I blended back into the festival street with Siegfried.
Every time we passed a stall, the merchants hurriedly put up “Sold Out” signs and rushed off to make more treats. There were so many types of sweets that after picking up a bit of everything, both my hands were full.
With a happy face, I handed most of the load over to Siegfried. He silently carried everything and followed me. Being able to treat a prince like a porter—just that alone felt like I could be full from sweets for the rest of the day.
“If you eat too much of this stuff, your teeth will rot.”
Siegfried looked down at the mountain of sweets with a disgusted expression.
“Who’s saying such grandpa-like things now?”
I lifted my eyes with a pout. It’s just one day, so what’s the big deal?
“You should eat proper meals… Filling yourself with snacks like this—”
“Ugh.”
I cut off his nagging by shoving a fluffy, cloud-shaped candy into his mouth. Siegfried widened his eyes, then obediently ate it.
Good boy. Very much to my liking. Smiling in satisfaction, I sat down on a bench with Siegfried.
After nagging me so much, he seemed to really like the taste of the candy and kept sneaking glances, waiting for me to hand him another. If he liked it that much, he could just grab it himself, but perhaps out of prince-like pride, he didn’t.
Every time I opened a new candy wrapper, he discreetly checked if it was the cloud-shaped one I gave him earlier. When it wasn’t, he quietly sulked.
After teasing him about twenty times, I finally handed him another piece of cloud candy. His wordless, resentful gaze stung a little, but it was bearable.
After eating a pile of sweets, I decided to take him to see a puppet show. I expertly squeezed through the crowd, and he followed closely behind.
But sometimes, Siegfried almost lost sight of me. Whenever I turned around to check, I’d find him far behind, standing there awkwardly, waiting for me to notice. It made me strangely anxious.
“Wanna hold hands?”
“What?”
After about the sixth time we got separated, I finally asked. Siegfried frowned as if flustered and said something ridiculously serious.
“That’s… quite a delicate matter…”
He trailed off and kept raising and lowering his hand in hesitation. Good grief. Anyone watching would think I was forcing him.
“Fine, never mind. But you’re just going to lose me again.”
“…I’ll hold on.”
And then… all he did was lightly tug on the hem of my sleeve. Was he planning to lose me again? I subtly moved my arm and grabbed his wrist.
I always thought he was just a pretty boy, but turns out, he had surprisingly sturdy bones. Well, he was growing well for his age. Millyard, who’s the same age, is about my height, but Siegfried was tall enough to look down at me.
Still, he had a long way to go. The adult Siegfried had a far bigger build than Avicion. Avicion was over 185 cm tall, and Siegfried was even bigger than that…
The future looked promising. Whoever ends up with him in this story definitely saved a country in their past life.
“I’m holding your wrist, not your hand. Is that okay?”
“….”
Guess it’s not? Siegfried didn’t say anything, just rolled his eyes and stared at his wrist like it was some big deal. Honestly, what’s with the dramatic reaction over a little wrist grab?
“I don’t force people if they don’t like it.”
Feeling a bit guilty, I started to let go. But then Siegfried suddenly shook his head furiously.
“I-I didn’t say I didn’t like it!”
Well, that sounded like consent to me. I took it as a yes and dragged the awkwardly stiff Siegfried to a spot under a tree.
Perfect timing, too. As soon as we arrived, the stage curtain began to rise.
“How fascinating.”
Several colorful marionettes danced on the tiny stage. Siegfried murmured with an innocent expression as he watched the puppet show.
Just as a long-haired female marionette slapped the male marionette on the other side, I slowly stood up, not wanting to disturb Siegfried’s focus.
“Your High—no, Rashien. Stay here for a bit.”
While he was engrossed in the show, I planned to sneak off somewhere.
But before I could move far, Siegfried, still staring at the stage, grabbed the end of my sleeve with surprising speed.
“Where are you going?”
“Just for a bit. Don’t worry, I won’t lose you like Millyard did.”
“You’re treating me like a complete baby.”
“If you weren’t a baby, I wouldn’t leave you behind, right?”
I shook my sleeve playfully. Siegfried reluctantly let go.
“You said we’d stick together…”
He grumbled in dissatisfaction.
When I returned after buying what I needed, Siegfried was still clapping with the crowd, lost in the afterglow of the puppet show.
What’s this? He really is a baby. Most of the audience watching with him were little kids and their parents. Let’s just say our household’s baby was slightly oversized.
I lightly tapped Siegfried’s shoulder. He lifted his head and looked up at me.
“You said it’d be just a minute.”
“The line was too long.”
The audience began to scatter. I plopped down next to Siegfried.
“Guess what I bought?”
“You said I was your wallet for today but haven’t let me pay even once.”
He said with a strangely serious tone. I rummaged through the bag, ignoring him.
“Well, this was something I just really wanted to get for you.”
I’d been thinking about it all day. That thin scratch on Siegfried’s cheek had been bothering me to no end. That face should be designated a national treasure. How could Killian attack his face of all places?
What I bought was an ointment that was good for healing wounds. I thought the pharmacy would be quiet because of the festival, but there were so many injured people that it took forever to get in.
“What is it that made you go through all that trouble?”
Curious, Siegfried leaned closer. When I pulled out the small ointment tube, he blinked quietly, waiting for me to explain.
“Tada~”
“You pull it out now after all that?”
“Don’t sweat the details.”
I opened the ointment lid. A sharp herbal scent wafted out. Siegfried parted his lips slightly.
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“Nope. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”
“Then why did you buy that?”
Does this guy never look in the mirror every morning? That scratch ruining my appreciation of his beauty—how does it not bother him? Rather than explain, showing was faster.
I squeezed a little ointment onto my finger and brought it to his cheek.
He still didn’t seem to understand what was happening. As I leaned closer, Siegfried suddenly pulled his upper body back.
“Stay still.”
Siegfried stiffened his shoulders and looked at me cautiously. Calm down, I won’t bite. I gently pulled his chin toward me. Though his eyes were full of complaint, he didn’t push me away.
And seriously… what’s with this skin? Even up close, I couldn’t spot a single pore. It was soft, smooth, and snow-white like fresh powder.
Not a single freckle, blemish, or pimple. Porcelain skin. I couldn’t help but admire it.
Siegfried’s ears turned red, and he lowered his gaze. His long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. No matter how many times I saw him, his face was stunning.
So I couldn’t help but say it again.
“You really are beautiful…”
“Stop it. How many times are you going to say that?”
Siegfried muttered irritably, tightly shutting his eyes. A flush crept over his cheekbones.
“I’ve barely said it a few times. I should say it at least 200 times a day. Even then, I won’t get tired of it.”
Even that wouldn’t be enough. The whole world needed to know how beautiful Siegfried was.
For a moment, I wondered… what if Siegfried had been born a girl? If I could dress him up in flowing dresses, make him grow out his hair and braid it… I’d be happy all day.
“All done. It doesn’t sting, right?”
After gently spreading the ointment over his cheek, I asked. As my breath brushed against his skin, Siegfried flinched. His black lashes fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes. His violet eyes sparkled like jewels in the sunlight.
“Such a fuss over a little scratch.”
But the words from his pretty lips were as sharp as ever.
“Seriously, rude. That beautiful face needs protection!”
Honestly, that comment just now was worse than cursing. I almost grabbed him by the collar. How could he say something so insulting?
Just try being reckless with your face again…!
