Usher’s first concern was figuring out what to do.
Because in this unexpected encounter, he was the one moving Bersia’s body.
But the decision wasn’t easy.
If he rashly spoke first, he was worried about the hostility Bersia felt toward the Astalion royal family.
However, ignoring and passing by would be an issue of external etiquette.
If you think about it, isn’t that right?
The prince hadn’t done anything wrong.
Even if something bad had happened, causing Bersia to sever ties with them, it was something that occurred before the prince was even born.
Binding someone to contempt simply because they are family, despite having no connection to any crime, was unjust.
Everyone knew that.
Only emotions prevented them from accepting it.
The prince hesitated.
After seeing Bersia and Usher, he flinched, trembled slightly, and bowed his head.
He spoke in a trembling voice.
“S-Saintess, I greet you….”
He did seem to have a timid personality.
Usher’s gaze turned to Bersia.
She was looking down at the prince in silence, without a trace of emotion.
The atmosphere was frozen.
Then, she took a step forward and picked up the prince’s dropped belongings.
It was a woman’s ornament.
“Here, take this.”
“O-Oh, yes….”
“Is this a gift for Her Majesty the Queen?”
Usher was surprised.
Bersia had a gentle smile on her face as she asked.
The prince, startled by Bersia’s reaction, widened his eyes before nodding.
“Y-Yes….”
“You are very filial. If you want to find more ornaments, I recommend going to the eastern street.
There should be quite a few pins made directly by the priests of the church.”
Her attitude was kind.
It was clear that the prince was visibly relaxing.
“I hope your visit to the church becomes a pleasant memory.”
“Y-Yes…! This place is really beautiful.
The weather is warm, and it’s full of life….”
“Astalion is cold, isn’t it? Even the Saintess occasionally talks about that place. You are siblings, correct?”
Usher felt the prince’s gaze land on him.
He looked hesitant, which was understandable.
After some thought, Usher briefly nodded.
A faint blush appeared on the prince’s cheeks.
He seemed happy.
“Well then, take care. Be careful not to bump into anyone.”
“Y-Yes…! Th-Thank you for your kindness….”
The prince bowed deeply before turning away.
Bersia watched his retreating figure for a moment.
Only after the prince completely disappeared from view did Usher cautiously ask,
“Are you alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“T-The prince.”
Bersia chuckled softly, as if amused by the question.
“I don’t dislike innocent people. Collective punishment is a barbaric practice.”
She remained completely unbothered.
No, that wasn’t it.
Usher could read something in her words.
“It must have been hard for him, too. Being born to find his father dead, his so-called mother being that woman, one sibling dead, another having run away. His family must be in shambles.”
It was sympathy.
The emotion Bersia felt toward the prince.
“He’s still my sibling. At least I got to see him alive once. I thought I never would.”
It was unclear whether she was looking at the prince or seeing a lost sibling in the concept of family.
However, it was evident that she placed significant value on the idea of siblings.
Thinking back, it was the same in Baern.
Even when people gossiped about Gester and his cousin’s relationship, calling it incestuous, she had never expressed anything negative about their bond.
Usher discovered another facet of Bersia’s character.
Why did it feel so different this time?
He wasn’t sure.
But if there was anything he could do, it was this:
“You did well.”
“Huh?”
Usher smiled warmly and placed his hand on Bersia’s head.
He gently ruffled her hair.
“It was the right decision. Acknowledging that the prince has no guilt was admirable.”
It was an unconscious action.
As soon as he did it, Usher felt embarrassed and apologetic, quickly withdrawing his hand.
Bersia looked surprised.
But that expression didn’t last long.
Soon, a smile appeared on her face.
After a brief silence, she finally spoke.
“I feel like a disobedient child, getting praised for something like this.”
“Well, you do tend to act that way.”
At a loss for words, Usher blurted that out.
Bersia playfully added,
“Well, in the end, I still became the sister who wouldn’t even say a word to the prince.”
“Huh?”
“I tried to be kind in my own way, but you did it with your own body. From the prince’s perspective, you’re the good person, and I’m the cold-hearted one.”
Oh, why didn’t I think of that?
Usher’s face turned pale. He opened and closed his mouth before suddenly saying,
“Wh-why don’t we go back? Since things turned out this way, we could at least introduce the Order today…!”
“It’s fine. Why go that far? I’ll just be the bad guy.”
“N-no, that won’t do! You finally did something good, but you didn’t even get properly rewarded…!”
“I told you, it’s fine. I already got my reward.”
As he hurriedly spoke, Bersia whispered,
“If it’s your praise, then that’s enough.”
Usher paused. He blinked and looked at Bersia.
Her eyes curved into a soft smile.
And then, the words she spoke carried the weight of a whisper.
“I should do more things to earn praise in the future.”
For some reason, he didn’t know why,
but just facing her words, her expression, and her actions made him suddenly…
…Ugh.
He felt a certain way.
He looked away, but he couldn’t hide the redness creeping onto his face.
Bersia noticed Usher’s reaction and asked,
“Oh? Do you suddenly feel like going somewhere more secluded?”
Usher was about to shout “No!” but stopped.
Could he really walk around outside like this? No, probably not. In that case…
His thoughts continued along that path.
It was reasoning that leaned heavily toward self-justification, a process that no longer even felt strange after all this time.
Usher shyly nodded.
The way he sneakily glanced at Bersia was, without realizing it, exactly the kind of ‘licking gaze’ he always told her not to use.
To Bersia, it was amusing—so, so amusing.
Meanwhile,
Astalion’s prince, Ludio, was enjoying this festival more than most, in some ways.
It was because of his past.
At fifteen years old, this was the first time he had ever left the capital.
Seeing the world he had only read about in books was a rare experience. How could he not be thrilled?
A new world, food, culture, and people.
For a boy who had always loved reading, the process of aligning his knowledge with real experiences felt completely novel.
And yet, even all those discoveries couldn’t compare to one particular realization.
‘Is that… my sister?’
He looked at Bersia. It felt strange.
Ludio had always known he had twin sisters.
But that was only a fact he had learned, nothing more.
One had passed away before he was even born.
The other had been chosen as a saint and left the kingdom, never to send word again.
Records and history do not lie.
Ludio was a boy who spent most of his days in the archives.
So it was no surprise that he eventually came across a hidden confession recorded only in unofficial texts.
Through it, Ludio learned that his father—the former king—had strayed.
He understood Bersia’s feelings.
She wouldn’t want to be involved with the Astalion royal family in any way.
That was why this encounter was precious to him.
Bersia hadn’t shown him any special kindness, but she hadn’t displayed disdain or hatred either.
Even as her knight extended courtesy, she neither stopped him nor looked uncomfortable.
She simply treated Ludio as a stranger, nothing more.
For that, Ludio felt gratitude.
‘Mother… I can’t tell her about this.’
If he gave her any excuse, she might try to tie things together in the worst possible way.
He gave a bitter smile.
In his hand, he held a hairpin—a gift for his mother.
With it, he headed toward the queen’s quarters.
And the moment he opened the door,
The inevitable happened.
“Ludio! Ah, where have you been all this time?!”
Hermion, looking completely worn out, rushed over and pulled Ludio into a tight embrace.
Her voice and eyes were filled with anxiety.
“Do you know how worried I was? You didn’t return even by breakfast, so I sent knights to find you! I was terrified that something terrible had happened…”
It was clearly overprotectiveness.
In this land, where more than ten first-rank knights—each strong enough to be called a one-man army—stood guard, the idea of a royal kidnapping was absurd.
But he couldn’t blame her for thinking that way.
Hermion carried deep emotional scars.
As always, what arose in him was pity.
But somewhere within that pity, there was also a faint contempt—one that shouldn’t be directed at one’s own mother.
And no one knew that better than Ludio himself.
This obsession of hers was nothing more than an attempt to absolve herself.
A regret for what she hadn’t done in the past.
Ludio hid his true thoughts behind a smile.
“I just wanted to get you a gift. Here, a hairpin.”
When he handed it to her, Hermion’s eyes widened. Then, she started to cry.
Ludio swallowed back any mention of Bersia.
Yes, it wasn’t something he should talk about.