By Zephyria 
The scenery outside the window shifted rapidly. The imperial carriage carrying the two had been running for several hours already. Cecile could not shake the dissatisfied expression from his face. With his arms crossed, he glared at Alexis, who sat opposite him.
“Are you really not going to tell me where we are going?”
Alexis smiled at the sharp question. He had been keeping his gaze fixed on the documents resting on his lap for some time now. He replied in a tone brimming with leisure.
“Sometimes, a journey where you don’t know the destination can be more interesting.”
“I prefer knowing where I’m going. Aren’t we heading deeper into the countryside?”
“Do you think I’d take you to some secluded place just to abandon you?”
Alexis slowly raised his head. The gaze that shifted to Cecile’s face was filled with warm affection.
For a moment, Cecile’s heart leaped, and he covered his mouth. It had been a week since they confirmed their feelings for each other, but he still wasn’t immune to that look on Alexis’s face. He didn’t exactly hate the way his heart fluttered. However, not wanting to show too much that he liked it, he barely managed to hide his expression.
Alexis read Cecile’s thoughts clearly. He intentionally diverted the conversation.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll love it once we arrive.”
“…….”
“If you feel tired or motion sick, let me know. It’s fine if we stop to rest.”
Would he actually get motion sick? This was the Emperor’s personal carriage; despite the high speed, it boasted a remarkably comfortable ride. There was no need for such a fuss for a trip with just the two of them. Unable to fathom Alexis’s intentions, Cecile could only let out a helpless sigh.
From a quick glance, Alexis seemed quite busy. For someone who had proposed the trip in the first place, the sight of him bringing along a mountain of government affairs was quite an eyesore.
“Do you have a lot of work to do?”
“…Hmm. A little?”
“Please share some with me. I’ll help you.”
Cecile held out his palm, looking like someone trying to collect a debt.
Alexis laughed and handed over a bundle of documents. He seemed quite pleased that Cecile was stepping forward to help.
“I’d be grateful if such an overqualified talent would assist me.”
“What should I do?”
“First, in the contents….”
Alexis pointed to the documents with his finger. As if his current posture was uncomfortable, he slid over to Cecile’s side to add his explanation.
Before they knew it, they were sitting naturally shoulder to shoulder. The carriage still boasted a comfortable ride, and a refreshing breeze drifted in through the slightly open window. Every now and then, Alexis shifted his gaze. He secretly observed Cecile’s clear, focused face.
Was happiness anything more than this? The peaceful sight made his heart flutter.
The place they arrived at was a quiet rural village. As soon as Cecile stepped out of the carriage, he tapped his stiff lower back. No matter how grand the Emperor’s carriage was, his limbs creaked after such a long ride.
The air was quite chilly. Since the imperial capital always boasted a mild climate, Cecile guessed that this was toward the north.
While stretching his body, a familiar sight entered his vision. Cecile froze with his arm raised high.
“…Eh?”
“Do you recognize this place?”
Of course he did. This was the house where Cecile had lived as a child. The modest two-story residence had retained its old appearance despite the passage of time.
“How do you know about this place, Your Highness?”
“You said you wanted to come.”
He didn’t remember saying that. Feeling bewildered yet glad, Cecile slowly walked forward.
“Wow. It’s exactly the same as before.”
Exclamations escaped his lips naturally. The worn-out fence, the outer walls surrounded by red bricks—everything was just as it used to be.
“Your Highness, come over here!”
Cecile looked around the garden and gestured toward Alexis.
“Why, what is it?”
Alexis walked over, pretending not to know. When he approached and bent his knees, Cecile, who was crouching, began to rummage through the bushes with his hands.
“Do you know what this is?”
Small berries he had picked were now piled up in his palm. Cecile proudly showed one of them to Alexis.
“They’re called wild raspberries. You probably haven’t seen things like this in the Imperial Palace.”
“Are they edible?”
“Of course, they’re quite delicious. I lived on these when I was a kid.”
As a demonstration, Cecile popped one into his mouth. As the sweet and sour flesh of the wild raspberry crushed in his mouth, Cecile’s cheeks puffed up with satisfaction. The ripe fruit tasted exactly as he remembered.
“Say ‘ah’.”
As soon as he confirmed the taste was good, he offered one to Alexis. Alexis obediently opened his mouth.
Alexis took both the wild raspberry and Cecile’s finger into his mouth at once. His tongue softly swept over the fingertip stained with juice.
“It’s delicious.”
“…….”
“It’s very sweet, Cecile.”
The look in Alexis’s eyes as he spoke was even sweeter. Cecile replied with a nod. A tingling sensation still lingered at his fingertip. As Cecile absentmindedly licked his index finger, his ears ripened to a red as vivid as the wild raspberries.
Needless to say, the house Cecile had lived in was not as well-equipped as a noble’s estate. Part of it was due to being neglected for a long time, and that was simply how rural houses for commoners were.
Fortunately, the servants had diligently swept and polished the place, creating an environment barely fit for staying a single night. Once the interior was filled with furnishings brought from the palace, it soon took on a fairly cozy appearance.
Alexis plopped down on the small bed. Although the bedding had been changed, a bit of old dust fluttered in the air.
“So this was your room?”
“…I think it used to be a bit bigger than this.”
Cecile bit his lip, feeling embarrassed by the ridiculously small room. He cast an anxious glance at Alexis.
Is the bed going to break? Seeing him like that, he looked like a blonde girl who had taken over the baby bear’s bed in a fairy tale.
“That’s probably because you’ve grown up.”
Alexis, for his part, laughed with pleasure.
“Anyway, why did you want to come here? It’s just a countryside with nothing to see.”
“I wanted to visit once. I had a feeling you would like it.”
“…….”
“I plan to do many things with you in the future. Cecile, if there is… anything you want to do, I hope you’ll tell me without hiding it.”
“Sometimes, Your Highness…”
Cecile approached Alexis and lightly pressed his knee against the other’s leg.
“It feels like you see right through feelings I didn’t even know I had.”
“…….”
“That’s why it’s a bit scary and mysterious.”
Alexis tilted his head back slightly and looked up at Cecile. His eyes sank into a quiet stillness once again.
“That’s probably because I love you so much.”
Alexis had once harbored the same doubts. He had misunderstood everything Cecile said and suspected every single one of his actions. Only in hindsight did he realize that it was because Cecile loved him that he had paid so much attention.
Alexis carefully wrapped his arm around Cecile’s waist and met his gaze steadily.
“Trust me. I will make sure you never regret falling in love with me.”
“I trust you.”
Cecile smiled, stroking his hair. He was stubborn by nature and never regretted a choice once he had made it. He was ready to love Alexis with all his heart.
After a simple dinner and a bath, the servants had prepared the guest room for the night. As night fell, the northern weather revealed its fierce nature. When sleet began to scatter, Cecile looked out the window and clicked his tongue softly.
“I’m worried about the way back tomorrow.”
“If the snow piles up, we’ll just stay longer.”
Alexis replied nonchalantly. What did he care about bad weather? Fearing that Cecile might catch a cold, he spread a wide blanket over Cecile’s shoulders. Although the flames were roaring in the small fireplace, it wasn’t enough to warm the air.
Cecile asked while tightening the blanket.
“Did you know? I heard that the reason His Imperial Majesty stopped by this house long ago was also because of the snow.”
“I know. I heard he was stranded due to a heavy snowfall.”
“To be trapped in such a small house for over a month… how bored must he have been? It’s no wonder affection grew.”
Alexis knelt on the floor and looked up at Cecile. He had given the only chair to Cecile. Though he held a status more precious than anyone else, he did not hesitate to lower his eye level before Cecile.
“Especially if he were with a beauty with a face like this.”
“…….”
Had it been like this in the past? The children of Emperor Arnold and Empress Elizabeth looked at each other, imagining their parents’ youth.
It was Cecile who initiated the kiss. He lightly held Alexis’s lower jaw and tilted his head.
Their lips met and parted while dry. It was a kiss like a child’s game, but it was an action he had committed by summoning all his courage. He must have been so nervous that even his small sigh trembled.
“Stop seducing me like that.”
“What did I do?”
“I’m inexperienced, so I’m clumsy. This is the first time I’ve liked someone, and the first time someone has liked me, so….”
Cecile scratched at his chest. Every time Alexis expressed affection, this area tingled uncontrollably.
“What’s wrong, does your heart hurt?”
“No, rather than hurting….”
“Yes.”
“It tingles.”
“Yes.”
Alexis kissed Cecile every time he received an answer.
The kisses continued even as he pushed himself up from his knees on the floor. Cecile softly gripped the fabric of Alexis’s clothes. He couldn’t do anything about the overflowing emotion. He needed something to lean on.
“My heart is just… tingling.”
“Again.”
Alexis licked deeply between his lips. The dry surface quickly became moist. It was distinctly different from Cecile’s clumsy kiss.
“My neck feels hot.”
“…Yes.”
A large hand gripped the nape of Cecile’s neck all at once. Indeed, the skin was burning hot. As a thumb softly stroked the sternocleidomastoid muscle, a dizzying moan escaped as an automatic reflex. Alexis swallowed the parted lips just as they opened.