royal and noble marriages are political arrangements. If you don’t build a real bond yourselves, it will remain a hollow, polite façade for the court to look at.”
“B-But chasing after a woman like some commoner… That’s not dignified for a man of rank.”
“No one said anything about chasing skirts. I’m talking about sincerity. Treating her with honesty and respect. Our wives and fiancées aren’t accessories. They’re the people who stand beside us, the ones who make it possible for us to stand at all. And if you don’t value that, if you don’t make them feel cherished, then one day they’ll stop valuing you in return.”
“T-That would be awful.”
Sure, there were people who could give selflessly. But even the most devoted heart dried up when met with nothing but indifference and half-hearted gestures.
When that happened, a noblewoman might still fulfill her duties as a wife, but the small kindnesses, the quiet support she’d chosen to give out of love rather than obligation? Those vanished first.
Treating a partner with disregard would only cause them to stop doing those things that once came naturally. Whatever affection they once had would vanish in the face of disrespect.
“You came here instead of attending the luncheon your brother is hosting, didn’t you?” I asked. “Then why stop halfway? You’ve already made the effort, so see it through. Go in there and stand proudly beside your fiancée.”
“Ah… yes, that’s… true.”
It was barely a whisper, but I heard the conviction in his voice. It was the sound of someone finally making up his mind.
So, he indeed skipped Ramtak’s luncheon after all. I couldn’t say I was surprised. The relationship between those two brothers wasn’t openly hostile, but it wasn’t warm either.
From what I’d observed, Ramtak seemed to treat Izlarich more like a convenient underling than a sibling. Izlarich, on the other hand, didn’t appear to mind. He maintained a polite, almost detached distance. In truth, it was a rather one-sided dynamic: the elder brother believing himself admired, the younger quietly oblivious to the entire notion.
Honestly, Izlarich seems disinterested.
“Well then,” I said aloud, “let’s head back. I left my wife behind to come fetch you, and I’d rather not keep her waiting.”
Izlarich blinked, then looked at me with a faint, almost wistful expression. “Your Highness, you really do cherish Princess Bertia, don’t you?”
“Of course,” I said without hesitation. A calm smile tugged at my lips. “She’s my maiden of destiny, after all.”
I said it confidently because it was nothing less than the truth.
For a moment, Izlarich just stared at me, eyes wide in quiet astonishment. Then, as if something in him had finally clicked into place, he breathed a soft, awed murmur.
“That’s… manly.”
On our way back to the garden, I decided to make good on my earlier excuse about “grabbing some light food.” I selected a few suitable items from the buffet and had a maid arrange them neatly on a plate.
Prince Izlarich watched in puzzlement as I did so, tilting his head like a curious bird. When I explained the reason, his face cleared with a quiet “Ah, I see,” and he promptly gave similar instructions to a nearby maid. He had two plates prepared, one for himself and, I suspected, one for June.
When we returned to the standing area, Bertia and June were sitting side by side at a small table, smiling over their desserts.