Mathias politely gave his farewell when they parted ways. He also didn’t forget to say one more time that he will send someone with a letter tomorrow.

Returning to her palace, Sezh wondered why Mathias Kareem would be so kind to her.

‘It must be because he is pitying me, right?’

Let alone being treated like a princess, Sezh was ignored in the Imperial Palace. Because of Mathias’s kind personality, Sezh thought she was being sympathized with, but it was okay. What can she do? Her situation was indeed like that.

Sezh didn’t want to be overconfident. Just look at how ‘easily’ she could understand conversation topics amongst people around her since she was a child.

And since this was her first time interacting with people outside the Imperial Palace, Sezh was very excited. Yet, she didn’t think this would last long. If Mathias pitied her and only wanted to show kindness, he would only exchange a few letters with her.

Still, Sezh was excited. It was strange to have someone paying attention to the forgotten princess like this.

***

Without her realizing it, the day already turned into night.

Luna seemed to have meticulously prepared everything. She even prepared a black cloak that Sezh had never seen before. The hood was so big that it obscured all her vision, but Sezh thought it was better than walking around with her face exposed.

Luna accompanied her to Raytan’s palace. It was late at night; still, as Luna said, nobody was around since the place was very remote. Instead, Sezh saw the old training ground on the way there. No one should be using it anymore, but it looked like otherwise.

It was night, so she could hardly see well, but the thing that stuck out in the corner of the training ground was definitely a water bottle– a recently used water bottle.

Sezh was puzzled about that. However, since she was about to arrive at Raytan’s palace, she needed to pay a little more attention to where she was walking.

“Princess, now you can enter the palace securely. There will be no maid or attendant right now.”

“Thank you, Luna.”

“I’ll come before dawn to pick you up.”

After throwing a farewell to Luna, Sezh carefully stepped into the palace. There was really no one! She could not see a maid or even a servant anywhere. Besides, the place looked so old, and the size of Raytan’s palace was not on the big side at all. Maybe it was about half the size of Lady Lize’s palace? No, it could be less than half.

…But where should she go?

Sezh stood in the hallway and looked around, but someone suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

“Ahhhh!” Surprised, Sezh screamed and turned her head.

“Why are you so surprised?”

“Oh, Brother?”

“Who would it be if not me?”

Turning around her body, Sezh found Raytan staring down at her. Relieved, she calmed her heart down.

“That, I didn’t know where I should go… “

“Follow me.”

Raytan took the lead and started walking. Sezh followed him with hurried steps.

In the heavy air, she could smell the faint odor of sweat. Sezh guessed it came from Raytan.

***

The place where Raytan took Sezh was a library… No, it was embarrassing to call it a library since the space was so small. It was almost like a storage room. Of course, there was also no such thing as a decent bookshelf. There was just a shabby table and chair and a chaise with scratches in several places.

“Sit down.”

“Yes,” Sezh took a seat in front of the desk.

Raytan looked around and then picked up an old blanket.

“Cover it with this,” he said.

Following that, he sat on the chaise.

“What?”

“It’s not an important thing… It’s exciting because I’m with you at such a late hour. And, we are also in Brother’s palace…”

“What’s so exciting?”

“Just… How should I say this? Well, it’s like I went out secretly to play.”

“It’s true that you went out secretly to play.”

“Is it? I don’t think so. I came here to get tutoring.”

Raytan smirked. Not long after that, he swept his slightly sweaty hair back.

“Where have you been?” Sezh asked.

“Just around here.”

“There was only a training ground nearby…”

Raytan didn’t reply.

However, Sezh guessed that the place he went to seemed to be the training ground. He was wet with sweat, and Sezh recalled the water bottle she saw earlier. Maybe it was Raytan’s too. But he looked like he would never say anything about that, so Sezh decided not to ask anymore.

“Why are you staring into space again? You said you came here to receive tutoring.”

“Ah, yes, right. Homework. I already finished my homework…” Sezh took the book out of her bag and handed it to Raytan.

Raytan quietly checked Sezh’s work.

Sezh already knew Kazaki before, but she thought her skills had improved a lot. It wasn’t just her writing; she could also speak well in Kazaki now. Even if she went to a country where Kazaki is the native language, she would easily be able to speak without difficulty. In other words, Sezh was saying that she actually didn’t need tutoring anymore.

“… Sezh.”

“What? Is there a part that I answered incorrectly?”

“No, it’s all correct.”

Raytan returned the book to Sezh.

“Now I think you can do well enough on your own. What’s the reason you keep coming for tutoring?”

Of course, it was him who changed the tutoring place to his palace. He was the one giving the tutoring and even tricked his mother. But why is this kid still here?

He had long ago asked the question, and Raytan now fixed his gaze on her.

“I just…”

“Just?”

Sezh was flustered for a moment. But what… Did she have to hide this? Sezh didn’t want Raytan to have a bad presumption about her, so she decided to answer honestly.

“It’s good to learn Kazaki, but… I enjoy spending time with you, Brother…”

“…”

“Of course, I’m bothering you but…”

Raytan remained silent. He just laid down on the chaise and placed his hand on his forehead.

“Should I just go?”

“Solve the problems.”

“But you look tired…”

“Don’t continue with your useless worrying.”

“Yes.”

‘As you wish then,’ Sezh decided to solve the problems first.

Sruk. Sruk.

The sound of her writing in the narrow room echoed.

Even when the tutoring was in Lady Lize’s library, Raytan would sit next to Sezh and stare at her until she’d solved all the problems. But if… No, he might have already fallen asleep since he laid down like that.

Sezh sneakily glanced at Raytan.

Suddenly, he came up with a late answer to her question.

“It’s not bothersome.”

“…”

“At first it was, but not now.” After that, he shut his mouth again.

Sezh initially wanted to say ‘Thank you’ or ‘I’m relieved,’ but she discarded that idea because Raytan’s voice sounded exhausted. She was afraid he couldn’t rest well if he had to answer her in a conversation.

Of course, Sezh was happy.

Contrary to his grunting words, Raytan took good care of her. However, she was worried that she might still bother him. When Sezh recalled the day she first started getting tutored, Raytan was crueler back then.

From: ‘If you don’t want to learn, go back to your palace. I’m not teaching you because I like it.’

To: ‘It’s not bothersome.’

From: ‘Stupid girl.’

To: Sezh.

Remembering that, Sezh chuckled. After that, she began to solve the problems again.

***

“Brother.”

After solving the problems, Sezh tried to call Raytan, but there was no response. He seemed to have taken a little nap.

“Are you tired…?”

Sezh, who was looking at Raytan, suddenly began to wonder about his daily routine.

Beginning four years ago to just yesterday, he tutored her in Kazaki every morning to late afternoon or early evening. And… perhaps he also went to the training ground after that.

Sezh didn’t know much about swordsmanship or martial arts. However, it seemed that a day or two of practice would not increase your skills.

Has Raytan always been back at this time? But it was too late at night.

Besides, even if he sleeps from now until the early morning when it is the original time for tutoring… he would not get enough sleep.

Then when will Raytan take a rest?

Sezh quietly put down her book and looked at Raytan. His hand, which was placed on his forehead, was slowly dropping to the floor.

She could hear the sound of his steady breath. Sezh thought she would have been scared if she was still like her past self.

Thinking about that, Raytan must have trained himself in secret to initiate the coup.

But now… Instead of the fishy smell of blood when he slashed her throat, it was the faint smell of sweat that poked at her nose. Rather than a face full of ridicule and hatred, the one she caught in her eyes now was his exhausted face.

However, it could be just her opinion that Raytan trained himself to prepare for his coup.

All the princes have trained in martial arts.

It was Raytan. He was not treated like a prince, so he didn’t get formal training… Maybe he envied other princes too.

It was like what Sezh felt when she saw Lillian’s debut. Maybe that is why Raytan wanted to learn swordsmanship or martial arts, even if he has to train by himself.

Suddenly, Sezh recalled the monarchy and political books she had seen in the library four years ago, but she quickly tried to brush it off from her mind.

That’s right.

It will be fine.

She could stop that. Lady Lize, who was going to be poisoned by her mother, and Raytan, who will stage a coup… She will stop it.

Sezh quietly rose from her seat and then squatted next to Raytan, who had fallen asleep.

“Brother… are you asleep?”

He was a person who would notice even the tiniest presence of things. He must be tired, or maybe it was because he already fell so deeply asleep.

Sezh poked Raytan’s cheek very lightly, but it was still a futile attempt to make him respond to her.

Sezh then covered Raytan with the blanket he gave her earlier. After that, she muttered in a small voice, “Sleep tight, Brother. Have a nice dream.”

She didn’t notice it but… at the end of her words, Raytan’s lips pulled into a small arc of a smile.