Side Story 5
“I apologize, Your Highness. I need more time to investigate.”
Garnethia, having returned to the palace, apologized. But Elonia, having already resolved her misunderstanding with Lucius, wasn’t concerned. In fact, she looked relieved.
“No, it’s fine. I’m glad you didn’t find anything.”
“What?”
Garnethia looked at her, puzzled. But Elonia was sincere. She scratched her head awkwardly, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“I realized it was wrong to investigate my fiancé behind his back. Let’s stop here, Garnethia. Thank you for your hard work. You can return to your normal duties now.”
“B-but…”
Garnethia, though seemingly meek, was surprisingly stubborn when it came to Elonia. And sometimes, even Elonia couldn’t sway her.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Garnethia was her friend. Elonia didn’t want to force her with a direct order, so she sighed and resorted to her trump card.
“Garnethia, look at my face.”
“Your face?”
“Yes.”
Elonia lifted her chin, meeting Garnethia’s gaze. Garnethia hesitantly looked at Elonia’s face, the face she adored. Her eyes widened, mesmerized. It was a perfect face, even more so up close. Elonia, pointing at her own face, asked, her voice filled with mock sincerity,
“Do you really think Lucius would be interested in anyone else?”
Elonia was confident in her appearance, having inherited Philemon’s beauty. And Garnethia’s constant compliments only strengthened her confidence.
A beautiful face was the ultimate justification, the most convincing argument. Garnethia, who loved Elonia’s face more than anyone, was easily persuaded.
“I see your point.”
“Right?”
“Yes.”
“Then go back to work.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
And just like that, Garnethia was dismissed.
Using her beauty to manipulate people was surprisingly effective.
‘Well, that’s not the right way to put it…’
Anyway, the problem was solved. Elonia, completely oblivious to Llewellyn’s involvement, returned to her work.
A few days later, life at the palace continued as usual, seemingly peaceful and uneventful.
Clang!
The sharp, metallic sound of clashing swords echoed through the back garden of the Crown Princess’s Palace. It was the familiar sound of Elonia and Artius sparring. Their duel, as usual, was evenly matched, when,
Footsteps. A familiar sound.
“Gasp!”
Both Artius and Elonia, their swords locked in a fierce battle just moments ago, quickly hid their weapons. But Philemon’s scolding was faster.
“Not again! You two are sparring with real swords again?!”
“P-Philia.”
“Mom, that’s…”
The two culprits, caught red-handed, could only avert their gazes, their faces filled with guilt. Philemon, exasperated, scolded them.
“I told you not to use real swords, at least not until Elonia’s coming-of-age ceremony! Elonia, you too! What if you get hurt?”
“It’s a habit…”
Elonia mumbled, avoiding Philemon’s gaze.
Philemon sighed, her head throbbing. Where else would a father and daughter have a life-or-death duel with real swords?
Elonia and Artius, seeing her displeasure, quickly sheathed their swords and tried to appease her.
“Sorry, Mom. It won’t happen again.”
“My apologies, Philia. I’ll make sure this never happens again.”
Their eyes, glistening with tears, their faces filled with remorse, made Philemon sigh again. They were like two puppies begging for forgiveness.
“…If I catch you again, there will be consequences.”
“Of course!”
“Absolutely.”
Just as the two, nodding eagerly, were about to cling to her,
“El! El!”
A loud voice, a voice everyone in the palace recognized, echoed from afar.
“Llewellyn?”
“Your Majesty, Aunt Philemon! I’m sorry, but I need to borrow Elonia for a moment!”
“W-what?”
Llewellyn, who used to cower before Artius, now had the audacity to drag Elonia away right in front of him. Before Philemon and Artius could protest, Elonia was whisked away. She struggled to keep up with his longer strides, asking,
“Hey, where are we going?”
“Just follow me!”
“Tell me!”
“You’ll see!”
Llewellyn, who would normally answer any of Elonia’s questions, even if it was about the vault password, was unusually tight-lipped. Elonia had no choice but to follow him.
Elonia, still bewildered, found herself back in her own room.
“…Couldn’t you have just asked nicely?”
Why the dramatic kidnapping? She had been worried something serious had happened. Llewellyn, as if he hadn’t heard her, shouted, his voice filled with urgency,
“Look at him!”
“Huh?”
Elonia turned towards the direction he was pointing and gasped.
“Lucius!”
“Your Highness…”
Lucius was sitting on the sofa, his hands tied. And he wasn’t alone. Garnethia was also there.
Elonia rushed towards Lucius and untied him.
“What’s going on? Why are you here like this?! What about the temple?!”
“Well…”
Lucius, his face a mask of frustration, glared at Llewellyn.
“Young Master Llewellyn kidnapped me on my way to work.”
“Llewellyn did?”
Llewellyn, though still immature, had become more responsible since graduating from Gaia Academy and joining the Imperial Palace staff. Kidnapping?
Elonia glared at Llewellyn.
“Llewellyn, why?”
“I followed him.”
“Followed him?”
Elonia turned to Garnethia, who flinched and fidgeted with her braided hair, mumbling,
“I was supposed to follow Young Master Luneus, but I forgot to inform Young Master Llewellyn about Her Highness’s orders. I apologize, Your Highness…”
“…”
Elonia was speechless.
Garnethia, though usually reliable, sometimes forgot everything when she was too focused on Elonia’s face. Elonia had used her beauty to persuade Garnethia, and Garnethia, mesmerized, had completely forgotten about Llewellyn.
Lucius, baffled, asked,
“So, why were you following me? Did you think I was cheating on Her Highness?”
“Llewellyn, he’s not cheating. He even wrote a letter promising to have his head chopped off if he does.”
The forced letter was surprisingly useful. Elonia, rubbing her temples, patiently explained the situation to Llewellyn. But Llewellyn wouldn’t budge.
“Then today is the day he loses his head!”
“Why?”
“I have proof!”
He declared triumphantly.
Proof? Elonia, momentarily stunned, turned to Lucius.
Lucius, his face a mask of innocence, shook his head and warned Llewellyn coldly,
“Even if you dislike me, Young Master, you shouldn’t try to separate me from Her Highness with such underhanded tactics. Were your feelings for Her Highness just for show?”
“Ha! Still so full of yourself.”
Llewellyn placed his hands on his hips and pointed at Lucius accusingly.
“That day, when you came to see Elonia covered in dirt, you caused a commotion in the city, didn’t you?”
“…!”
“They said you ran away as if you had seen a ghost, causing damage to a shop. And last night, on your way home, you stopped by a ribbon shop. And you were looking at this.”
“What’s wrong with looking at a ribbon?”
Elonia tried to defend Lucius. She didn’t usually wear ribbons, but she didn’t dislike them either. It was a flimsy excuse for suspicion. But Llewellyn was confident.
“Elonia, he was looking at a green ribbon! A green ribbon that clashes horribly with your aesthetic!”
“What? Hey!”
Elonia, her pride slightly wounded, glared at Llewellyn. But his words had given him an unexpected ally.
“A green ribbon…? How could he…? It would clash horribly with Her Highness’s hair color…”
“Are you done?”
“See! And it was a dark green ribbon! Look!”
Ignoring Elonia’s anger, Llewellyn pulled out the green ribbon from his pocket. Garnethia gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
“It’s a truly hideous shade of green! It would look terrible on Your Highness!”
If Lucius had no fashion sense, then choosing that ribbon for Elonia wouldn’t have been surprising. But sadly, Lucius had impeccable taste, even better than Elonia’s.
‘That’s a bit much, even for him…’
Even Elonia had to admit, it was a terrible choice. It would clash horribly with her aesthetic. She turned to Lucius, her voice calm.
“Did you really see that ribbon?”
“…Yes.”
“Why were you looking at it?”
She wasn’t suspicious, but she was curious. But Lucius’s hesitation made her uneasy.
“Why? Can’t you tell me?”
Lucius, seeing her anxiety, quickly shook his head.
“No! I can tell you. It’s just that…”
He hesitated again, then turned away. Elonia, her face filled with worry, waited patiently for his answer. Lucius, glancing at her, then whispered, his voice barely audible,
“…You’ll be shocked if you find out.”
“Me?”
The only thing that could shock her was Lucius changing his mind, losing interest in her.
But she trusted him. Lucius wouldn’t do that.
“Tell me. I can handle it.”
“…”
“Go on.”
Lucius, urged by Elonia and the others, bit his lip so hard it turned dark red.
“Lucius.”
Elonia urged him again. Lucius finally surrendered. He glanced at Llewellyn and Garnethia, then sighed and dropped the bombshell.
“Young Master Llewellyn and Lady Garnethia are dating.”
“Huh?”
Elonia, who had claimed she could handle anything, froze, her face a mask of stunned disbelief. Llewellyn and Garnethia also froze.
Dating. Something even Elonia and Lucius hadn’t done yet.
Llewellyn, snapping out of his daze, shouted, accusing Lucius of lying,
“A-are you crazy?! He’s trying to distract us!”
“T-that’s right!”
Garnethia also quickly recovered and protested,
“How dare you accuse me of dating Young Master Llewellyn?! That’s an insult! If I had to choose, I would prefer Alberich! He looks more like Her Highness, and he’s more mature!”
…Garnethia’s reasoning was strange. Llewellyn, who would normally be offended by such a comparison, was nodding eagerly. Lucius, baffled by their reaction, exclaimed,
“But I saw you!”
“Saw what?!”
“You two were at the ribbon shop together! That’s the ribbon you were looking at!”
Their gazes simultaneously turned towards the green ribbon.
Come to think of it, the green ribbon, though clashing with Elonia’s aesthetic, would suit Garnethia’s red hair.
Really? Elonia turned to them, her eyes questioning.
Just as Garnethia was about to deny it, her hand flew to her mouth, as if trying to stop herself from speaking.
“Ah, could it be…?”
“…Ah.”
Llewellyn, who had been frowning at Garnethia’s reaction, also gasped, realizing the truth.
They both remembered what had happened that day and shouted simultaneously,
“No!”
“No, we’re not!”