Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince

The way Albert said such things naturally always made me nervous.
Does he know just how much his casual words make my heart pound?

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It would be nice if I had the power to look into people’s hearts.
I’m not a bold enough person to be comfortable right away with the person who confessed to her.

I know that this happiness now might not last forever, and I also know that the affection he’s harboring for me could leave just as easily as it came.
So, I can’t fully trust the prince.

Despite such sentiments, there were still times when I got overcome with the urge to take his hand and let go of all the thoughts and worries that were holding me back.
There were times when I wanted to accept his feelings without ever worrying about the future.

A person’s heart was very simple, and it was all too easy for it to waver when in comes an elegant, attractive prince who keeps approaching me despite my efforts to push him away.

He’s cheeky, knows how to handle people well, and knows just how much his words affect others.

I looked straight into Albert’s eyes.
Looking at him this close, those red eyes now feel different compared to when I first saw them.

As he now looked ahead again, his angular jawline became visible to me.

Framed by jewel-like gray hair beneath the dark night sky, his perfect jawline could be seen.
Below, it was his protruding adam’s apple and his wide shoulders.

…I believe it’s been a while since I’ve said this.
But as I continued to stare at him with a serious face, I somehow got grumpy, wanting to make his heart waver just as he did with mine.

“Prince.”

“Seems like you have something to say.”

“Yes, Prince.
You’re handsome today, too.”

Well, something like this wouldn’t make Albert’s heart pound, but it didn’t seem like he hated hearing it either.

Hearing my words, Albert blinked a couple of times before he lowered his gaze to match mine once more.
He smiled as he asked.

“Is there a reason for why you’re trying to butter me up?”

The answer: honesty.
It’s impossible to play hard to get with Albert.
I decided to express my feelings little by little, even if it wasn’t direct.

I opened my lips and spoke honestly.

“I wanted to see you get surprised by why I said, Prince.
I feel like I’m the only one who gets taken aback every time.”

“Compliments aren’t bad, but there’s another way to surprise me.
You’ve already let me personally experience it.”

“Wouldn’t it be impossible to surprise you if you already know?”

“No, it’s possible.”

“How?”

The eyes that glanced down at me were curved beautifully.

“You can come and give in to me.”

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“……”

“And you can kiss me first.”

It really makes me wonder if Albert Grey was originally a man who’d talk with such a shameless face.
When I squinted at him instead of answering, Albert shrugged.

“You’re really not falling for it, Rosé.
I’ll have to try harder.”

“You don’t have to do that.
I’m still overwhelmed.”

“The most important thing is that you’re still here with me, Rosé.”

As always, he smiled all the same, but his low voice carried an underlying weight.

I’m too scared to address that weight.
I know for a fact that the moment I try to do so, it would be a point of no return.
In such a case, it would be best to pretend not to know anything or just pretend not to notice it.

Fortunately, we were standing over the magic circle now.
While looking up at him, I spoke with an over-enthusiastic voice.

“You can drop me off now.
My headache isn’t bothering me and I can walk on my own.”

“That’s right.”

Albert took a scattered lock of my hair in his hand.
As he tucked it behind my ear, the back of his hand touched my cheek, leaving behind a trail of warmth.

“But not me.
I’m constantly using magic.”

“Prince, you’re being too obvious these days.”

“You wouldn’t notice unless I make it obvious.”

Yes, I wouldn’t ‘notice’ unless Albert tells me.
So, it was another jab at my conscience.
Albert really knew me well.

“But still, I can walk…”

Before I could finish talking, our surroundings suddenly changed.
I was still in Albert’s arms, and we’ve arrived in the north.

“…What.”

And in front of us were Duke Liam Masen—

“Y-Your Highness?”

—and Baron Schubert Bergen, who had an indignant expression on his face.

As I made eye contact with Schubert, I saw how his lips opened and closed several times.
He looked so hurt, as if he had witnessed his lover having an affair.

It seemed like my reputation with Liam and Schubert had crumbled to pieces right from the get-go.

I’m not doing it on purpose either!

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I struggled to get down from Albert’s arms, but even if I tried to push him with all my strength, it could never be enough.

Albert turned towards his vassals with an expressionless face, pulling me close despite my vigorous resistance.

“Stay still, Rosé.
You have to be close to me so that the black magic can be contained.
Who do you think is stopping your headache?”

…What Albert told me before we left the tower came to my mind.
It’s not that I wasn’t feeling pain, but Albert, now able to use magic outside, was the one blocking it!

…More than making a bad impression, I hated feeling pain.
So, I decided to remain obedient.

“Good girl.”

Albert said this quietly, looking into my eyes as I stopped resisting.
Liam’s forehead became wrinkled as he watched Albert smile calmly.

Fortunately, Liam and Schubert were the only ones who came to see us.
Maybe they’re the only ones Albert called, so the others didn’t know.

The prince carried me with one arm and reached out to Liam.
Liam stood blankly in place, as though he was genuinely in shock.

He’s handsome even when he’s frowning.
Even so, Liam looked quite scary right now.
All I could think of was how evil I looked in the eyes of someone who’s loyal to Albert, thinking that I was a witch.

It was Albert who spoke first.

“I apologize for suddenly making a visit at this time.
First, take out the coat I asked you to bring.”

With one corner of his lips raised, Albert snatched the coat out of Liam’s hand.
It wasn’t the same natural smile I saw whenever I was with him—it was a monarch’s smile that made his magnificence shine.

“I know you want an explanation, but there’s no time for that now.
Just as I trust you, this time, you trust me.”

Albert gave no ounce of hesitance in his decision.
His confidence was what attracted people.

“…I understand.”

The short response was convincing enough.

Albert placed the large coat over me, and my vision soon turned dark.
The arms holding me were still firm.

He started walking.

“Let’s go.”

With the short remark, I could hear the sound of their footsteps over the snow-laden road.
Liam and Schubert followed Albert silently and without any protest.

“…Everything’s weeeiird……”

Blanc muttered silently, perhaps feeling the strange atmosphere flowing between me, Albert, Liam and Schubert.

I thought that he was sleeping until now, but it seemed like he heard everything.

“Blanc, why didn’t you sleep?”

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When I whispered to him, Blanc lowered his head for a bit and then raised it once again.

“I can’t sleeeep…”

Blanc’s eyes glinted clearly in the dark.

…You were worried.

Just as I did while Albert was sick, this little dragon was worried about me.
Enough to shake off all the drowsiness he used to feel just to keep me company.

“Don’t… get siiick…”

“……”

“You said… we’re gonna… see the wooorld…”

“……”

“Don’t diiie…”

Blanc’s eyes were brimming with tears as he dug into my arms.
I’m not sure whether Albert heard it because he said it in such a small voice.

…Yeah, I’ll go see the world with Blanc.
My goal is a relaxed, healing life.

The moment I followed Albert to the capital and people found out what kind of relationship we were in, it was natural that they would be the talk of the town.

A maid and a prince.
It was good enough material for gossip, and I knew all too well what kind of words would be said about me.

It’s impossible for me to push away Albert using only my own strength.
I don’t know if it’s because he’s a bulldozer when it comes to love, or if he really just didn’t care about his surroundings, but Albert was proving to be more reckless than I originally thought.

Anyway, I was here so that Albert could heal me, so I’ll stay put until it’s time to wake up from this and return to the tower.

It’s not like we wouldn’t see each other again in the future, so I should score some points with Schubert and Liam.

Because I might be able to get some help from Schubert or Liam since everyone in the world would oppose me and Albert getting together.

Albert and I were only spending more time together, and it could be because he’s a lonely man.

Time would solve everything.
I could disappear from his sight, and everything would return to the way it was.

Time could solve many things.

 

* * *

 

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I was carried somewhere else.
I had no idea if Liam dismissed the castle’s employees for a bit or if they just weren’t making noises, but I couldn’t feel their presence as we walked.

Coming into the room and locking the door behind him, Albert laid me down on the bed.
Only then did my vision brighten once more.

I still didn’t have a headache.

The shining chandelier on the ceiling was dazzling.
I frowned slightly at it this time, too.

The room was full of large and colorful decorations, and it had an even more antique feeling to it than the room I stayed in before.
Maybe this was Liam’s taste in décor.

“Your Highness.”

Liam called out first to Albert.
Still staring down at me until that point, Albert soon turned his head.
Liam asked with a serious expression.

“The fact that Your Highness is going to cure black magic… Is that true?”

“Yes, that’s why it would be best for you to leave.
I have to make a barrier inside the room.”

“Just as you’ve ordered, we also prepared the annex, but I still would like to ask if this is all worth Your Highness’ effort.”

The air between these two was strange.
Albert replied with a smile on his lips.

“You said to me before that you trust me.”

“It’s my first time seeing this side of you, Your Highness.
There’s no way for me to know whether this would be good or bad.”

What Liam said was also convincing.
Even more so since Albert had never acted this way before.

“What happened to me and the black magic surrounding Rosé right now are connected.
It’s better to investigate right away.”

“…Does Your Highness mean that it’s connected to the reason why you’re trapped inside the tower?”

“That’s right.”

Liam’s features grew serious.

“This didn’t come up when the mages had been tortured one by one…”

“There’s more things for you to look into now.”

“Yes.
I apologize deeply for doubting Your Highness.”

“You don’t have to be sorry for something that you were rightly suspicious about.
Then, can you leave now?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

That was enough to quell Liam’s doubts.
Schubert stepped up to see if there was anything more to say, but Liam quickly dragged him away by the collar.

Again, only the two of us, plus Blanc, remained.