The Crown Prince In Hiding

He turned away, seemingly thinking something over, then turned back.

"Tell you what. I know some good spots on this island. Want me to show you?"

"I've already seen everywhere."

"Have you ever seen it the unofficial way?"

Rafinya froze, while the young man wiggled his eyebrows in a wave.

"I know some good places."

Rafinya: "......"

And so it happened after all.

Rafinya decided to follow him.

Which was how she found herself walking behind the young man now, through a desolate stretch of grassland.

Starlight from the sky reflected softly across their faces, along with the faint glow of mana crystals shimmering throughout the surrounding forest.

He studied Rafinya with obvious curiosity, circling around her, taking in everything, her face, her hair, her clothes, her body, her arms, her legs, as though looking at something he'd never encountered before in his life.

It irritated her, and it only irritated her more when he poked at her hair out of curiosity, forcing her to swat his hand away.

"What are you doing?"

"I've never met a human other than Lady Casca before. But it's strange, you're from Luminus too, so why is your skin this color? Are you sick?"

"Luminus doesn't only have dark-skinned people."

"Huh?"

Don't tell me that's why he thought I was Nora?

"Poke yourself if you want. You have a human body, why bother poking someone else? Annoying."

"A form made from magic can't compare to the real thing."

"Then why do you have a human form?"

"I'm a special-class attendant~"

"...What's your name?"

"I shouldn't tell you. But since we're not going to meet again anyway, I suppose there's no harm. My name is Yildiz."

Yildiz was the mirror image.

Just as Rafinya was a new-generation human who had never encountered Diablo before, Yildiz was a new-generation Diablo who had never encountered humans before.

The difference was that Yildiz had never been raised on any human folklore or legend, which meant he carried no hatred or grudge.

What he carried was curiosity.

But this curiosity, Rafinya's instincts told her, felt more like "a predator's curiosity" than ordinary curiosity.

"How old are you?"

"Ten years old. I've been in this form for over a year now."

"I believe it... given the state of you..."

Rafinya wasn't particularly fond of his unkempt look, the stubble, the long hair, the black nails, the hair that never got trimmed, the dirty clothes. If someone told her he'd been living like this for five years, she'd believe it without question.

sniff

Suddenly Yildiz leaned in and sniffed at her.

"What are you doing?"

"I smell strength coming off you. It's quite a strong scent."

Hearing that, Rafinya's expression...

"Hey, why the face?"

Yildiz tilted his head like an owl, as though he hadn't done anything strange at all.

"Do you always look this angry? I know humans get tired when they're stressed. You must have a lot of stamina. Are you stressed all the time? That's so strange. Ha ha."

He watched her radiate aura, but he laughed instead?

He wasn't afraid of her?

Her intimidating gaze had no effect on him whatsoever?

"We're here."

He led her up to the top of a "waterfall" that flowed down into the capital, the very water that sustained life.

Looking out, the demon palace was visible in the distance. Trees embedded with mana crystals glowed in soft shades of pink and purple all around and below them. It was beautiful. Impossible to look away from. And something one could never see in daylight.

"This is my favorite spot."

Rafinya didn't answer, but her eyes conceded that this place really was stunning.

"I nap here every day. It's shaded all day, the breeze is cool, I love it here."

"How does someone this lazy avoid getting executed?"

And when she turned back, she saw him poking at the sword strapped to her side.

She smacked his hand away with a loud crack!

"Ow!"

"I told you, annoying!"

The young man clutched his hand in pain.

"I thought you'd be more relaxed away from Prince Fury."

"This is just how I am. What's it to you?"

"You'll age fast being stressed all the time."

Rafinya kicked at him, but he dodged just in time.

"By the way, Prince Fury is your teacher? How did that happen? Tell me."

"No."

"Come on, tell me. What could I possibly use that information for? Don't you trust me?"

"I only had to look at you to know exactly what kind of person you are, Yildiz."

"That's too sharp."

"Why did I even come here? What a waste of time..."

From admiring the napping spot he'd proudly presented, Rafinya was now more irritated at having ended up with whatever this was.

But this place really was as beautiful as he claimed. The young woman lowered herself down to sit beside him. He sat with his knees drawn up, his body language the opposite of Yildiz, who leaned back with both hands planted on the ground, face tilted up lazily, before rolling his eyes to look at her.

"So, how exactly did you end up connected to Prince Fury?"

The young woman seemed slightly more relaxed now. Credit likely went to the cool oxygen the trees were exhaling, lending a sense of comfort to the air.

And so she began to tell him, roughly, about her own background, and everything that had happened along the way.

"Whoa..."

Yildiz furrowed his brow.

"Sword practice five hours a day, building your family's reputation, walking so straight your back muscles have practically turned to stone... don't you ever get tired?"

"I don't get tired... not exactly."

"I think you should relax more."

"...."

"Are you even capable of that?"

"Like you, you mean?"

"There's more principle to it than that. Relaxing isn't just sitting still. You have to let every thought drift out of your head like soap bubbles."

Then the young man lay back down on the grass, hands cradling his head.

"Listen to that waterfall. Feel that cool mist. Stop thinking, empty your head, then let your body drift with the wind. It's easy."

"Don't lecture me about human things."

"Try it."

"....."

Rafinya's expression carried wariness at first, before she sighed and lay down beside him, stretching out flat, hands folded over her stomach.

"Practicing to be a log?"

"Want your face split open?"

"The white swan of Luminus, why so fierce?"

"Want to find out?"

"You need to let your hands go looser than that. Spread them out, breathe deep, close your eyes."

"I'll keep mine open."

"Sure, whatever you prefer."

Hearing that, for some reason, Rafinya tried it, just once. At the very least, it was a first step outside her comfort zone.

And then she genuinely felt it. Every muscle in her body loosened. Her fingertips brushed against the tips of the grass.

Small fireflies drifted through the air above her head. Her eyes locked with the universe spread across the sky.

This might have been the first time in over ten years that she had done anything like this.

Lying there, doing absolutely nothing.

Something someone like her would have called laziness. The most useless activity imaginable.

But lying there like a fool brought her something without her even realizing it.

A strange, puzzling sense of lightness.

When her mind stopped fixating on knighthood and swordsmanship, she felt a kind of "stillness" she had never known before.

The cool breeze did its work, sweeping over her until her eyelids grew heavy. The light of the vast universe above began to make her understand how Prince Fury could stare at it for hours on end.

But before she could understand any further, her eyelids began to close, and without her even noticing,

the young woman fell asleep, and the image gradually faded to black, like a machine that had spun its gears for years finally getting to rest.

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