My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 126
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 126
Looking back, when I first met the Crown Prince, he once said to me, “I want to remain single for the rest of my life.”
His resolve was clear then. He regarded love as something irrelevant and had a negative outlook towards romance. He was planning to become the next emperor, and to do that he must become engaged with me. But after we achieved our goal, he emphasised that he would remain single.
I wonder if my parents' devotion was too much for the unromantic Crown Prince. Hopefully they didn't give him irreparable psychological damage.
Feeling unnecessarily guilty, I apologise to him once again. "I sincerely apologise for the shameful way my parents have behaved."
"You don't need to apologise, Kayla." The Crown Prince mutters, his brows furrowing. His head was still throbbing from the shock. "I never thought the Duchess would object to us getting engaged this winter…."
He narrows his eyes as he stares at me.
'I can't believe Kayla believes in gemstone diviners. I thought she was a rational person who could discern logic without being swayed by emotions….'
So that's his impression on me. My feelings are mixed upon hearing his inner thoughts. I knew he thought highly of me, but I didn't expect him that much. I must have looked ridiculous talking about how gemstones ward off bad luck.
He must be disappointed.
I think, studying how his expression remained stoic.
He must be.
He must have expected me to be intelligent and perceptive. At least that's what it looks like. It would be no wonder why he's so shocked by my irrational behaviour.
But I can't do anything about it.
Even though it occured to me that he might be disappointed in me, I'm surprisingly not upset about it. In the first place, I didn't know exactly what he thought of me.
And most of all, I didn't care.
I never attached much significance to the way I seem to him.
"Kayla, do you think it would be difficult to hold an engagement in the winter?"
"I'll be honest with you," I say. "I don't know anyone who's gotten engaged in the winter before."
He raises an eyebrow. "Why?"
Why? Of course. "Because people usually hold them in spring or summer, when the weather is nicer. It's an occasion to celebrate, so why not consider the good things along with it?"
Although I’ve never been to an engagement ceremony, I know this much.
He lets out a sigh. "I see."
‘Even so, Her Majesty the Empress has said that we shouldn't rush into the engagement as soon as possible….’
With the way things are looking now, it seems like our engagement will be postponed. At least until the weather clears.
"Ryan, I'd like to ask you a question," I ask, making sure no one else was in the garden.
"What is it?"
"When you first told me about our deal, Ryan, you said that you would definitely break our engagement after a year, right?"
"Yes."
"Then what comes after that?"
"...."
Silence.
His lips pursed. He was bewildered, not expecting this question from me.
He pauses. "...When I signed the contract with you, I originally agreed to end the engagement after a year."
"Yes."
"And as a token of my gratitude, I promised to send you to the Hebnia Kingdom as an ambassador."
The Crown Prince would inherit the empire within the year-long term of our engagement, and I would inherit the Kaerun Duchy.
After that, he'll live as emperor, and I'll go to the Hebnia Kingdom, the place I've always wanted to visit.
That was the deal we agreed on.
But things are different now.
"There is something I need to tell you about the contract."I say, in a small voice. "It's okay if you don't send me to the Hebnia Kingdom—"
"NO!" He exclaims, cutting me off.
We're sitting on a bench in the indoor garden. All around us was silent, so his voice echoed and shook the air.
Eh?
I widen my eyes at his cry. He must've been equally taken aback, because he covers his mouth with one hand.
"I'm sorry, Kayla.”
"Uh… no, it's okay…." I wave off his apology.
At a loss for words, he scans my expression in a hurry. "I didn't mean to yell at you. I—I just thought… that you wanted to tell me you didn't have a contractual engagement with me...."
“What…?” My heart sinks. Of course, I often wished that the engagement between us could be cancelled altogether. But I didn't want to break his trust and risk my family's honour simply because of my change of heart. So I never considered it.
But it seems like he's misunderstanding. "Ryan, why were you thinking such thoughts?"
"...I must have been mistaken. Forget it."
‘I thought you were trying to distance yourself from me because of Lord Lancer, but apparently not.’
The moment I hear his true feelings, my heart aches. Like it's being poked with a needle
Does he know about my relationship with Lancer? A man of his position must have a wide network of information. Maybe he had someone following me and Lancer without my knowledge.
My common sense tells me he wouldn't do that.
I guess that just goes and shows how I don't trust him. That's how I must be viewing him all this time.
"So you've changed your mind about going to the Hebnia Kingdom?"
I nod. "Yes. There's no longer any reason for me to go there."
There was only one reason I wanted to go there in the first place, I wanted to find the witch who placed the 'curse' on me, and ask her to break it.
But Viscount Artisina went to find her instead of me.
Although I still don't know exactly how to break the curse…. Still, with a clue, I don't need to travel to the Hebnia Kingdom to find her anymore.
Fortunately, he doesn't probe.
"By the way, I heard an interesting story from my sister." The Crown Prince changes the subject.
"What story are you referring to?"
"Didn't Lord Lancer help my sister the other day?"
"Yes, to be precise, he dried the soaking wet Princess Julia from head to toe."
"Right. And to repay him, my sister gave him a carriage and expenses for a journey as a reward. I hear he is heading to the North, is that true?"
He's scoffing at Lancer as he asks me to confirm.
‘Heading to the North in the middle of winter, he's still so ignorant. Who would travel there in the middle of winter?’
It's me. I'm that person you're asking for.
I clear my throat. "Ryan, I actually have something to tell you."
He smiles. "Are you going to tell me that you can't educate Lord Lancer while he's in the North?"
"No. I was going to say that I'll be travelling with him."
He stiffens.
"Why are you two travelling together, and without my permission too?"
‘What has been going on between the two of them lately?’
Listening to his confused thoughts, I begin feeling uncomfortable. Why should I ask his permission? Why was he acting like he had a say in my decisions?
I don't like this.
I don't want him to keep speculating about my relationship with Lancer forever.
I don't want it to seem like I'm deceiving him by secretly seeing Lancer.
I'm a selfish, assertive person who has no regrets about the choices I make and is greedy for what I want.
I don't want to be dragged through a love triangle, so I decide to burst his bubble.
"Ryan."
I look him straight in the eye, taking a deep breath.
"My feelings are my own, so I have the right to decide who I want by my side.”