Yerena’s threat that she would check whether Sezh quit tutoring tomorrow were not empty words. The following morning, a maid sent by Yerena came right at the time Sezh would usually go for tutoring. It seemed she came to keep an eye on her.

Of course, Sezh lied that she had decided to quit tutoring. Sezh wasn’t sure if Yerena would be convinced after knowing she didn’t really go anywhere. However, Luna also helped.

Before leaving, the maid said, “I will report back to Lady Yerena.”

Sezh told everything only to Luna. Why the situation became like this, what Raytan offered yesterday, and that she agreed to it. Sezh thought Luna would be worried like she always was. If Yerena found out that she lied to her, Sezh would have been beaten to death again. No, it would probably be worse.

But, it was still a good idea to persuade Luna. Sezh didn’t want to lie to her. Plus, she couldn’t fool her either since they are together almost all the time. Nevertheless, Luna’s reaction was unexpected. She said she understood and didn’t try to stop Sezh or even ask her to think again about her decision.

“Luna, are you fine with it? Of course, I will try not to get caught, but honestly, I thought you would oppose it….”

“To be honest, of course, I’m worried,” Luna slowly parted her lips. “If Lady Yerena finds out, she’s going to cause an uproar. But I also know that the only pleasure in life the Princess has in the imperial palace is Kazaki tutoring.”

Every day, Sezh was just stuck in her palace and reading books.

Sezh, who would get bullied and harassed by Bern and Lillian every time she caught their attention, couldn’t go outside freely. She never smiled nor even had a desire to do something like this.

“And now I know that Prince Raytan cares for the Princess, and the Princess also follows him a lot,” Luna instead thanked Raytan.

Because he was the only one who cared about Sezh, something that her mother didn’t even do, and Sezh also couldn’t help but create a bond with such a Raytan.

Luna knew that it was impossible to say Sezh should stop attending the tutoring.

“I have no intention of opposing it. The Princess’s happiness is the most important thing to me. How can I stop it?” Luna said with tears in her eyes. “I’ll do my best to help, so please don’t concern yourself, understand Princess?”

Luna spoke with a determined face while still looking at her.

But where is Brother’s palace? Sezh only then realized that she had never heard of the location of Raytan’s palace.

According to Luna, Raytan’s palace is in the corner of the Imperial Palace. It was neglected for a long time before he was born, so there were some bad rumors about it.

The Emperor was not fond of Raytan anyway. The only thing he would do to the child who he never put eyes on was to throw him in such a place.

The location was on the right edge of Sezh’s palace, and she heard it was also near the old training ground.

It’s been a long time since people used it. It was left unattended, and there weren’t many people coming and going. Even in Raytan’s palace, the maids and servants were kept to a bare minimum. They were also said to be in and out only at a specified time.

Anyway, it was rather good news for Sezh.

The fewer people there are, the more comfortable it will be for her to wander around.

When Sezh told her, ‘Let’s go there early in the morning or late in the evening.’

Luna said, ‘If you go out at the same time every day, there is a risk of getting caught, so it is better to go alternately between the morning and evening.’

Sezh agreed with that.

***

It was late afternoon. Since the morning had already passed, Sezh will visit Raytan at night, but why was time going so slowly?

Thanks to that, Sezh was now bored and frustrated.

“Whew…”

While sitting on her bed, Sezh sighed. She thought of taking a nap, but she couldn’t sleep at all. Luna had work to do also, so the situation is kind of annoying to her.

Sezh got up, opened the window, and looked around. The cool autumn breeze that lifted her hair made her feel happy.

Sezh suddenly recalled Raytan’s hands when he was tying up her hair.

“…”

She looked at it in the mirror many times after returning to her palace. Luna also praised it. She said that she didn’t even know that Raytan could tie her hair so well even though he was a man.

Of course, her hair looked pretty too, but Sezh was just happy that Raytan had tied it by hand. She will never forget about it.

“If it was in the past, I couldn’t even think that this could happen…”

That time, Bern and Lillian just always grabbed and pulled her hair.

“…Hehe.”

Sezh touched her hair and laughed like a fool. Then her face unexpectedly turned red again.

‘Let’s buy his favor and live!’

Is this because of her strong will at the beginning of her return or any other reason? Whenever Sezh realizes how close of a relationship she has with Raytan, she becomes excited.

However, it was a strange thing when she and Raytan’s eyes met. Sezh remembered clearly. The pair of eyes that looked at her softened and trembled slightly.

The quietly calming atmosphere of the library. The unfamiliar feeling. Sezh’s cheeks suddenly became red, and her heart pounded wildly.

Did she really have a serious illness? Sezh faltered and tapped her chest.

“I-It’s hot. I think it’s because it’s hot,” Sezh came up with an excuse for a question no one asked.

Right. It’s because it’s hot.

‘I need to get some cold air.’

Sezh turned her face back into the room and confirmed that there was no one. She slowly lifted her hand. Soon, a little wind came through the window. Sezh smiled happily.

Even after Eton disappeared, she still worked hard to learn magic. Of course, she couldn’t make the wind as strong as when he helped, but her skills improved significantly compared to the beginning.

When Luna complained that the laundry wasn’t drying or when Raytan fluttered his shirt last summer, which was an exceptionally hot summer, she would make a breeze. And, of course, it was a secret to them.

She wasn’t really trying to hide it. But if Luna knew about her magic, Sezh thought she would be worried again. Sezh was also hesitant to talk about magic with Raytan due to the words he said the other day.

‘Something like magic is useless for anybody. Far from helping, it will only act as a shackle.’

…Somehow, those words kept running in her mind. Anyway, Sezh was working hard to achieve the ‘homework’ that Eton gave her before he left.

‘A perfect wind when I come back. If you know how to do it, I’ll grant you a wish.’

The problem was the person who said that did not return.

Sezh, sitting with her chin on the window, looked out with a stony face.

The scenery wasn’t anything special. The maids and servants were busy coming and going, and nobles could be seen from time to time. It would be nice to be one of those people. She could go wherever she wanted at any time without having to tell anyone.

Then, at that moment, Sezh’s eyes widened as she looked out the window.

“… Huh?”

Did she see it wrong? Sezh closed her eyes and opened them again, but she really didn’t see anything wrong. Someone she would have never thought of was walking in front of her window.