READING GUIDANCE
" This is a direct sentence in the present time."
" This is a direct sentence in the past time."
' This is a character's inner thought in the present time.'
' This is a character's inner thought in the past time.'
[ This is a direct sentence in sign language in the present time.]
[ This is a direct sentence in sign language in the past time.]
HAPPY READING!
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"Here are the transportation rails that have been modified. Inside them, several magic stones have been planted, so now the carts can move on their own. It has been several days, and there have been no major problems so far, so we can proceed with the next phase... Ms. Irisha?"
Edward signs as he explains, guiding Irisha through the modified mining cave inside Rocky Mountain. Yet the woman in front of him seems distracted, clearly not focusing on what he is saying.
He sighs and glances around the cave.
The walls shimmer with naturally glowing stones, their soft light spreading like scattered stars across the dark rock. Thin crystal veins trace the ceiling and pillars, casting gentle silver and blue hues that make the entire cavern glow faintly.
The river flowing inside reflects the radiance, breaking it into tiny ripples of light that dance along the walls like moving constellations.
It is beautiful — quiet, untouched, and almost unreal, like a hidden piece of the night sky buried beneath the earth.
He never truly noticed it before he met her.
Irisha was the one who became so excited the first time they came here. Even during their first survey, when she tried to stay composed, her eyes sparkled uncontrollably.
She was beautiful.
She still is.
"... and I was really looking forward to bringing you here today," he mutters softly.
But she still does not respond.
He forces a small smile. "What are you thinking about right now?" he asks, secretly hoping she is not thinking about someone else while standing beside him.
[... Ah, what is it?]
She finally snaps out of her thoughts and looks at him with her usual gentle smile — the one that always makes his heart pound wildly.
[... Excuse me, I was not paying attention. Did you say something?]
He feels his face heating up the moment their eyes meet.
"... Pardon me, your helmet is a bit loose."
He finds himself always searching for small excuses to get a little closer to her — even something as simple as fixing her helmet.
And Edward, the youngest wealthy businessman in the empire, a man who has never failed in charming women before, suddenly feels awkward while holding the strap of her helmet.
He has to bend slightly to adjust it, bringing his face dangerously close to hers.
His cheeks burn.
And his heart is unbearably loud.
[Ah, thank you.] But the woman just brushes him away as smoothly as she can, taking a step back and looking away as if it was nothing. [So what is it, Mr. Edward?] and pretends that nothing happened.
'... you do know, didn't you?' as her actions slowly change whenever he tries to get closer to her. So, how could he not realize that she is now trying to avoid him?
Yet he smiles, and he does a good job faking his smile, as he is one of the capable businessmen in this capital. He has many experiences in faking expressions, but never has he wanted to do it in front of this woman. "... I was talking about the progress of this mining site. The rail system is working, and I think we can proceed to the next level."
She nods after looking at him. [Alright, I guess we can proceed with it.] she says, while again looking nowhere as her thoughts try to drown her once more.
"Ms. Irisha." Then he grabs her, finding her looking at him, confused, before he lets her go. He then looks at her with eyes, hoping she will look at him properly this time. "... Are you okay?" because it hurts him in a way he cannot explain whenever he sees her like this.
She tilts her head and smiles a little in confusion. [What do you mean?] and fakes it as if it is not obvious.
His heart aches. "... Today, you are always lost in your thoughts, so maybe... if there is something burdening you, I could he—"
[Mr. Edward,] she stops him while smiling with a wide smile that feels so wrong. It feels so different from her sincere smile. [Let's just focus on our business.] and she closes herself off as always whenever he tries to get a little closer.
It frustrates him so much in a way he never understands. It is the first time a woman has done this to him, and it is also the first time he has felt this way.
'... It would be much better if I were not falling for you,' he sometimes thinks about that, but he is not really sure if he truly wants that, because the smile she once gave him was so lovely and beautiful. The way she treats others is so sincere — whether they are noblemen or beggars, she always treats them kindly and gives them appropriate respect, something not everyone can ever do.
Despite her condition, in this hierarchy and patriarchal world, she stands proudly and bravely in the middle of men and shows them the truth of her intelligence. This is the first time he has seen a woman equally listened to by men with high pride, and it is not mere pity or coercion. They are truly astonished by her ideas and way of thinking. He cannot stop feeling the same way about this tiny woman he once despised. That then becomes the only reason for his biggest regret.
Then, her love and affection toward her only little sister always makes him envious of that young girl. An abnormal and wicked feeling toward an eight-year-old child. To think, 'It would be nice if I were you,' makes him laugh at himself, feeling absurd for thinking that way. Whenever she looks into her little sister's eyes, affectionately brushes her hair, and tells her how much she loves her — those are the things he desires the most. Yet, what can he do? She never lets him have the chance to begin with.
[Then, we will wrap this up here.] And the only time they have a chance to talk is when there is business involved. But after this meeting, she will eventually leave without saying anything.
"Ms. Irisha!" but he cannot stop himself... strangely enough.
'... am I actually a masochist?' as he feels hurt whenever she looks at him with a smile that seems bothered by what he does.
[... Let's not talk about matters that are not related to business, Mr. Edward, and she even stops him before he can speak.
".... But, Ms. Irish—"
"Ms. Irisha!" Then an imperial maid runs toward her in a hurry, which makes him poke her to get her attention. Just after Irisha looks her way, the maid says frantically, "Ms. Arisha! Ms. Arisha is injured!"
At that moment, it is the first time he sees the woman he has fallen for turn pale as if her world has ended, and she runs as if time is running out. As he follows her, he cannot help but think,
'What kind of expression have you shown me until now?' Even back then, when he screamed, yelled, and cursed her, she looked at him as if it was nothing at all. Even when she was in critical situations, and people showed her intimidating faces, she remained composed as if it never bothered her.
"Stop there."
Then the famous wicked prince holds her in front of the infirmary.
"Arisha is being treated. She is okay, so don't go inside." With his deep voice and strong charisma, he speaks in fluent sign language that does not match his personality. Yet the most abnormal thing is the fact that he can now casually talk to and touch Irisha as if they have been doing this all the time.
[Let me in.] She glares at him while trying to force her way inside — something no one would ever dare to do in front of the wicked crown prince.
"You can be mad at me, but you can't go inside," he calmly says something that a tyrant — especially a wicked one — should not say.
[Let me go inside!]
"No."
[I want to see my sister!]
"She is alright. You need to calm down."
[Why are you doing this?], and Edward can see that Irisha does not even care about courtesy in front of royalty because of how furious she is.
The man looks at her deeply, strangely allowing this behavior toward him. "... you know why."
Then, for the first time, Edward sees Irisha show expressions he has never seen before to the man everyone fears. Mixed emotions are clearly shown on her face as she ignores the man no one else would dare ignore. He can see a bond between them that he never expected.
"Sister?" Then the young girl runs happily toward her sister, who looks relieved and grateful upon seeing Arisha.
[Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?] she asks frantically.
Arisha giggles weakly. "I was not looking while I was playing and fell down. I hit my nose and it was bleeding," she says. "But it is okay! The maids and His Grace found me, and the nurse helped me with his healing ability!" she says cheerfully.
Irisha sighs in relief and hugs her sister tightly, as if her life has just returned to her.
"I am so sorry, Sister. I will be more careful."
She just smiles after gently brushing her sister's hair. [Please be careful next time.] as if the previous expressions she showed were nothing. [... Sister is done, let's go home.]
Arisha nods. "Are we going to buy something for tomorrow?"
[Yes,] she says while standing and holding her little sister's hand. She then glances at the prince, who has been standing beside them the whole time, with an expression that shows how mad she is right now.
He smiles weakly. [... So, you will just let Arisha know? He signs while Arisha turns away to the maids who are talking to her. [Don't be so hypocritical. You know you do not want it.]
[I already told you several times that it is not your business.] She then turns away and lets Arisha say goodbye before leaving him — the crown prince — and several maids in front of the infirmary.
Then Edward sees a sudden change of expression — the wicked prince's expression he is far more familiar with. The warmth disappears from his face, replaced by something cold and oppressive.
A suffocating wave of aura spreads from him without warning.
The air turns heavy. The maids flinch as if an invisible force presses down on their shoulders. One of them nearly loses her balance, gripping the wall for support. Edward himself feels his breath tighten, his lungs refusing to draw air properly as the pressure coils around them like an unseen storm.
"... Next time, tell everything to me first before deciding to inform Irisha."
His voice is low — not loud, yet it echoes with authority that leaves no room for defiance.
The maids nod frantically, heads lowered, their faces pale.
Only when the prince turns and walks away does the crushing pressure gradually fade. The air loosens. The invisible weight lifts from their bodies.
And only then can they finally breathe again.
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"... seems they still have not made up," says one maid after adjusting their breath.
They look disappointed. "... what is happening between those two? They were so lovely and got along so well."
"... Ms. Arisha told me that Ms. Irisha did not even talk to His Grace."
"... I hope they will make up soon."
"Yes, me too! I am always happy whenever I see them together." Both maids talk about things he cannot even imagine — not even once — because the depiction of the crown prince in his memory is far from what the maids describe.
"Lovely, you say?" he mutters, then laughs weakly. "... Isn't it so unfair, Ms. Irisha?" Everything shown to him at once feels so unfair. He was never given a chance to get closer to her, yet now he sees that the woman he fell in love with can show expressions he never imagined in front of the famous wicked prince.
His expression darkens, and his usual cheerfulness becomes hard to find.
He then contemplates for a while in the heavy silence.
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because she could not imagine how much it hurt him to stand beside her when he knew that he could not even hold her in his embrace. When he knew there was not a single chance for him—
"..."
"...It is truly unfair, Ms. Irisha."
***
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"I will go fishing with Lisa and her father there," said Arisha while using sign language. She is so excited with her cute straw hat at this wonderful lake.
Irisha nodded while giving a gesture to Lisa's parents, who looked at her politely. They are really nice people, as they do not show any uncomfortable expressions while she is joining them. Their only problem in the end is just the lack of communication because Lisa's parents cannot speak sign language, and it is too much hassle to write something while having a picnic. They also cannot depend only on Arisha because she will just run around with Lisa.
Only while looking at her sister, who is excitedly fishing on the dock with Lisa and Lisa's parents, can she finally breathe properly. While looking at this lake that gives a strange atmosphere as if they are inside a fairy tale. She may be exaggerating things, but it truly feels like that. This quite large lake, which is surrounded by many tall orange-ish and red-ish trees, reflects the sun's light with a sparkling illusion. It is like fireflies in the daytime, and the sparkles shine so brightly. The surface is so clear that even the drifting clouds seem to rest within it, trembling gently whenever the breeze passes by. From time to time, soft ripples spread across the water, scattering the light into fragments like shattered gold.
Lisa's father said it is happening because there are fairies' familiars flying above this lake. They absorb the light and then reflect it again, creating this miraculous phenomenon.
'...It is so beautiful.' And surely, it is. If she had known about it sooner, she might have come all the way by herself to see this view. It is that beautiful for her to say that; it is really beautiful, and it should make her feel calm.
...yet she finds it hard to feel that way. Even though this kind of environment is always her best healing, just like back at the lake near Montar City or under the magnificent, beautiful sky.
".... Are you still mad at His Grace?" asked Arisha last night, looking at her with concern while they had their supper.
[ I am not. Why do you think that way? ]
And Arisha still seemed concerned even though she was sure her face showed a bright smile. "... Sister, both of you are always happy whenever you are together," she said. "... So please, don't be mad at him."
Even though her concern might be just the shallow speculation of an eight-year-old child, she could not deny it anymore. Especially when recently, many people justified their point of view toward them.
' I could not deny it.' And it becomes harder when she realizes every detail of what he has done in her life.
Every time they are together, he always gives her his best smile.
Treats her gently with his big hands.
Touches her in a very comforting way.
'...It becomes an addiction.' Because she is not a teenager who does not understand such an obvious thing — and how could she not fall when he drowns her with such kindness that people around her could not even give?
When... he is also the one who looks straight into her eyes and believes in what she says.
When... he is the one who sees her equally, despite who she is and what her condition is.
'You are the one.' Who then gives her a chance and supports her to stand on her own feet.
He is also the one who shows her the beauty of the world she has never ever seen.
Then she frowned while holding her chest. '...It hurts.' And it hurts her more when she cannot stop the indescribable fury whenever he tries to get inside her world. Because she always tries to keep it inside, she always hides it so no one could ever touch it.
'...You can't go inside.'
No one should or could get into her life.
'Because I am a sinner.'
'A murderer.'
'It is better if no one could ever know about it—'
"SISTER!" She is startled as she looks at Arisha, who grabs her hands frantically. "RUN!" she screams while giving her a sudden sign. Irisha immediately observes the situation when a horrifying madness happens right before her eyes. In the second she was lost in her thoughts, the entire forest starts to be swallowed by sudden fire. Strange people in strange robes, surrounded by light with strange circles flying around their bodies. Then, from nothing in the air, they create big fireballs that eliminate the whole forest in just a second. Her eyes catch a glimpse of the symbols that feel familiar.
'...Jahar—' she gasps before she grabs Arisha's hand and runs with the other residents who are fleeing in panic.
Her heart starts to race uncontrollably.
She cannot hear anything, but people's expressions show horrifying tension. She cannot hear anything, and it pressures her so much that she cannot predict what will happen. She can only run while grabbing Arisha's hand. Running as far as she can, as fast as her feet allow. She feels a sudden throb in her heart when Arisha falls down; she holds her desperately and runs again. People slowly disappear; no one is here with them. She feels scared to look back. She does not know anything because she cannot hear any sound. The silence she is in feels so dreadful; she is drowning in limitless despair that she cannot even explain.
'Help me!'
'Please, someone!'
Yet no sound comes out from her screams, and the body hugging her tightly is trembling. Every second from there, she feels only threat and terror.
....just why now does she admit that she misses those golden eyeballs.
***