Chapter 2

Chapter 2

No maids, no servants, not even anyone carrying heavy luggage could be seen. This made it difficult to guess who Prince Rakan’s “distinguished guest” might be.

Eris was starting to feel uneasy.

If she failed to handle this mission properly, she would have to pay back the entire advance.

Or perhaps, he hadn’t wanted her to succeed in the first place?

For what reason? Was this just a prank from some esteemed superior?

It was around the time she concluded she’d simply been played by the prince’s whimsical request.

“Excuse me.”

“…Huh?”

The crowd was so dense Eris hadn’t noticed someone approaching her from behind.

She gasped in surprise and turned. A tall man, at least a head taller than her, stood there.

“Are you Miss Eris Blane?”

His voice was as clear and refreshing as a mountain spring, yet carried a subtle weight.

“…Who are you?”

Eris’s voice was tinged with caution as she lifted her gaze a little higher. Only after craning her neck at an absurd angle could she properly meet his eyes.

Beneath the hot June sun, the man’s silver hair glittered, breaking into a myriad of tiny, jewel-like shards of light.

Could it be…?

As Eris stared blankly at him, a wide, refreshing smile curved his red lips.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Ciel von Silverion.”

His chiseled jawline, sharp nose, red lips, fair skin, and eyes a transparent blue deeper than an early summer sea—

It was truly him.

The boy Eris had met eight years ago had shed his youthful skin. Now, a mature man, he stood before her.

“Why are you here?”

Eris involuntarily dropped the pudding she was holding. Ciel’s brow furrowed, then his gaze dropped to the ground.

“My apologies if I startled you. But… have we met before?”

Ciel himself picked up the fallen pudding. Then he stared intently at Eris. His mysterious blue eyes, like shattered stars, held no emotion. That lack of emotion struck her as profoundly strange. Eris forgot all manners and simply stared silently at Ciel’s face.

As time stretched on, only a questioning light appeared on Ciel’s face. There was no sign of recognition, no resentment. He truly acted as if he were seeing her for the first time.

“Is there something on my face?”

“Ah…”

Ciel swiftly ran a large hand over his chin. Only then did Eris lower her gaze.

‘…He doesn’t remember me? Or is he pretending?’

It didn’t look like an act, no matter how she scrutinized him. And there was no reason for it to be.

In Eris’s memory, Ciel von Silverion had been an innocent boy whose emotions were plain for all to see.

So, had he been beaten up somewhere and lost his memory?

“I seem to have mistaken you for someone else. I thought you were an old friend of mine. Please forgive my rudeness.”

But even if he didn’t remember her, their relationship wasn’t close enough for her to brazenly demand why he didn’t remember his sword instructor. In fact, they were closer to enemies. So, Eris pretended not to know him either and apologized to Ciel.

“It seems there’s someone in the Celis Kingdom who resembles me. I’d be curious to meet them and see how similar we are.”

Eris offered an awkward smile. Ciel’s gaze fell to the pudding.

“Hmm, but this probably needs to be thrown away now.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

“If you can tell me where they sell these, I’d be happy to buy you another. It seems I startled you.”

“No, it’s fine. It was my fault, please don’t worry about it.”

Her heart, which felt like it had fallen to the ground alongside the pudding, was still pounding wildly.

“Are you Miss Eris, the person who will be my escort during my travels?”

Eris swallowed hard, then carefully gauged Ciel’s expression.

“Yes, that’s right. So, if you’re… perhaps… the distinguished guest who arrived today…”

Too many words flooded her mind, making it impossible to finish the sentence. She must look like an idiot. Eris bit her lower lip belatedly.

“Yes, that’s correct. I plan to stay and travel in the Celis Kingdom for about three months.”

Even so, Ciel replied calmly to Eris’s words and smiled.

The great Terbanne Empire had a long history, and with it, a multitude of nobles. Yet, of all those countless nobles, a Silverion stood before her.

The Silverions were one of the five great families, standing at the pinnacle of the Empire’s many houses.

When Prince Rakan first mentioned it, she had casually dismissed the idea, thinking, ‘Surely not a Silverion? Why would a Silverion travel to this kingdom?’ That past complacency now filled her with belated regret.

“What is there to see in this tiny kingdom for three whole months…?”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing.”

Eris, whose true thoughts had slipped out involuntarily, quickly shook her head.

“But how did you find me?”

“I received a letter before I left the Empire. Prince Rakan sent a message to His Royal Highness, our Crown Prince, that was almost like a code.”

“What kind of…”

“He wrote, ‘The one with refreshing wine-colored hair and emerald eyes like the light of spring, Eris Blane, will greet the Little Duke at the harbor. May your journey be pleasant.’ He even kindly sent a portrait, perhaps worried I wouldn’t recognize you.”

Ciel, oblivious to Eris’s inner turmoil, smiled brightly.

‘He didn’t tell me anything, but he sent Ciel my information beforehand?’

A wave of inexplicable betrayal washed over Eris. She realized then why the prince had entrusted a mere mercenary like her with his escort and surveillance. And why he hadn’t contacted her in any way since.

“I greet the Silver Shield of Terbanne, the Little Duke of Silverion.”

Eris was a card they could discard at any time. If she were caught while pretending to be an escort but actually conducting surveillance, and lost her life, it wouldn’t be a loss. She was someone whose tail could be cut off at any moment.

Clearly, they hadn’t even shown themselves until today to avoid leaving any evidence of the surveillance on the escort target.

This is why you can’t trust the wealthy.

Most of them were selfish bastards who treated human lives like ants.

‘I need to get out of this kingdom fast.’

Eris clicked her tongue inwardly, then shook her head as if exasperated.

“You’re well-versed in the Empire’s greetings. But there’s no need to be so formal, Miss Eris.”

“The Silverion family’s reputation precedes it, even in this kingdom…”

Eris mumbled. She wondered if he might recognize her now, but Ciel merely looked down at her with the same empty gaze. It was a relief, yet somehow it also pierced her right through the chest.

“Miss Eris, I simply wish to rest quietly in this kingdom before I leave.”

For eight long years, Ciel had been an indelible mark on Eris, but to this dazzling young nobleman, she seemed to be nothing more than a fleeting fragment of his adolescence.

They hadn’t been an affectionate or close pair to begin with, so it made sense. Eris had always been the one whose heart felt uneasy about their past. It would be easier to just consider this another such instance.

“I’d prefer if the kingdom’s nobles didn’t know I’m a member of the Silverion family. That’s why I politely declined both a grand welcoming ceremony and the offer to send the kingdom’s knights as escorts.”

Eris quickly grasped the hidden meaning in Ciel’s words. It was a warning: Don’t speak carelessly about me. He seemed to resent the idea of someone assigned by the prince.

From her position, tasked with monitoring him, the target’s distrust would be an obstacle. Eris replied calmly and respectfully.

“I will always remain by your side, Little Duke, for as long as you stay here in Celis. You won’t have to worry about me speaking to anyone else.”

“The phrase ‘always remain by your side’… I like the sound of that.”

Ciel smiled. His smile, curved gracefully like a crescent moon hanging in the sky, seemed both refreshing and mocking depending on the angle of the light.

“Then, I look forward to our time together.”

Ciel extended his hand to Eris as if requesting a handshake.

“Yes, Little Duke.”

Eris hesitated, then gently took his hand. Ciel’s grip tightened. The warmth of his hand, completely encompassing hers, was enough to melt the chill that had settled on her skin from the biting sea wind of the harbor.

“From now on, would you call me by my name, Miss Eris?”

At Ciel’s polite request, Eris’s face twisted into an expression of discomfort.

“How could I possibly address the Little Duke by his…”

“I’m concerned someone might overhear.”

Eris remembered Ciel’s polite warning from moments ago and pressed her lower lip firmly.

Ciel gazed intently at her troubled face, then spoke again.

“Once this journey ends, we won’t be seeing each other again, will we? I promise I won’t cause any trouble for the kingdom over this matter.”

The past she had fled. She had finally met Ciel, whom she had dreaded facing all this time, but nothing had happened. Perhaps she had been too afraid. It seemed she could afford to be a little bolder.

“Yes, Ciel.”

It was the first time in eight years she had uttered his name. The pronunciation, laden with memories of the past, strangely lingered on her tongue before scattering, making Eris involuntarily shiver.

“Good.”

The subtle pressure in Ciel’s hand, still clasped with hers, gently released. As the warmth withdrew, the harbor’s desolate wind once again brushed her hand. A strangely tingling sensation arose, and Eris quickly hid her hand behind her back.