Summer 5

The little girl who had fallen down and was sitting there was pretty. She was small and thin, and therefore looked even more pitiful. Her golden hair, tied up and disheveled, was half undone, and her clothes were dirty with soil. Still, Senita looked like a well-dressed doll.

But she was human after all. Blood flowed from the wounds on her cheeks and the backs of her hands. Her ankle, visible beneath her skirt, was red and swollen.

“You’re hurt.”

Iskandar slid down the slope.

“Can you stand up?”

He extended his hand to help Senita up.

Senita’s hand trembled. She couldn’t decide whether to take his hand or decline.

Noticing the lowly child’s dilemma in front of the Prince, Iskandar realized that helping her up would be pointless. The fact that she dared to remain seated in front of him instead of standing up immediately was proof enough.

“This won’t do.”

Iskandar bent down and scooped Senita up into his arms. The child’s body, as light as a doll’s, was easily lifted by his strong arms.

Startled by the unexpected turn of events, the maid held in his arms stiffened like a real doll. Her hands were clasped tightly together, her mouth was slightly open, and her round eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

After fidgeting for a moment, the girl stammered and finally said something comprehensible.

“Oh, oh! What should I do?”

Such foolish words!

“What?”

“P-Please put me down! I can walk by myself!”

“Is that so?”

Like a benevolent ruler, Iskandar decided to grant the child’s wish.

He set Senita down without hesitation. Naturally, her injured ankle refused to support her weight, and, as expected, the child collapsed helplessly.

“Then stand by yourself.”

At Iskandar’s command, Senita nodded, though her face was crumpled. Then, with a groan, she tried to stand up. She managed to prop herself up with her hands but then cried out in pain when her swollen ankle gave way and she fell again. Her face, already red like a ripe plum, turned redder with embarrassment.

Iskandar chuckled at her futile and pathetic attempts.

How foolish. She could have just let me carry her quietly. Did she think it was presumptuous for a maid to trouble the prince?

While it was a reasonable thought, it was also a servant’s duty to obediently accept what their master offered.

Above all, Iskandar was willing to spare a little time for this pitiful child. He had nothing else to do anyway. In this boring summer, this was merely an amusing incident. Perhaps even a welcome diversion.

“I don’t think that’s going to work.”

After laughing briefly, he picked Senita up again. The child’s bright blue eyes had clouded over, and tears were welling up in them.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“For what?”

“For troubling you…”

“It’s all right.”

This is nothing.

Yes, it truly was nothing.

Iskandar looked at the girl in his arms.

It had been an unplanned hunt. But what meaning did plans have in this dull place where there was nothing else to do?

Tired of the bustling palace, he had set out lightly, accompanied by only a single guard. What added a different wrinkle to his usual routine was the scream of a child he heard not far from the hunting lodge.

He turned his horse toward the sound and saw a little girl running away frantically, chased by a few crows. Iskandar stopped his horse and watched the scene for a moment. He only raised his gun after the child tumbled down the slope. The birds were easy prey, as always.

And like a trophy, he picked this up. This small, pretty, doll-like girl who smelled of plums:

Senita.

Repeating the child’s name, Iskandar spoke in a monotonous tone.

“I’ll take you back to the palace.”

It was an unprecedented offer for a maid.

No way! Senita was so surprised that she quickly covered her open mouth with both hands.

“No! Just take me to the path, and I’ll manage somehow!”

Senita waved her hands and hurriedly declined. No matter how clueless she was, she knew it was presumptuous and troublesome.

How could I, how could I ask His Highness…

She had a premonition that she would be severely scolded if she continued to impose on him. Gaspar or the head maid would surely reprimand her for inconveniencing the Prince.

But what could she do when she couldn’t even stand on her own? Should she find a long branch and use it as a cane? How long would it take her to walk back to the palace like that? If the crows bothered her again, she could chase them away with the stick.

Senita’s serious contemplation didn’t last long. Iskandar’s hand slid up her calf and pressed on her swollen ankle, and the pain overwhelmed all other sensations.

“Ow!”

Tears sprang to her eyes at the sudden, sharp pain. It felt as if he were digging into her flesh. Senita cringed further, clenching her teeth.

“How will you manage?”

The Prince’s gentle voice was laced with amusement. It would have hurt less if he hadn’t touched it. Senita closed her eyes tightly to hold back her tears and remained silent.

The Prince had already made up his mind. She couldn’t defy him. Realizing her situation quickly, the child docilely yielded to him.

However, being held by someone was still unfamiliar and embarrassing. Unable to bear the awkwardness, Senita fidgeted slightly in the Prince’s arms and tilted her head.

Her gaze fell to the scattered bread and dried meat. She saw even the corpse of the crow that had been punished for daring to covet them. Her heart sank as if caught on a hook.

What should I do? I can’t ask him to pick those up now. 

What should she tell the gamekeeper? What should she tell Isabella?

A sigh escaped her lips at the thought of the task she had been given but failed to complete.

“Don’t worry.”

The Prince’s words fell upon her like a decree from above and sounded like a divine revelation. Senita lifted her face as if gazing at the heavens.

The Prince was looking at her. His expression was ambiguous, somewhere between a smile and not a smile. Even that was beautiful. He was so beautiful, as if he weren’t of this world. The moment he entered her field of vision, all other thoughts were erased and only his beauty consumed her.

Glancing at the speechless, docile child, Iskandar strode up the slope with long strides. The discarded food and the dead crow were carelessly trampled under his shoes.

“Your Highness!”

As the Prince appeared at the top of the hill, his guard, who had been standing by his horse, hurried over. He had been waiting there on the Prince’s orders. Iskandar walked toward the man with long, easy strides.

“The child is injured. I’m going back to the palace.”

Seeing the disheveled state of the girl in the Prince’s arms, the guard turned pale and quickly reached out to her.

“I’ll take her.”

“No.”

It was a reasonable offer, but Iskandar refused with a brief smile.

“I’ll do it.”

Regardless of the situation, the Prince’s word was law. As he had learned during his service, the guard recognized his master’s will and immediately stepped back.

Iskandar helped Senita onto his horse. The horse had a snow-white coat and a well-maintained saddle. It was gentle but still seemed too tall and large for Senita.

“Be careful; you’ll fall if you move.”

Senita flinched, already feeling uneasy. The pain in her ankle, combined with her fear of the horse, made her body stiffen even further.

“Ah, right.”

Iskandar, who was about to mount his own horse, suddenly stopped, as if he had remembered something. Then he stared intently at Senita.

Drawn by his gaze, Senita looked at the Prince as well. In the midday sun filtering through the lush leaves, Iskandar’s golden eyes shone like a light source. Amidst the rustling of the leaves, his voice softly flowed forth.

“I’m Iskandar.”

Now?

Why would the Prince introduce himself to someone like me?

Senita’s eyes widened at the sudden, unexpected introduction and then narrowed gently.

“I know, Your Highness. I’ve known from the very beginning.”

Because Your Highness is so beautiful and noble, anyone would have no choice but to know.