YWPWYLFDM 23

Chapter 23

Ayla watched with wide eyes as he examined her clothes, and the boy, acting all dignified, spoke up. When she turned to look at him, she saw him standing stiffly, striking a pose as if trying to look impressive.

What could she say? She was both surprised and grateful. Just moments ago, she had been worried that her secret outing would be discovered, but now that worry had vanished in an instant.

Yet when she saw the boy place his thumb and forefinger on his chin in that dramatic way, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Ha!”

When Ayla laughed again, the boy pouted in dissatisfaction.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Well… it’s just that…”

For all the dramatic chanting and solemn magic he had performed, the result had been surprisingly harmless.

It wasn’t that the magic itself was insignificant—far from it. It had been extremely helpful to her.

But the boy, who had gone through all that effort, acting so serious and waiting with sparkling eyes for her praise, was just too amusing.

“This is expensive, you know. Cleaning magic isn’t easy.”

Ayla didn’t answer, still laughing, which made the boy grumble.

“No, no, of course I understand. There’s only one left, right? I’m really, truly grateful you used something so precious on me. You saved me.”

Since it had indeed been a great help, Ayla sincerely expressed her gratitude. She laughed aloud as she did so, her face still bright with a smile.

“……”

Even though she had thanked him just as he had wanted, the boy just stared at her, looking dazed.

“…What’s wrong?”

Was her simple thanks not enough?

As she wondered if she needed to say more, the boy finally spoke.

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. You… saved my life.”

His voice carried genuine sincerity.

Ah, right.

It hadn’t been long ago, but Ayla, who had been flustered and blank-headed over her dirty clothes, only now remembered the incident clearly upon hearing his words.

“So, we saved each other. Let’s just say the debt for saving you is settled.”

Ayla nodded as she spoke.

After all, her clothes had been dirtied because she tried to save his life. It might have been a loss for her, but she hadn’t saved him expecting anything in return.

“What? That’s all you’ll take for saving my life? Wait a minute.”

But the boy didn’t seem to see it that way. He rummaged through his pocket hurriedly and pulled something out.

“I don’t have much right now, but please take this. I’ll make sure to repay the favor you did me someday…”

He handed her a luxurious pocket watch, but Ayla wasn’t paying attention to his words.

As he pulled the item from his pocket, something had fallen out onto the ground.

Ayla picked it up absentmindedly—and froze as if she had just realized something.

It was a simple coin, a silver coin commonly used in the Empire.

Yet somehow, Ayla found herself completely captivated by it.

“Hey, are you listening?”

The boy looked at her with a puzzled expression, seeing her staring at the single silver coin in her hand as if in a trance.

“What’s wrong?”

“…A lion.”

When the boy asked with concern, Ayla, deep in thought, finally spoke.

A lion.

A lion was engraved on the coin—the symbol of the Empire’s royal family, a symbol of courage and valor.

“Yeah… what about it?”

“The lion…”

Whether she was responding or simply repeating herself, Ayla muttered the word again.

In that brief moment, countless thoughts raced through her mind.

Why hadn’t she realized it before? That the lion symbolized the Emperor’s authority.

If the lion that Byron was hunting belonged to the royal family… then everything made sense.

The massive white wolf, the “young lion” protected by Duke Wieshafen—that must have been the Emperor or the Crown Prince.

Ayla closed her eyes and recalled the royal genealogy she had glimpsed during her lessons on heirs at the Duke’s estate. The memory wasn’t too distant, so she could remember clearly.

“The Crown Prince can’t be it. Before I returned, he was barely twenty, so he’s too young to be considered ‘young’ now.”

That left only one possibility: the Emperor.

A chill ran down her spine.

“…It’s a rebellion.”

Byron’s plan was nothing less than treason.

“Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Ayla opened her eyes at the boy’s voice. He was looking at her with worry in his golden eyes.

At that moment, a thought flashed through her mind. An absurd thought.

“Could you… be the Crown Prince?”

“…Huh?”

At fourteen, he would be twenty by the time she turned eighteen. The age matched reasonably well.

And the boy Byron intended to kill was being targeted by a dangerous conspiracy.

It was a plausible deduction.

But…

“No, never mind. I asked something strange.”

No way. The Crown Prince shouldn’t be wandering around like this, especially alone at night.

Ayla shook her head, dismissing the ridiculous thought.

Yet the boy had a rather serious expression, biting his lip as if weighing something.

“…Yeah, that’s right.”

“What?”

When he spoke, Ayla widened her eyes.

“Not exactly. I’m not the Crown Prince yet—I’m currently going through the process to be appointed.”

So he really was the Crown Prince.

Ayla slowly blinked, trying to process the situation. She was flustered that her guess had been correct.

“…My name is Winfred Ulysses Vito Pelles. I am the only prince of the Pelles Empire.”

The boy spoke his name solemnly. The carefree attitude he had shown before was gone. No arrogance, no pretense—he even seemed scared.

He was worried she might feel burdened or act differently because he was the Crown Prince.

“I… but I want you to speak to me casually. Don’t feel burdened just because I’m a prince—or will become the Crown Prince.”

Winfred added hastily. Ayla, still slowly trying to accept the situation, felt reassured by his words.

She had had no special thoughts about it, yet he had preemptively asked her to treat him as before.

“Still…”

“It’s fine! No, please, just do that. I like it that way.”

He mumbled about the distance it created. If that’s what he wanted… Ayla nodded, deciding she wouldn’t act formally just because he was the Crown Prince.

“But… how did you know?”

“…Just.”

Ayla let it go. Explaining how she knew he was the Crown Prince would require revealing who she was and her situation, which she didn’t want to do.

“Uh, well… could you take this?”

Awkwardly, Winfred fiddled with his black hair while holding out the pocket watch.

Before she could decide whether to accept it, they sensed someone approaching from afar.

Realizing they had been talking in the open road for far too long, Ayla quickly sought cover, leaping onto a nearby wall.

“…Come up here too.”

When Ayla held out her hand, Winfred looked surprised, then followed her.

“Someone’s coming. Could be that assassin from earlier.”

Hearing this, Winfred, who hadn’t sensed anyone, was alarmed but held her hand and climbed the wall as she instructed.

Not stopping there, Ayla leapt again onto the rooftop. Winfred, initially hesitant, now held her hand without protest.

Just after Ayla helped him up, a heavily intoxicated man staggered into the alley.

“Not him.”

Relieved it wasn’t Cloud, Ayla exhaled. Then she sensed a curious gaze and looked at Winfred, who was staring at her with wide-eyed wonder.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just… amazed.”

Ayla blinked slowly, confused. Winfred laughed, lying back on the roof to gaze at the sky.

“You jump off rooftops and land like a cat. You notice who I am without me saying a word. And I didn’t sense that person coming at all.”

Ah, that’s what he meant. Ayla wanted to sit beside him but stayed standing, worried about getting dust on her clothes.

“Is that so?”

“And your strength… I’m not light, yet you lifted me with ease.”

Hearing his continued praise, Ayla felt her face heat up. As she avoided his gaze, Winfred suddenly realized something and stood up.

“Ah, right. Your clothes shouldn’t get dirty. Wait a moment.”

He tried to use his cloak as a mat, but it was covered in dust, so he awkwardly pulled out a handkerchief and spread it on the roof.

“Sit here.”