The Materialistic Princess, Episode 8: “He is handsome, but…”
It was hopeless to try to glean detailed information from a face drawn no bigger than a thumbnail. Still, since the novel had emphasized over and over how handsome he was, the real thing seemed worth looking forward to.
My interest shifted from the crown prince’s face to the ornaments strewn around it. In particular, the bead curtain strung with jewels that decorated the velvet drapes I had hidden behind earlier stirred a black-hearted impulse in me. ‘Wouldn’t it be all right if I swiped just one little ornament like this?’ Wasn’t there a saying about desire arising at the sight of something? This place had gold, silver, and jewel accessories just lying around. There were plenty of small ornaments that no one would notice even if one disappeared.
It seemed like no one would notice if I plucked off just one jewel from the very bottom of that sun catcher.
“Well, a reward is a reward. This can be a little revenge on behalf of the Kanef family.”
While diligently rationalizing my actions, I crouched down and grabbed a small jewel bead dragging along the floor, then pulled with all my might.
“Ugh, damn thing won’t snap.”
The curtain was woven much more sturdily than I had expected, and I couldn’t break it off by force.
Just then, an unfamiliar man’s voice came from behind me. “Who are you?”
There had definitely been no presence nearby. And to reach the window where the curtains were, one had to walk quite a distance in from the entrance. ‘I’m screwed.’ I carefully turned around. He was wearing a dark navy uniform, and when I lifted my gaze all the way up, a man with clear blue eyes like the sky and pale golden hair looked down at me expressionlessly.
I had never seen him in person even once, but I immediately knew who he was.
“Uh……!”
It was Anok Asher, as if the portrait I had seen earlier had materialized in the flesh! ‘When on earth did he come in?’ There I was, crouched down and tugging on a jewel-strung cord, and there was Anok watching me. His eyes looked down at me without the slightest emotion. ‘I definitely didn’t hear a sound……’ His blond hair, as though it had soaked up sunlight, and his transparently shining sky-blue eyes were dazzling in a way that did not match his calm atmosphere.
His wheat-colored skin, lightly tanned from spending so much time wandering battlefields, radiated youth and health in just the right measure.
The line from his brows to his nose was straight without a single flaw, and his full lips were firmly closed. ‘What is this perfectly crafted human being?’ If I lowered my gaze along the perfectly symmetrical shape of his face, his astonishingly broad shoulders made his uniform fit splendidly.
From his sleek yet solid build to his endlessly long legs, he was undoubtedly a shockingly handsome man.
Even setting all of that aside, the greatest of his charms was that strange atmosphere.
“Caught in the act, I see.”
The voice he uttered in a flat tone was deep and resonant. Yet it was not greasy, but firm.
How could even his voice be this sweet? I briefly lost my senses to his shining appearance, then came back to myself at the words caught in the act. Blinking my eyes wide with the most innocent-civilian expression I could manage, I asked back.
“Caught in the act? What do you mean by that……”
Fortunately, I had failed to break off the jewel, so it had ended as an attempt. With a shameless face, I subtly let go of the jewel. The traces of my desperate struggle to snap the cord remained starkly on my reddened palm, but in any case, I hadn’t broken it.
That was the important point. Anok glanced at my hand with eyes in which not a single emotion could be felt.
“Were you not just trying to tear off that ornament?”
His voice was still flat. To what extent, you ask? It had even less soul than the laugh I used to give at my boss’s jokes back where I worked. Ah, right—the crown prince really had lost his soul.
“No, I simply had something to check……”
I slowly rose from my crouched position. His blue eyes, moving as though searching, paused for a moment on my hair.
This lavender hair was a color only those of the legitimate Kanef bloodline were born with, so it made a powerful statement of identity.
“With that hair color, are you Lady Kanef? If you are the young lady of an impoverished house, then your action just now even gains a motive.”
“Pardon? No, isn’t that a bit much just because my family is somewhat poor?”
“Your trembling eyes, your roughened breathing, your defensive attitude, and more than anything, the marks left on your palm. Given all that, it would be more far-fetched to call my thoughts a misunderstanding.”
The way he calmly pointed out my condition, item by item, was strangely irritating. His expression did not change at all, and his voice still had no inflection. He was looking at me as though I were an object. ‘So that’s what a person without emotions is like.’ I clutched my bag. Inside it were the funds for maintaining appearances and a fragment of the crown prince’s soul. ‘Mm, this is a problem.’ Things couldn’t go wrong before I had even carried out my big event. First, I had to get through this situation. Having judged as much, I promptly flopped down flat on the floor.
A brief silence flowed between him and me.
“……
What are you doing?”
“You seemed to be in a bad mood, so I thought I’d try to survive first……”
“I cannot feel emotions, so there is no reason my mood would be displeased.” ‘……
Huh?’ He had a fragment of his soul right there, yet the crown prince could not feel any emotions? ‘Does it not react immediately? That can’t be.’ Since Crown Prince Anok himself had said he felt no emotions, it was probably true.
Surely the soul fragment wasn’t defective, was it? It looked exactly as described in the novel, and I had found it in the same place. ‘It isn’t as though soul fragments are picky about people. In the novel, he definitely felt displeasure toward Roselia.’ For some reason, Anok was not feeling emotions right now. ‘Or maybe he just isn’t aware of it. He’s never felt emotions before, so he wouldn’t know. Anyway, there are plenty of people who are naturally unfazed by temperament.’ I got up, brushing off my hands.
“You should have said so sooner. Then shall we sit down and have a talk?”
I moved to a sofa with its white cover half-removed, leaned comfortably against the backrest, and invited him to take a seat.
Then Anok stared at me for a moment before speaking again in that blunt tone.
“……
I cannot feel emotions. That does not mean I cannot think.”
At those words, I knelt neatly on the sofa and straightened my posture.
“You may sit comfortably.”
“Yes, sir.”
Anok sat in the chair opposite me. At last, after a turbulent process, it was the moment I faced Crown Prince Anok.
For a while, there was no conversation between us. First of all, I was the guilty party, so it was not exactly appropriate for me to speak first in this situation. But Anok did not speak first either. He merely sat in his chair and quietly looked at me. ‘Could he be feeling something?’ He looked at me with an elegant bearing that did not seem like someone who had wandered battlefields, then soon opened his mouth.
“I heard you saved His Majesty the Emperor’s life and were invited as an honored guest of the imperial family.”
“That’s right.”
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t me but Serena who had saved the emperor’s life, but there was no need to correct such details here.
“And yet that honored guest sneaked into an unused hall and was caught by me while stealing.”
It seemed Anok had a more persistent side than I had expected. I retorted with an aggrieved expression.
“How is it stealing when I haven’t stolen anything?”
He continued without listening to my appeal.
“And Lady Kanef’s attitude was quite undisciplined as well.”
“No, I—”
“Let us hear what the criminal caught in the act has to say.”
Mm, the crown prince apparently was not the type to listen carefully to others. ‘No, this man doesn’t even know who I am.’ I snorted inwardly. That was because I had something I firmly believed in. Inside this small bag I was carrying, there was nothing less than a soul fragment!
“Your Highness. If you treat me like this, you will regret it later.”
My mindset was already that of the ultimate top dog among top dogs. Since I had no intention of turning Crown Prince Anok, the protagonist of the novel, into a man full of regret, I willingly showed mercy.
After all, he was my precious solicited custom…… no, customer. However, Anok failed to understand and tilted his head.
His hair had mostly been neatly trimmed short, but his slightly long bangs slid softly with the motion of his head. His smooth forehead and beautifully shaped eyebrows were revealed a little. His looks were truly absurdly captivating.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
I gave him a gentle smile, my face saying I understood everything.
“It may be a little confusing right now. That is how first times usually are. After all, this must be Your Highness’s first experience……”
At my advice, the crown prince nodded and said,
“I suppose it would be best to arrest you after all.”
As expected, Anok did not seem to have any intention of listening to me.
“Good grief, you’re quite impatient. Please listen to what a person has to say before judging. Who am I? I am Lady Kanef. Would I say something pointless?”
He only watched me silently, as if telling me to continue.
“Your Highness. First, calm your heart and look carefully within yourself. The answer lies there.”
Crown Prince Anok still did not show the slightest change in expression. But someday, tears would flow from that face, and blossoms of laughter would bloom upon it.
All thanks to me, Roselia Kanef’s seed capital for business. With a very confident smile, I clasped my hands together and spoke in a secretive voice.
“Your Highness. Do not be surprised.”
Of course, I had no idea whether he, who did not know emotions, knew what it meant to be surprised, but I said it anyway. That way, it felt like I was about to reveal an enormous secret!
With a solemn expression, I gazed deeply into his eyes. The crown prince also met my gaze with an expression that seemed to say, go on, say it.
“I am an emotion specialist.”
The crown prince closed his mouth for a moment and said nothing. ‘Yes, he must be surprised. He must be.’ Forgetting that I had just doubted whether the crown prince could be surprised at all, I became certain of it. So I even bluffed a little.
“I will make it possible for Your Highness the Crown Prince to feel emotions. Well, if you wish, I can do it right this instant.”
Although I was speaking confidently, Crown Prince Anok’s expression showed not the slightest change, and my insides slowly began to burn. But the soul fragment was real. I trusted my intuition and pushed forward.
“I see. You are saying you will make me feel emotions.”
He showed a reaction. I nodded diligently.
“Exactly. Elven blood flows through me, doesn’t it? That makes it possible.”
To add persuasiveness, I emphasized the fact that I was an elf as well. Then Crown Prince Anok made a sound that seemed like admiration.
“Ho.”
I grew even more excited and continued confidently.
“All of this is possible because I am a special existence. It is something only I in this world can do.”
“I see. I certainly have never encountered such an existence before.”
“Exactly. An existence like me is one of a kind.”
“Truly. This is the first time in my life someone has tried to scam me.”
“Of course. A scam…… Pardon? A scam!”
No, a scam! How could he call it a scam when I was a person trying to do business with a sincere attitude and not a shred of shame! I felt wronged.
“Your Highness, why do you distrust people so much? Even if you cannot trust anyone else, you must trust me. Is there not something stirring in your chest right now? You should be feeling something different from usual!”
I could not allow my plan to turn to foam like this. Before he started talking about arresting me or whatnot again, I felt I had to take extraordinary measures. I sprang up from my seat. Just then, it grew noisy outside.
“Hey! I hear voices from the dance hall!”
“Let’s go in.”
It seemed the reporters were still wandering around outside, and their conversation reached me faintly, but that was not what mattered to me.
I hurriedly approached Anok.
“.........?”
As he tilted his head and looked at me in confusion, I grabbed him by the collar.
“Now, feel it. Emotion!”
Smooch!
I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my lips directly to Anok’s.