Chapter 112
“You already know all of this, don’t you?”
“I hadn’t investigated this thoroughly.”
“With each passing year, she’s losing the will to hide it. If it’s meant as ‘let’s die together,’ it’s disgusting. If not, it’s even more disgusting…”
Riina couldn’t finish her sentence as a rough fingertip touched her furrowed brow briefly before disappearing.
Her gaze followed that fleeting warmth to find ash-colored eyes staring back at her.
Though he was merely looking at her, she felt as if her reflection in his eyes was falling from a great height.
His smile—as if he were gazing at something incomparably lovely—took her breath away.
So Riina instinctively stepped back, yet believed that Einar would effortlessly close the distance she had created.
But as always, nothing in her life went according to her expectations.
Contrary to her prediction, Einar remained standing in place and slowly closed his eyes.
And when light returned to his ash-colored eyes, the earlier rippling emotion had vanished without a trace.
At this, Riina unconsciously took two steps toward him, but startled at her own action and stopped abruptly.
The gap between them had somehow narrowed to just one step, yet it remained a distance where they couldn’t touch, let alone brush against each other.
Finally, Riina shifted her gaze from Einar to the documents in his hand and brought up the most plausible topic.
“I asked for an investigation about the mushrooms.”
“Ah yes, I heard from Lione.”
“You met him?”
Lione hadn’t left through the door but had been sucked into the shadows and disappeared.
Naturally, he would have walked through the shadows to move around.
Tilting her head in puzzlement, Riina shook her head at Einar’s simple answer.
“By chance.”
“I see.”
Einar could happen to encounter Lione, whom no one else could see.
Because he was Einar.
What further explanation was needed?
Einar couldn’t help but smile as he watched Riina accept this without question.
That incomparable, steadfast trust was gratifying, but the fact that her belief stemmed from his “luck”…
Hmm, not as bad as I thought?
He should certainly not be feeling good about this, yet somehow, it wasn’t so terrible.
Truly, it wasn’t.
His luck—that thoroughly dominated his entire life and had been the cause of his unbearably tedious existence—was now the reason for Riina’s trust in him. That it felt more than “not bad,” but rather quite agreeable…
Was this what they called having neither heart nor guts?
At this rate, he couldn’t deny Smith’s mockery about him being hollow inside.
Einar hid his rising smile as he couldn’t take his eyes off Riina, who was sifting through materials to extract the nursemaid—that pest—from Sierre’s palace.
Before long, Riina shook her head without selecting a single document to use as evidence.
“I suppose there’s no need for any preparation.”
“Right. She is, after all, just a nursemaid.”
It didn’t matter if the ingredients in the medicine that the nursemaid had been giving Sierre since birth were not poison but perfectly normal.
A nursemaid was just a nursemaid.
Unless they planned to hold a grand public execution for attempting to assassinate royalty, a single word would be enough to remove the nursemaid who had lived solely for Sierre .
The command of the royal she served.
“In the end, this is a decision that Prince Sierre must make.”
But Einar shook his head at Riina’s words.
“He doesn’t have enough experience to make such a decision yet. Even if not Sierre , I can give the order.”
“Is it about experience rather than age?”
If he had tried to take away decision-making authority because Sierre was young, she would have had countless rebuttals. But with experience as the basis, her arguments felt inadequate.
“Yes. Regardless of whether one is young or old, what’s needed is experience. Especially for decisions like this.”
Severing human relationships.
Among them, cutting off someone considered closest would be a terrible thing.
Hearing Einar’s words, Riina understood everything and sighed.
“Then I suppose we can’t start by having him break off lighter relationships first.”
“Lighter?”
“Yes. People you greet casually when you happen to meet, whose news you don’t particularly share, and whose absence from your life wouldn’t significantly affect you—I’d call those light relationships.”
At this, Einar let out a dry laugh.
Before meeting Riina, all “relationships” in his life had been precisely that.
Even his aide, who had been by his side for more than half his life, could have bid farewell and disappeared without causing him much regret.
But now.
Einar’s fingertips twitched, but ultimately didn’t move toward her.
She had already stepped back just from being looked at with adoration.
If he reached out his hand to pull her closer, how much farther would she retreat?
He had no intention whatsoever of losing Riina.
That’s why he was holding his breath, withdrawing his hand, and watching for an opportunity.
And indeed.
When he didn’t move, hadn’t she taken two steps toward him?
But that was as far as it went.
Finally, Einar spoke.
“Then Sierre has no time. Unless it’s a fateful encounter or a desperate relationship, a light relationship wouldn’t be established after just meeting once or twice.”
“One could form a relationship after meeting once or twice, but the problem is that we can’t do it without the young prince knowing.”
“True. So…”
“Let’s hear what Prince Sierre has to say first.”
Riina spoke before Einar could make his declaration.
After looking at her for a moment, he nodded, and at that instant, without either leading the way, they both headed toward Sierre ‘s palace.
“His… His Highness the Second Prince!”
Amid the palace servants who hurriedly bowed upon discovering the Second Prince’s unexpected visit, Einar smiled faintly and waved his hand toward them.
“No need for refreshments, just bring something to drink. Nothing with a sweet aftertaste.”
Having issued an order precisely matching Riina’s taste, Einar didn’t even bother asking if Sierre was in the palace. He lightly took Riina’s fingertips and stepped inside.
He moved like a storm that had appeared without warning.
While the servants who saw the Second Prince stepped aside hastily and bowed in alarm, Riina was practically glaring at her fingertips where they touched Einar’s.
It was just their fingertips touching, nothing more.
But had it only been fingertips before?
He had held her hand, embraced her, and though it was an accident, hadn’t their lips collided?
Yet why was his warmth—neither burning hot nor chillingly cold, but tepid—so distracting at this moment?
No, was it just his warmth?
His gaze, his gestures, his voice, even the cool scent of wind that entered the room when he did.
If she didn’t focus her attention elsewhere, all her senses would scream toward him.
How long could she keep pushing him away like this?
Fortunately or unfortunately, before her thoughts could deepen, they arrived at Sierre’s room.
—Knock, knock.
Though Einar knocked, he opened the door without waiting for a response. When Riina shot him an incredulous look, he shrugged.
“If he’s sleeping from the medicine, he won’t hear it anyway, and if he’s not sleeping, we’re going to meet him regardless.”
“What we call courtesy is waiting for permission after considering all that.”
“That’s a flimsy excuse.”
“That’s what propriety is about.”
“But if the nursemaid is holding the medicine, we could catch her in the act and confiscate it. That’s why I barged in before the servants could gather their wits.”
“We could get our hands on the medicine anytime. She doesn’t even seem to have the will to hide it.”
After this frivolous exchange, they finally stood before Sierre.
“Brother? And the Bolshevik lady too.”
Sierre opened his large eyes wide and tried to sit up, but soon slid down weakly.
“Ah… haha.”
Einar unhesitatingly extended his hand toward the child who was laughing in embarrassment.
As he gently lifted Sierre’s thin body, Riina, as if they had rehearsed it, stacked pillows behind Sierre’s back for him to lean against.
Now able to recline comfortably in an instant, Sierre blinked rapidly before smiling with slightly trembling lips.
Though he knew his own smile was awkward, his insides still tickled helplessly when faced with such unfamiliar friendliness.
“I’m… happy you came.”
As his already feverish cheeks grew warmer, Einar placed his hand on Sierre’s forehead.
Just as he was about to speak—
—Knock, knock.
Before Sierre’s permission could fall, the door opened and the nursemaid entered.
This was usually the time when Sierre would be asleep, and she had been repeating the routine of waking him to give him medicine.
“Nursemaid?”
But the moment she heard Sierre’s voice, when he should have been sleeping—
The nursemaid realized her routine had been shattered.
And before her eyes appeared blue flames and, behind them, an ashen plain that filled her entire vision.
The nursemaid froze, but barely collected herself at the sound of Sierre’s voice.
“Nursemaid? Nursemaid!”
“I beg your pardon, Your Highness. I pay my respects to His Highness the Second Prince.”
Einar looked down at her coldly, and Sierre glanced between him and the nursemaid before promptly closing his mouth.
After what felt like an eternity, Riina’s voice cut through the suffocating silence.
“This is our first meeting.”
Riina didn’t introduce herself.
There was no need.
A woman with flaming red hair and eyes bluer than the deep sea.
Who else in the empire could it be?
“The… Bolshevik lady.”
