Sezh confidently said she came there to receive tutoring, and then she fell asleep instead.

‘Now look at this. You really came here to play.’

Raytan folded his arms and rested his chin on them. Then he stared at Sezh quietly. He slightly stroked that golden silk-like hair and also poked her cheek as she did to him earlier.

Then a thought suddenly came to his mind.

‘When did she get this big?’

Sezh always said, ‘How come it’s only you who is growing,’ or ‘It’s been 4 years, and I’m still short.’

Honestly, that wasn’t wrong.

But, she did grow up as well. There was still a youthful feeling around her. But unlike in the past, she’s gradually become a lady. Her eyes were a little bigger, and her nose was more pointed now too. She also lost a lot of the baby fat on her cheeks.

Moreover, in a few months, Sezh will be 17 years old. An adult.

‘I want to leave the Imperial Palace when I reach adulthood.’

‘…You will leave the Imperial Palace?’

‘Yes. When I reach adulthood, I will ask for permission to leave the Palace. Princes and princesses who have already reached adulthood usually have no obligation to stay here.’

Raytan suddenly recalled a conversation he had with Sezh a long time ago.

Does that idea remain in her mind? Will she really leave the Imperial Palace when she becomes an adult?

Raytan had no idea. Maybe it would be better.

He’s used to it, but he also can’t say that life in the Imperial Palace is easy.

And Yerena. She must have somehow tried to take advantage of the finally grown-up Sezh. Perhaps she will force Sezh into a marriage with a wealthy noble family. Raytan could easily guess at Yerena’s despicable motives.

And when finally the day comes, the day when he has to do it…

“Right,” Raytan muttered in a subdued voice. “…Maybe it’s better for you to leave. For you and… for me.”

‘You have to go very far, far away from this place so that no one can follow you. Your mother or even me.’

Sezh’s face shimmered in his blood-red eyes.

Raytan pulled up the blanket covering Sezh’s back to tuck in around her shoulders. The dawn air was chilly, so there’s a high possibility for her to catch a cold. He then sat still and looked at Sezh quietly. He did that until dawn came and it was time for her to return.

***

Sezh returned to her palace half-awake and half-asleep.

It was later than she previously thought. She still had a lot of time in her day to sleep, but it was hard because the habit of waking up early in the morning and going to bed in the early evening was already ingrained into her body. Thanks to that, Sezh laid awake on the bed right after she returned to her palace.

As she tried to sleep again, Sezh pondered, ‘It seems like Brother stroked my hair earlier. Or am I just mistaken…?’

She then fell asleep without realizing it.

When she opened her eyes, it was around noon already. She hadn’t woken up because she felt she already slept enough. No, she woke up because of Luna. Luna came to her room that afternoon in an unusual frenzy. There was a letter in her hand.

“Princess, a letter from Lord Mathias has arrived!”

He said he would send someone today, so those really were not empty words. Besides, it wasn’t just a letter. The kind-hearted Mathias even prepared an unexpected gift.

“And please look at this: It’s the finest black tea!”

Luna was ecstatic as if she was the one who received the tea. Sezh was thrilled as well.

It wasn’t because she received the finest tea. She just felt happy that Mathias kept his promise.

“My, my, isn’t he truly attentive… It seems that Lord Mathias noticed the Princess when you debuted!”

“Uh… I don’t think so…” Sezh murmured her words.

It wasn’t like that, right? Or was it? He might have noticed her because she was so pitiful.

“Certainly he would! Princess, you should know how beautiful you were on your debut. Lord Mathias and everyone else definitely agreed with that!”

That was only true if pigs flew.

However, since Luna looked so cute and excited to proclaim that, Sezh also smiled brightly.

“Please read the letter first. I will prepare the tea,” Luna busily left the room with the tea from Mathias.

Sitting on the bed, Sezh carefully opened the letter. The first thing that caught her eyes was the neat handwriting. It resembled Mathias himself.

The letter opened with ‘Thank you for being my conversation partner.’

Sezh thought that Mathias was a kind person. A really, really kind person. Or maybe she just felt that way because she was receiving his sympathy. But she didn’t care. No, it was better to be showered with sympathy than to be scorned and criticized. Sezh wondered what he would have written in the letter if all they knew about each other were their names. She guessed it would be short. However, the letter was longer than she expected. Mathias wrote down a lot of words.

For example:

[The weather is getting colder, but does the Princess like winter?

I like summer more than winter because the winter is too cold.

But Lithuania, where I went to study, was a cold place all year round, so I had many hardships…]

He didn’t sound like he was the Kareem Family’s successor, who was raised to be an elegant and noble gentleman. It was fun even though she just read it in a letter. The long letter didn’t make her feel bored at all. Sezh chuckled while reading it.

[Then, I hope you have an enjoyable day today.]

Suddenly, it was already near the end of his letter.

[And this is not something considerable, but I prepared a small gift. This is my favorite tea. I hope you find it pleasant. Please don’t worry if it doesn’t also suit your taste. I don’t know your preferences yet, but there are a lot of things I think you’d enjoy.]

“Princess, please have a taste of this tea!” Just in time, Luna appeared again.

Mathias’s worries were in vain. The warmly brewed black tea was very delicious, and she liked its subtle scent. It was the best tea Sezh ever had. Well, it’s more so because it’s the finest tea. Now, she has to graduate from milk too. Like a lady! She will host a tea party elegantly… But of course, no one will come…

After finishing the tea, Sezh started writing a reply to Mathias. A long letter like what Mathias sent.

It was truly a wonderful day.

***

Lize’s palace was peaceful.

How many times has he walked here alone like this?

As he walked through the cold hallway, Raytan thought that since he has always been with Sezh for the past 4 years, without knowing it, Raytan felt awkward when he walked through the same hallway alone.

Well, it must be because he was also rarely called by Lize until she ordered him to help Sezh with Kazaki.

“Prince Raytan.”

Marie politely greeted Raytan as soon as he entered the room as if she had been waiting for him.

“My mother? Has she woken up yet?”

“She still… couldn’t wake up yet.”

“…”

“The Lady has been sleeping more and more…”

Instead of answering, Raytan bit his lips. Lize has been sleeping a long time these days. No, to be more precise, she is

gradually losing the energy to be awake. Her statement that she only had a little time left was not a lie.

“I will tell the Lady that you quit tutoring Princess Sezh.”

“…Okay,” Raytan’s voice cracked a little saying that.

“And this…”

Marie pulled out something and handed it to Raytan. It was a folded letter.

“This… what is this.”

“The Lady told me to deliver this to the Prince.”

“To me?”

“Yes. The Lady also said that you have to burn the letter after checking its contents.”

Raytan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the letter.

“I understand.”

As Raytan got up from his seat, Marie said, ‘I will tell you as soon as the Lady wakes up.’ But that means it will be a few days until he was called again.

***

After returning to his palace, Raytan took off his shirt and sat down on the bed.

His bedroom was serene, and the night breeze blowing through the wide-open windows chilled his skin. Raytan realized that winter was coming.And his mother… it looked like there won’t be another winter for her. She was dying. Slowly but surely.

A faint shadow cast by the candlelight fell over his darkened face. Raytan, who had been sitting quietly for a while, slowly unfolded the letter his mother sent. In no time, he narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t an ordinary letter. There was no greeting or any pleasantries. There were just names. Names of the nobles with a close relationship with the current emperor, Rowain III. Those who were sure to elect Bern as the next emperor, and also Yulia’s people.

Raytan belatedly noticed what this letter was about:

The massacre.

[I believe in you.]

Suddenly, a brief written sentence at the bottom of the letter caught his eye.

[With your hands, you have to finish everything.]

“…”

[Don’t disappoint me.]

The letter haunted him and won’t even let his ears be filled with anything else but his mother’s words.

‘Don’t let me down.’

‘Don’t disappoint me.’

The voice hovered around his ears like a curse.

Raytan closed his eyes tightly.