Episode 20
Seeing Dahlia sobbing in her arms, Reina felt like crying too.
Lily, standing nearby, kept muttering, “Oh, what should we do?” but couldn’t bring herself to intervene.
As Reina wiped Dahlia’s tear-streaked face, the girl continued, her cheeks flushed red.
“Sniff, Daddy only pretends to smile in front of me. But I know… he cries at night looking at Mommy’s picture.”
“You really love your daddy, don’t you?”
“He’s all I have now. So even though I miss Mommy, I have to hold it in. If I don’t, Daddy will be sad.”
Seeing Dahlia try to act brave brought back a sudden memory from Reina’s past.
“He was all I had… but now there’s no one by my side. Even though I miss him, I have to hold it in.”
Three years ago, right after her brother went missing, the capital was buzzing with the Founding Festival.
A banquet was held at the palace, and Reina had been furious.
Her brother, who’d gone on a subjugation mission, was forgotten, his fate unknown.
Why had he gone missing?
He’d set out to protect them all, yet no one but her prayed for his return.
Disgusted by it all, she impulsively left the palace.
But with nowhere to go, she sat blankly on the palace wall.
She lacked the courage to run away, yet didn’t want to return to the noisy banquet.
Hiding under a deeply pulled hood, she stayed still.
It was pure chance that she ran into Kaiden passing by the wall.
He was likely escaping the palace banquet for his own reasons.
He’d almost walked past her, hooded figure unnoticed, but turned back and asked, “You’re not planning to jump from there, are you?”
“…”
Reina decided to ignore the sudden question.
She thought he’d move on, but Kaiden was as meddlesome then as ever.
Just as he seemed about to leave, he muttered a curse under his breath and approached.
“Don’t do anything reckless. Come down.”
It was clear he’d misunderstood her intentions.
Feeling suddenly exhausted, Reina muttered softly, “It’s not like that.”
But Kaiden didn’t take her words at face value.
Instead, he asked an odd question.
“Then, do you need my help with something?”
It was a casual question.
Help.
That word, of all things.
The emotions she’d suppressed began to surge.
Her world had already crumbled.
It was such a mess she didn’t even know where to start asking for help.
Perhaps that’s why her words came out sharper than intended.
“If I asked for help, would you give it?”
She’d begged countless times for someone to find her brother.
But no one listened; they only found her bothersome.
As a princess far from the line of succession, no one cared about her.
Kaiden, unfazed by her sharp tone, replied indifferently, “For starters, I could probably get you down from that dangerous wall.”
His response wasn’t exactly kind.
His outstretched hand seemed ready to pull her down and leave.
If that was his attitude, he could’ve just gone.
But to him, she must’ve looked precarious.
Reina stared at his large hand and said, “He was all I had… but now there’s no one by my side. Even though I miss him, I have to hold it in.”
It was an impulsive confession, thinking they’d never meet again.
She had no idea he was the famed Duke of Crencia.
Nor did he seem to recognize her.
Assuming she was heartbroken and about to make a reckless choice, he offered clumsy comfort.
“Sounds like you got dumped, but you should forget that brother who left you. There are plenty of brothers out there. Find another one.”
His words only provoked her.
Swallowing her rising emotions, Reina protested, “He didn’t abandon me! He promised he’d come back. My brother’s not like that!”
“Sure, sure. Then there’s even less reason to be sulking here, right?”
“What did you say?”
“If he said he’d come back, he probably will. Why not trust him?”
Unable to counter his nonchalant reply, Reina huffed.
After a moment, she muttered with a gloomy face, “It’s not that simple. I want to believe that too.”
“So you’re just going to mope like this? I’m sure he’d be thrilled to see you like this when he returns.”
Just as Reina was about to snap at his rudeness, he continued.
“No one notices if you sulk alone. Instead of moping here, letting out your pain is better for your mental health.”
“Even if no one cares about what I say?”
“Then talk to a wall. It’s an easy way to vent. You need to release those pent-up feelings to think about what’s next.”
Kaiden replied indifferently, then, seizing her moment of distraction, leaped onto the wall.
“!”
“Pardon me.”
Landing lightly beside her, he spoke.
Then he lifted her and brought her down from the wall.
It happened so fast that Reina couldn’t say a word.
Looking at her startled expression, he set her down and said, “Leaving you up there would’ve left a bad taste in my mouth, and waiting for you to come down on your own was making me antsy.”
“…I was up there because I felt trapped. I wanted to go somewhere, but I didn’t know where.”
“We’re not so different, then. I’d go anywhere but that palace banquet right now.”
Kaiden stepped back politely and said, “If you’ve got nothing to do, how about keeping me company? Two’s better than one for avoiding trouble.”
At his offer to escort her, Reina stared at his hand.
Normally, she’d have refused outright.
But that day, something urged her to accept.
She placed her hand in his, agreeing.
That night’s walk, where they kept each other company without much talk, left a lasting impression.
***
Recalling that moment, Reina gave a faint smile.
The relief she’d felt after opening up about her brother for the first time compelled her to meddle with Dahlia.
“How about this? Whenever you miss your mommy, come find me.”
“Really? Is that okay?”
“Of course. Honestly, I don’t know many people here. I’d be so happy if you visited often.”
“But my nanny might not like it…”
When Dahlia hesitated, Reina took her hand firmly and said, “If your nanny says anything, tell me. I’ll explain it to her.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Since I don’t know your mommy, hearing about her won’t make me sad or upset. In fact, I’d love having someone to talk to.”
At Reina’s warm encouragement, Dahlia’s cheeks flushed.
Soon, as if her hesitation had vanished, she beamed and hooked her pinky with Reina’s.
“Okay! I will. Pinky pwomise!”
Seeing Dahlia giggle as she linked their pinkies with her tiny hand lifted Reina’s spirits too.
As they promised to meet again and Reina headed back to her room, she spotted Kaiden at the far end of the corridor.
Eager to greet him, she paused.
Rose, who’d been absent all morning, was talking with him.
“Kaiden… and Rose?”
