“You’re late.”
“I’m not late.”
I had just tied my hair up in one and rushed out of the room. Siegfried was leaning against the hallway wall, waiting for me.
Last night, we agreed to go to the festival together. Coincidentally, both of us woke up early and bumped into each other in the dining hall.
While having breakfast, Siegfried said he had a rough idea of what the night festival was like and now wanted to see the daytime festivities. So, I promised to meet him in the afternoon.
Given that, I wasn’t late at all.
“How long have you been waiting?” I asked.
“Two hours ago.”
“What? Just how much are you looking forward to this festival…?”
Siegfried, despite his blunt demeanor, had an oddly cute side. I always thought he looked and acted mature for someone five years younger than me, but moments like this reminded me of his age.
“Your Highness, you said you’d repay your debt yesterday.”
I said that as I stepped outside, escorted by the servants. I noticed Siegfried’s ears perk up.
“I’ve come up with a good idea. Today, Your Highness will be my wallet.”
He’s the male lead, so he should have plenty of money, right? It’s not like I’m conning a younger boy or anything, right?
“How much could I possibly spend at a festival?”
“Oh? I plan to buy out all the snacks on every stall.”
“Go ahead.”
Siegfried shrugged as if it was no big deal. Then he frowned slightly, as if something didn’t sit right with him.
“Even so, this doesn’t feel right. For saving my life, this is too modest of a request.”
“Do you really think so?”
After thinking long and hard last night, I couldn’t agree with his whole “I owe you my life” notion.
Think about it: he’s the male lead. There’s no way he would’ve died at Killian’s hands. Whether I was there or not, he would’ve found a way to defeat Killian and survive.
And yet, I got in the middle of it and now he insists on repaying a debt? Honestly, my joke about the ten million Erks was just that—a joke.
“I really do.”
“Still, it’s no use.”
“…”
“You’re the one repaying the debt.”
Siegfried still looked unconvinced, but since I was being firm, he reluctantly decided to go along with it.
“By the way, I have something to say before we arrive.”
I was happily skipping along when Siegfried stopped me.
“What is it, Your Highness?”
“That. Stop calling me ‘Your Highness’ at the festival. Yesterday, when Miliard kept calling me that, I felt like the whole world was staring at me.”
Siegfried closed his eyes tightly as if just remembering it gave him a headache. Somehow, I could vividly picture the scene and laughed out loud. Knowing Miliard, he probably shouted it at the top of his lungs, making Siegfried super uncomfortable.
“I bet. In this rural place, people must have thought, ‘A prince? Here?’ Then they saw you and realized you actually look like one.”
“What do you mean, I look like one?”
“You look every bit the prince.”
Siegfried had the kind of face that made it obvious to anyone that he wasn’t an ordinary person. It wasn’t just his striking appearance—it was the way he carried himself, how he moved, how he walked… Everything about him screamed nobility.
“Still, don’t call me ‘Your Highness’ at the festival.”
“Then what should I call you? Young master? Sir knight? Hey, you?”
“What do you think I have a name for?”
…Gasp.
I was at a loss for words. Was he telling me to call him by his name? Even if he said that, he’s still a prince. Was I really allowed to call him that so casually?
I hesitated. I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Seeing me hesitate, Siegfried frowned lightly.
“I already call you Ariel.”
“Well… that’s because you’re a prince.”
“If I’m already doing it, what’s the problem? I’m even giving you permission.”
“That actually makes it more pressure…”
Come to think of it, this whole situation was already overwhelming. Going to a festival alone with Siegfried, the prince and the male lead… Why was I only now realizing how nerve-wracking this was?
“Call me. By my name.”
Siegfried remained stubborn. He stood still, not budging an inch. His violet eyes full of expectation stared down at me.
“Si…eg…fried…”
“Is my name really that hard to say?”
“Sie…gfried…”
“….”
“Forget it. I’m not saying it.”
“You said no ‘Your Highness.’”
“How about… young man?”
“Ridiculous.”
Siegfried shook his head decisively. I guess he really hated being called that. But fifteen is definitely still ‘young man’ territory…
“No, wait… more like a baby.”
“Baby?”
I didn’t mean to say that out loud, but it slipped. Siegfried blinked as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
Please forget that. My brain must’ve been short-circuiting from the pressure. No filter at all.
“…Baby?”
Siegfried raised one eyebrow. Very. Extremely. Unpleasantly.
Cold sweat trickled down my back. From a twenty-year-old’s perspective, a fifteen-year-old was practically a baby.
“So that’s how you’ve been seeing me all along.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Sure doesn’t sound like ‘not it.’”
This wasn’t the time for word games. I sighed deeply. Siegfried narrowed his eyes.
“Baby, huh.”
Wow. He really hated it. How many times was I going to hear that word today?
I quickly bowed my head.
“It means you’re cute.”
“Now I hate it even more.”
“Oh dear.”
I clicked my tongue, pretending to feel bad. Siegfried pressed his lips into a tight line.
Having a younger brother Siegfried’s age, I instinctively knew at that moment—he was sulking.
“‘Young man’ would’ve been better.”
“Shall we go with that then?”
“No.”
What did he even want then? I scratched my cheek. Siegfried gave me a sulky glance.
“Call me by my name.”
“That’s really… hard for me.”
I shook my head firmly. Even if I had memories from a past life, I had none here. I was Ariel through and through.
Having grown up in a class-based society, how could I just casually call a prince by name?
At least Siegfried seemed to somewhat understand my struggle because he didn’t push further. Instead, he rubbed his chin, thinking.
“Oh, then.”
Finally, Siegfried seemed to have a good idea and smiled faintly. As always, his smiling face was beautiful. I wanted to poke that beauty mark under his eye.
“My name has three parts: Siegfried Lashion Jan.”
“I know.”
“Two of them are relatively short.”
Hey, that’s not the issue. The problem was never the length.
“Just call me Lashion.”
But Siegfried already seemed pleased with his own decision, nodding with satisfaction. He’d gone this far… there was no way I could now suggest, “Let’s go with young man.”
“Okay… La…shion…”
“You’re dragging it again.”
“Lashion!”
“There you go.”
Siegfried smiled approvingly and lifted his hand over my head. Then, as if startled, he quickly pulled it away.
“S-sorry. It was instinct.”
“It’s fine. I also instinctively called you a baby.”
“That was seriously rude.”
“I know…”
I didn’t expect him to hate it that much.
And so, after all this back-and-forth about names, half the afternoon had already passed. Having eaten only a light breakfast, my stomach gave a little rumble.
“I’m hungry…”
“Let’s go.”
Siegfried started walking ahead. Was it because of his long legs? His strides were fast. I hurried to keep up. Even though I was the one who said I was hungry, I wished he’d slow down a bit.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Siegfried stopped dead in his tracks again. I ended up bumping my nose into his broad back.
“You okay?”
“Why’d you stop?”
I rubbed my nose and asked. Siegfried glanced down at me.
“Thought you couldn’t keep up with my pace. I’ll walk beside you.”
“…Your High— Lashion, honestly, you’re pretty popular, aren’t you?”
“There you go, calling me ‘Your Highness’ again.”
“Lashion.”
Siegfried crossed his arms and frowned. I started walking ahead while waiting for his answer. He slowed his steps to match mine.
Siegfried seemed to mull over my question for a moment and then casually said,
“I’m not popular.”
“Lies.”
“It’s true.”
I didn’t believe him for a second. With that face, that money, that power? Plus, his personality was surprisingly nice. Though thinking back to our first meeting… yeah, that was a bit questionable.
Come to think of it, why did Siegfried seem so annoyed when he first saw me? Now, there wasn’t even a hint of that.
“Really not. I’m not the friendly type. Plus, thanks to Eisa, I barely get to meet people in the palace.”
“For someone like that, you’re awfully kind.”
“I’m kind?”
Siegfried asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
