“Then why didn’t you reveal this fact? If you revealed that the king’s children were sending assassins…!”

“It’s not even worth the effort.”

Anselot answered in a calm voice.

“The king is on his children’s side anyway, and no one would believe it.”

Faced with that composed response, I couldn’t add anything more and offered words of comfort.

“Um… it must have been hard.”

“Not particularly. Even though rumors spread like that, the king knows about the things his offspring are doing. That’s why he doesn’t stop me from doing whatever I do in the palace.”

Anselot replied indifferently and turned to look at me.

“More importantly.”

The corners of Anselot’s eyes twitched slightly as he examined my face.

Anselot frowned and rubbed my cheek with a handkerchief.

“Ah. It’s not coming off cleanly.”

Anselot grumbled in complaint.

It seems some drops of blood had splattered because of what happened earlier.

“What should we do? Our princess’s pretty face is dirty.”

“…”

I stared blankly at Anselot as he said that.

Then I found myself blurting out without thinking.

“Do you always say things like that so easily?”

“?”

“Saying things like ‘pretty’, isn’t that too easy?”

Avoiding Anselot’s gaze as he blinked at me in surprise at the sudden question, I added in a small voice.

“…We’re not even anything to each other.”

Then Anselot asked back in a puzzled voice.

“Can such words only be said between people in some kind of relationship?”

“Did you say things like this so easily to that person too?”

A pause.

Anselot didn’t answer immediately to my question and fell into thought for a moment.

Feeling annoyed at myself for getting unsettled by his playful words every time, I impulsively asked.

After saying it, I wondered if I had said something unnecessary again.

“…I guess.”

After a brief pause, he opened his mouth.

“I never said it to that person even once.”

Anselot muttered sadly, then soon smiled at me and said.

“So don’t be jealous, princess.”

For a moment, I felt like my true feelings had been exposed and my face turned bright red.

“Jealous!”

“You weren’t jealous?”

“I’m not!”

“We weren’t in such a deep relationship that you would be jealous, princess.”

“I said I’m not jealous!”

It’s true that I compared myself to that person a little, just a little bit.

And it’s true that I felt disappointed comparing myself to that person.

But it wasn’t jealousy!

To call it jealousy… what kind of great relationship do I have with him to be jealous?

“Why would I be jealous over you!”

“This makes me feel hurt in its own way. Can’t you be a little jealous?”

“You…!”

Swish.

Just as I was about to shout at him not to say such crazy things, Anselot gave me an eye smile.

Prettily.

Very prettily.

So the words that were about to burst out of my mouth went back in without me realizing, then came out again.

“…crazy, don’t say that!”

My voice continued a few beats late and faltered.

Anselot burst into a pleasant laugh.

I looked at him with slightly reproachful eyes.

“I’ve been thinking, teasing me must be the most enjoyable thing in the world for you.”

“Wow. How did you know?”

“…”

As I suppressed the bubbling emotions, Anselot burst into giggles.

“I’m joking.”

Then he added mischievously to me, who was glaring at him sullenly.

“It’s not the most enjoyable, it’s the second most enjoyable thing in the world.”

“Then what’s the first?”

I asked, getting worked up, putting strength into my eyes.

“The first is, hmm.”

Anselot glanced at me and answered pleasantly, narrowing his eyes.

“A secret.”

“You sure have a lot of secrets.”

I pouted and grumbled.

Then suddenly I remembered how he used to give me vague answers before.

‘…Why do you want to get rid of the Light Dragon?’

‘Hmm. It’s a secret.’

“Hey, Anselot. That thing you said before about having to kill the Light Dragon… was that because of that person too?”

I hesitated for a moment before asking carefully.

Then Anselot let out an exclamation, “Oh.”

“Are you obsessed with me?”

He said with a mischievous eye smile.

“How did you know that my ideal type is a woman who’s obsessed?”

Just as my eyes were narrowing at his attempt to brush off my question with another joke,

“Hmm.”

Anselot slightly withdrew his smile.

“Let me tell you only, princess.”

He tilted his head slightly towards me.

“Half right, half wrong.”

“…?”

I blinked at that ambiguous answer.

“At first… you’re right. I vowed to carve out Helheim’s heart because of that person. But as time passed, I forgot everything.”

“…”

“At some point, I couldn’t remember anything. That person’s face, name, our last moment…”

“…”

“That’s how I lost that person forever.”

“Uh…”

Now that I heard the answer, I didn’t know how to respond, so I just stupidly uttered, “Uh…”

“So I was left with only the goal of killing Helheim without remembering why I had to do it.”

Anselot slowly raised his head that he had tilted towards me. He looked somewhere in the dark night sky and spoke as if reciting.

“But recently I found what I had lost again.”

“In the fog?”

“As expected of our princess, you’re smart.”

Anselot nodded with a smile.

Maybe because he enjoyed teasing me so much, even this sounded more like an insult than a compliment.

“Strangely, only that person’s face is still blurry.”

Could it be an old relationship from so long ago that the memories are blurry?

“Now my determination to kill Helheim has become even stronger.”

“…I see.”

I nodded briefly in response.

And I stood next to him, looking in the same direction he was looking.

The night was dark, and in the distance, lights and music could be heard, but only warm air swirled around him and me.

Although the palace interior was busy with festival preparations, it was quiet where he and I were standing.

“Thank you. For telling me.”

Instead of answering, Anselot smiled faintly.

It was the first time Anselot, who always drew an invisible line with me and piled up secrets, had shared a story about himself.

I felt like I had gotten a little closer to him.

Perhaps I was intoxicated by this atmosphere.

Maybe that’s why I unknowingly wanted to intrude deeper inside that line.

“Hey, Anselot. When this journey is over.”

My voice resonated particularly softly in the warm night air.

“After we deal with Helheim and complete the scenario, will you still be by my side then?”

A pause.

For a moment, a crack like a fine line appeared on Anselot’s face, which had been wearing a gentle smile.

As if it was an unexpected question, Anselot looked flustered.

At the same time, the warm temperature of the night air surrounding us suddenly dropped.

“…”

Anselot parted his lips slightly, then closed them again.

Would it have been better if he had playfully asked back as usual, “Why? Would you like me to be there?”

Seeing that, the smile also faded from my face.

Noticing the change in my expression, Anselot grabbed me, looking perplexed.

“Wait, princess.”

“No, it’s okay. That was enough of an answer just now.”

But I forced a smile and removed his hand that was holding me.

“…”

Anselot didn’t even say no as an empty gesture.

I bit my lower lip hard and left first with a formal goodnight greeting.

As I turned away from him, an empty wind brushed over my chest.

How strange. Why does my heart ache like this?

I must have been expecting something without realizing it.

I must have been relying on him without realizing it.

The next day, at breakfast.

Only the clinking of dishes echoed in the dining room.

“Prin…”

Just as Anselot was about to speak,

“Ah, I’m done eating.”

I put down my utensils with a clatter and got up from my seat with a bright smile.

Piya and Ilei scurried after me as I returned to my room.

Squeak?

―Lulu, did you fight with Anselot?

Piya asked.

“What are you talking about? Why would I fight with Anselot?”

Squeak…

―But Lulu. You haven’t even looked at Anselot’s direction since earlier…

“I haven’t?”

Squeak!

―Yes! You haven’t!

‘Did I do that?’

I tilted my head, thinking.

Well, I didn’t really want to see Anselot’s face.

Because I remembered that face with a crack-like fissure appearing when he couldn’t answer my question yesterday.

If I saw Anselot’s face and he had the same expression as yesterday… then I would…

A lump rose in my throat.

‘Why am I feeling like this?’

I shook my head vigorously, trying to shake off the rising questions and thoughts.

“Lulu.”

At this moment, Ilei tugged on the hem of my clothes.

“Are you feeling bad?”

“No, I’m not.”

As I was inwardly reflecting on seemingly worrying the cute Ilei,

Ilei, who had been tilting his head a couple more times, asked in an innocent voice.

“Is it because of Anselot?”

“It’s not like that…”

“Should I get rid of Anselot?”

“What are you saying!”

I raised my voice in shock.

However, Ilei was just staring at me blankly with the same innocent expression.

He didn’t seem to realize at all that he had just said something terrifying.

“Ilei, you shouldn’t carelessly get rid of people just because you’re feeling bad.”

I matched Ilei’s eye level and admonished him in a gentle voice.

Since Ilei hadn’t interacted with people until meeting me, his sense of morality might be different…

“Why?”

Ilei blinked his eyes and asked. As if he really didn’t understand.

‘How should I answer when asked why you shouldn’t get rid of people?’

I was perplexed but explained patiently.

“Think about it, Ilei. What would happen if you got rid of people just because you felt bad?”

“Hmm…”

After pondering for a moment, Ilei’s face brightened.

“It would make me feel good!”

Ilei answered with a bright smile.

“…”

I was at a loss for words.

But Ilei slightly tilted his head towards me, as if asking for praise.

It was his own signal asking me to pat his head.