YWPWYLFDM 58

Chapter 58

Binka shyly confessed her feelings. Hearing her words, Winfred was truly relieved—so it wasn’t just him who had been feeling that way.

“Right? You feel the same too, don’t you? I knew it! Anyway, what I mean is… from now on, don’t be bothered if I don’t treat you as closely as before. It’s not because you’ve done something wrong or because I dislike you. You hate misunderstandings too, right?”

The weight lifted off his chest. If only he had explained to Binka from the start, ‘I’ll need to keep some distance for this reason’. Then none of this would have turned into such a foolish mistake.

But Binka only blinked at his words, looking startled.

“Why… what’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

He rubbed his cheek awkwardly and glanced at her.

“N-no, it’s just… surprising. I didn’t expect someone of your status, Your Highness, to care about other people’s opinions the way ordinary people like me do. I thought people like His Majesty the Emperor or Your Highness just did whatever you wanted without worrying about how others saw you.”

Binka sounded genuinely astonished.

It wasn’t strange—most people thought that way. He’d often been misunderstood like that, so Winfred smoothly corrected her.

“No way! If anything, I have more to worry about. There are so many rules about how I should or shouldn’t behave, what’s considered dignified or not.”

Even now was proof of that. He had to force himself to keep distance from Binka because of how others might see it.

And of course, what weighed on him the most was the fear that rumors might reach the ears of the person he truly cared for—Aila.

“I see… If I had that kind of power, I’d just get rid of everything annoying and do whatever I pleased.”

The words clashed oddly with Binka’s gentle face. Winfred felt goosebumps rise on his arm as he looked at her curiously.

“A-ah, sorry! That was just a joke… Even if Your Highness treats me kindly, I have no right to joke like that. I shouldn’t have…”

As the mood turned awkward, Binka bowed her head deeply in apology, almost hitting the desk. Winfred quickly stopped her with his palm.

“Ah, you’re doing that again! What’s so wrong with you? Don’t say things like that.”

Only after he repeated several times that she didn’t need to apologize so much did Binka finally calm down, standing meekly before him.

Winfred studied her slightly flushed face, then suddenly tilted his head in puzzlement.

“By the way, Binka… did you grow taller while I wasn’t looking? Do people keep growing even after twenty?”

He himself had been shooting up lately—yesterday’s height never the same as today’s. But it seemed Binka too had grown a little. The difference was tiny—something only a sharp eye could notice. Maybe it was just his imagination.

But strangely, Binka’s expression froze. Color drained so quickly from her face that he could almost see the blood retreat.

“Why… why are you so startled?”

Winfred grew flustered as well.

Was saying she looked taller really that rude? No, that can’t be it.

Sure, some people grew late, but there was no reason to panic this much.

Fidgeting anxiously for a while, Binka finally seemed to gather courage. She lowered her voice and whispered:

“…The truth is, I’m not twenty. …I’m sorry.”

“Huh?” Winfred blinked rapidly, caught off guard by the sudden confession.

“I-it’s been three years since I came to the palace. To work as a maid here, you had to be an adult, so… I lied about my age.”

Other workplaces didn’t care if you were younger, but the palace only hired those eighteen or older.

For a poor common girl with no skills, the only work available was maid service—and the imperial palace paid the best. With no choice, she had lied. Binka bit her lip as she finished.

Hearing her admit that she was really only seventeen, Winfred’s chest tightened painfully.

At his own age of fifteen, she had been forced to lie about her age and work in the palace just to pay for her mother’s medicine. The thought left him breathless.

“If… if you want me to quit, I’ll resign immediately. Just please, Your Highness, don’t tell anyone else.”

If others found out, it wouldn’t just mean losing her job—she might be punished for falsifying documents and lying about her age.

“….”

Winfred stayed silent, lost in thought.

Then, lowering his voice, he finally said:

“I’ll keep your secret. But don’t talk about quitting. You still need money for your mother’s medicine, right?”

“…Your Highness.”

It wasn’t as if she had lied for selfish gain. She had done it for her only family. How could he ever cast out someone like that?

“This is just between us, okay?”

Winfred grinned mischievously, so much like his father Hiram, and held out his pinky finger. Sharing a secret like this—it almost felt like they were real siblings.

“…Yes. Thank you so much, Your Highness.”

Binka smiled brightly and hooked her little finger with his. Not a shadow marred her radiant face.

Count Senosfon’s constant admonitions had no effect. Gerald’s visits to the annex showed no sign of stopping—if anything, they grew bolder.

At first, he would retreat shyly whenever Cloud was nearby. But now that he seemed to realize Cloud couldn’t actually stop him, Gerald no longer cared.

Whenever Aila stepped into the garden, he would appear as if by magic, bringing snacks and toys that little girls might like. Recently, training had to be moved indoors because of him.

Of course, Cloud believed she had already learned enough. Now he only made her practice lightly so she wouldn’t get rusty.

But being stuck indoors without even that made her restless.

And today was worse than ever.

“Hey, pretty one! Come out, huh?”

From beneath her window, he’d been throwing pebbles for hours.

I swear, if I could just…

Aila clenched her fists, fighting the urge to leap out and knock him flat. Gerald was barely worth a fistful, yet he never stopped pestering her.

She had thought Winfred was just a carefree, innocent boy, but compared to Gerald, Winfred seemed positively mature. How could Gerald, who was actually a year older, act this way?

Though Aila had never had any friends her own age—past or present—other than Winfred, she instinctively knew this wasn’t what a normal relationship looked like.

“Pretty one, play with me!”

Another pebble struck the window with a tock. At the same moment, she felt her patience finally snap.

Storming to the window, Aila flung it open. If she didn’t at least yell at him to leave her alone, she might explode.

He really was something. To think he could push her patience past its limits—patience that even her sworn enemy Byron hadn’t managed to break.

Just as she opened the window, another pebble came flying. Gerald hadn’t expected her to be there. Instinctively, Aila caught it midair.

“Whoa, was that a trick? How’d you catch that?”

Instead of apologizing for almost hitting her, Gerald clapped like it was some performance.

Aila closed her eyes, resisting the overwhelming urge to hurl the pebble at his head at full force.

“…Can’t you just leave me alone? Why are you doing this? I just want some peace and quiet.”

“Come on, what kind of kid talks like an old granny? I’m bothering you because I like you! I want to take a walk with you, chat with you… spend time together.”

He grinned smugly, the kind of face that begged to be punched.

And Aila thought to herself: That’s not what liking someone looks like.

How could someone claim to like another, yet irritate them this much? It made no sense.

“I don’t want any of that, not even a little. So please, just leave me alone and go home—before I throw this rock.”

“You? Think you can throw it far enough to reach me?” Gerald snorted. His tone dripped with condescension, as though mocking her for being just a little girl.

Unbelievable. He hasn’t learned a single thing.

Aila shook her head. For days he’d been pestering her, yet he still hadn’t realized she wasn’t like ordinary girls.

Not that speaking to any girl like that would ever be acceptable.

“Go ahead, throw it. I’ll catch it.”

“….”

That was it. She’d had enough.

She flung the pebble he had thrown back at him—angled just enough to graze past his head without hitting him.

The speed was unbelievable for something thrown by hand. It whizzed by his ear and embedded itself in the wall behind. Gerald slowly turned, stunned, to stare at the mark.

“Leave. While I’m asking nicely.”

With that, Aila slammed the window shut.