It seems that Serene is seriously upset.
Even when I went to her room myself, she didn’t show her face once, and now, even though it’s dinner time, she still hasn’t come to eat.
No matter how upset she is, isn’t this a bit too much?
I even considered dragging her out by force, but that would probably just make things worse.
“I really don’t know what the problem is.
Did I do something wrong?”
The rudeness I showed to Prince Reyzen was serious enough that I needed to be scolded separately.
It was a relief that he took it well—if he hadn’t, who knows what kind of trouble I would’ve been in?
Besides, it wasn’t like I said anything that harsh.
I’ll admit that I got a little emotional, but…
“…I don’t have much of an appetite.”
Even with delicious food right in front of me, I can’t bring myself to eat.
Maybe it’s because the seat beside me, where she should be sitting, is empty.
I was sighing in exhaustion when Ord, who had volunteered to persuade Serene, returned.
“How did it go?
What did she say?”
“She didn’t say much.
She just told me to leave her alone because she wants to be by herself.”
At least she gave him a response.
She didn’t even say a single word to me.
“…Leave some food in front of her door.
If she gets hungry, she’ll eat on her own.”
If even Ord couldn’t persuade her, then there’s nothing more to be done.
In the end, I decided to just let time take care of it and focus on filling my own stomach for now.
But no matter how much I ate, I couldn’t taste anything.
I just felt like I was forcing the food down my throat.
“Did you have a fight with Miss Serena?”
I was still eating when Ord, who had been standing beside me, suddenly asked.
He really hit the nail on the head out of nowhere.
“…We didn’t fight.
She’s just sulking and upset on her own.”
I wasn’t lying.
From my perspective, I had no idea why she was acting like this or what the reason was.
But Ord tilted his head, stroking his beard like he didn’t quite believe me.
“No reason at all?
That doesn’t seem likely.”
“I’m telling you the truth.
You just don’t know what happened.”
“I don’t know what happened between you two, but when you were young, my lord, you had a similar experience.”
“Ugh…”
He’s really bringing up my embarrassing past now?
I shot him a glare as if asking what his deal was, but he just laughed heartily in response.
That laugh was exactly like that of an old grandfather watching his grandchildren grow up.
“Do you remember?
When you were a child, you used to say you hated everything and went around smashing up everything in the house?”
“Ugh, I don’t know, I don’t know!
That was so long ago.”
“What a shame.
You were even smaller and cuter than Miss Serena back then.”
“Are you going to keep spouting nonsense?”
At this point, he was definitely just teasing me.
He knew I hadn’t forgotten—it was obvious.
Back then, I was twelve years old.
One year younger than Serena is now.
After losing my mother and father in an unexpected accident, I couldn’t bear the emptiness their absence left behind, and I cried every day.
The sorrow of never being able to see them again and the fury at a world that took my loved ones away without warning.
My emotions overtook my reason, and my actions followed my emotions.
Just like Ord said, I went around breaking anything I could get my hands on.
Why?
I don’t know.
I know I talked about it at the time, but I can’t even remember what I said.
Ord probably knows.
But he didn’t tell me the answer.
“People’s actions may seem to have no reason sometimes, but if you look deeper, there’s always a reason.
Especially when they’re overwhelmed by their emotions.”
“Sometimes, people even forget or don’t realize why they acted a certain way.
But if they take the time to sort through their feelings and reflect on themselves, they can usually figure it out.”
“And saying it out loud is often the hardest part.
Because it’s no different from revealing your deepest feelings.”
It was always like this.
Instead of giving me the answer outright, he would subtly hint at how to figure it out myself.
And every time, I’d think to myself how long-winded he was.
But even so, listening to him calmed my mind, and I found myself paying attention to his words again.
“…So, you’re saying I should talk to Serena myself?”
“If that’s what you think is best, then yes.
You’re the all-knowing mage, aren’t you?
You’re smarter than me, so you should know what to do better than I do.”
But then, as if to make sure I got the point, Ord smiled warmly and continued.
“My lord, just as you treasure Miss Serena, she treasures you more than anything.
At least, that’s how it looks from where I’m standing.”
“…That’s a problem.
Am I finally getting old?”
How does he know what that stubborn girl is really feeling?
I wanted to snark back at him out of spite, but somehow, I felt much lighter after hearing that.
It was late at night, and as usual, I was looking over documents.
But today, I stopped early and put my pen down.
I couldn’t focus at all because my mind kept drifting elsewhere.
“You can go now.
I have something to take care of.”
“Understood.
I wish you luck, my lord.”
“Not that I plan on losing.”
It’s not like I’m going to a fight in the first place.
Or…
If you count clashing emotions as a kind of battle, maybe it is?
Maybe because it’s nighttime, I’m overthinking things.
Instead of wasting time on this, I should be thinking about what to say to Serena.
Anyway, after sending Ord off, I ran to her room before she could fall asleep.
Standing in front of her door, I grabbed the handle instead of knocking.
Unlike last time, the door wasn’t locked.
Since Serena was already lying under the covers, I entered the room as quietly and carefully as possible.
Her eyes were tightly shut, making her look like she was asleep.
Did she really think I’d fall for that?
“…Why are you here?”
As I stood beside her, staring at her face, she finally opened her eyes.
Judging by the puffiness and slight redness around them, she must have cried even after running out earlier.
Yet, as if she was determined to deny it, her expression remained as bold and defiant as ever.
“Sorry.
Did I wake you up?”
“Get out.
I’m going to sleep.
I don’t want to see you, so get out now.”
“Come on, don’t be like that.
I came all this way to see you.”
“Ugh…!
I said get out!”
When I didn’t budge, she finally lost her patience, sat up, and started hitting me with the pillow she had been lying on.
Not that it hurt at all.
Still, I played along and pretended to be in pain, letting her vent her frustration.
After a while, she tired herself out and dropped her “weapon.”
“I don’t care!
I have nothing to say!”
But she still hadn’t fully calmed down.
Huffing in anger, she turned her back to me and lay down again.
Even when I nudged her shoulder or gently pressed against her, she didn’t react.
I knew this wouldn’t be easy.
But since I had no intention of leaving just yet, I sat down on the edge of her bed and spoke.
“I actually have something I want to say.
You don’t have to answer—just listen, okay?”
“I’m sorry.
I got carried away and said some harsh things to you.”
Even though she didn’t respond, I knew she was listening, so I continued.
I apologized for the sharp words I spoke in a moment of irritation.
For being too busy dealing with Prince Reyzen to check on her.
For being happy when she called me ‘big sister.’
For being completely shocked when she suddenly strapped on a magic tool.
I talked about every little thing that had been sitting in my heart, spilling them all out until I had nothing left to say.
Now, there was something else I needed to tell her… what was it?
Ah, right.
That.
“Serene, do you know?
I don’t know what you think, but to me, you’re the most precious person in the world.
That’s the truth.”
Her voice from earlier, the words she had shouted at me before running out, echoed in my ears.
I had told her things like this before.
Half-jokingly, of course.
But I didn’t expect her to take them to heart.
Since she always brushed them off, I thought she didn’t like hearing them.
But whether it’s a prince or a king, nothing is more important than you.
That won’t change—not now, not ever.
“I promise you that.”
“…Liar.”
At last, Serene spoke.
But she rejected my words so bluntly.
That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?
“I mean it.
I promise.
Want me to pinky swear on it?”
“Hmph.”
Now she was even scoffing at me.
Her attitude was so cheeky that I wanted to tickle her defenseless sides, but it was getting late, so I decided to head back.
I had done all the talking this time, but I could listen to her thoughts tomorrow.
Actually, it didn’t have to be tomorrow.
We had all the time in the world.
“Alright, I’ll head to bed now.
Sleep well.”
After ruffling her hair once, I left for my own room.
I changed into my nightwear and was about to go to sleep when my door suddenly opened.
“…I came to get Pungkin.
Hand it over.”
Seriously, will she ever be honest with herself?
She had stormed out and abandoned it earlier, but now she was here, demanding it back like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Well, I had been expecting this, so I had kept it safe.
But that didn’t mean I was going to hand it over so easily.
“Pungkin?
Oh, you mean this?”
I picked up the stuffed toy from the shelf by my bed and teased her a little.
The moment I dangled it in front of her, she took the bait.
Determined to snatch it from me, she rushed forward, but come on—I’m an adult.
No way she was getting it that easily.
“Gotcha!
Haha, you fell for it, my little princess!”
“Ugh…!
Let go of it!”
“Nope~!
I guess I’ll just have to sleep with Serene in my arms tonight.
You want Pungkin back?”
“You’re the worst!
A scumbag!
A pervert!”
…Ouch.
That was a little harsh for just messing around.
Feeling a little guilty, I was about to return it to her, but she suddenly stopped struggling and instead hugged me tightly.
“…Just for tonight.
Only because of Pungkin, so don’t get any ideas.”
“Of course, of course.
I know that he’s more important to you than I am~.”
“That’s not—!”
She was just about to fall into my trap completely when she suddenly realized what she was about to say.
Her face turned bright red in an instant.
If she would just admit it, things would be so much easier.
She really is stubborn.
“Fine, whatever!
Just go to sleep!”
“Yeah, yeah.
Let’s sleep.
It’s way too late anyway.”
And so, after all the back and forth, we ended up under the same blanket.
Feeling each other’s warmth, we slowly closed our eyes.
Ah… this feels nice.
The heaviness in my chest that had been there all day finally disappeared.
And in the quiet night, I could hear the faint sound of a heartbeat.
I wasn’t sure if it was mine or hers.