Why You Should Be Responsible For Him - Chapter 5 Part 2

Innocent as I was, my body trembled as if my toes would drop. Ash, still wearing a smiling face, whispered to me.

“It’s okay.”

Then finally, Ash turned around and opened the way in front of me.

Eek!

All the servants were kneeling on one knee, creating a path. In between them, a middle-aged man with a robust and sturdy figure was striding towards us.

On the other hand, the woman walking with matching strides beside him seemed petite compared to me, but standing next to the man, the contrast was striking.

Not only that, but the woman’s cheeks were so white and plump through her clothes that it made her look adorable.

In short, although two different beings were walking side by side, they appeared harmonious, as if they were one. There was hardly any external similarity between them, except for one common point—they were outstandingly handsome and beautiful.

I know them. They don’t know me.

I’ve seen them several times.

Of course, I’ve never seen them in person, only in the newspapers!

Two men and women stopped and stood in front of me and Ash. The overwhelming pressure coming from them was tremendous. Even though they must be people who have the same eyes, nose, mouth, eat meals, and poop like everyone else, why do they feel like beings from a different dimension?

Swallowing dry saliva, I greeted them with proper manners.

“It is my pleasure to meet you Emperor of the Penterion, and Empress. I am Yveline Rovensdi, the daughter of Duke Rovensdi.”

“Nice to meet you, Yveline. It seems our son and you… get along quite well.”

It was the first time. Someone who didn’t freak out even after hearing the family name. Someone who, even after learning that I am an abandoned illegitimate child of the Rovensdi family, didn’t care at all.

In the academy, people were already familiar with my famous name, so even those who saw my face for the first time pretended not to know and played along with the rumors. However, I had never met anyone who didn’t look embarrassed or uncomfortable when introducing themselves to someone they had no connection to.

The Empress Levya Olson Penterion, with her dignified and affectionate tone, confidently stated rather than asked.

I was about to say, “We’re not that close,” but then I realized she might say, “Then why did you follow him here? Instead,

“Your Highness, I don’t know what you think, but in the academy, despite being my junior, there is a lot for me to learn from the Crown Prince, so I rely on him a lot.”

I said.

With an intention like, “Both of you are amazing! Being part of the royal family makes a significant difference. Just by the presence of nobility, one naturally bows and desires care and protection from the aristocracy, unlike us commoners who don’t receive such royal treatment!”

…I refrained from saying that aloud.

“I’m relying on you a lot too.”

Ash looked at me.

Crazy, you shouldn’t say such things here!

“Cough. Well. Even if that’s the case, in a place with many eyes, it’s awkwa…”

“It was a long way to get here, why don’t we all have a cup of tea?”

I saw Levya sharply elbow Hamilton VI in the waist.

Height? What was she trying to say?

Walking alongside the emperor and empress, I pondered the emperor’s words.

“I didn’t expect this much. It’s quite nice, senior.”

“If having tea with your parents is so good, then stop being so stubborn and just enter the palace.”

“But then I won’t get to see you, senior.”

Ash’s gaze stubbornly lingered on my face.

Shut up and walk straight ahead.

After giving me a penetrating look, he didn’t respond.

* * *

I walked through the vast palace and arrived at a white building with panoramic windows, surrounded by a garden in full bloom with colorful flowers.

The oval-shaped ceiling was unusually high as if it was designed for magic students to cast flying spells.

Sitting at the tea table, I faced the Emperor and Empress.

I sipped my tea, reminding myself of the manners I’d been taught in the somewhat awkward atmosphere (maybe just me), when Ash wiped the corner of my mouth with his handkerchief.

“Ugh……..”

I almost spit out the black tea in my mouth.

“You’ve got scones on you, senior.”

“Th-thanks.”

The smile on his face didn’t match his eyes.

What a disgraceful act I’ve done.

“Young-ae, how long has it been since you met our son?”

Even if we had encountered each other a few times at the academy, could it be considered a meeting? It felt awkward. We hadn’t really engaged in conversations.

It was only when I started tutoring him that we started seeing each other regularly, so I told him roughly that.

“It started this summer vacation.”

“Wow, it hasn’t been long, has it?”

“I think it’s because the crown prince is so sociable that we were able to get to know each other quickly.”

“…Our son being sociable?”

Levya glanced at Ash, tapping his cheek with a smirk.

“I’m surprised Ash hasn’t brought guests before, it’s amazing how close you are to our son…….”

“We meet every day. We even spent time together until late last night.”

“Ash?”

Instead of me, Ash promptly answered.

But why is your face turning red?

Click?

The sound of a silver spoon hitting the teacup echoed, and I caught the sharp sound that grated on my ears.

“Did you happen to meet at night to fulfill some ‘business’?”

I unintentionally overheard Levya’s muttering words accurately.

Business? What business?

My shoulders, which had been tense at the thought of informing the emperor and his wife, stiffened in a different way.

Did they know that I was working part-time?

They didn’t just leave the youngest prince unattended at the academy, they must have planted an invisible, mysterious figure to keep an eye on him! And since I’m the one he’s been seeing, he must have done a background check on me.

No wonder… Even though I mentioned being from the Rovensdi family, they seemed nonchalant! I underestimated the imperial family’s information network. I asked too many questions.

If the academy finds out that I’m working part-time, I’ll not only get demerit points, but I’ll also lose my dormitory during vacation.

Furthermore, accumulating demerits could lead to exclusion from the scholarship candidate list, no matter how good my grades are.

This can’t happen!

The crisis of a lifetime had arrived.

I tried to steady my shaking fingertips, concealing them under the table, and made an effort to calm down.

If they wanted to know, they would have informed the Academy. Why did they turn a blind eye until now. What can I say, I’m just a breeze to them, nothing to worry about.

Alright, let’s act confidently and shamelessly, Yveline. If I act like it’s no big deal from my side, maybe they’ll just let it slide.

It’s okay, everything will be okay.

“Did you… by any chance, yesterday…”

“Yes, I did!”

“Pfft.”

Levya’s lips parted.

Right, a noble lady doing a part-time job. It was natural to be culture shocked.

Ash started tapping his fist against his mouth beside me.

“Do you… work often?”

“Yes, I do it regularly. Like you mentioned, I did it yesterday, and today… I can’t do it because I’m in the palace, but I plan to do it tomorrow!”

“Puhaha!”

Ash leaned back, unable to contain his laughter.

Is it amusing that I’m in an awkward situation right now? Huh? What’s so funny?

Levya’s already pale face turned even more corpse-like.

“Even in our time, we were passionate, but these young people nowadays are truly remarkable.”

“I’m particularly diligent in that regard.”

“My lady!”

“Your Majesty, I’m feeling a bit dizzy. Could you take me to my room?”

Levya touched her forehead, swaying towards Hamilton VI’s chest. Maids rushed to Levya, and she managed to stand up with Hamilton VI’s support.

“It is rather difficult to keep up with the conversation of young people these days. Our deep conversation will have to wait until another time, when I will have adjusted my mind to your level.”

When I tried to bow, Levya raised her hand to stop me.

I could only stare at the Emperor and Empress as they walked away, mouth open in a dumbfounded silence.

“…Did I do something wrong?”

“No, not at all. It was perfect, senior. Really great.”

A chilly silence enveloped the space, but Ash, for some reason, continued to laugh as if he found it exciting.

* * *

After an awkward meeting with the emperor and his wife, we headed to the palace where the first emperor, Judiver, was staying.

“Do I have to come with you?”

“My meeting with my brother got delayed because I ran into my parents. It seems challenging to take you somewhere else, senior.”

It was an inevitable situation. Meeting the imperial couple was a pure coincidence.

Understanding Ash’s feelings with a broad mind, I decided to follow his lead.

We arrived at the golden arched door guarded by four armed knights. The knights kneeled and bowed their heads as they saw Ash.

“Please inform that I’ve arrived.”

One knight, wearing a tunic-colored cloak over his armor, stood up, knocked, and entered.

After a short while, the grand golden door swung open, and the knight guided us (or more accurately, Ash) inside.

“Ash, you little……!”

As the knight closed the door behind him, we heard familiar curses that didn’t match the solemn atmosphere. Somewhere, a cushion that looked expensive flew towards us. It was coming towards my face, and I could scrutinize it in detail, adorned with gold-embroidered dragons.

Oh, a fire-breathing dragon embroidery. How cool is that?

Thunk!

Ash caught it and forcefully threw it back. A not-too-distant “Oof!” sound reached our ears.

“Brother.”

Throwing the cushion, Judiver catches it and glares at Ash with a grunt.

Once again, attempting to lift the cushion, Judiver stopped and hurriedly greeted me from my side. While Ash’s tales portrayed a somewhat teasing sibling relationship, but I struggled to hide my embarrassment at the fierce greeting, which was completely unexpected.

“Nice to meet you, Prince Judiver. I’m Yveline Rovensdi, eldest daughter of the Duke of Rovensdi.”

Attempting to conceal my surprise, I managed to maintain a polite and formal introduction.

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you, lovely lady. Forgive the rudeness of my introduction.”

Judiver continued to recite formal greetings in a spirited manner. Absorbed in his interaction with Ash, he didn’t spare a glance for my face, not even once.

This allowed me to observe Judiver more comfortably.

If Ash resembled King Hamilton VI, with his massive frame and stature, Judiver was Levya. This is especially true with her full, white cheeks and relatively dwarfed physique compared to Ash and Hamilton VI.

However, it didn’t imply that Judiver was short. Just relatively.

But there was one thing. There seemed to be one gene that neither Levya nor Hamilton VI passed down. It was Judiver’s hair color.

Like noon on a summer’s day, when the sun shines most brilliantly, Ash’s blonde color was strikingly gorgeous and beautiful, even compared to other blondes. Just as King Hamilton VI was.

However, Judiver’s hair color was not quite the same shade of blonde. The saturation of the yellow hue was a bit deeper, resembling the color of mud that had been soaked and then emerged. It wasn’t Levya’s either, who possessed a rich emerald-like abundance of hair like the sea at a resort.

“I came straight to you, leaving behind all my important plans, but the greeting lacked a warm hug, which I find disappointing, brother.”

“A hug?! Hugs make me freeze. Even the touch of the back of my hand is enough to startle you.”

“I’m just a coward, and I don’t handle unexpected touching well.”

“If you’re so scared, why do you glare at me like I’m about to tear you apart with a single forearm grab when you almost fall down the stairs?”

“You must have misunderstood my concerned gaze.”

Ash and Judiver exchanged a series of words that were hard to understand. While Judiver was furious, Ash remained calm, much like the serene waters of a great lake.

At first listen, it seems like Ash’s actions suggest that the two have different perspectives, but Judiver’s words fall short of eliciting my empathy. The idea of Ash glaring at someone as if he’s going to tear them apart is as nonsensical as ringing a golden bell in a fancy restaurant, like a battle cry in a high-end eatery.

I glanced up and looked at Ash. Our eyes met, and he furrowed his brow in confusion, then leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“You know, when you’re stressed, you tend to see everything in a twisted way, like if you’re eating a chocolate muffin, you would complain about why it’s so chocolaty.”

In reality, Judiver was as fierce as an angry bull to the point where expressing that he had a good personality even in empty words was difficult. Flames seemed to be ready to spew out from his reddened face and nostrils.

Ash grabbed my wrist and stood with his back to me. In the brief moment when Ash’s hand dropped, his thumb traced along the inside of my wrist.

“If you urgently called me to be part of these trivial arguments because you miss them, then it’s definitely you. I’ll stick around until you’re buried in the ground, and you’ll be quite content.”

“You rascal, you’re brimming with venom. Did you spread sweetness at the academy? I sent you over thirty letters, and you didn’t react at all. Now, all of a sudden, you tell me you’re prohibiting dorm use during vacations. Does it have to be this challenging to have a chat with your brother, huh?!”

His eyes almost popped out. I couldn’t hear a word of what Judiver was saying, and in my mind, only the words ‘prohibiting the use of the dorms’ were floating around.

What are they prohibiting? If they close the dorms during vacation, where should commoners like me, who are nobles only in appearance, go?! Even if there’s only one student in the whole school without a place to go during vacation, that one person is ‘me’, and the prohibition of using the dorms during vacation should never happen!

Fortunately, Ash headed towards the palace, otherwise, I would have almost sat down on the street without even knowing English.

“I’ve been studying, I just didn’t get around to checking my letters.”

“Studying?! I never thought I’d hear such words from your mouth. That monster-like head of yours that remembers every detail, even the pattern on the ceiling after seeing it once…….”

“Brother, is that the main point, or are you mocking your younger brother?”

Judiver gave a sly chuckle. He pressed his palm firmly against his forehead, near the dark blond hair.

“You know Rosetta is turning eighteen this year, right?”

“Yes.”

“Rosetta applied for transfer to the Penterion Academy this year, and she’s going to need you to be there for her a lot because she’s going to have a hard time adjusting to being in a different country.”

“You called me here just to talk about that?”

“Just that! Hey, you. Rosetta is engaged to you!”

I couldn’t help but open my mouth wide.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

The person they are talking about as ‘Rosetta’ must be the same ‘Rosetta Bion Celestania’…….?

Celestania is a neighboring country located at the southern tip of Penterion, and it is a dependent state of Penterion, although it is also a neighboring country that can be reached by crossing just one rugged mountain range.

In terms of politics, diplomacy, and military aspects, it is under the influence of Penterion, but the people of Celestania, like other dependent states, did not raise objections, claiming autonomy. Geographically, to the west, it borders the barbarians ‘Voltana’, and to the east, the king of ‘Messin’, who is eager for territorial expansion, is eyeing Celestania. Across the northern sea, Vikings are showing strong intentions to colonize Celestania for the purpose of securing labor and food resources.

The royalty of Celestania accepted the position of a dependent state without significant resistance. On the first day of each changing season, they would visit the Imperial Palace of Penterion to pay respects without considering it a compromise of dignity.

Each time, the headlines of newspapers across the region oddly featured Princess Rosetta, the eldest princess of the Celestania royal family. Her fair skin, with a faint blush on her young and soft cheeks, was reminiscent of a clean peach. Her large, deep-set eyes with prominent double eyelids sparkled in a silver hue like a clear full moon in the night sky. The water-like hair, flowing down to her chest, was so exquisite that it seemed to extract the souls of those who beheld it.

Princess Rosetta, acknowledged as the epitome of beauty, was a renowned figure not only in Celestania but also in Penterion, considered a fellow country by many.

Now, the news that Princess Rosetta and the young Ash Kindroper were engaged?

No, it can’t be. Well, technically, Prince Ash, being the heir to the ruling kingdom, has significantly higher status, and his prowess is exceptional enough to easily attain the title of Archmage at a young age.

However, Princess Rosetta gives off an aura of someone beyond the castle walls, while Ash feels like a loyal and obedient puppy. No matter how you think about it, the engagement seems more disadvantageous for Princess Rosetta.

Of course, I know that reality is far from that…

Ash, who had been standing with his back to me, turned and gently cupped both of my shoulders, then leaned down just enough to brush his moist lips against the lobe of my ear.

“Don’t worry, it’s an engagement that was arranged between our parents when we could barely walk, and none of this matters.”

After he finished speaking, Ash lifted his head and stared into my face. He looked nervous, like he was begging for an answer.

But I have no idea what to say to him.

What’s he worried about, what’s the big deal?

“Well, okay.”

It’s your situation, you’re in charge.

The moment I let it out, I feel a dull ache on the top of my head. I swiped my hand across it.

“Hey, you! Are you even listening to me?”

Ash turns his back again.

“Brother, I would appreciate it if you refrain from addressing me in such a way in the future. Next time, I might… react more strongly.”

Ash’s expression remains unseen, but his voice seems to have lowered. However, the tone of his speech doesn’t give off a warm feeling, and the atmosphere doesn’t seem to have changed.

“You… wh- what’s wrong with Rosetta? I feel sorry for her, hanging herself for a guy like you.”

“So please tell her to stop paying attention to a guy like me… to take me back.”

“Until now, she hasn’t looked at another man, only you. But what about you? Have you ever cared about the precious jewels, herbs, or animals that Rosetta sends every year? Because of you, Rosetta, feeling sorry for you, made a space for you, but you messed it up with some strange magic! Because of you…”

Judiver’s words trembled. His voice became moist and distorted, and then abruptly stopped. Judiver clenched his fist near his mouth, appearing as if he were holding his breath. His eyes seemed to be fixed on a distant mountain, not staying in the present space.

What could be happening that he couldn’t continue speaking?

Judiver continuously suppressed the incoming sob, and as a habit, he gently stroked the thick blond hair.

And it moved so easily under Judiver’s touch. To the left when twisted to the left, forward when pulled forward.

Oh, that’s…

“A wig?”

Judiver’s touch on the wig solidified like frozen ice.

Then, his two eyes precisely faced my face. Judiver’s eyes were burning uncontrollably, like an autumn wildfire.

However, my attention was more drawn to the wig that, due to the whimsical wind caused by Judiver’s fidgeting, had hilariously flipped backward, rather than the intense energy emanating from him.

Judiver’s forehead was now prominently exposed, shining brilliantly under the spotlight, almost dazzling. With a wide and twitching forehead on display, he stared at me with an expressionless face, a comical sight in itself.

Puff. Laughter mixed with breath exploded heavily inside my mouth.

However, I couldn’t indulge in the futile act of not understanding the atmosphere and laughing foolishly.

Endure. I have to endure. Sad thoughts. Yes, let’s think of the saddest thought in the world. The tragic fate of a young man inheriting his father’s baldness gene in its entirety… No! That’s not it!

Judiver squealed and grabbed the wig. It pushed the hair covering his temples upward, revealing his smooth scalp.

“Bringing you into the position with the excuse that my mother is critically ill was a mistake I made over and over again. However, since you don’t even blink at most excuses, what could I do? If you had just made up for it by pretending to appreciate my imaginary efforts, even sympathizing with the far-fetched lie, and pretended to be considerate, it would have been better. You could have at least pretended to appreciate the month-long journey that Rosetta made from far away. Instead, you destroyed all my precious hair… turning it into ashes?!”

Some people, when angry, tend to grab anything they can and throw it. Judiver seemed to belong to that category. But, of all things, he happened to be holding his own wig.

With all his might, Judiver slammed his wig onto the ground. Thump. The well-made wig, hitting the ground, caused the hair to shoot up into the air due to the recoil, then elegantly settle back down like silk.

The contrast between that sight and Judifer’s shining bald head was so strikingly round and smooth that it seemed one could sled down from the top of his forehead.

“This heinous and cruel guy!”

This time, Ash was undeniably furious.

A shiny head of hair… no, Judiver’s head, approached me.

Ouch, blinding.

“The light reflecting directly into my eyes. I shouldn’t laugh, but the juxtaposition of the furious expression and the serene shiny head kept poking at my lungs.

Hold on. Endure it!

“Young-ae, I’ve been very rude from the first meeting. However, there’s something I’d really like you to answer now. As a third party, how do you see my situation?!”

“…Your, your head is pretty.”

I said, suppressing the corners of my mouth.

“Thank you. But that’s not what I wanted to hear…….”

Ash raised his arm to stop Judiver, who was trying to come even closer.