My Childhood Friend Is An Archmage Chapter 74
Translated by d6y (ko-fi)
Chapter 74
"...."
I'm once again at a loss for words.
I've known all along that Prince Cade—Viscount Artisina—has been somewhat interested in me.
Ever since I first met him, he'd been thinking of ways to make me his.
But I don't expect it to turn into this.
I thought he was a man who had fallen for my looks, or a lowly nobleman who was greedy for my status.
But now, with the revelation that Viscount Artisina is Prince Cade, there's no reason for him to like me.
He can easily find a more beautiful woman than me.
His immediate betrothed is Princess Emerald, also known as the most beautiful woman. Moreover, her status is much higher than mine, royalty.
But why does he like me?
No matter how much I think about it, there's no reason for him to like me, so why does he?
I'm confused.
Up until now, when someone professes a crush on me, I assume that they're targeting my appearance, my background, or my family's wealth.
It all makes sense, so I don't feel bad about rejecting them.
But now’s not the case.
I don't understand.
I concentrate on listening to his thoughts, hoping that I might know what he's up to.
But it's strange. No matter how much time passes, I can't hear him.
This is getting frustrating.
It's only in times like this that my powers don't work properly….
Lately, there have been more and more occurrences when I can't hear other people's minds, especially the Crown Prince, whom I can't hear from the start. Sometimes, I find it hard to even hear some words from others’ minds.
I'm struggling to collect my thoughts.
"It's okay if you don't answer me right now." When I show no sign of responding, Prince Cade slowly rises from his kneeling position. "I have all the time in the world, but I can't afford them. So answer me slowly but quickly."
"...?"
When he sees a question mark in my eyes, Prince Cade explains.
"It's something to think about, of course, but you don't have to think about it too much. I don't mind if you answer carefully, but I'd rather you just answer whatever your heart tells you."
"You're saying completely contradictory things."
Seriously, what am I supposed to do?
I need to answer him right now. If I don't, he'd surely think I'm thinking about it. That very fact can be interpreted as an opportunity for him.
And I hate to give hope to a relationship that would be doomed.
“I refuse.”
As soon as I say it, Prince Cade begins to act sly. "Well, maybe you should reconsider—"
"It's not that I don't like you, Prince Cade, it's just that I can't imagine a future with you right now," I tell him in a calm voice. "I'm not an adventurous enough person to live in a future I can't imagine."
Years ago, when Lancer made his not-so-confession to me, I was able to accept his feelings at once.
I closed my eyes and pictured it, I could see myself as his lover. I could see myself standing by his side, swearing my vows of love. I could see myself living with him as a family.
I could see it all in front of me. It made it so easy to open my heart to him.
But Prince Cade is different.
If I were to start a new life with him, what would it be like? It's a risky venture that I can't imagine taking, and what I feel for him at this point isn't worth risking it all just to follow him.
A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth.
"As expected of the Princess."
I sense a hint of bitterness at the edge of his smile, but I don't bother to ask about it.
"Let me know if you change your mind later, you're always welcome, the sooner the better, anyway. I'm really sorry to hear about… the tea party at Garnett's today."
Quickly changing the subject, Prince Cade sits down next to me again. I feel closer to him than I had earlier.
"I heard from Dandelion that you were trying to introduce people to Lord Lancer, and I'm sure that's why you attended the party with him, but it ended up like this, and I almost cried."
"What can I say, I'll just have to wait for another opportunity…. But how did the prince end up at the tea party?"
This is a question I've been meaning to ask for a while: Why did the Crown Prince and Viscount appear?
"Dandelion said that he would be attending, so I asked Dandelion to include me because I thought it would be fun."
"...So, did you have a lot of fun?"
"No."
Although that's how he responds, he's thinking of something else.
‘It just goes to show how one-dimensional Lord Lancer's thinking is. I never thought he'd summon a whirlwind when the Princess said she wanted to get some air… and the way he acts reminds me of Bliss.’
"What do you think I should do about Lancer?" I ask, sighing as I hear his thoughts.
The conversation between us has naturally turned back to Lancer.
"What can you do? You will have to sacrifice more." Laughing, he pats me on the shoulder as if to tease me. "Princess, don't forget. Being born as an archmage means seeing the world differently than mere mortals like us. That's why they can't take a joke, why they tend to take words too literally, and why they tend to take a radical approach to solving problems. You know?"
"...."
I nod.
He's right. Lancer has never once in his life told me a pun or a joke. He doesn't understand the humour in words, or sarcasm and hyperbole.
One day, as I was walking back to my office, Lancer asked me, “Are you going to work again?”
I said in a semi-joking tone, "No, I'm going to bed," and he thought I was really going to bed and teleported me to my bedroom.
And finally, I remembered him looking at my distressed self after witnessing my parents' affectionate behaviour. He said with an innocent smile, “Then I will put a wedge between your parents.”
From my perspective, there's much in his words and actions that I did not understand.
But from his perspective, it would be even more incomprehensible for me to point out that his behaviour was wrong.
He's the one making the bigger sacrifice here, not me.
He's fixing something that makes perfect sense in his eyes, purely to fit in with others, with his family, and with me.
"If it's hard, give up." Prince Cade says abruptly, studying my face after a moment of silence. "I think Lord Lancer can take care of himself if he's dropped in the middle of the north during a blizzard, can't he?"
"...."
"Who knows, maybe a remote place with no people is surprisingly apt for him? If he stays in the imperial capital, he might get carried away by his emotions and go on a rampage. So going to the north wouldn't be a bad idea, so if you want to give up, give up."
"I'm not giving up." I cut his offer short. "It wasn't his choice to be born an archmage, and it's not his fault either. The fact that he's been different since birth is no reason, no justification, no excuse to be ostracised."
I used to not fully accept Lancer before, and just thought he was someone who lacked common sense and was a bit dull.
But not anymore.
As I talk to Prince Cade, I learn more and more about archmages. And with each time, I begin to understand a little more of what Lancer is saying, doing, and thinking.
I wonder why I haven't made this effort before.
When I listened to Prince Cade about archmages, I felt a pang of guilt.
But now, I can't stay and wallow in my regrets.
If I regretted what had happened in the past, I would have to work harder in the future so that I wouldn't make the same mistake.
"You have good eyes."
"What?"
"I don't think I need to comfort you anymore. I can already see that you're motivated when I look into your eyes."
Prince Cade rises from his seat after making such a gratuitous comment. I follow his back with my eyes, surprised by his sudden movement.
"Are you leaving?"
"Why, do you want me to stay?"
"No," I reply sharply.
At this, he frowns. "You hurt my feelings when you answer so firmly, but...... you are charming. I like you for who you are."
The Prince's face, with its wry smile, is certainly beautiful enough to capture a woman's heart.
Come to think of it, he's a pretty good-looking guy, too.
Though, Lancer is more handsome.
"Let me ask you something before I go." Straightening the sleeves of his coat, Prince Cade turns to me. "You said that you're cursed by someone, that you could hear other people's thoughts. Who was it?"
"A mage I met on my last trip. They said they were from Hebnia."
"Really? What was their name?"
"I don't know, I didn't ask."
"Then do you at least remember what they looked like?"
A little puzzled as to why he's being so persistent, I answer his question anyway. "She was a woman with red hair, maybe forty or so, but I don't really remember anything else, she was quite plain looking."
"I see." He nods, holding onto that one clue in his head.
'Red hair… red hair….'
What's wrong with him? There should be more than one red-haired person in the Hernia Kingdom.
"What's wrong, Prince?"
"Nothing, Princess. I'll be off now…. Goodbye, Princess."
Opening the door, Prince Cade returns to his status as Viscount Artisina.
With a crisp bow, as one might give to a noble of higher rank, he leaves my chambers with a stroll.
Just before the door closes behind him, I hear his final thoughts.
“... Don't tell me, it's her?”
"Who is ‘her’?”
