LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 50
50th Chapter
‘From the looks of it, I think he will keep pretending not to know. Diego isn’t the kind of character who enjoys making others uncomfortable… so I’ll just ask directly.’
It was better to tactfully keep my mouth shut than to remain foolishly ignorant.
“Is Your Highness good at keeping secrets?”
“I’m more inclined to keep what I’ve decided to keep.”
Diego continued to smile mysteriously. After letting out a small sigh, I hardened my expression.
“Then, if I ask you to keep this secret, will you do it?”
Diego gazed intently at me. I met his gaze with a hint of detachment.
‘If I were just a bit more composed… I wouldn’t have to deal with this annoying situation.’
If I had simply passed Diego by. If I had pretended not to see him.
I slowly exhaled.
The easy path to comfort was clear. I could simply choose to turn away.
‘But still… I will always choose a path that doesn’t make my heart uneasy.’
I may lament my own decision, but I wouldn’t regret saving someone. Even if I were tormented by the consequences, I would choose this path again if I could go back.
That’s just who I am.
“The fact that you saved the Crown Prince is something our family will proudly celebrate for generations.”
“Of course, I know.”
“If I give a little hint to His Majesty, I’m sure he would reward you greatly.”
“That seems likely.”
“If you wish, I could keep the details to myself and simply tell him that you are the one who saved me, turning you into a hero.”
“Is that so?”
It seemed Diego had stopped beating around the bush and was speaking to me directly. I offered a slightly disinterested agreement to his serious words. He looked at me with a puzzled expression as he rested his chin.
“But why do you want to keep this a secret?”
I slowly rolled my eyes. Saving the Crown Prince was undoubtedly a significant achievement that would bring honor and wealth. I gazed back at him and smiled faintly as he tried to read my thoughts with furrowed brows.
“First of all, I have personal circumstances that I would prefer not to disclose.”
“It must be something difficult to talk about.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Diego narrowed his eyes. His piercing, analytical gaze and fluctuating emotions were strangely mixed within his blue eyes, fixed on me.
In the original story, Diego was inherently kind-hearted, but having to survive threats to his life and slander from a young age, he had also been equipped with a harsh rationality.
‘I do love you, but… my reason sees you merely as a suitable bride. So I’m not quite sure if my feelings for you are sincere.’
At some point, the original Diego confessed something like this to Aria. He was a person tormented between surging emotions and harsh logic.
Gazing intently at the slightly confused Diego, I impulsively added one more line.
“And you said you would help without taking anything in return. Receiving a reward in that manner wouldn’t exactly be considered giving without compensation.”
I added nonchalantly, and Diego’s eyes widened.
In that moment, I saw Diego, who was bristling with his defenses like a hedgehog upon receiving a favor, and I had no intention of retracting my words about helping without reward.
“Helping others is a natural thing. Don’t think too much about it.”
I calmly took a sip of tea. The hot gaze pouring over my skin felt like Diego’s considerate attempt to warm me on this cold winter day.
Diego let out a small huff and splashed some water on his face.
“You’re really sealing off all exits, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing at all.”
He tilted his head slightly as he glanced at his flushed ears. After a moment of staring off into space, Diego let out a faint sigh.
“…I will keep the secret. If you want, I can swear an oath by the sun, so you can rest easy.”
“I’ll trust you.”
Diego is not the type to make empty promises, even if he remains silent. I declared my belief without difficulty, and soon after, Diego returned to his usual pace and smiled slowly, tilting his head. Following the angle of his lean, golden hair cascaded down smoothly.
“So now, have we become not just Didi and Shushu, but the Crown Prince and the Princess?”
“It seems so.”
Knowing he was the Crown Prince, I could no longer act cheekily like I did in that cabin. Wondering if he was planning to punish me for that incident made me feel a bit tense as Diego’s eyes softened and he leaned closer to me.
It was when his face drew near that I flinched.
“But when it’s just the two of us, isn’t a little bit of deviation okay?”
“Um…”
I blinked slowly at the change in his tone. Our eyes met so closely. With oddly wavering eyes, Diego smoothly lifted the corners of his mouth into a smile. He certainly resembled an angel, but his smile had the allure of a devil.
“When we’re alone, call me Didi. Just like that night we spent together.”
‘Oh no, is he crazy?…
I felt like I might go insane looking at Diego, who whispered such a bizarre statement in a low voice, fearing someone might overhear and misunderstand. It wasn’t entirely wrong, but the way he said it made it feel like he was referring to more than just a night spent sleeping.
‘…This guy is enjoying himself right now.’
I glared at Diego, who looked thoroughly amused. Referring to a Crown Prince by a nickname was only something close friends would do.
“But how could I call you Your Highness?”
“Are you saying you won’t call me that?”
His cat-like, playful eyes drooped in a way that made it feel pitiable. Every time he made that expression, I felt like a traitor to my country. Sighing, I felt like I was being drawn into Diego’s charms.
“…Didi. Please don’t say things that could easily lead to misunderstandings in front of others.”
“Of course, if that’s what you wish, Shushu.”
Diego smiled brightly. It felt like sunlight particles fell around him in a shower. I thought to myself that such carefree laughter showed a complete disregard for the surrounding people’s optic nerves.
“The arm I treated that day, is it okay now?”
“You know the Sword Master’s recovery ability. It’s completely healed. How about your wounds, Didi?”
“I too recovered nicely from the skill of the one who treated me.”
I chuckled at Diego’s banter. This situation was absurd, yet quite amusing. It seemed for a moment Diego’s pupils flickered slightly.
“Didi.”
“Huh, what?”
With an expression that seemed out of place, Diego was staring at somewhere between my eyes and nose. He answered a beat too late. I couldn’t help but chuckle, reflecting on how I had glimpsed his human side, which seemed perfectly calibrated between cool rationality and kindness.
‘I wanted friends since I was young.’
I had one person who I could somewhat call a friend, but I’ve cut ties with them. I could say Eld was my friend, but that felt somewhat ambiguous.
With a faintly excited smile, I opened my mouth.
“It’s limited to when it’s just the two of us, but we are using each other’s nicknames, aren’t we?”
“That… is true.”
“And we spent a night together too.”
“No… I guess that’s true too.”
Somehow, Diego’s face turned bright red. I grinned brightly at him.
“Then we are friends now, right?”
The slightly excited expression on Diego’s face completely vanished. The temperature dropped dramatically, as if we had shifted from spring to winter.
‘…Isn’t this the standard for friendship?’
I tilted my head. I had never really had proper friends, so I didn’t know what the criteria for friendship was. I genuinely pondered whether sharing a hot spring and singing together should be the threshold for calling someone a friend. Diego let out a sigh.
“…Yes. We are friends.”
After being abandoned by the world and living with very few friends for 18 years, my very first true friend was none other than the illustrious Crown Prince Diego Solaritne. I felt a flutter in my chest as I beamed.
“It’s an honor. I’m so happy.”
Diego, who had been staring intently at me, let out a deep sigh. From the way he continued to sigh, it looked like he had some grand plan to extinguish the entirety of the imperial palace. He touched his forehead and sighed again.
“I’m glad too…”
His expression looked oddly detached.
“Now that we’re friends, you must take your friend’s secrets to the grave.”
“I will keep my secrets. Should I stamp it with the Crown Prince’s seal?”
“No.”
I slowly lifted my eyebrows.
“Friendship is a relationship built on mutual trust, isn’t it? So I trust you.”
I recalled what I had heard from El. Diego, who gazed at me with a bizarre expression, muttered.
“Is this a success or not…”
After mumbling something close to a lament, Diego glanced at the grandfather clock in the room and stood up.
“We should be getting up soon. If we stay any longer, it’s obvious His Majesty will write a great novel about us.”
Diego’s face showed obvious distaste at the mention of the Emperor. He forced a smile at the thought of running into the Emperor again, and I stood up too.
“Oh, your princess dress is still in shape?”
As soon as we entered the drawing room where the Emperor and my family were, His Majesty’s eyes flickered and landed on me amidst the noisy chatter. After switching looks between me and Diego, he grinned wickedly. Honestly, the Emperor seemed like a madman.
“What’s this, what’s this! You said you’d take her to the dressing room but instead went on a date, huh?”
“Your Majesty… please… uphold your dignity.”
As the Emperor’s insinuating question came, Diego put a hand to his forehead. His ears turned bright red at the word ‘date.’ Both Aria and Caesar, who looked somewhat disheveled, widened their eyes at this implication.
“Your Majesty, since it’s getting late, we shall take our leave.”
“Oh, won’t you have dinner before leaving? I have urgent matters to discuss with my Kashmir Princess…”
“Farewell.”
With a stiff expression, Caesar cut off the Emperor’s words and shot up. If it had been another noble, it might have been a punishable act, but since it was Crisis, he was let off the hook. The Emperor clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“You’re really prickly. Hey, Kashmir Princess! I will definitely… next time…”
“Let’s go, Shushu.”
Ignoring the Emperor, Caesar swiftly turned my body toward the door. Aria stood behind me, keeping a watchful eye. I was dragged out by Caesar and Aria without even being able to greet the Emperor or Diego.
“Yeah.”
As soon as Caesar stepped out of the drawing room, he stopped and looked back at me. I began to feel a sense of foreboding.
“So, who all is involved in this love square?”
It seemed the Emperor had spilled my debutante story. With a gaze as cold as ice, Caesar inquired, ready to tear apart anyone who looked at me the wrong way.