Chapter 3: The Hostage (2)

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It wasn’t long after that night by the lake that Lea met the boy again and learned he was royalty.

Her access within the Empire was extremely limited, but things were different during national ceremonies. On such occasions, even Lea was permitted to attend as a diplomatic figurehead. She saw him again on one such day.

“His Highness, First Imperial Prince Caius, enters!”

Normally, she would’ve instinctively bowed her head like everyone else. But that day, for some reason, she looked up. As she turned with the others toward the entrance, her eyes landed on a boy both unfamiliar and familiar.

Hair the color of the night sky. Eyes a piercing shade of cerulean. The face that had often lingered in her mind.

That was the moment she realized that the beautiful boy she had met by the lake was the First Imperial Prince.

The chandelier lights illuminated the path before him as he walked. His gait, steady along the opulently embroidered carpet, was the very image of a perfect royal.

As he ascended the dais, his gaze momentarily passed over Lea. But his eyes moved on, indifferent. As if he had never met her.

Lea wondered if that encounter by the lake had only been a dream of her own making.

Since then, there were times when she found herself glancing at him, almost as if stealing a glimpse.

It didn’t happen often, but whenever their paths crossed in an official setting, her eyes were invariably drawn to him.

Whenever someone uttered the title ‘First Imperial Prince,’ her heart would skip a beat without warning.

Summer passed in the Empire before she could make sense of her feelings. Autumn arrived, her first in the Empire, and then winter followed.

She remained a hostage, scorned by all. Nothing more, nothing less. And yet time did not spare her; it continued to push her forward.

The same was true for the boy.

Each time they met, even in passing, he seemed to grow visibly. His once-youthful face had taken on sharper lines, his physique now broad and defined.

There were moments when she thought their eyes might have met again, but Lea always dismissed it as her imagination.

“They say the First Imperial Prince is to be engaged to Duke Belliode’s eldest daughter, isn’t he?”

Unlike Lea, who was destined to remain in the muck forever, he was moving steadily toward his ordained future.

Around the time rumors of the First Imperial Prince’s engagement spread through the palace, a delegation from Ainel arrived. Having surrendered, and with their sole princess held as a hostage, Ainel had little choice but to humble itself and seek closer ties with the Empire.

What no one expected was that Derek, Lea’s half-brother, would lead the envoy.

“You’re looking well.”

Six months had passed, yet Derek was exactly as she remembered him. Even in a foreign land, he strutted about as though it were his own domain. His hatred toward Lea had not changed, either.

“If you’re a hostage, act like one. Stop making yourself so d**n visible.”

Pretending he wanted to catch up, he brought her out onto a balcony. But the moment the doors closed, his demeanor changed completely. He began to lash out, as if venting all the exhaustion of his journey on her.

“Tch. I don’t even know why I have to look at the likes of you. But if I ignore you, people will talk.”

“…”

“Just try slipping up here. If you embarrass our kingdom with your lowly ways, I won’t let it slide.”

Lea remained silent. She knew all too well that speaking back or meeting his gaze would earn her a slap. But perhaps her lack of reaction annoyed him, because Derek’s face twisted.

“What’s with that look? Living in the Empire’s made you forget your place?”

Then, unexpectedly, he struck. His hand whipped up and seized her by the hair.

“Ah!”

“Know your d**n place.”

She had endured countless beatings as a child, but it was different now. This wasn’t a boy, but a grown man. The pain was in another league entirely.

“Living as a hostage here is more luxury than you deserve. You should’ve ended up like your filthy mother—”

Derek’s words cut off abruptly as the balcony doors slammed open. Footsteps approached, swift and certain. A figure entered the space and Derek’s grip on her hair was suddenly gone.

“Agh!”

Lea’s head dropped, free at last, while Derek let out a scream.

Lifting her gaze, she saw the one who had twisted Derek’s wrist.

The boy who still occupied a corner of her heart. No, he was no longer just a boy.

It was Caius, the First Imperial Prince, now grown into his title.

“What the hell! Who the f**k are you?!”

Failing to recognize him, Derek hurled curses without restraint.

Caius simply stared at him with terrifying calm, then released his wrist, only to seize him by the collar before Derek could retaliate.

“Ggh… hhhhk!”

Lea watched it all unfold like a dream.

He had come. The First Imperial Prince. Without warning, without any sign.

Still frozen in disbelief, she could only stare as he dragged Derek toward the edge of the balcony.

“P-Please… spare me…!”

Derek, pale as a sheet, had already forgotten his earlier bravado. He begged pitifully, pride gone.

Caius leaned him halfway over the railing, then finally spoke.

“Unfortunately, this height won’t kill you.”

Derek’s bulky frame dangled dangerously. His shrill cries grew louder.

“Maybe you’d lose a limb. If you’re lucky.”

Caius glanced downward, as though genuinely considering it.

“Not like you seem all that useful anyway. Would anyone even care?”

Following his gaze, Derek peered down and went deathly pale. It was a fourth-floor balcony. Not extremely high, but high enough to seem endless from above.

Derek trembled like a leaf, then finally collapsed, limp. The same man who had just violently assaulted Lea had fainted cold.

Caius tossed him aside without ceremony. Derek’s unconscious body crumpled to the floor.

Lea didn’t come back to her senses until those bright blue eyes met hers. Caius approached her in long strides and came to a halt before her. His eyes slowly took in her disheveled hair.

“Was this how Ainel always treated you?”

His voice was quiet, but it struck her like a blow.

She never imagined they would meet again like this. And she certainly hadn’t meant for him to witness her shame.

The thought that he might report this to the Emperor sent a chill through her.

As she stood there, at a loss for words, he seemed to read her thoughts.

“I’m not going to tell anyone.”

Whether that was a relief or not, she couldn’t be sure. But for the moment, Lea felt herself exhale.

Then came the shame, rushing in all at once. She lowered her head and murmured her thanks.

“…Thank you. For helping me.”

Her ears burned. The idea that he had seen her like that, helpless, humiliated, made her stomach twist. It felt like all the insignificant parts of herself had been laid bare.

At that moment, a warm touch brushed the corner of her eye. When she looked up, he was gently caressing the edge of her eye with an outstretched hand.

“…You’re not crying.”

His voice was barely a murmur, as if speaking to himself. Lea stared at him, dazed.

The unfamiliar touch unraveled the shame that had been choking her chest. In its place, a strange flutter settled.

“Your eyes… they always looked like they were on the verge of tears.”

He tilted his head slightly, as if he already knew. Lea only blinked, rooted to the spot.

Always looked like I was crying…?

The words sounded strange, like he had been watching her all along.

When she didn’t respond, he turned his gaze skyward. It looked like he was staring at the moon.

“That day, too. The day you ran out of the banquet hall.”

Then, turning back to her, his eyes met hers clearly and directly. Just like that day, their gazes tangled deeply.

As if entranced, Lea asked, “…You remember that day?”

She had thought he had completely forgotten about her. They had never spoken privately again since then.

Lea summoned her courage and looked up at him. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t look away either.

“I’ve never forgotten. Not once.”

At his whisper, her heart began to pound wildly.

“I’ve thought about you… more often than you’d think.”

Was it possible that she hadn’t been the only one who couldn’t look away?

As if answering that very question, Caius took a step closer. From that shortened distance, their eyes locked again, more intensely than before.

“You’ve been on my mind.”

Lea’s amethyst-colored eyes wavered slightly. His voice came, calm and certain, as if he’d wrestled with confusion for a long time and had finally found clarity.

“That’s why… I’m done pretending I don’t see you.”

“Ah…”

Her chest stirred, and before she realized it, she took a step back. But Caius slowly reached out, closing the distance between them.

With a quiet tenderness, his calloused hand gently brushed through her tangled hair. Just like by that lakeside, it felt as if time had stopped. Lea couldn’t even breathe as she stared into his beautiful blue eyes.

It began from that moment on.

Everything between them started that day.

……

T/N: Hello, Bunnyyy here~! I picked up another novel that looks interesting. Releases will be the same as To My Dear Family’s (every Sunday and Thursday). Hope you give it lots of love~! 💗