Chapter 6
“A garden… you say?”
Siaphil’s gaze practically said, “And this is supposed to be a garden?” Still, I stubbornly insisted that this place was, indeed, a garden.
“I enjoy tending to it myself.”
If Pell had heard that, he would have scoffed out loud—but fortunately, Pell wasn’t here right now.
Because he ran off and left me behind!
A proper attendant should prioritize their master above all, but Pell, as always, was anything but a proper attendant.
As I looked around for a way to get out of this situation, I spotted a shovel lying abandoned on the ground.
“It’s quite fun, actually. Would Your Highness like to give it a try?”
I picked it up, roughly brushed off the dirt, and offered it to Siaphil. He looked at me, clearly flustered.
Hmm… maybe that was pushing it a bit too far.
The Wildflower Leaves a Scent
“Siaphil hasn’t been around lately.”
The Second Princess, Elibet, commented while being attended to during her bath. The handmaiden serving her let out a soft chuckle.
“Are you upset, Your Highness?”
“Of course not. It’s just been on my mind, that’s all.”
Elibet scoffed and leaned back with her arms crossed. As the handmaiden applied scented oil to her wavy blonde hair, she spoke again.
“Shall I have someone find out where he’s been?”
“That won’t be necessary. No need to go that far.”
Waving her hand dismissively, Elibet pursed her lips and fell into thought.
Siaphil was the last of the Craydens, and potentially a future political rival. Though she pretended to dote on the cunning little boy like everyone else, Elibet had never once forgotten the truth.
But lately, the child who used to drop by whenever he had free time hadn’t shown up in weeks. That was… a bit suspicious.
“Suspicious,” huh…
Just thinking that revealed how much Elibet was conscious of Siaphil. And the handmaiden behind her certainly noticed too. After all, they’d grown up together like sisters.
“Shall I assign someone to tail him, then?”
“No. That clever little thing would spot a tail in no time.”
Elibet pondered for a while, then pushed the handmaiden’s hand aside and rose to her feet.
“I’ll go see Siaphil myself.”
A direct visit would be better than a sloppy investigation. Without further hesitation, Elibet put her thoughts into action.
“You’re saying he’s not here?”
Visiting Siaphil’s palace during the day, Elibet couldn’t hide the frown forming on her brow. The attendant who came out in his place bowed deeply, unsure of what to do.
“Do you not know where he went?”
“No, Your Highness. I sincerely apologize…”
Elibet twitched her fingers, still with arms crossed. Exchanging a glance with her handmaiden standing behind her, she finally spoke in a displeased tone.
“Then I’ll wait.”
“P-Pardon? Of course. I’ll prepare a room at once.”
Following the attendant, Elibet settled herself in the drawing room. Once the servant excused himself to fetch tea, the handmaiden quietly asked,
“Where could he have gone, without even mentioning it?”
“Who knows? Maybe he’s hiding a honey pot somewhere.”
Tapping on the armrest of the sofa, Elibet thought back on her recent impressions of Siaphil.
Lately, he rarely appeared at meals, and even when he did, his mind seemed to be elsewhere. It was odd that she was only now finding it suspicious—she should’ve realized sooner.
Did I let my guard down around him without noticing?
He was an affectionate child, not someone she particularly disliked. But if his charm had caused her to loosen her guard, that was a problem.
He’s still a blood relative of the Craydens, after all.
The situation could change at any moment. That was something Elibet had grown up always keeping in mind as an heir.
“When he returns, I’ll have to ask exactly where he’s been.”
Emptying her teacup, Elibet murmured quietly.
And so, she waited in silence until the tea had been changed out three times. By the time Siaphil finally appeared, the sun was already starting to set.
“Elibet-noonim is here?”
The voice from outside the drawing room was unmistakably Siaphil’s. Elibet didn’t wait another second—she rose and walked out.
“Siaphil.”
“Ah—Elibet-noonim!”
Siaphil’s voice was full of fluster as he called her. Elibet looked down at him and went speechless.
His clothes were wrinkled, his shoes were caked with mud, and even his silky blonde hair and pale, milky face were smeared with dust. It was a far cry from his usual tidy appearance.
“Did you go rolling around somewhere?”
“Ah, this is…”
Siaphil fidgeted awkwardly, unable to answer. His hands, brushing at the dirt on his clothes, bore faint scratches.
Seeing this, Elibet let out a sigh. Clearly, Siaphil had been playing in the dirt—or perhaps swinging a toy sword around. The sort of thing kids his age often did.
What a waste of time.
All the assumptions she’d made about his recent absence were now meaningless. Feeling deflated, Elibet waved a hand dismissively.
“Forget it. Just go wash up.”
“But… You came all the way to my palace, and…”
“So you’re going to sit across from me looking like that? Go wash, and come to my palace tomorrow.”
“…Yes, ma’am.”
“We haven’t had a proper chat in a while.”
With that, Elibet turned and strode off. The moment she disappeared, Siaphil let out the breath he’d been holding.
That was close.
He had almost been caught. It was a miracle Elibet hadn’t asked where he’d been. She was sharp and suspicious by nature—if she started digging, she wouldn’t be easy to fool. A clumsy lie would’ve been seen through instantly.
Not yet.
Siaphil clenched his hands behind his back, where he hid a single wildflower that Revesia had given him before he left her palace.
No one could know about the flower. Not yet.
Was I too harsh?
Two days had passed without a single sign of Siaphil. I yawned, thinking it over.
The last time I’d seen him was when I’d—somehow—roped him into doing farm work.
Guess that was too much for the beloved youngest prince, huh.
Considering he hadn’t shown up since that day, it probably wasn’t too far off.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Technically, it wasn’t a bad thing. In the long run, Siaphil’s attention could be dangerous for me.
I need to stay hidden until I can get out of here.
Keep a low profile, live like a stubborn weed, and safely leave the imperial palace.
Let’s just see it as a good thing.
If that day made him resent me… that would be a different kind of problem.
Nah, no way.
Shaking off the uneasy thoughts, I got moving. Pell was out today, so I had to visit the library myself.
“Let’s see… My entry pass…”
Standing at the front gate of the library, I rummaged through my bag. The two guards eyed me warily but let me in once I showed them my pass.
Maybe covering my face made me look more suspicious?
I had wrapped a scarf around my face to avoid running into Siaphil, but maybe that had drawn even more attention. Oh well.
Once inside, I took off the scarf and shoved it into my bag. As I roughly fixed my messy hair, I spotted something odd.
Ah, today’s the day, isn’t it?
Inside the library, one table was unusually crowded. Almost all the people seated there were women, each with a book open in front of them. Their gazes constantly flicked between their books and—
Of course.
By the window sat a man with a book over his face, fast asleep.
His dark purple hair spilled out from under the book. Though his face was hidden, the flawless skin and sharp jawline clearly marked him as handsome.
I recognized him immediately and hurried my steps. He was one of the people I had to avoid at all costs—a bearer of the Crayden name.
Can’t believe I forgot it’s Thursday.
There was only one man who napped by the library window every Thursday.
Third Prince, Ridan Serger Crayden.
No one knew why he came to the library every Thursday, but I did know why he napped.
Because the sunlight is nice…
The warm sunlight flooding the library windows probably made it a cozy place to doze off.
I ducked behind a bookshelf, lamenting my fate.
When I didn’t know the future, I didn’t have to be so careful…
I had never tried to avoid the Third Prince before. Whether he was in the library or not, I’d just pick out a book and head back to the palace.
Now even that’s a risk.
Better not to risk any unnecessary entanglements.
For a moment, I wondered if I was worrying for nothing. But then again…
Siaphil came to find me out of the blue, didn’t he?
He even came all the way to my palace. Just goes to show—you never know what’ll happen.
As I climbed the stairs to the second floor, I looked down again.
Strangely, the Third Prince was sitting up now. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and glanced around, as if searching for something.
What’s this all of a sudden?
I hurried up the stairs. As far as I knew, the Third Prince never came up to the second floor.
Trying not to stand out might actually make me stand out more.
Act natural. Just like always.
I mentally erased him from my mind and started looking for a book. The title I picked up was:
“Surviving the Jungle”—the sequel to “Surviving the Desert.”
As I turned to leave, a sudden shadow loomed over me.
“Hm.”
“…!”
“Well, well. Look who it is.”
Third Prince Ridan looked down at me, eyes narrowed.
“My little sister?”
