I idly picked at the food in front of me, lost in thought.
But there was no need to hear any more explanations. How could I go back on my word? It was embarrassing that the Child had looked forward to it and tailored every detail of my attire to their liking, but as long as it wasn’t against protocol, it was fine.
I had no way to change the clothes I brought now, nor was there any reason to.
What I was curious about was something else. Rubel, knowing all this, had said he was fine with it and wanted to receive a hunting trophy from me. I had assumed the Child had given up on their feelings. At least, I had thought they were steadily trying not to harbor feelings for me.
The Child had blushed when I said I would be their bow. They had advised me to wear buttons that resembled their eye color so others would notice. Could it be that they still…?
I struggled to suppress the fluttering in my chest.
Ivan, who had been watching me eat and had taken a piece of meat onto his own plate, asked casually, “So… what are you going to do?”
“I already said I would give it, so what else can I do?”
“…Wow…”
“Michael, you’re surprisingly shameless…”
“Surprisingly? Mika has always been openly shameless, Marianne.”
“That’s true.”
Only then did the other Children start eating their food.
It was natural for the topic of conversation to turn to the Second Prince. The Children kept making playful remarks while eating. All those stories were nothing but unsettling.
I couldn’t tell if I was eating with my nose or my mouth.
Naturally, my eating pace slowed down.
“Don’t you think… Your Highness is going to misunderstand this big time?”
“Yeah… If it were me, I’d be picking out flowers to decorate the wedding venue…”
“But doesn’t the Second Prince know Michael well since he’s seen him for so long? He would know it’s not meant that way just by looking at Michael’s face.”
“We’ll know when we see what clothes Your Highness wears, right…?”
It was about clothes again. I, who had been listening to the conversation while cutting the carrots on my plate into several pieces, couldn’t help but speak up.
“What’s wrong with the clothes?”
“Well, Michael is wearing three Black gem button right now.”
“Yes.”
“If Your Highness wears three Blue gem button, that usually means acceptance of a proposal…? Wearing three Black gem button would mean rejection.”
“…”
“Wow, but it’s also difficult. Even if they think you two are dating, he could just wear Black attire with the Valentia symbol. Deep purple or Light pink.”
“What kind of clothes are those?”
“It means he’s receiving the hunting trophy as a liege. Since Michael and Your Highness aren’t engaged, and there’s no permission from both parents, that would be more natural.”
Wasn’t there a more important issue than the color of the gems?
The carrots in front of me had become smaller than my pinky fingernail, so I couldn’t cut them anymore. I slowly moved my hand and started cutting the zucchini next to it, opening my mouth with a sigh.
“Same-sex marriage isn’t allowed, so… is a proposal even possible?”
“…Oh. That’s true…”
“That’s right. Wow, I didn’t think of that.”
“How can you not think of that, seriously?”
I was so restless that it was hard to keep my hands still. Shayden, seeing the carrots and zucchini that had been brutally chopped in front of me, picked up a large piece of carrot and placed it on my plate.
I cut that into pieces as well.
If my Mother had decided on this attire, I wouldn’t be so anxious.
But I couldn’t keep my hands still because I was curious about what Rubel was thinking right now. I tried to recall our previous conversations to find any hidden meanings I had missed.
However, only Ruben’s shyly smiling face came to mind clearly. After cutting all the carrots that Shayden had given me for the second time into the same size, I scooped them up with a spoon.
I swallowed them in one bite. I chewed and swallowed. If there was any misunderstanding, I could just ask the person involved to find out.
“This matter… can’t be jumped to conclusions… I’ll talk to Ruben to resolve it and let you know later, so don’t worry. I have no intention of doing anything that violates etiquette and protocol.”
“Michael.”
Marianne rested her elbow on the table and smiled brightly. It was impolite, but no one pointed it out.
“What do you want to do?”
That’s right. What did I want to do?
I remembered the soft, lovely black bird that had jumped into my arms when I went to the botanical garden one day. How cute, precious, and blissful that moment was. The feeling I had now was vivid joy. It was embarrassing, but also helplessly delightful.
But after carefully clearing away all the joyful feelings, only worry remained.
The Child was going to be the Emperor.
What if clumsy me became an obstacle in the Child’s path? I had never assigned meaning to the color of gems, nor was I confident that I could do so in the future. I… could be his sword. But I wasn’t suited for any other position.
I didn’t want to show my anxiety, so I put on a calm face.
“I don’t know.”
“…Michael, you do like Rubel Second Prince, right?”
Marianne asked. I didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
“…Not love?”
“…”
Shayden asked. The mouth that had opened closed again.
I took the drink that Benjamin offered me. I knew the Children’s eyes were on me. For some reason, it was really hard to answer right away. I slowly looked at the faces of the Children and smiled.
How could they be more engrossed and impatient than me?
Was it because these Children were Sierran people, or because they were still young and overflowing with affection?
“…That, well. I’ll have to decide after seeing how Ruben responds.”
“Decide after seeing the response…?”
“Yes. It seems like I’ve missed a lot, listening to you all. I need to ask and examine until I understand… I need to find out what kind of feelings Ruben has and why he allowed me to wear these clothes.”
“If he says it’s because he likes you… will you accept him?”
I stared at Shayden. I couldn’t understand why he was so anxious. I looked at the Child for a moment and smiled.
“I want to tell you, but I don’t think I should reveal my feelings here first. But… since you’ve all worried and helped me, I’ll tell you first when it’s over.”
“…”
Shayden’s voice, as he curled his lips and said, “Okay,” was very small. The Children, who had stopped their hands for a moment, started moving food to their plates again and cheered me on, hoping that it would turn out well in any form.
❖ ❖ ❖
However, I couldn’t see Rubel on the first day I arrived at the Phyton Plains.
The First Prince’s tent was at the eastern end, and the Second Prince’s tent was at the western end. Even before the Princes arrived, Knights took turns guarding the empty tents to prevent any possible threats.
The Knights explained that the Princes had to attend the June Imperial Council and would only be available in July.
Instead, I was dragged around by the Children to enjoy the Summer Ball.
Summer Hunting Festival, Summer Ball, Phyton Festival… This summer event, called by such names, allowed weapons to be brought in. Swordsmanship Department students naturally came with swords at their waists, and Department of Magic students also wore wands or Artifacts used when casting magic. Students from other departments were also often seen wearing daggers in plain sight.
Each Child was given a horse. Benjamin’s face brightened noticeably when he found Victor among the generously provided horses. Only then did I realize that they had brought a lot of horses from the academy and prepared them.
During the day, we rode horses or enjoyed picnics with mats spread out on the wide plains. Then, when the sun set, we headed to the common area inside the tents, lit a fire together, and sang or danced.
It was very funny and pleasant to see everyone making loud noises as if they were drunk, even though they hadn’t had a single sip of alcohol.
When everyone was exhausted around dawn, we would sit around the dying bonfire and share stories. Some Children would change seats or stroll between the tents lit by Magic Lamp.
Yes, this summer event was also said to be for finding a partner.
Endless affection and fondness lit up the faces of the young ones. Danbi, who was slightly covering his lover’s shoulders with a thin piece of clothing to block the cold of the summer night, was visible in the distance. Even at a glance, it was a dazzlingly beautiful and lovely scene.
I sat there for a long time, mesmerized by the stars, the fire, and the people.
Under the starlit sky, with the two moons behind me, I smelled the scent of grass, which gave off a strong odor as it was trampled by the dancing Children. The footsteps of the Children, deliberately making noise as they walked, added rhythm to the beautiful music.
It was hard to tell if those stars were in the sky or on the ground.
When I saw something good or wonderful, I often thought of the past. In this land, they expressed their excitement by dancing, but in the Central Plains, they expressed it by wielding swords.
Before the Demonic Cult emerged and invaded the Central Plains, they held the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering every three years. All the members of the Orthodox Sect, led by the Nine Sects and Five Great Clans, gathered to watch the young ones compete with swords.
It was also to show off the strength of each sect’s Martial arts and clan, but it was also a place for young Martial artists hidden in the wilderness to make a name for themselves. Men and women with no backing came out one after another to show off their skills and form friendships with noble people.
I first held a sword at the age of five, and only reached the level of First-rate at the age of twenty. It was around that time that I first participated in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. It was a place I went to with the name of Namgung. I didn’t want to lose, so I squeezed out all my strength and got heated.
I defeated Moyong and Jegal, but I gnashed my teeth because I lost to the Peng family’s Dao. I couldn’t believe that I was pushed out of the Martial arts training ground by brute force with a crude sword, and I was stunned for a long time even after being pushed out. Because I didn’t even get to face the Shaolin’s sword, which I wanted to compete with the most, I emptied three bottles of alcohol that day.
A silly laugh escaped. It was because the face of Jegal, who made a fuss about me winning against him and acting like a fool, suddenly came to mind. I didn’t know what to do because it was difficult to have Jegal shaking my collar, but I easily became friends with the Shaolin monk who took Jegal away from me…
After the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, I missed the sound of the pipa of the entertainers who were shouting cheers. Sierran music used instruments with more strings and had more elaborately decorated sounds. Boys and girls whose voices had not yet deepened sang about summer in groups.
Instead of alcohol, the drink in my hand was sweet and rich with plenty of fruit pulp. It tasted better than the ones in the Central Plains. It was a luxurious taste full of abundance. One glass was not enough, so I drank another. It wasn’t alcohol, so I wasn’t drunk, but I was intoxicated by the atmosphere, and I also hummed along to the tune.
After being sentimental for a while, my friends called me and made me stand up, panting and swallowing their breaths. I didn’t refuse when they urged me to take a walk. I liked walking with the Children rather than walking alone.
I listened to their chattering sweetly. The Children kept laughing, and I laughed along with them.
Someone in the distance recited a congratulatory speech in a loud voice.
“…The brightest light after the benevolent sun, towards the eternity of the Sierran Empire!”
Loud laughter, the sound of glasses clinking, and the sound of grand and elegant music were mixed together and soared into the sky.