EIYTMA Chapter 20

Felicia’s words made Iris flinch. Étienne tilted his head.  

 

“Already?”  

 

“What do you mean, ‘already’? We’ve been staying at this estate for almost ten days now! If you count the time we spent searching for the princes, it’s been nearly two weeks!”  

 

“Oh, I didn’t even realize so many days had passed.”  

 

“Well, of course, Prince Étienne, you were sick, so it must feel that way!”  

 

Felicia grumbled. She wasn’t wrong. Étienne had been bedridden with a cold for quite some time.  

 

Ezekiel unconsciously glanced at Iris. She didn’t look pleased.  

 

“But I’m more worried about Lady Arbois’ arm.”  

 

At Ezekiel’s words, Felicia pouted and looked down at her arm, which was still wrapped in a splint. The arm, broken under the weight of a knight’s body, still had a long way to go before healing. But Felicia showed no intention of resting quietly just because of that.  

 

“It’s not like I’m completely unable to move. Once the rain fully stops, how about heading to a larger city?”  

 

“A larger city?”  

 

“Yes. It’s inconvenient here, and more importantly, the knights have been sleeping outdoors for days.”  

 

That was certainly true. Querluxia Castle was barely large enough to be called a castle, and the forty knights had been camping outside most of the time.  

 

“And, I suppose the princes aren’t aware of this, but Lady Querluxia, the food supply in this village is nearly depleted.”  

 

At Felicia’s words, Iris looked embarrassed and nodded. Only then did the princes’ expressions shift in realization.  

 

The village surrounding the Querluxia estate consisted of only about twenty households. With forty knights included, fifty meals were being consumed daily. While Felicia had been paying for the provisions, the village’s stockpiles were naturally running low.  

 

“Our physician is also running out of medicine. Either way, we should head to a larger city. Besides, your highnesses’ leave isn’t indefinite, is it?”  

 

“That’s true…”  

 

Étienne had been granted roughly four months of leave by the emperor. Factoring in the journey back to the capital, the time remaining wasn’t exactly abundant.  

 

Felicia’s argument was sound, and since Étienne had no strong rebuttal, he turned to Ezekiel.  

 

“Ez, what do you think?”  

 

“…I believe Lady Arbois is right.”  

 

Even as he said that, Ezekiel couldn’t get Iris out of his mind.  

 

From the beginning, he had never intended to limit his connection with Iris to just this leave. He had no idea what Iris thought, but Ezekiel was determined to confess his feelings to her once more and pursue a future together.  

 

Ultimately, it might lead to a proposal. No, it probably would.  

 

The boy unconsciously suppressed the slight excitement welling up in him. It was too soon for that.  

 

Of course, convincing Father will be quite a challenge.

 

The problem was that he was the prince designated to be offered to the gods. Initially, it had been Étienne’s duty, but due to the imperial succession issues, the emperor had changed his mind and decided to offer the next prince instead.  

 

If Ezekiel rejected this fate and declared his desire to be with Iris Querluxia, the imperial family’s opposition would be severe. It would essentially be an act of defiance against the emperor’s authority.  

 

Moreover, the religious faction, which sought to incorporate the prince into their ranks to maintain their influence, would also be displeased.  

 

Still, Ezekiel had some confidence. His father adored him immensely. Ever since he was young, the emperor had frequently expressed, almost like a habit, that he “didn’t want to offer Ezekiel to the gods.”  

 

If so, perhaps he could rely on that affection.  

 

…Of course, there were many obstacles to overcome. The most immediate concern was the person sitting in front of him—Étienne.  

 

“Mm? Ez? Why are you looking at me like that?”  

 

“It’s nothing.”  

 

Ezekiel quickly averted his gaze from Étienne. Étienne tilted his head in curiosity and took another sip of mead.  

 

“This is really excellent. When we return to the capital, I should have Ezekiel brew mead every year.”  

 

He didn’t forget to make a joke, causing Henri to chuckle.  

 

If Prince Étienne were truly that carefree, I wouldn’t even be worried. He would have stopped me immediately.

 

Ezekiel recalled what Robert had once said.  

 

Étienne had been raised as the crown prince from birth. His position was one of absolute authority, and Ezekiel never doubted that Étienne would become emperor.  

 

Yet, it was also true that Étienne couldn’t have been entirely comfortable with Ezekiel’s presence.  

 

‘It would have been better if you two had been born in reverse order.’

 

When Ezekiel was young, his father had often made such offhanded remarks in jest.  

 

And every time, the young Étienne’s face would darken—a reaction Ezekiel had long been familiar with.  

 

The only reason Étienne could afford to treat Ezekiel so generously as a younger brother was not due to his broad-mindedness, but because Ezekiel had always been destined to be given to the gods.  

 

There was no need to keep him in check because he would never become a threat.  

 

Thus, it was easy to be endlessly benevolent toward him.  

 

For that reason, Ezekiel was deeply concerned about how Étienne would react if he rejected his fate as a religious devotee.  

 

Ezekiel had no interest in any of Étienne’s possessions—he only cared about Iris Querluxia. But would Étienne understand that?  

 

“…nce Ezekiel?”  

 

“…”  

 

“Prince Ezekiel!”  

 

Ezekiel snapped back to his senses. Felicia was beside him, fuming.  

 

“Oh, come on! Prince Ezekiel! I called you so many times! What were you thinking about that you didn’t hear me?”  

 

“My apologies. I was momentarily thinking about returning to the capital.”  

 

It wasn’t a lie. Felicia pursed her lips.  

 

“We went through all the trouble of coming out for a walk.”  

 

The doctor had advised Felicia not to skip her exercises, even with her injured arm.  

 

Most of the time, Étienne accompanied her on these walks, but today, he seemed drowsy from drinking too much and had asked Ezekiel to take her instead.  

 

Thus, Ezekiel had been escorting Felicia, but he had momentarily drifted into thought.  

 

“What were you saying?”  

 

“I asked you about Miss Iris!”  

 

Ezekiel’s ears perked up. Felicia hesitated several times with a dissatisfied expression before finally speaking as if she were forcing herself to say something she truly didn’t want to.  

 

“Yesterday, Prince Étienne kept saying how pretty Miss Iris was, and it’s been bothering me.”  

 

So that was it. Ezekiel unconsciously let out a chuckle and responded.  

 

“You are beautiful too, Lady Arbois.”  

 

But Felicia groaned in frustration.  

 

“I don’t like the ‘too’! I have to be the most beautiful one!”  

 

She was, after all, just a seventeen-year-old girl. It was only natural for her to be mindful of Iris, especially when Étienne treated her so warmly.  

 

“Prince Étienne really doesn’t seem to understand my feelings. I like him so much…”  

 

One of Felicia’s virtues was her honesty. Ezekiel kept his smile and spoke.  

 

“That’s not true.”  

 

“And how would you know, Prince Ezekiel?”  

 

“Do you know what my brother said a few days ago?”  

 

“What did he say?”  

 

Ezekiel cleared his throat.  

 

“He said that you are his one and only match.”  

 

“…Really?”  

 

Felicia’s face lit up. Ezekiel nodded.  

 

“Of course.”  

 

However, as he spoke, he felt a slight pang of guilt.  

 

“I know that she is my one and only match.”

 

Étienne had indeed said those words. But it had been right after he had mused about the idea of taking Iris as his wife.  

 

That being said, Ezekiel knew that Étienne was not the type to act foolishly regarding Iris Querluxia.  

 

Étienne was destined to be the crown prince. Just as Ezekiel had been born to be dedicated to the divine, Étienne had been born to rule—and he desired that fate for himself.  

 

There was no way a man like him would be interested in the daughter of a mere baron, who held only a single-rank title. Breaking off his engagement to the Duke of Arbois’ daughter would be even more unthinkable.  

 

“…Right?”

 

And yet, strangely, he felt uneasy.  

 

Ezekiel pushed aside that feeling. Instead, he turned to Felicia with a reassuring smile.  

 

“Brother Étienne firmly believes that you are his destined partner, Lady Felicia. There’s no need to worry.”  

 

“…Thank you. Well, I already know that. After all, I am the eldest daughter of House Arbois, am I not? There’s no lady out there who could bring a dowry as grand as mine!”  

 

“Of course.”  

 

“Thank you, Your Highness. I feel much better now!”  

 

Felicia’s spirits seemed to lift as she began skipping lightly.  

 

For someone with such an emotional nature, being in love with a mischievous man like Étienne must have been exhausting.  

 

So, on the way back, Ezekiel made a conscious effort to share jokes and lighten her mood.  

 

It didn’t take them long to return to their companions.  

 

However, upon arriving at the picnic site, they were met with an unexpected sight.  

 

Étienne was leaning over a reclining Iris Querluxia—pressing a kiss to her lips.