***
Sez’s mind was off somewhere else during their tutoring.
Simply put, she was distracted.
Of course, Rayton caught her blank expression.
“Hey, idiot.”
“Yes…
yes?”
“What the hell have you been thinking about?”
Rayton showed Sez her test paper, which was full of red slashes.
It was indeed disastrous.
“If you don’t want to do it, just quit.
Do you think I have tons of time to spare?”
“Oh, no!
It’s not like that…”
Sez came to her senses as she waved her hands desperately.
Rayton frowned slightly as he looked at her.
“What’s the matter?”
“……”
“Did you get beaten again?”
“Huh?”
“…
It must have been Lilien.”
Rayton looked annoyed again.
“I didn’t get beat up today though.”
“Then, what is it?
Out with it already!”
Sez hesitated and looked at Rayton.
The first thing that caught her eye was his blood-red eyes.
He had the same eyes as Eton.
Sez chose her next words carefully.
“Um, brother, I have a question…”
“What is it?”
“Is there anyone else who has…
well…
red eyes…?”
Rayton frowned reflexively as she talked about his eyes.
It was a complex question for him, come to think of it.
Sez realized that a bit too late and tried to cover up her mistake.
“…
that are as pretty as yours in the palace?”
“……”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while.
Your eyes are so, well, beautiful.”
“……”
“They look just like rubies…”
Sez kept rambling as Rayton remained silent.
Honestly, Sez thought that he’d yell at her, but he didn’t.
He just stared at Sez.
“My eyes are…
what?”
“R-red?”
“Not that.”
“Beautiful?”
Rayton squinted at her.
“You’re spewing nonsense.”
Sez flinched.
“I- I wasn’t lying, though…”
She had really meant it.
Sez used to be scared of Rayton too, back before she was beheaded, as everyone kept babbling about his curse or whatever.
But now, she wasn’t.
She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t scared of him at all, but she didn’t think he was a monster.
Plus, Rayton’s eyes really did remind her of a glimmering ruby.
Rayton would never have been treated this badly if it wasn’t for the legend.
“I apologize if I made you feel bad…”
“There’s no one.”
“Yes?”
“I’m the only one with red eyes.”
“…
I thought so too.”
What was the deal with Eton, then?
His and Rayton’s blood-red eyes were identical.
This meant that Rayton didn’t know who Eton was…
Sez tilted her head.
“Every royal has blue eyes, they look disgustingly alike.”
Sez remembered what Rayton had said to her a few days ago.
“Blonde hair and blue eyes.
You blasted royals all look alike.
Like inbred dogs.
I know exactly what you lordlings think of me.
You’re thinking that I’m no different.”
“…….”
“I despise you.
I despise you more than you hate me.
I’d gladly kill you all if I had a chance.”
Sez wondered if he still felt the same about her, the same disgusting filth, just like the other lordlings in the palace.
Sez pouted, she suddenly felt very small.
“Then do you…”
“What?”
“Do you hate me too?”
“……”
“I like you, Rayton.”
Rayton paused.
“I don’t know what the others think, but I like my brother.
I’ve never hated your eyes, and I never thought you were a…
monster like the legend says.”
Rayton was silent for a moment.
Sez stopped babbling and raised her head to peep at him.
His expression was unreadable.
‘Maybe he doesn’t believe me.’ Sez deliberated for a second, then decided to act boldly.
“I like you the most in the palace, except for Runa.”
“Runa?”
“She’s my lady-in-waiting.”
“…So you think of me as a maid.”
“What?
No, not at all!”
Sez shook her head frantically.
“You and Runa are the only people who are good to me, so you’re the only ones I like.
I’m not fond of anyone else.”
She thought she chose her words well to gain his favor.
Half of it was an exaggeration, of course.
Rayton was the one to cut off her head before, but he had actually been pretty good to her for the last few days, except for his stupid, teasing comments.
“What about your mother…?”
“What?”
“You didn’t name your mother.”
Sez’s eyes widened at the sudden question.
Rayton should’ve known, it wasn’t a secret that Sez was a nobody to Yerna.
Sez wondered why he was asking such a question but decided to answer honestly.
“I don’t really like my mother…
because she doesn’t like me either.”
“……”
“I can’t do anything about it, but once I become an adult, I want to leave the palace.”
“…
Leave the palace?” Rayton asked again.
“Yes, I’ll appeal to His Imperial Majesty once I enter adulthood.
I looked into it before and there actually were some cases in which a prince or princess left the palace.
If I manage to…”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“…Brother?”
“You clearly have no idea what kind of person your mother is.
Do you think she’ll let you go once you reach the prime age for marriage?
She’ll probably be busy trying to sell you off to some rich noble family.”
He had a fair point.
Rayton was already expecting what seventeen-year-old Sez never saw coming.
But there was one more thing that Sez didn’t tell him.
Rayton was also one of the reasons why Sez wanted to leave the palace since he chopped Sez’s head off not long after she became an adult.
Her plan went as follows.
She predicted that Rayton would attempt a coup.
Sez didn’t know how the future would go, but she thought that expecting the worst was always the better option.
Rayton attempts a coup.
When?
Right after Sez enters adulthood.
What’s her best move?
Bailing out.
Before Rayton does his thing!
Then she’d have nothing to worry about.
The only issue was that Rayton may hunt Sez down.
Trying to win his favor was the countermeasure for that problem.
He wouldn’t come after her if they were close, Sez thought.
Of course, she was still wrapping her head around how to escape the palace.
“I’m going to find a way somehow; I still have five years left…”
“……”
“If that doesn’t work out, I’ll just run away!” Sez proclaimed bravely.
She’d simply vault the wall if there was no other way.
No one would chase her, because, by the time Sez fled from the palace, Rayton would already be staging a coup.
The people inside the palace were not her concern, anyway.
Her sole goal was to escape.
“……”
Rayton stared at Sez as she smiled innocently.
Then he spat his next words out in a low voice.
“My life would be much easier with this annoying brat gone.”
If Sez disappeared like that, no one would bother him.
It’d be good for both him and Sez.
Rayton truly thought as such, but…
he didn’t know why he was frowning.
“Brother, are you not feeling well?
You don’t look so good.”
“Mind your own business.”
“How can I do that when you’re right in front of me…?”
Instead of answering, Rayton grabbed his cup and gulped down the coffee.
“Are you thirsty, brother?”
‘Then you should just drink water, not coffee?’
Sez tilted her head.
Rayton slammed his cup down.
“Why did you ask that all of a sudden?”
“Ask what?”
“You asked me if there were anyone who has the same eye color as me.”
“Oh, that’s…”
Sez pondered for a moment.
‘Well, should I just tell him?
Can I tell him?’
Eton suggested keeping it a secret, but Sez wasn’t certain that the man wasn’t just a shady weirdo.
If he was, Sez would be responsible for Lisette’s safety if she didn’t tell Rayton about him.
There also was no reason for her to be loyal to him, as they had only met once.
Of course, the magic stuff was a little surprising.
Eton had said that he could teach her, but Sez didn’t think that she had the ability for that.
‘Let’s just tell him…’
Sez made up her mind.
“Well, actually, this morning…”
“Yes?”
“I saw a strange man…”
“A strange man?”
“……”
“Out with it.”
Rayton hassled Sez, but she didn’t answer.
She couldn’t, to be precise.
She couldn’t twitch her lips, let alone speak.
“Hmmph!
Hmmph!”
“What?”
Rayton frowned as Sez freaked out.
She literally couldn’t open her lips.
It was like someone had glued her mouth shut.
Sez pointed her mouth with trembling fingers.
“What is it?”
Rayton looked at Sez like she was insane.
Sez answered with her desperate whimpering.
Rayton jumped up from his seat, finally realizing that something was wrong, and shoved his face in front of hers.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Hmph!
Hmmph!”
‘I can’t say anything!
I can’t even open my lips!’
“Go outside if you’re going to vomit again.”
‘It’s not that, you idiot!’
“…….”
Rayton examined Sez thoroughly.
She didn’t seem like she was about to throw up…
but something wasn’t right.
“Hmmph…
Hmphhh…”
“Hey!”
“Hrrrrgh….”
“….”
“…Hmph.”
Sez made a couple of funny noises before she began to sob.
Tears as clear as crystal filled her blue eyes and eventually dripped down her cheeks.
For a moment, Rayton looked visibly shaken.
“Hmph!
Hrrrrgh!”
Sez let out a muffled sound as Rayton lifted her up.
Rayton didn’t care about Sez’s babbling as he ran out of the library with her in his arms.