Let’s wind back the clock a bit.
“Ville, can we chat after this?”
Just as I was wrapping up some work in my office, the crown prince had called out to me. It was a habit of his. It was the day after the ball hosted for the top academy students, and I was still recovering after attending with Lera. I didn’t adapt well to those sorts of events, though maybe she had it worse.
Once I was done coordinating His Highness’s schedule with someone from another department, I finally had a moment of breathing room. The next moment, he walked into my office. I’m certain he did that on purpose.
He left first, leaving a chamberlain who guided me to a room in the royal palace. Not only was it one of the crown prince’s private chambers, it was one meant only for personal acquaintances.
“Pardon me,” I said upon entering. I saw Prince Lumers and Nedon of the Knights of the White Summit. Oh, and Fezgahn was there too.
Does this have something to do with Lera?
“Ville, don’t look so beleaguered,” the crown prince chided me with a wry grin. My thoughts must’ve shown on my face.
“Forgive me,” I replied, “but you’re asking a lot, given the present company.”
“You really never show any tact around me!”
“If you’d prefer that I be more tactful, I can change at a moment’s notice.”
Responding with silence isn’t fair, Your Highness.
The room we were in existed solely as a place for His Highness to talk with the people he trusted most, so it was furnished with nothing but the bare necessities. Among certain nobles I didn’t much care for, getting invited here was considered to be a huge honor—it was anything but to me.
“So?” the crown prince began. “How are things with Lera?”
Is it really that intriguing? This prince can be such a maiden.
While I understood that men also enjoyed talking about romance, they tended to go in a more unsavory direction. This is to say nothing of who the question was directed at.
Fezgahn tilted his head. “What do you mean ‘how’?”
This guy wasn’t getting any easier to read.
“I’m talking about Miss Lowell. Are things going well?”
Where the crown prince’s face was shining, Fezgahn’s was growing darker. I didn’t know he was capable of such visible despair.
“Don’t tell me you got rejected?” the crown prince asked in a panic.
“No, nothing like that...”
“Your Highness,” Nedon cut in, “Yuin is frustrated that he couldn’t get deeper in the Mystic Forest.”
He didn’t need to bring that up, but the crown prince pounced on it.
“Are you referring to that bit Ville said? About how he needs to reach the same layer as Miss Lowell?”
“That’s right. He kept saying he wanted to hit at least Layer Five, if not Layer Six.”
If Nedon knew that, then perhaps he had stayed in Peylon after Lord Yulville had returned to the royal capital? Was he ordered to stay behind, or did something else keep him?
The crown prince’s accusing tone interrupted my thoughts. “Ville, you didn’t need to say that.”
“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. If nothing else, I can’t imagine Lera would show any interest in a guy who hadn’t even entered the Mystic Forest.”
Nobody in Peylon would listen to someone without the strength to back up their words. It was the exact opposite of high society, which demanded a silver tongue. To make things worse, my mother was oddly supportive of Fezgahn.
I suddenly noticed Fezgahn was glowering at me.
“Ville, Fezgahn doesn’t look at all happy with you.”
I can see that, Your Highness. God, Fezgahn’s a pain.
“Is there something you want to say?” I asked.
“Why do you refer to Miss Lowell as Lera?”
That’s your angle?! Oh, I’ll never get along with this guy.
“It’s a nickname,” I said after a sigh. “Actually, it’s just the name we’ve always used. Lera’s full name is Tafelina Lowell Lera Duval. In the royal capital, she goes by Lowell so she doesn’t get confused with her half sister.”
“Her half sister? Why would she get confused for her half sister?”
“Because the head of the family, Lera’s father, gave both her and her half sister the name Tafelina.”
Everyone furrowed their brow at that. Yeah, I mean, most people didn’t go around giving their wife’s and mistress’s daughters the same name. Given the name choice, I’d wager their father was planning to swap them out from the moment they were born. The issue with that theory is that Hepiner would’ve still been alive at the time. You have to wonder what he would’ve done if she wanted a different name. Not that the old man’s plans make any difference to me.
“In that case,” the crown prince said, his cheery voice cutting through the awkward atmosphere, “why don’t you start calling her Lera, Yuin?”
Again with the unnecessary remarks!
I thought Fezgahn would jump on the idea, but a cloud once again fell over his face.
“I can’t do that. Not without her permission.”
So you do say sensible things sometimes.
“Then why not get her permission? I think you could do to show a bit more initiative.”
Your Highness. Please. Stop. What if Fezgahn gets serious about this?
“Your Highness,” I said, “could you kindly refrain from such emboldening remarks?”