Fenric stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on Prisippi in the distance.
Presibe sat under a tree in full bloom, her back leaning against the trunk. She wasn't doing anything special, just observing the surrounding scenery. This was the most calm expression Fenric had ever seen on her face.
“……”
Fenric watched her quietly for a while before slowly resuming his steps. He walked towards her, closing the distance between them.
“You're taking a break, I see.”
Precipie was startled by the sudden sound of his voice, so she turned her head to the side.
“Oh, Grand Duke Fenric.”
She felt embarrassed, knowing that she was working at his house without pay, but she slept until noon, when she should have woken up. She thought she should at least give him a decent greeting, but as she tried to get up from her seat, Fenric shook his head.
He sat next to her instead.
"I heard about it. Hana mentioned that you visited the palace to investigate."
“There was no big result,” Fenric answered in an indifferent voice.
“It will take some time now that we have started investigating in earnest. You don't have to worry about it.”
“No need to worry?”
I left the palace because of all this; How could she pretend as if nothing had happened? Although she was lucky to be able to escape the chaos of the palace, this alone was not enough to calm her mind.
“And what did you do all afternoon?” he asked.
"pardon?"
“This palace is full of entertainment. The library has shelves full of newly purchased books, and there are a lot of dresses and jewelry as well.”
“Oh…”
"I made it especially for you. Didn't Hanna tell you?"
“You did! You told me and showed me around so kindly,” Presippi said hurriedly, worried that cute Hanna would be to blame.
"But… this is your palace, Grand Duke. I felt it was wrong for me to wander around as I pleased. As for the dresses and jewellery… well, I feel like it's too much. Of course, I'm very grateful…"
“……”
"I think the dresses I brought from the tower are more than enough. You're being too generous with me already."
“You'll get used to it.”
"What?"
"Don't think of it as exaggerated. If you do, it will hurt my feelings."
“……”
“Understood?”
Prisippi found herself wearing a slightly puzzled expression.
Why is he treating me so nice?
“No response?” Fenric insisted.
“Okay...”
"This is so frustrating. I'm so frustrated that it hurts so much."
“You don't look hurt at all to me.”
“That's because I haven't shown it yet. But I can show it if I want to.”
“……”
“I am more capable than you think.”
His blatantly bold words were uttered with such calm demeanor that Presippi couldn't help but laugh, finding it unexpected and amusing at the same time.
“Thank you, our Grand Duke. Since you insist, I will try to get used to your hospitality. I don’t want to hurt you, after all.”
“This is the best news I've heard all day,” Fenric said with a slight smile.
"So what were you doing here? Where's Hanna?"
“I asked her to go rest for a while, but she insisted on staying to take care of me.”
"She talks a lot, doesn't she? Are you tired?"
“No, quite the opposite.”
"reverse?"
“In the palace, no one was constantly talking to me.”
“……”
“And there was no one who treated me with such pure intentions.”
It was true. I found Hannah's chatter refreshing, a stark contrast to the stifling silence in the tower where she spent so much time.
“Of course, I'm a little shy about how much Hannah likes me.”
“Why is this embarrassing?”
“Well, we just met, and I didn't do anything to her. I doubt I'll be able to do much in the future either.”
“You never know.”
“Oh, come on… The world may be full of uncertainties, but the one thing I'm sure of is that my situation won't get better.”
After all, in the game's story, Prisippi's mother's scandal caused her to be stripped of her title of princess, making her status lower than that of a commoner. What could get better than that? Prisippi laughed awkwardly.
“I don't agree with that, but I was referring to something else,” Fenrick said.
“Something else?”
“You mentioned that you didn't do anything to Hana. But maybe, without realizing it, you did something that meant a lot to someone, something they'll remember forever.”
“……”
"Sometimes, a single moment like this can shake someone's life to the core and destroy everything they thought they knew. It happens to some people."
“The Grand Duke…?”
“Anyway,” Fenric said with a slight smile, changing the subject, “I didn't realize how beautiful this place under the tree was. Thanks to you, I have a beautiful view. I never imagined having a moment like this when I was younger.”
“Oh... I guess you won't. You must have been very busy all this time to catch a break.”
He once mentioned that he was moving from one battlefield to another. Because he was a close aide to Dietrich, he must have been busy supporting him until he ascended to the throne.
Naturally, he spent little time at home.
“Instead of being too busy, I never had the opportunity.”
Fenric's unexpected reaction caught Precipe by surprise.
“I was a commoner.”
Hearing his unexpected words, Precipi froze briefly.
"I don't even know who my parents are. I grew up on the streets, and I could only survive by begging."
“……”
“Or by being beaten.”
She had never imagined that he would have such a past.
She had assumed without a doubt that he was a noble from birth. Not only because he held the title of Grand Duke, but because Fenric himself exuded the aura of someone born at the top of the hierarchy – a predator by nature.
But to know that he was not just an ordinary person but just a little kid on the street?
“I didn't think much of it,” Fenric continued, his voice steady. “For me, those days seemed normal.”
“I thought my life would be predictable. That when I grew up, I would be like those thugs who beat me up and stole the money I was begging for.”
“……”
“That was until my thirteenth birthday.”
“This must be a special day for you.”
“It was.”
[Hello, are you okay?]
“So special that...”
[…Would it be okay if I helped you?]
“It shook my entire life to the core and ultimately changed everything.”
For Preseppe, it must have been just a trivial moment. Just a passing incident, easily forgotten.
But for Fenric, it was different. That day held great significance for him, and it became a memory that he will carry forever. It forced him to face an uncomfortable truth.
Everything he thought he knew was shattered into ruins, but Fenric rebuilt himself on top of those ruins.
This time, he built a castle so strong that it would never collapse.
A castle strong enough to protect Presepe.
A fortress where she could be all his.
“……”
Presibe found herself speechless, all she could do was remain silent, staring at Fenric.
I thought of things very simply. To her, NPCs were just NPCs. Their backstories and struggles had never interested her.
No, more precisely, she never thought about them.
How foolish she was. That day, when they arrived at the palace, she envied the people she saw from the carriage—people living their own lives.
To her, this was just a world to play in, but to the people of the area, this was reality.
A reality they could not escape, a reality they had to survive no matter the cost.
"Anyway, it's thanks to you, Prisippi. I'm really grateful."
“I didn't do anything. It's all thanks to your hard work, our Grand Duke.”
No, this is not true.
If it weren't for you, I would still be stuck in that miserable alley.
Fenric thought to himself.
"I should be the one thanking you, but... um... how long are we going to keep thanking each other like this? It's starting to feel a little awkward."
It wasn't as if they were competing to see who owed the other more gratitude. By then, the situation seemed a bit awkward. Moreover, she didn't really do anything for him, which made it even more embarrassing.
Fenric didn't reply, just looked at her embarrassed expression and let out a soft, low laugh.
Prisippi looked at Fenric silently for a moment as he smiled weakly.
His aura still radiated a dangerous, untouchable air, but his expression when he smiled at her…
I felt unexpectedly warm. But he was nice too.
Given everything he had done for her, it wasn't surprising.
...Not to mention how incredibly handsome he is.
“…Huh?”
As she stared at Fenric, Precipe's eyes widened slightly.
I noticed something carved into Fenric's broad chest, which was visible through the slightly open neckline of his shirt.
“……”
Fenric followed her with a quick glance, and when he looked at his chest, he seemed to realize what she was looking at, and he laughed softly.
“Should I take it off and show it to you?”
“What… what?”