Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Side Story 5

Side story 5n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

TL : Nestaelle

***

Lart tried to suppress his feelings to death. But he couldn’t escape his secret, unrequited love.

He’d be snooping around the royal villa just to catch a glimpse of her face. He’d listen to her lovely voice quietly. He kept following the maid in secret. He really felt like he was becoming a pervert.

No one noticed Lart’s feelings. Who would have guessed that an arrogant and rebellious prince could harbor such a genuine love?

That’s how many years were wasted.

There were numerous temptations for the newly appointed Crown Prince. At the party, Countess Wen groped his thigh with a perverted gaze, and Young Lady Wen called him to the garden, saying that she had something to say, but then abruptly lifted her skirt.

The Countess, who groped his thigh, purposely spilled the wine on the Young Lady Wen’s dress, and sighed to her as a signal to leave.

In Lart’s opinion, the nobles were utterly rubbish. They pretended to be elegant and classy as they stroked their beards, but they made a huge mess behind the scenes. They swore on their sword to protect chastity before marriage, but every weekend they would attend a promiscuous masquerade ball.

Though he had to gnash his teeth at their behavior, Lart tried to protect the purity of his mind and body in his own way.

It wasn’t like he was faithful to a certain principle. It’s just….Lucy was the one he held dearly in his heart. Lucy Haleb, who is more upright, virtuous, and honest than anyone has ever been.

That motivated him to lead an honest life, even if it was only half as much as Lucy’s. He’d feel guilty for no reason simply by thinking about doing something bad.

How strange. It’s not like he was being watched. If anything, he was the only one watching Lucy.

After years of bitter unrequited love, he finally spoke to Lucy in person. He frequented the hunting grounds under the guise of practicing jumping obstacles. He does, after all, need to practice horseback riding. So it was like doing two things at once.

The horseback riding practice lasted for several days. Lucy and Belinda, who often hung out in the vicinity of the hunting ground, had found their favorite spot. They started watching him while eating their snacks.

Lart got nervous for no apparent reason. Lucy could be seen in the distance. She didn’t come out to see him; she came out to play, but he was sweating profusely. He kept fidgeting around like a ten-year-old.

I wanted to show my cool side to you. I’m actually really good at horseback riding. I’m practicing a lot. not because I’m bad at it, but to improve my skill.

He only made an absurd excuse in his head.

He straightened his back and raised his chin. He dismounted the horse at sunset after practicing so hard for a long time.

But could he have been nervous? He wanted to proudly jump down, but he stepped on a small stone. When his body lost its balance and staggered, he struggled to keep himself from falling and twist his ankle in an unsightly manner.

“Your Highness the Prince, are you okay?”

When he got back on his senses, he could see Lucy’s face up close. She was staring anxiously at his sprained ankle which got him to fall on his back.

Although it was embarrassing and awkward, he was glad that he got hurt anyway. The way her head moved around was adorable.

“Why are you coming here without a servant?”

Lucy asked, raising her head. Lart, who was observing the crown of her head, naturally turned his head away to avoid her gaze and replied curtly.

“I’m not a child, and a prince will ride alone if he wants to. There’s no reason to have them stick with me.”

He had no idea what he was saying. His heart was pounding so hard that he blurted out words he didn’t mean sharply.

Despite his sharp answer, Lucy smiled and nodded. There was not even a sign of displeasure. He was always a selfish and eccentric prince, wasn’t he? There was nothing surprising about his reaction.

“Please wait for a moment, Your Highness.”

Lucy got up and picked up some wood for splinting. She quietly whispered “Excuse me, Your Highness,” as if she was going to give him first aid, and began to touch Lart’s ankle carefully.

Lart felt as if he had stopped breathing. He swallowed hard whenever her soft fingers brushed against him.

What the hell is this?

His heart stopped breathing when a nameless lady caught his heart with her determination, but it began to beat again as if it was broken due to Lucy’s gesture.

Perhaps she had finished splinting his leg, Lucy took her hand off and looked up at him with a gentle expression. That made Lart feel disappointed for some reason.

“Your Highness. It’s a simple treatment, so you must treat it as soon as you return.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

Lart answered curtly and turned his head away. Lucy smiled calmly as usual and ignored his curt reply. Soon, Lart began to walk at the same pace as the woman who supported him. Lart resisted the urge to slap himself in the face the entire time he walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Lucy.

‘Am I crazy? Is something wrong with me? Why am I acting this way?’

How can I regain my composure?

However, Lart couldn’t regain his composure even until they met the knights waiting outside the hunting grounds. His face reddened as he breathed heavily.

He then went back to the prince palace and collapsed on the floor. His nervousness had subsided after parting ways with Lucy, so he had lost all his strength. When the doctor was trying to fix Lucy’s sloppy splint, Lart kicked him in the chest.

How dare you touch Lucy’s splint!

After kicking the doctor out, he sat still and fiddled with ankle for a long time. Exactly where Lucy had touched him. When the sun went down and the servant came in to light the lamp, he limped to the bed and lay on his stomach.

In the large room, a low voice echoed.

“What should I do….”

The fever on his face didn’t go away easily.

It was nice to see her up close. He wanted to keep talking to Lucy.

He was feeling happy, frustrated, and ecstatic at the same time. Lart lay absentmindedly for a while before rolling over and staring at the ornament in the ceiling.

What should I do, Father? I have to succeed you as the Emperor, but I like Lucy. I’m madly in love with her.

***

“Your Majesty.”

Lart visited the Emperor’s office with much deliberation. Maybe talking to someone about this confusing situation would make him feel better. And that role belonged to his father, His Majesty the Emperor.

The Emperor, who was enjoying his refreshment alone, smiled at Lart.

“Why did you come to see your father?”

Adelai went in and out of his room all the time, but Lart rarely paid him a visit. As in the case of a typical father and son.

“Your Majesty. I have a question.”

“What is that?”

Lart sat down on the sofa and fixed his gaze on the Emperor seated across from him. Then, all of a sudden, he asked a very sharp question.

“Why did you throw away Belinda’s mother?”

“…….”

The Emperor was speechless for a brief moment. He was stammering in confusion, unlike his usual self, who was always able to deal with his opponent calmly. Mainly because the words coming from his son’s mouth were not at all what he expected.

Lart gave the Emperor a tense look.

I’m sure my father loved Belinda’s mother. He loved her, so he left the palace for two years and even had a child.

But why did he leave her and come back alone? Was it because his feelings for her subsided? Was it for the sake of gaining power? Or was it due to her humble upbringing?

Lart couldn’t understand his father’s mind. If he asked the Emperor who pursued power and eventually married his mother, the Empress, then he might be able to steer away from Lucy.

That’s what he initially thought.

“Were you happy to abandon her?”

In response to Lart’s question, the Emperor put down the tea cup.

Clank-

The clinking sound of the tea cup against the saucer rang out, and darkness fell on the Emperor’s face.

Belinda’s mother, Lily.

It was a name that the Emperor deliberately tried to erase from his mind.

He cut her off in order to forget. He dug her out of his memory, believing that his true life was in the palace. He thought he had forgotten everything, not realizing that she had rooted in the deepest part of his heart, no matter how hard he tried to cut her off or dig her out of his memory.

He didn’t even know he was rotting inside.

Lart’s question was rather audacious. The Emperor, on the other hand, was not offended by Lart’s question because he had seen his behavior and speech. He was always a selfish and eccentric prince, wasn’t he? There was nothing surprising about his question.

In the meantime, Lart tried to guess the answer from the Emperor’s expression.

My father doesn’t seem happy.

What about me? How long can I be happy if I erase my feelings? Even my father, who is the coldest person I know, was regretting it.

“Your Majesty. If you ever go back to that time-”

“Lart.”

Lart was going to ask if the Emperor would still make the same choice if he could go back in time. But he decided not to when the Emperor cut him off by calling his name.

Lart shifted his gaze to check his father’s expression. Will he get angry? Fortunately, he couldn’t find anger in his father’s face.

Perhaps thirsty, the Emperor took another sip of tea and put it down again.

“Lart, do you have someone in your heart?”

Perhaps his years of experience is showing, the Emperor was aware of the reason for Lart’s visit. That young and immature prince must have fallen in love. But he must be conflicted because of his lover’s status.

When did my son grow up to be a man who worries about love?

The Emperor, who leaned on the sofa with his chin propped on his hands, said kindly to Lart.

“Do you have someone you want to keep next to you?”

Lart was unable to respond hastily. Because he wasn’t sure what his father was thinking.

“Do you want to own her?”

He didn’t have a proper answer for this either. He wanted to be with her rather than own her. Wasn’t it a bit much to express Lucy with words like ‘owning’ or ‘throw away’’? She wasn’t an object.

“If not, do you want to protect her?”

“…Yes.”

But he could bring himself to answer this question after some thought.

I want to protect her. I want to be there for her so she doesn’t get hurt. That is my truth.

The Emperor smiled as he gently moved his fingers to stroke his cheeks. He wasn’t bothered by the fact that his son barely answered his question.

“Then go out right now and do what you can, step by step.”

“Pardon?”

“Perform your duties as a Prince. You must work hard from now on in order to sit on the throne that no one dares to challenge.”

Lart only blinked at the Emperor’s words. He vaguely understood what the Emperor was trying to say. So what exactly was he saying again?

The Emperor continued to speak slowly toward his son, who appeared to be nervous.

“If you become an Emperor who is as strong as rock…”

The Emperor turned his head to look out the window for a moment, and returned to Lart with a serious expression.

“You will be able to protect your woman.”

Ah.

Lart’s face brightened when he realized something.

—————————————————————–