The place I brought Prince Reyzen and Serena to was none other than the reception room.
They had no clue why I brought them here or what kind of challenge was about to take place.
“First, why don’t you both sit over there?”
“What kind of challenge is this?”
“Are we just supposed to sit here?”
They had a lot of questions.
Still, they sat facing each other as I told them to.
As soon as their eyes met, they both turned their heads away with a snort.
“Alright, now you two can talk to each other here.”
As soon as I said that, they both looked at me, their eyes filled with confusion, as if asking, “What does that even mean?”
“…Huh?”
“The challenge? What about it?”
“That’s the challenge. You’ll be talking to each other for now. I’ll come back in 30 minutes, so talk well.”
“Wait a second! What do you mean by that? Explain yourself…”
They probably have a lot they want to say.
But it’s not to me ā it’s something they should discuss with each other, donāt you think?
Prince Reyzen tried to grab me urgently, but I left the room first and took measures with magic to lock the door so they couldnāt open it.
They could break the door to escape, but I highly doubted they’d go that far.
“Count! What are you doing?!”
The guards who had been watching my actions all drew their swords simultaneously.
They looked ready to cut me down unless I explained myself right then and there.
“Alright, alright. Iāll explain, but for now, can you all follow me?”
“Donāt dodge the question! What are you trying to do by imprisoning the prince?!”
“What am I trying to do? Nothing, so just follow me quietly. Do you think Iād harm him? If that were the case, I wouldnāt have gone through all this trouble.”
“…”
There was no need to even discuss the difference in strength.
Seeing that, the guards exchanged glances and closed their mouths.
I suppose it ended up looking like I was threatening them, but I wasnāt really trying to do that.
“Iāll open the door after 30 minutes, so you can take a break and relax. Come on, letās go.”
“Wait a minute. Even so…”
I pushed the leader of the guards aside and urged them to move quickly.
The others followed behind.
Serena and Prince Reyzen were probably only thinking about defeating each other, but I wasnāt.
For them to have a happy ending in the future, they first needed to smooth over their strained relationship.
So, I intentionally created a challenge that didnāt seem like a challenge at all.
The previous two events should have helped cool their heads down a bit.
Once their emotions settle, I believe theyāll be willing to talk and reconcile.
‘If it doesn’t work, that would be a problem, though…’ I just hope that doesnāt happen.
Iām not sure if it will work, but somehow, I have a feeling that it will end on a good note.
*
After Ershi left the reception room.
“Pull harder…!”
“Ugh…!”
Serena and Reyzen both grabbed the doorknob and turned it with all their might.
But it wouldnāt budge, as if frozen, so they had no choice but to give up.
“Did you block it with magic? What is the Count even thinking…?”
“Seriously. What are we supposed to do now?!”
For a moment, I wondered if the one who broke the door first would be the winner, but it couldnāt be that simple.
Since no hints were given, I thought carefully about what the intention behind this might be.
āYou two just need to talk to each other here.ā
Recalling what Ershi had said before leaving, they exchanged looks, realizing she wanted reconciliation, not a competition.
“…The Count really does interfere in the most nonsensical ways.”
“Always doing unnecessary things…”
Of course, they werenāt going to comply willingly.
They hated even looking at each other, so how could they possibly reconcile?
So, they both decided to just sit in their chairs and say nothing.
After all, Ershi would come to open the door in 30 minutes, so all they had to do was stay quiet until then.
But with nothing to do in the room, even though only five minutes had passed, boredom began to creep in.
Moreover, since they had just poured out their emotions, the backlash made their heads feel a little clearer.
Thanks to that, they could calmly look at the person in front of them.
‘…Now that I look at him, heās actually a bit handsome.’
That was Serena’s impression of Reyzen.
His red hair and his rather good-looking face suited him well.
There was seriousness in his eyes, making him appear more mature than her, unlike herself.
Although there wasnāt any romantic attraction, she couldnāt deny that his face was tolerable.
‘He really has nothing in common with the Count. But…’ Reyzen, too, was lost in thought as he looked at Serena.
Her unique hair, which looked like it was woven from silver threads, and her smooth, resilient skin.
Even though her tightly shut lips and intense eyes made her seem a bit arrogant, the expression actually suited her well.
He didnāt feel any romantic interest, but he couldnāt help but admit that, of all the people his age he had seen so far, she was the prettiest.
As they continued staring at each other’s faces,they suddenly realized how intensely they were focused on each other and quickly looked away, surprised by themselves.
“What… what are you staring at me for? It’s making me uncomfortable.”
“Tch. I should be the one saying that. How dare someone ugly stare at me like that?”
“Ugly? You think you’re handsome or something?”
“I can’t say that with confidence, but Iām definitely better looking than you.”
“Wh-what did you say…?”
“Hmph.”
Once again, they growled at each other, but neither of them liked the tension between their eyes.
Perhaps because their tempers had cooled, or maybe because the anger from their fight had finally faded.
“…I want to ask you something. Can you answer me?”
“…As long as itās not something pointless.”
The important thing was that they had become calm enough to exchange words, not arguments.
“What did you mean by that comment you made to me? You werenāt really trying to start a fight, were you?”
“…Didn’t you feel your mana scattering when you were following Ershiās instructions?”
“I didn’t feel anything like that. What does that have to do with my question?”
“Itās because of that. Your mana was trying to scatter, which is why you kept failing.”
Reyzen frowned when he heard Serenaās words.
It wasnāt because he was angry, but because she seemed to know the reason behind his repeated failures.
“How do you know that? You can’t even see my mana.”
“…”
“Is that really true?”
Instead of answering, Serena kept silent.
But her silence was almost like an answer.
There had never been a magician who could pierce through someone else’s mana with the naked eye; such a thing seemed impossible.
And it also meant that Serena was special in some way.
“Then, what exactly should I do?”
“I don’t know either. You could ask Ershi later.”
“Yeah… I guess I’ll do that.”
Reyzen, with his arms crossed, nodded slightly.
The problem wasn’t fully resolved, but he was satisfied enough to have found a clue.
As a result, a small smile tugged at his lips, and Serena, who had been watching him closely, spoke up.
“Then, can I ask you something?”
“Well, you have my permission. After all, you did give me some advice.”
Though Reyzen’s tone was a little too condescending for her liking, Serena decided to let it slide.
After all, what she wanted to ask was about his tone of speech.
“Why do you talk like that?”
“What… what do you mean?”
“You try to speak like an adult, but it doesnāt suit you at all. Why do you use such a tone?”
It wasnāt meant as sarcasm; Serena genuinely wondered about it.
But when Reyzen heard her, his expression froze, as if he couldnāt believe what he had just heard.
“Ah, it doesnāt suit me?”
“Yeah. It sounds like something an old man would say.”
“Th-that can’t be true… no one has ever said that to me…”
Indeed, no one probably had the guts to criticize a prince’s way of speaking.
Some might not care about it at all, but Serena probably wasnāt the only one who thought the same.
Reyzen himself thought his speech was appropriate for royalty, fitting his status.
“…Is it really that bad?”
Serena nodded vigorously at Reyzenās downcast question.
“Just donāt talk like that anymore. It makes you sound like an old man.”
“An… old man…?!”
At Serenaās straightforward reply, Reyzen couldnāt help but lower his head.
It was a truthful answer without any malice, and it was the one that ultimately determined the outcome of their confrontation.
**
After 30 minutes, just as promised, I returned to find that, as expected, they seemed to have lost the will to fight.
The two who had once shown a clear dislike even at eye contact were now talking casually, looking perfectly fine with each other.
“Thank goodness…!”
Honestly, it had been a gamble, but seeing them get along somewhat relieved me.
I was so relieved that I almost hugged them in joy.
But if I had, the bodyguards wouldāve probably tried to take my head off.
Anyway, since they reconciled, this would be the end of it.
“…By the way, did the Count really say that to you?”
“Yeah. He really did.”
I thought I was just imagining it, but it seemed Reyzenās gaze toward me had changed.
There was an awkwardness I hadnāt seen before.
It almost felt like he was looking at someone else.
“The… Count? I have no right to meddle in your familyās affairs, but I hope you will be a bit more careful.”
And before leaving the mansion, he had even left such a remark, which only made me feel more uneasy.
So, I asked Serena.
What exactly did she talk about with the prince?
“It was nothing much. We just talked about what we usually do.”
“Usually, huh.”
Hearing those words, my mind briefly unfolded like the pages of a book.
The memories that came to mind the most were the affectionate gestures I had shown toward Serena.
“…Haha.”
Without realizing it, a nervous laugh escaped me.
She wouldnāt have talked about those things, would she?
I asked, just to be sure, but Serenaās cryptic smile only made my unease grow.