BCOM 09

Chapter 9

I think there was a line like this in The Little Prince…

“If you say you’ll come at four o’clock, I’ll start waiting for you from three.”

Well, I never had the hobby of memorizing book passages, so I’m not sure if that’s exactly right, but anyway, it was something along those lines.

And ever since morning, one thought just wouldn’t leave Aneth’s mind—
that when she went up to her room after lunch, Theowin would be there.

No, really, what did it matter if a young lady stayed home alone during the day, or if even an infant was left home alone? This mansion was full of servants and maids who kept it running!

“Milady… is something wrong? Your face looks terrible.”

Tarin often had the habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. She herself didn’t think much of it, but when you recalled her words later, you couldn’t help but tilt your head in doubt.

“If you say things like that, won’t the Marquis dislike it?”

“…Ah!”

Tarin froze, then clapped a hand over her mouth in horror.

“I’ve been scolded for that by the young miss too… She said it’s fine if I talk like that around her, but warned me to be careful so it doesn’t become a habit…”

Her little head drooped so low it looked like her neck might snap, and Aneth couldn’t help but chuckle. She still looked like a child learning her way, and it was endearing.

Surely the original Aneth would have found her cute too. But she must also have worried a little—after all, if Tarin wanted to stay at her mistress’s side for a long time, she would need to grow into a proper maid worthy of the Marquis’s daughter.

“That’s right. You need to be careful about the things you should.”

“Y-yes, Milady…”

She looked like she might dig a hole into the floor and crawl inside. At least she admitted her mistakes quickly, and repented just as fast. Soon, when Aneth rose to leave, Tarin would likely brighten up, sparkle her eyes, and trot after her with quick little steps. It was a little pitiful now, but there was nothing Aneth could do.

When Aneth pushed back her chair after lunch and rose, Tarin scurried over to pull the chair out for her. When Aneth smiled in thanks, Tarin’s face lit up with a dazzling brightness.

It really felt like raising a little pet animal… She wanted to brag: “My household has the cutest maid.”

“Hm… should I… attend social gatherings?”

The thought slipped out of her mouth without meaning to. Not because she wanted to go, but because she suddenly wondered if she should.

“Milady, are you going to attend social gatherings?”

“No, I’m not.”

Tarin had leapt at the chance for conversation, but the reply was the complete opposite of what she expected, leaving her speechless. Blinking up at Aneth as she followed, Tarin made her laugh again.

“I only asked because I don’t want to go. I mean, once I become crown princess, I’ll have to meet those ladies endlessly anyway. Why bother starting now?”

As they strolled leisurely down the corridor, Aneth chatted idly with Tarin.

“Well, you’ve never really gone before, so it should be fine. If you did attend, the jealousy from the other ladies would be overwhelming! After all, you’re the crown princess now!”

Why was Tarin saying that with such happiness…?

Jealousy from noble ladies, huh. As Aneth had explained before, Theowin Kiest was one of the Empire’s most sought-after men. Not only was he exceptional on the surface, he was also the crown prince. There was no one in the Empire who outshone him.

And now that he’d reached marriageable age, there must have been plenty of young ladies eager to embrace even his prickliness, as though it were a hedgehog’s spines.

But their hopes came to nothing. Who could have guessed that the daughter of a reclusive Marquis—who rarely even appeared in society—would snatch the position?

Adding to her unease, Aneth only realized as she reached her bedroom door—on the other side of this door, just one more door away, was him.

Her stiff neck creaked as she turned her head awkwardly. Tarin was peering up at her with a face that seemed to ask: Why aren’t we going inside?

“Uh… Tarin? You can go on and do your work now.”

“I was going to help tidy up your room. I thought it might be a good day for cleaning.”

Faced with Tarin’s earnest devotion, Aneth let out a short laugh.

“I’d like to be alone. From now on, after lunch, don’t let anyone into my room for a few hours. Not even you, Tarin.”

She said it as gently as possible, careful not to hurt the girl’s feelings. She didn’t want it to sound like she was pushing her away, nor did she want her behavior to seem suspicious.

Because if Tarin pressed her ear to the door and happened to overhear a conversation…!

Even though she’d threatened yesterday not to open the door if he came in through the terrace, Aneth already pictured the crown prince opening her window and facing her inside the room.

“Alright, Milady. Then is it okay if I come in tomorrow morning to tidy up?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Then… should I go tend to other mansion work now?”

She was still lingering at the door, chatting on and on. But somehow, every word Tarin spoke sounded like: I want to stay with you, Milady.

And in truth, that was exactly the way she was looking at her.

The popularity of this body…!

It wasn’t arrogance, but sincere admiration for Aneth. Thinking about it, she and Theowin must have seemed like a couple blessed by heaven. So why had their relationship been so terrible in her past life?

Even when I wanted it to improve, it never did…

“Yes, Tarin. I’m going inside.”

“Yes, Milady. Please call if you need anything!”

At least the girl didn’t seem to hate the housework. Watching her trot down the hall and descend the stairs, Aneth finally turned the doorknob.

Inside lay the familiar space of her room. She’d only spent a few days here, but it already felt comfortable. Soon, it would feel entirely like her own.

Her fears about returning had only lasted that first night. Already, her mind was filled each day with the concerns of how to live here.

Knock.

And into that peaceful life appeared the foretold God of Destruction(!).

Of course, the one destined to destroy the Empire was Aneth—but the man who pushed her toward that fate was Theowin.

“You’re a little late today.”

Even with the window closed, his voice carried faintly from outside.

The sunlight shone behind him, so in the backlight he looked like a massive shadow. Yet it didn’t feel menacing—it felt strikingly… magnificent.

Maybe this was the “Theowin filter.”

Aneth wrinkled her nose, displeased, and because of what she’d said yesterday, she didn’t open the window.

Theowin, too, only followed her movements with his eyes, not saying another word.

And so began their standoff, separated by a single pane of glass. Aneth deliberately averted her gaze, refusing to look his way.

When sunlight streamed in during the day, a golden “pond” of light always formed on the floor from the large window. But today, half of it had been swallowed up by his shadow.

Its dark shimmer kept catching her eye.

Honestly, me of all people. After what I said yesterday, I still can’t ignore that shadow…

But she resolved to endure. I can’t let him sway me. I can’t let him think I’m an easy woman. Even if I become his woman in the palace later, I must make sure he never dares look down on me.

Finding a way to survive was never easy. With her lips pressed tight, unable to even mutter to herself, Aneth searched for something to do. Eventually, she picked up an embroidery set—the sort the original Aneth might have used—and leaned back against the bed.

It would have been better to sit at the table, but that was too close to the terrace window.

Silence filled her room.

When the sunlight pond grew a little larger, Theowin went so far as to bring a terrace chair over, settling right in front of the window so he could look inside.

“What the—why is he doing that? Just sitting there staring like that…”

Not a tyrant, but an obsessive man? And “obsessive man” was just a polite way of saying what he really looked like—basically a stalker.

Muttering under her breath while pretending to focus on embroidery, Aneth admitted—yes, he might look like a stalker, but he was also absurdly, unbearably handsome.

The problem was, she had never once tried embroidery before. Her clumsy fumbling embarrassed her when she thought he might be watching. Hastily, she put it aside and picked up a book instead.

She wasn’t fond of reading either, but at least she could pretend.

But then, by chance, the book she’d grabbed turned out to be surprisingly interesting.

It was about magic and spirits. She had thought it was a novel, but it was actually a textbook.

Thanks to it, she learned several things about how the magic that had once flourished in the Kropen Empire had been spread and used across the land.

And as she became absorbed, her awareness of the terrace window gradually faded away.

Quietly, her eyes followed the lines of text.

And outside, Theowin sat, his hair and robe fluttering in the breeze. His gaze never once left Aneth—but she remained immersed in her book, never raising or lowering her eyes.

Separated by a single pane of glass, their silent standoff stretched onward, carried forward by Aneth’s deliberate indifference.