By Zephyria 
Cecile was taking a stroll in the garden of Peridot Palace.
After finishing his afternoon classes, he was spending time aimlessly. When a cool breeze blew under the moderately warm sunlight, the flower petals filling the garden swayed, releasing a fragrant scent.
Cecile quite liked the flowers blooming in the garden. The red Camellia was also a symbol of Peridot Palace.
These days, Cecile intentionally spent his time leisurely. Ever since he had suffered from a fever, or more precisely, since receiving the sword from Alexis, he had lost motivation for everything. It seemed that the wounds in his heart had run deep, whether he realized it or not.
However, Cecile was making every effort to recover from this. He completely ignored the countless nobles sending messages to meet him and temporarily set aside his interest in Alexis.
It had already been a week since he had been living like this. His physical wounds had healed, but his heart was still troubled. He still needed more time alone.
“Cecile, someone has come from the Empress’s palace. They say Her Majesty is looking for you… what should we do?”
“Make up an excuse and send them away. I’m still not well enough to meet her.”
Cecile firmly refused. The Empress had been visiting him almost daily, but he stubbornly avoided meeting her. After all, it was clear that he would only hear harsh words if they met.
There is no excuse as useful as being sick. In reality, Cecile had lost weight over the past few weeks, and anyone could see that he looked ill.
After that, he continued to wander through the garden. Since he had made sure no one else would come, the vast garden was filled only with the sound of Cecile’s footsteps on the grass.
As he walked for a while, his head began to feel dizzy. Cecile approached a tea table set up under the shade of a tree and plopped down onto a garden chair. He covered his eyes with his arm and leaned his head back without any energy.
“Cecile, a guest has arrived….”
“Ugh, I said I’m not meeting anyone.”
Cecile spoke in an irritated tone. The constant visits from nobles had made him increasingly on edge. He thought this time would surely be no different.
“I must have come at a bad time.”
Startled by the voice that pierced his ears, Cecile lowered his arm. A tall man stood beside the hunched servant.
Before he knew it, Alexis had approached right in front of Cecile. A dark shadow fell over Cecile’s dazed face.
Cecile’s eyes, which were filled with greenery, blinked. He couldn’t believe he was meeting Alexis in his own garden.
Suddenly, a large hand covered Cecile’s forehead. After checking his temperature, Alexis tilted his head slightly and said,
“You don’t have a fever, but are you staging a protest?”
“Why are you here, Your Highness…?”
“I heard someone hasn’t been coming out of the palace at all.”
Alexis lowered his gaze and stared intently at Cecile’s face.
“Are you really unwell?”
“…Not exactly.”
“Then why are you like this? Until when do you plan to avoid showing your face in the office?”
Cecile frowned at the absurdity of the words.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t like me hovering around you?”
“I must have said it, but I’ve decided to trust you now.”
“…….”
“So, are you okay?”
Cecile nodded slightly. After all, it was just a feigned illness, and the perceptive Alexis seemed to have already grasped his condition.
Then Alexis suddenly reached out and grabbed Cecile’s wrist. In an instant, Cecile was forcibly pulled up from the chair. Alexis took him and headed straight out of the garden.
Cecile, confused, grabbed his arm. After finally stopping, he asked,
“What are you doing? Where are you taking me?”
“Stop talking and follow me. I’m in such a busy situation that I need even a cat’s paw right now.”
Alexis took off again. The hand gripping his wrist felt like a shackle. It was so tight that Cecile couldn’t dare shake it off.
The place he was dragged to was, of course, Alexis’s office.
Even though it had been a while since he visited, the scenery welcomed Cecile unchanged. The desk, left in a corner, was just as it had been.
Only after entering the office did Alexis release Cecile’s arm. He turned around to his seat and began sorting through the piles of documents and parchment stacked on his desk.
“Take this. Do what you can for now, and if you get stuck, ask me or Assistant Dyke.”
With that, he dumped all the selected tasks onto Cecile. Caught off guard, Cecile held the documents in his arms, unable to hide his confusion.
“You want me to… work?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you serious?”
“Why do you think I brought you here?”
Even after hearing a clear answer, Cecile stood there in disbelief. Alexis, who had passed the work onto him, wore an indifferent expression as usual. It seemed that the claim of being busy was indeed true, as he immediately sat down and began his own tasks.
“…….”
After watching Alexis for a moment, Cecile returned to his own seat.
He stared blankly at the documents on the desk. At a glance, they were not the trivial tasks he had done before. Important work that Alexis had directly handled had been assigned to him.
After a long time of staring at the documents, Cecile finally straightened his back and reached out. He decided to erase any unnecessary thoughts. With determination, he picked up the top document and began to read its contents.
While Cecile immersed himself in work, the office buzzed as always. Amidst everyone busily fulfilling their roles, Alexis glanced up.
Seeing the space that had been empty finally filled with its owner, he couldn’t help but smile slightly. Covering his mouth with his palm to hide the faint smile, he too immersed himself in his work.
After a couple of hours, Cecile had completed half of the tasks. His focused eyes shone more clearly than ever, and his sharp mind was finally working well after a long time. Rather than worrying about Alexis, he poured all his energy into the documents in front of him.
“I’ll pass this on.”
He called over a nearby servant and handed over the bundle of documents he had just finished. The servant knelt to receive the documents on a silver tray, while another servant replaced the nearly empty ink.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, he leaned back in his chair. Perhaps because he had concentrated for the first time in a while, his body felt a bit tired, but Cecile’s expression was more lively than before. Stretching his stiff body, a servant approached and spoke to him.
“Cecile, I’ve prepared some cold lemon tea. Would you like some?”
“…Yeah, I think I will.”
Just as he was feeling thirsty. Responding readily, the quick-footed servants tidied up the messy desk and quickly set up a tea service.
Along with the refreshing lemon tea, cookies were served. They looked so cute and pretty that he couldn’t help but stare at them.
He hadn’t planned to eat dessert, but…
His hand reached out toward the cookies of its own accord. Once he had acknowledged them, it was hard to ignore. Moreover, perhaps because he had been thinking too much, he felt a bit hungry.
Cecile glanced around and then crushed a cookie into small pieces before popping it into his mouth.
“…Wow, what is this?”
He had expected an ordinary cookie, but unexpectedly, it was so delicious that his eyes widened in surprise.
While chewing and swallowing a small piece, his fingers reached for another cookie. Before he knew it, he was so absorbed in eating that he didn’t pay attention, and this time he stuffed a large cookie into his mouth.
Alexis, who had been seriously reading a report, suddenly looked up. He saw Cecile happily enjoying the treats.
The expression that had been sullen was now filled with happiness, as if it had never been that way. His smooth cheeks were noticeably puffed up, and they kept twitching. Even with his mouth tightly closed, the sound of crunching like a squirrel eating nuts could be heard.
Alexis twisted his posture to watch Cecile.
It seemed this was the right approach. By having him eat something delicious while being close, a vitality that hadn’t been there before returned. Seeing a clearer reaction than when he had gifted the precious sword, he finally felt satisfied.
Then suddenly, their eyes met. Cecile hurriedly stopped chewing and pretended he hadn’t eaten. But what difference did it make? His cheeks were already stuffed full of cookies.
Alexis couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He had been feeling irritable due to the unsuccessful assassination attempt, but seeing this unexpected sight made his annoyance dissipate absurdly.
“You really do love sweet things.”
“…….”
“Just eat without worrying about appearances. Who cares what anyone says?”
Cecile chewed his food tightly. Even if he wanted to retort, his mouth was too full to make a sound. He tried hard to act nonchalant, but of course, he couldn’t hide his bright red face.
Alexis straightened his posture as well. Setting aside the report that he couldn’t make sense of, he pulled over the documents that Cecile had handled.
The stiff paper was neatly filled with clear handwriting. It was not only easy to read but also perfect in content.
“…….”
Alexis couldn’t take his eyes off the documents. He had given Cecile a difficult task as a test, yet he had produced results that exceeded his expectations.
It was beyond surprise; it was almost absurd.
What on earth is this guy? Where does this ridiculous talent come from? Is it innate, or has he been well-educated? It was hard to tell.
His young age was no longer a problem. The fact that he was of the Empress’s bloodline didn’t matter anymore. Alexis wanted capable individuals, and the more he observed Cecile, the more he fit the image of the talent he desired.
Alexis rubbed his mouth as he fell into thought. Perhaps because his heart had softened, whenever he thought of Cecile, his lips kept wanting to curl into a smile.