Frédéric Belmartier was greatly taken aback by the unexpected visit of the second prince. Born into a bourgeois family, he had lived a moderately prosperous life, but he had never expected to encounter any members of the imperial family, let alone three of them. If it weren’t for Marcel’s work, he would have gone through life without ever facing the imperial family.

Another puzzling aspect for Frédéric was that Leonard’s visit was solely for Anais and nothing else. Frédéric, who was unaware of his disguise, was presented a plaque as proof that he was Leonard Antoine de Charleroi, the 2nd Prince of Leans and Duke of Pyrenees-Roger. He expressed his desire to meet Anais directly with Frédéric.

“President Belmartier, I would like to borrow your daughter for a few hours.”

“Yes?”

Frédéric and Anais greeted Leonard with surprise in the cozy and warmly furnished living room. Without hesitation, Leonard asked Frédéric for permission to take Anais out. It was a request that Leonard made knowing there was a risk of rejection. However, Frédéric and Anais, who had never been alone with the royal family, couldn’t see through Leonard’s intentions. Frédéric Bellemartier, a pacifist at heart and a half-republican, couldn’t dare to refuse the demands made by the second prince. And so, Anias suddenly found herself going out with the prince.

Leonard took Anais to his villa on the outskirts of the Seine. The villa had been a birthday present he received at the age of ten and was originally the mansion of a rebel. The tall clock tower in the center of the building was particularly beautiful. Guided by the prince’s hand, Anais entered the clock and they took the elevator to the very top of the tower.

Once inside, Leonard pushed the clock, which opened and closed like a window, with all his strength, causing it to creak open. The prince’s gorgeous auburn hair, the girl’s brilliant silver hair, and the hem of her blue dress glimmered in the sunlight and fluttered in the wind. Through the open clock, they had a wide view of the well-tended garden and the sparkling lake next to the mansion. If they looked a little farther, they could see the city of Seine, resembling a small model city. If they shifted their gaze even further, they could catch sight of the Royal Palace of Les Angs and the Rotecher Palace.

“How do you like it? Isn’t it beautiful?”

Leonard often came here to refresh himself when he was in a bad mood for no reason, or when he felt disappointed in his father and brother’s behavior. Looking down from this height, greeted by the wind, it felt like a magnificent landscape painting where everything in the world was perfectly depicted. He hoped that Anais would find comfort here, just as he did on gloomy days.

Indeed, Leonard had a fondness for high places, or more precisely, for the breathtakingly beautiful vistas that could be seen from them. He would do anything to protect that lovely scenery and make it even more beautiful. However, there was just one problem.

“Radish,” She blurted out.

“Radish?”

“Oh, I’m scared, Your Highness…”

There were people in the world who were extremely afraid of heights.

“I’m sorry. It’s pointless to ask you not to be scared…”

Leonard apologized sincerely after bringing the terrified Anais down and settling in the drawing room of the mansion. In retrospect, he found the sight of the child clutching his waist and tightly closing her eyes all the way to the mansion very endearing. It even managed to lighten his own mood. But his apology was heartfelt.

This was the first time he had experienced such a situation with someone else. It had never occurred to him that there could be people who were afraid of heights. It was his own oversight.

“Oh no, Your Highness! I was a little scared, but I actually enjoyed it!”

“I feel utterly ashamed…”

“And the wind! The wind was cool, and…”

Anais desperately tried to assure him, even gesturing with her hands. She seemed greatly concerned that her reaction on top of the clock tower might have annoyed Leonard. More than anything, Leonard regretted that. He wanted to be friends with Anais, but he had never made an effort to fit himself into someone else’s world, due to his upbringing, his personality, and even his taste.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

Something entirely new.

For Leonard Antoine de Charleroi, Anais Belmartier was a fresh opponent from beginning to end. Yet, he never felt bothered or annoyed by her efforts to fit into his world. For Leonard, that in itself was a completely new sensation. Anais was like a new path he discovered after tirelessly walking on a well-paved road.

“You don’t have to try to please me. I was the one at fault.”

“But, Your Highness!”

Leonard, torn between sincere apologies and the unfamiliar feeling that arose, tried to change the subject, abruptly stopping Anais with a tilt of his chin. It seemed he wanted to divert the conversation because accepting her repeated apologies was becoming difficult. Leonard was determined to put in the same effort.

“Hmm?”

“I mean this…”

Anais took something out of her bag while calling it ‘this.’ Leonard momentarily forgot what it was, but it turned out to be a very familiar object. It was the pure white handkerchief he had given her at the funeral home.

“I need to return this, but I can’t go see His Highness, so I’ve been worrying about it.”

The girl confessed, blushing and laughing shyly. As Leonard saw that smile before him, he found himself at a loss for words. He didn’t need her to return it, but he held back what he was about to say. Instead, he accepted the handkerchief from Anais with both hands.

“Thank you very much, Your Highness. For today and that day.”

Anais’ voice had a calming quality to it, unlike that of a twelve-year-old. Leonard was captivated by the soft jingling of the lily of the valley. The handkerchief he received seemed a bit whiter and carried a pleasant scent that he hadn’t noticed when he gave it to her.

Thank you? Once again, Leonard felt a peculiar sensation from Anais’ gentle words. After pondering for a while, he realized it was a sense of shame. To the point that he couldn’t raise his head in the face of her gratitude.

“You don’t need to thank me. Not only for today but also for that day.”

He fiddled with the handkerchief in his hands and mumbled like a fifteen-year-old prince. And it was true. Today’s attempt to console her, which he had ambitiously prepared, had failed due to his lack of consideration. And that day… Overwhelmed by guilt and shame, his gray eyes sank with bitterness.

He shouldn’t dare to accept gratitude for what he did that day. After all, he was a young and inexperienced prince who had just turned fifteen, had only left the imperial palace twice, and had never lived a life tailored to others.

“I know no one would have told you this.”

Leonard looked down at the handkerchief, his voice carrying a tone of sincerity, and then he clenched it tightly as if

 he had made up his mind.

“Truly… I am deeply sorry.”

In that moment, he couldn’t forget the sight of the girl’s deep blue eyes, wide open and shimmering as if she were on the brink of tears. Her eyes were filled with a profound sadness. The boy was certain that he would remember that image forever. That intense conviction came with the sound of his heart pounding as if it were about to burst.

? ? ?

Contrary to her worries, finding Leonard wasn’t as difficult as Anais had imagined. When she finally found him, he was sitting against a large tree on a high hill overlooking the small town of Dunang. Anais felt relieved that he didn’t appear to have been discovered or chased. However, seeing him weakly leaning against the tree, with his arm resting on one knee, filled her heart with pain and sorrow.

Anais climbed the hill, slowly approaching Leonard while holding onto the hem of her skirt. He must have sensed her presence, but he didn’t turn back. As she realized that if she had been someone sent by the revolutionary army instead of herself, she might have caused trouble for him, she felt even more anxious. She remembered seeing the newspaper. Come to think of it, he had also gone to the battle site yesterday. She couldn’t fathom why he acted as if he were someone who didn’t value his life. Anais, now standing right behind Leonard, called out to him cautiously, her voice filled with worry and concern.

“Your Highness.”

“I was hiding, but I suppose it’s amusing that I was found.”

Leonard murmured in despair without even turning around.

“It had to be you who found me.”

It sounded as if he had known it was her from the moment she approached. Anais clenched her fists silently. Did he want Marcel or Marie to find him instead? It would have been better if that were the case. Otherwise, saying ‘It has to be you’ would be no different from saying he desired an unwelcome pursuer.

“How did you find me?”

“I asked Madame Bruni where the highest hill in the area was.”

“You have a good memory.”

Leonard replied sarcastically, still seated with his back to her, observing the sunset that turned the vast forest red. Only a few people knew that he would go up high whenever he was in a bad mood, trying to change his state of mind. Perhaps Anais was the only one who knew now. She hesitated to speak, her gaze fixed on his hair, which glowed even redder in the sunset, and his profile, tinged with the hues of the setting sun.