By Zephyria 
“…Ha, Your Highness! Please get up!”
A voice that was almost a shout rang in his ears. His eyes flew open involuntarily.
Alexis gasped for breath like a person who had just been pulled from the water. He instinctively swayed to the side but managed to steady himself.
The back of his neck, soaked with cold sweat, felt completely damp. Alexis focused his mind and scanned the scenery before him. A dense forest path and over a hundred knights. It was a sight he was sure he had seen somewhere before.
“You must be quite tired. Sleeping on horseback, are we?”
Claude laughed heartily. The horse he rode to assist Alexis was moving at a slow pace as well. Thanks to that, the two of them remained at the rear of the procession.
“Claude, what… what is going on right now?”
“Are you still half asleep?”
Every sensation he felt was too vivid to be a dream. Alexis touched his chest.
The chest, where a sword should have been lodged, was perfectly fine, and there was no scent of blood. Unable to believe it, he bit his lip hard. A sharp pain jolted his dazed mind awake. He realized it was reality.
With the sound of slow hoofbeats echoing, Claude spoke up.
“It’s time for you to take the lead.”
Claude’s gaze was fixed ahead. He looked at the distant castle walls and wore a relieved smile.
“We’ll soon be entering the capital. Since we’ve defeated the Black Forest and are returning, the citizens of the Empire will likely be out to welcome you.”
“…We defeated the Black Forest?”
“It’s been five years. It was an excruciatingly long time. The knights may not show it, but they seem quite worn out.”
“……”
“Perhaps the palace has prepared a welcome banquet? Can I look forward to that?”
Hearing those words, Alexis’s tangled thoughts quickly cleared up. He rapidly assessed the situation. He had returned to the past. To the day he was returning from the Black Forest to the palace.
His heart began to race uncontrollably. Alexis wiped his stiff face with a long stroke. Whether it was a dream or not didn’t matter. As long as he could meet Cecile again, that was all that mattered. This was an opportunity he couldn’t miss.
He tightened his grip on the loose reins. His blue eyes focused ahead. It seemed he had made a resolution, and his gaze became solemn.
“Claude, you take the lead.”
“Me?”
“I’ll go ahead. See you at the palace.”
Alexis kicked the thick thigh of his horse with his heel.
The white horse carrying the crown prince charged forward, kicking up a cloud of dust. He not only left the knights behind but also ignored the citizens of the Empire waving at him. He simply galloped madly toward his destination.
As soon as he arrived at the palace, he headed straight for the main hall where the welcome banquet was prepared. Alexis jumped off his horse and strode confidently into the hall. The sound of flowing music and laughter echoed like a hallucination.
People seemed quite surprised by the crown prince’s swift return. Had he come alone, leaving the knights behind? While there was a hint of confusion, they had to warmly welcome the crown prince. The nobles smiled brightly, showing their teeth.
“We see the great star of the Empire!”
“Your Highness, congratulations on your return!”
Greetings of welcome poured in from all directions. However, Alexis disregarded the warm reception directed at him and continued to walk forward.
The direction of his steps was not toward the emperor. His gaze was fixed solely on one person from the very beginning.
“Cecile! Over there…!”
Cecile, who had been conversing among the nobles, turned around at the commotion. She had just heard that the crown prince had entered the palace alone.
She had been secretly gossiping, and now the crown prince was walking straight toward her! Her already large eyes widened even more.
Her rapidly blinking eyelids finally calmed down. Cecile suppressed her flustered feelings and returned to her usual cold expression. Regardless of her discomfort, she had to show respect to the crown prince.
“…We see the great star of the Empire!”
Before she could finish her greeting, Alexis abruptly pulled her close. Cecile, frozen in surprise, was tightly embraced by him. The arms wrapped around her waist and shoulders trembled, and his face buried in her neck exhaled rough breaths.
“…Cecile.”
The voice he finally managed to utter was choked with emotion.
The warmth of his body, the rapid beating of his heart, the soft scent of Cecile’s skin. He could even hear the sound of her uniform breathing and the gulping of her saliva.
Every sensory cell in him was vividly aware of Cecile. His throat felt tight. Alexis could only exhale hurried breaths.
Cecile was quite flustered.
All eyes in the banquet hall were on them. She had no idea why Alexis was acting this way, making her even more uncomfortable. Was this really the time for such a joyful reunion?
Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t easily shake off the arms wrapped around her. Given their sizes and strength, it was not easy to overcome Alexis.
“This can’t be… Am I really back?”
The crown prince had been muttering incomprehensible words for a while.
What’s going on? Did he go mad living in the Black Forest? Cecile felt a rational suspicion.
Unable to endure it any longer, she pushed him away once more. Fortunately, Alexis fell back weakly. He let out a deep sigh and gazed intently at Cecile’s face.
“Have you… been well?”
“Yes.”
Cecile replied shortly. Her cat-like sharp eyes were filled with considerable wariness. Despite her pointed reaction, Alexis reached out and cupped Cecile’s cheek.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
Cecile brushed off the hand that was touching her face harshly.
The place where she had been struck stung quite a bit. Alexis shook off his wrist and smiled lightly. This confirmed that it was not a dream.
“You don’t remember anything, do you?”
“I can’t understand what you’re saying at all.”
“It’s okay. …It’s fine. As long as I remember, that’s enough.”
Alexis took a step closer with a long exhale. This time, Cecile did not back down and faced him. There was no reason for her to feel intimidated by the crown prince, so she instead sharpened her gaze.
Alexis smiled brightly, looking into her emerald eyes that sparkled like starlight. His face looked as if he had just reunited with a lover he had been apart from for a long time. It was then that Cecile hesitated upon seeing that expression.
A large hand suddenly grabbed Cecile’s shirt. It was so sudden that she had no time to stop it.
“Sorry, but I need to confirm one more thing.”
As he pulled on the shirt with force, the buttons popped off, and his bare chest was fully exposed. Alexis felt relieved to see that there were no marks on Cecile’s chest.
However, Cecile was in shock, her mouth agape. Feeling empty, she lowered her head, revealing her torn shirt and her own chest.
“Ugh! No way!”
Cecile’s hands instinctively curled into fists at Alexis’s behavior. Her clenched fists trembled.
“What are you doing!!”
Her loud voice echoed through the banquet hall. The nobles covered their mouths and whispered among themselves.
“Sorry, I couldn’t control my strength.”
Alexis took off the jacket he was wearing and draped it over Cecile’s shoulders. Despite his repeated apologies, Cecile’s flushed face showed no signs of cooling down. She threw the jacket aside and turned her back on him, disappearing from view.
Although the moment of reunion was not beautiful, it was undeniably happy.
* * *
“You really messed up the banquet, didn’t you?”
Claude, who had come to the Saint Palace, scolded Alexis as soon as he saw him. Having heard what had happened at the banquet, Claude’s expression was dark beyond words.
“Why are you suddenly like this? Already, bad rumors are spreading.”
“…Well, I don’t think you’d believe me even if I explained.”
Alexis leaned back on the sofa, wearing a satisfied smile. Everyone might think of him as a madman, but he didn’t care at all.
He was filled with joy at the thought of meeting Cecile again. Of course, he had embarrassed himself in front of the nobles, but he was confident he could make up for it in the future.
Alexis recalled the sharp gaze that had been so fierce. Remembering the cold and prickly Cecile Adrian made his palms tingle, and he clenched and unclenched his fists several times.
“From the moment I first saw her, I kept her in my heart… Did she just lie to make me feel good? From the look in her eyes, it seemed like she was treating me like an enemy.”
“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”
Claude raised an eyebrow at Alexis’s sudden muttering. To Claude, Alexis truly seemed like a madman.
The blue eyes that had been staring at the ceiling turned to the side. Upon seeing Claude standing there blankly, a smile stretched across Alexis’s lips.
Alexis slowly sat up. He draped an arm over Claude’s shoulder and offered him a kind piece of advice.
“Claude, don’t regret it like I did. Confess to Yuria as soon as possible.”
Claude’s face turned bright red in an instant. He was so flustered that he forgot about the crown prince and spoke informally.
“What are you talking about! Why would I confess to Yuria!”
“I’m saying don’t waste time. If you two can get together easily, it’ll make me feel a lot better.”
Claude looked at Alexis with a bewildered expression. Are you really crazy? The audacious words hung on the tip of his tongue. But Alexis’s unexpectedly serious face left him speechless.
The blue eyes still held the unerasable sorrow of loss.