Chapter 7
The daily routine of the third prince, Lidan, was not particularly complicated. Especially on Thursdays, he could’ve been the very embodiment of a leisurely nobleman.
That Thursday, after finishing his morning training, Lidan headed to the library, as he usually did, for a midday nap. Ignoring the curious glances directed at him, he picked out a book, then laid down by his usual window seat and dozed off.
The warm sunlight, drifting dust, the rustling of pages, and faint murmurs—all mingled with the scent of old books—lulled his senses into drowsiness.
Footsteps. Very soft footsteps slowly roused him from sleep.
‘What is that…?’
Lidan, still groggy, followed the sound. The footsteps stopped briefly, then hurried off in another direction.
‘Stairs.’
The sound of someone climbing stairs—or rather, an indescribable presence—fully awakened him.
He sat up, ran a hand through his hair, and left the window seat as if drawn by something.
Step by step, as he climbed the stairs, he felt an odd thumping in his chest. When he reached the second floor, he saw someone standing between the shelves.
Shining silver hair and green eyes scanning the shelves.
It was a face Lidan already knew.
‘But why…’
Why was he being drawn toward them? Though puzzled, Lidan walked closer. Then—
“Sister?”
He smiled lazily at the face turning toward him.
Sister? That startled me even more than when Siafil had first called me “big sister.”
I backed away, only to bump into the bookshelf behind me.
“Ow.”
The one who caught the book that almost fell on my head was Lidan. He glanced at the book and nonchalantly said,
“Someone didn’t push the book in all the way.”
After putting it back, Lidan stepped closer. I tried to shift away, knowing there was nowhere to run, but stopped when he suddenly leaned forward to sniff me.
‘W-what?’
Frozen in shock, I watched as Lidan straightened up and muttered,
“What is this…?”
That was what I wanted to ask. What the heck? I gave up trying to avoid his gaze and called out,
“T-third Prince, Your Highness.”
“Hmm, ‘Your Highness’? So cold.”
Cold? As if we ever had that kind of closeness. Ridiculous, yet Lidan didn’t seem bothered at all.
“Then should I call you Fifteenth Princess, Your Highness, Revesia?”
Ugh. Hearing my name from his mouth sent shivers down my spine.
‘How does he know my name?’
As if reading my mind, Lidan said,
“We’re siblings. It’d be bad if I didn’t even know your name.”
Does he realize we have thirty-eight siblings, most of whom don’t even recognize each other’s faces? And those with the Crayden name were especially indifferent to the nameless ones. That’s the difference between the “real” and the “fake.”
I was flustered that he knew my name, but quickly composed myself and asked,
“Is there something I can help you with?”
“Not really.”
Then why?
“You called me.”
“…?”
“I felt like you were calling me. Weren’t you?”
If anything, I’d been trying to avoid him. I averted my gaze, unsure how to respond.
“Doesn’t look like you did it intentionally.”
“…!”
Startled again, I stepped back. Lidan just watched me quietly, then asked,
“How did you do it?”
“I don’t quite understand what you mean…”
“Hm…”
Maybe he realized he wouldn’t get an answer from me, because he folded his arms and fell silent in thought.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”
“That book is interesting, isn’t it?”
He blocked my way with a grin and even pulled out Surviving in the Desert, which I’d returned a few days ago.
“Have you read this one?”
“Yes, I’ve read it before.”
“Working your way through the series, I see.”
Was I that obvious? I looked away, then noticed Lidan’s feet moving out of my peripheral vision and looked up.
“Then next, try this one.”
He handed me Surviving at Sea. It was definitely interesting—but wasn’t that the book he was just using to cover his face at the window?
‘Does he read with his face?’
As I unintentionally thought that, Lidan gave me a sly grin.
“What do you think? Don’t you want to read it?”
“Uh, not really…”
“Why not? You haven’t read it yet.”
I hesitated, unsure if I should say it, but finally spoke.
“I don’t like reading books that have someone else’s face oil on them…”
“What?”
Lidan blinked, then burst into loud laughter.
“Hey, we’re in a library…”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. That was just too funny.”
Which part was funny? I glanced at him, feeling like fleeing the scene. Maybe I could just bolt?
‘The consequences…’
But thinking of the aftermath stopped me. If someone asked if I was ready to face the fallout, my answer would be a firm no.
“Then shall we go somewhere we can laugh freely, Sister?”
“…With me?”
“Of course.”
Lidan slung the book over his shoulder and grinned.
“I’m the type who explores anything interesting right away.”
And that “interesting” thing… is me?
Even I could tell my face had gone pale. But Lidan just kept smiling down at me, eyes sparkling.
Lidan actually followed me all the way to my residence. He walked leisurely, but when I started heading to a more remote part of the palace, he asked, suspicious,
“There’s a palace this far out?”
“…Yes.”
“Hmmm.”
Considering how vast the royal grounds were and how many buildings there were, it was understandable he didn’t know about the outlying residences. That, or he just didn’t care.
As we walked through a shaded path, Lidan ducked under the overgrown branches to follow me.
Eventually, we arrived at my small, S-shaped residence. Lidan stared at it in surprise.
“It’s really small.”
“…”
But then he smiled at me, as if realizing it wasn’t something to say in front of the occupant. At least he was quick on the uptake.
“…Please excuse the humble home.”
This was the true definition of “a noble guest in a poor home.”
I wanted to flip the roles and say he was the shabby one, but my conscience wouldn’t allow me to insult Lidan Serger Crayden like that.
Inside, I searched for a room that could pass as a sitting room. Luckily, there was one with a table and chairs.
“No servants around?”
Lidan asked as we entered.
‘He says the same things as my brother…’
Siafil had commented similarly before. Half-blood or not, blood really was thicker than water.
“There are only three of us here.”
“In this whole palace?”
“Yes.”
It was a room with a small study attached. While I pulled back the curtains, Lidan sat down like he owned the place.
“Only two servants for a palace? That’s crazy.”
His tone was casual, but this time, I could hear genuine surprise. I just shrugged and debated what to do next.
‘Should I call Sheila?’
He was a guest, after all. I should at least serve him tea. But I hesitated.
‘Siafil was polite, so it was okay…’
But Sheila wasn’t used to visitors. If she made a mistake in front of Lidan…?
I couldn’t imagine what would happen. Lidan was an unpredictable character in the original story. It made sense that I couldn’t foresee his reaction.
‘I’ll just do it myself…’
I gave up cleanly and stood again.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll bring tea.”
“Yourself? Why not have a servant do it?”
“Sheila is out on an errand I asked her to run. I’ll take care of it.”
Lidan waved his hand at that.
“Then never mind. I couldn’t possibly let my dear sister’s precious hands get wet.”
“…”
That was the first time I’d ever heard anyone say something like that to me. My expression must have been odd, because Lidan burst out laughing again—just like in the library.
“I’ll take that tea next time. For now, can I look around a bit?”
“There’s not much to see.”
“It’s small, so I’ll be quick. Will you show me around?”
Why was he so difficult to reason with? I gave in and nodded.
As we walked, Lidan stopped at one spot.
“Sister, what’s this?”
“Oh, that’s the garden.”
He pointed to the overturned soil.
“A garden? This?”
“…”
Siafil had let it go when I insisted it was a garden, but Lidan didn’t. Instead, he looked at me, waiting for me to say it again.
When I looked away from the pressure of his stare, he chuckled.
“Well, I guess you could call it a garden… even if it’s just dirt.”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell him there were edible plants growing under that dirt.
“Nothing too special here.”
That was his conclusion after touring the palace. Just as I’d predicted. I told him there was nothing to see.
Yet for some reason, Lidan didn’t return to the sitting room. Instead, he wandered outside the palace. Curious, I followed and asked,
“What are you doing?”
“Is there… a fairy tree nearby?”
“?”
The fairy tree grove was very far from here. Surely he knew that?
“No, there isn’t.”
“Not even one that’s been transplanted?”
“Fairy trees can’t grow outside the forest.”
“That’s true.”
Even so, Lidan kept scanning the area. Just when I was about to ask what he was doing, he turned to me and said,
“Then why… does it feel like there’s one nearby?”
