IFTP 06

CHAPTER 06

Contrary to my worries that the male lead’s personality might twist at any moment, time passed peacefully.

The distance between the prince and me remained the same. I was one-sidedly ignored, and I one-sidedly ignored him. But ever since that night, our gazes would occasionally meet in the air.

Whenever that happened, I would desperately try to show I wasn’t a threat by pulling up the corners of my mouth in a smile.

Of course, the result was always being ignored.

One sunny afternoon, a maid came to visit.

“The Empress Consort hasn’t come out of her room in days…”

According to the maid, several days had passed without the Empress Consort leaving her chambers.

The prince stepped out with the solemn look of someone finally tackling a long-put-off task. I followed as usual, and then I witnessed something completely unexpected.

“Mother, everything is my fault.”

Though the male lead often committed misdeeds and wasn’t a major villain himself, there was a character who served as the main antagonist in the novel: the Empress Consort, the male lead’s mother from Traces of a Melted Ice Flower.

“Mother, please open the door.”

We were now in front of the Empress Consort’s room.

The Emperor of the empire, the male lead’s father, had two wives—the Empress and the Empress Consort.

The Empress was rightfully called the mother of the Empire, a flawless character. Backed by her marquis father and her own remarkable abilities, she had it all.

She had a brilliant mind, captivating speech that dominated social circles, and all the qualities of someone born to rule.

On the other hand, the male lead’s mother—the Empress Consort—wasn’t even a noble. Rumors claimed her mind was unstable.

There had been strong opposition when she entered the imperial palace.

‘There must’ve been an uproar since the male lead isn’t even blonde.’

All members of the royal family had blonde hair. The golden hue was what made them seem divine. So when the Empress Consort gave birth to a child with blue hair, people accused her of corrupting the royal bloodline through an illicit affair.

But the Emperor ignored all criticism toward the Empress Consort and acknowledged the male lead as his son.

‘Though the public still doubts it.’

Later, there’s an episode where the temple confirms the boy as the Emperor’s biological child. So yes, he is legitimate.

“Please…”

The boy pleaded with a sorrowful voice, but there was no response from within the room.

“Your Highness, it seems the Empress Consort is unwell.”

The hallway was empty—only the prince and Seria were present. There weren’t even any servants nearby to ask about the Empress Consort.

Seria tried to reassure the prince, but he didn’t move.

“Mother…”

I quietly slipped through the wall to check inside.

The atmosphere was thick and suffocating. In the dark room, a lone figure sat in a chair.

A woman, looking more lifeless than I did as a ghost. Her blue hair was nearly identical to the prince’s.

‘Is she even alive?’

If it weren’t for the faint smoke rising from her lips, I would’ve questioned if she was still breathing.

I came back through the wall and spoke to the prince.

“There’s someone in there, but I think it’s best to leave for now.”
“What?”
“Huh? Did you say something?”
“No, nothing. I wasn’t speaking to you.”

The boy stared at me.

“I looked inside. She seems to want to be alone.”
“……”
“You’ll ruin your voice if you keep shouting.”

At my worried words, the boy’s eyes trembled faintly.

‘I didn’t know human eyes could shake like that.’

After a moment of thought, the male lead said:

“Let’s go back for now.”

Our footsteps were the only sounds in the hallway. The prince said nothing on the way back to his room.

He kept his expression blank, but couldn’t hide the sorrow in his eyes.

‘What is the Empress Consort hoping for?’

The Empress Consort sowed chaos and destruction—as if she had no hopes for anything here.

‘Anyway, if the male lead just grows up well, the novel will change. So let’s focus on that.’

The emotionally deprived male lead hated his own mother but couldn’t let her go.

As I sifted through memories of the Empress Consort, a chill ran down my spine.

‘Wait. Wasn’t she supposed to be locked up in the tower?’

I needed to cool my head.

Without knowing the ending, I couldn’t make accurate predictions.

While I was lost in thought, we arrived at the prince’s room. The maid who had been following us had disappeared without a trace.

The prince trudged to the chair by the window and sat down.

His eyes were full of emptiness, and his lips drooped with gloom.

“I don’t know what’s bothering you, but don’t be too sad.”
“……”
“It’ll all be okay.”
“Ah…”

From what I’d seen, the prince had no one to talk to.

So far, the only person close to him was Seria. But even then, the male lead kept his distance from her.

And since she was a maid, she couldn’t comfort him as an equal.

Had he always lived like this since he was a child?

‘Now that I think about it, he doesn’t even have a nanny. Who raised him?’

Was it the Empress Consort?

Whatever the case, he stood alone. While reading the novel, I used to scoff at his bad personality and lack of friends—but the boy in front of me just looked lonely.

Still, I was sure things would change from now on.

“…You’re not just some illusion, are you?”
“I’ve told you several times I’m not.”

Because of me.

‘I know better than anyone how different life is when someone supports you.’

“Then what are you…?”

His voice was barely audible over the wind as I cautiously stepped closer.

“Ack! Don’t come too close!”

As I inched toward him, the boy began trembling at a speed that would melt all the fat in his legs.

“Y-yeah. There’s no way an illusion I created would be this pathetic or say something like that.”

The same illusion he fainted over before.

“You’re really… a ghost, aren’t you?”
“Good. Now we can finally have a conversation.”

If I could return to reality, I would. But until then, I was willing to help out while relying on him.

“Nice to meet you.”

As I offered a harmless smile, the prince’s wariness began to slowly melt away.

The kitten that used to hiss with bristled fur was gone.

“If you’re curious about anything, just ask.”
“Hmph.”

I’ll raise him properly until I go back.

“A-are you… a vengeful spirit?”

The boy asked, his voice shaking.

“I’m not sure why I ended up like this either.”
“What do you mean?”
“I opened my eyes and found myself like this. I don’t even know where this is.”

His contorted face showed a dramatic reaction—it was hard to believe this was the same person who had ignored me all this time.

A true reaction master.

“For now, you’re the only one who can see me.”
“Only me…?”

The prince seemed deeply confused again.

“I—I’m not crazy, right?”

The one going crazy is me.

How many times had he dismissed my existence as a hallucination?

“Your muttering is loud enough to hear.”
“Prove that you’re not an illusion.”

I wanted to smack him, but I was the one in need.

“Hold on.”

I passed through the door and looked around.

A servant was approaching down the hall.

‘Light brown hair, blue eyes.’

I returned to the prince’s room.

“A woman with light brown hair and blue eyes is coming down this hallway carrying a kettle.”

Suspicious, the prince quickly opened the door.

I guess he really wanted to confirm whether he’d gone mad.

“Aah!”

Startled by the sudden door swing, the servant screamed.

Water droplets splashed in the air, but she miraculously caught the spill with her hand.

“Whew… Your Highness, is something wrong?”
“…It’s nothing.”

She wiped her wet hand on her clothes with irritation and walked off.

The prince returned to the room, and I followed.

“See? You’re not crazy.”
“To better serve my brother and the empire, I must not overlook even the smallest details.”

He looked at me with a generous gaze, then reached out his hand as if bestowing grace.

“Whatever you are… I shall help you resolve your grudge.”
“…Even though your hand is shaking?”

I looked at his trembling fingers and gave a crooked smile.

“Do you even know who I am?”
“I heard you’re the prince.”
“Then show proper respect!”

He jabbed his finger at me and yelled loudly.

I finally got to talk to him, only to be yelled at.

“If you want to be respected, you should respect others first.”
“Ha! I may not be the most powerful, but I’ve never been treated this poorly before.”
“Begging your pardon, Your Highness, but what is your name?”

Now that I think about it—we hadn’t even introduced ourselves.

As much as I believed in being chill, I didn’t want to keep being called “you bastard.”