Harij was emitting an aura cold enough to freeze over the fountain. The rumors that Yašm was into men were but a ruse of his own making, and Harij didn’t want any part in it. Nevertheless, 80 percent of the rumors named Harij as his partner.
“For that matter, you—”
“…Oh dear.”
“Don’t try so obviously to interrupt me when I’m speaking!”
“I am not, Your Highness,” Harij said, switching back into formal mode. “I was just trying to point out a person who absolutely shouldn’t be here.”
Following Harij’s gaze, Yašm turned toward the palace, where he, too, spotted the small figure clad in a dark cloak hiding behind one of the pillars that separated the corridor from the courtyard. Guessing who it was, he splashed his face with water from the fountain, though he knew it was bad manners, and rose to his feet.
“…You two were just talking about some witch, but don’t you dare utter a word of it in front of THAT person. That’s an order.”
“Affirmative.”
“As you command.”
Displeasure clear on his face, Yašm strictly ordered Harij and Geones’s silence. Then he stood tall and strode over to the hidden figure with such confidence no one would guess he had a hangover.
The figure shuddered when they realized Yašm had noticed their presence. But they were like a cat on a hot tin roof with nowhere to escape in this open area.
“Lulu, what are you doing here?”
The person went ramrod stiff before slowly turning around. Their expression was marked not by the despair of being discovered, but rather by a flowery smile.
“Hello. Welcome back. You returned earlier than usual today.”
“A lot of stuff happened.”
Harij and Geones bowed as decorum required. The girl, who seemed well accustomed to people paying their respects to her, tilted her hand in a gesture granting them permission to lift their heads.
“Why, I never anticipated being able to meet with my dear older brother this morning. What a lovely day this shall be.”
The girl speaking in a delicate voice like silver bells was Lulu, Marjan’s fourth princess, who had just recently turned eleven. She graced them with the smile considered a national treasure by the kingdom. Her milky-white hair shimmered like a pearl in the morning light.
“By the way, Lulu, you haven’t answered my question yet.”
“What question might that be?”
“I asked what you are doing here.”
“Oh, yes, so you did. But it was such a silly question I didn’t think it required an answer. The courtyard exists for people to take a stroll. Do you need a reason to go for a leisurely stroll in the morning?”
“You do if you hate mornings. It doesn’t look like you woke up early to welcome me home, either.”
Lulu held Yašm’s prodding gaze without letting her smile fall.
“No one keeps a close eye on you in the wee hours of the morning because it’s a struggle to wake you up as it is. What mischief got you out of bed? You better not tell me you have taken after your favorite sister Billaura’s habits and went traipsing around outside.”
“Mother will swoon if she heard you speaking about traipsing around.”
Yašm came close to succumbing to Lulu’s angelic smile. However, the whole thing smelled contrived, as they were far from her bedchambers, and she was concealing her identity underneath a dark cloak. It was obvious she was trying to sneak out of the palace. He also suspected it wasn’t her first time doing this, considering how smoothly she countered his questioning.
“Where’s Nana?”
“Her lower back has been hurting lately.” Lulu’s eyes grew misty, seemingly with concern over the elderly maid who constantly trailed after her.
“It appears serving you has become so much trouble it’s causing physical strain on the older woman. I will take over the responsibility of keeping an eye on you for the time being.”
“Oh my… I could never inconvenience you with such menial work, Brother. Worrying you is the last thing this sister of yours would want. I shall refrain from any outings for the time being so that you can set your mind at ease.”
“That’s a good attitude to have. But this brother of yours is worried. You understand what that means, yes?”
Yašm’s words implied that he was going to keep Lulu on a tighter leash than before.
Lulu realized she had failed in her attempt to get him to do the opposite by volunteering to stay home. In the blink of an eye, she wiped away the grim expression that had fallen over her face and replaced it with a smile capable of captivating anyone.
“On another note…” Lulu clapped her hands together. The crisp smack cracked through Yašm’s ability to suppress his hangover any longer. He tilted his head back and grimaced. “I heard you have invited a lady to stay at your residence, Harij. May I offer you my congratulations?”
“Even you know about it…?!” Yašm staggered from more than just his dizziness. But he barely managed to catch his balance because he couldn’t very well shame himself by keeling over in front of his younger sister. He shot Harij a look.
“Yes, you may. Thank you, Princess Lulu.”
“How wonderful! I just knew the rumors were true. What do you need to move things along? Advice? A celebratory party?”
“Your heartfelt words are enough.”
“How quaint! How could I not celebrate the happiness of the man both Big Sister Laura and Big Brother Yašm adore like a brother? What is the right gift…? Oh, I know!”
Anticipating she was going to clap her hands again, Yašm furtively turned his head away before the sharp sound could pierce his ears.
“How about I gift you with ‘the Witch’s Love Potion’?”
Harij’s ears perked up.
“There you go mentioning that nonsense again.”
“Hehehe. You are only upset because you need it, Brother.”
“Don’t be a brat, Lulu!”
“Harij, however, likely doesn’t need it. There isn’t a woman in this world who wouldn’t fall head over heels for you if you whispered sweet nothings in her ear with that handsome face of yours.”
The corner of Yašm’s lips quirked up in a wicked grin when he saw Harij struggling to respond. “What’s this? Your lady friend hasn’t fallen for you?”
“I exercise my right to remain silent.”
“My oh my!”
“Really now?”
The siblings’ eyes gleamed. Harij bowed and stepped back to express he wouldn’t explain further.