For the heart - Chapter 41

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 41

 

Though Casian had been briefly cynical during their conversation, he soon returned to his usual self.

 

When the darkest hour of the year arrived, people prepared to release their lanterns, and he taught Nina, who was releasing a lantern for the first time, how to do it.

 

He even put the flame inside the shaped lantern for her, saying she might burn her hands.

 

There was a family with three children nearby, and his actions were so similar to what those children’s father was doing that Nina felt a bit strange.

 

The countless colorful lanterns rising high into the sky were truly a spectacular sight.

 

Nina watched her red lantern among the crowd of people.

 

She could understand young Casian’s anxious heart, worried that his lantern might burn up and fail to rise as high as the others.

 

What was so special about it.

 

Before she knew it, Nina was clasping her hands tightly in front of her chest.

 

As the lanterns that had decorated the night sky became tiny dots and disappeared, the shops and stalls that had kept their lights off began to illuminate one by one, and from then another festival began.

 

“There’s the biggest crowd over there, let’s go that way too.”

 

Casian grabbed Nina’s wrist and headed boldly toward where the most people were gathered.

 

She had thought it would end after just releasing the lanterns. Nina didn’t mind being led by him.

 

If she had come alone, she probably would have just released a lantern and gone back.

 

No, perhaps she might not have even released the lantern properly.

 

Nina found her first festival experience quite enjoyable, enough to feel fortunate to be with Casian, who was actively enjoying this lantern festival.

 

“Come now, hit the center of the target with an arrow and you’ll receive the prize placed beside it!”

 

At the loud-voiced man’s call, both Casian and Nina turned their heads.

 

Every time the challenging adults’ arrows hit targets near and far, cheers poured out from the children and spectators.

 

Various prizes were placed beside the targets arranged by distance.

 

Among them, there was something the children desperately wanted: a large white rabbit doll beside the farthest target.

 

“That Pieruto fellow seems to have a good eye.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“The white rabbit. Doesn’t it really resemble Your Highness?”

 

Nina laughed awkwardly.

 

Though her skin was fair, there was no way she had the cute feeling of that rabbit doll.

 

How could she, who wielded a large sword on the battlefield, be a rabbit? She’d be more like a cold and cruel animal.

 

“Why are you laughing?”

 

“Because aside from the skin color, there’s not a single resembling part.”

 

At Nina’s answer, Casian raised an eyebrow once, as if to say she was completely clueless.

 

Then he led Nina inside and grabbed an arrow.

 

“Are you aiming for the farthest target, sir?!”

 

“I’ll shoot at the target with that rabbit doll.”

 

Since everyone had failed so far, the people around cheered.

 

Being a man of exceptional build, they had expectations that he might actually hit the center.

 

But Nina didn’t have expectations.

 

First, the distance was quite far, and the prepared bow and arrow were too crude – even at a glance, the bow’s curves on both sides weren’t symmetrical.

 

The tension was insufficient, so it wouldn’t even reach that distant target.

 

That’s why no one had been able to take that large doll until now.

 

‘Unless you’re a master archer, that’s impossible.’

 

However.

 

Swoosh—!

 

“Waaaah—!”

 

Cheers erupted simultaneously, and Nina’s eyes widened.

 

The arrow that flew from Casian’s drawn bowstring had pierced exactly through the center of the target.

 

Casian received the large rabbit doll, half Nina’s size, and held it up beside the bewildered Nina’s face.

 

Then he tilted his head this way and that to look, and grinned.

 

“As expected. Exactly the same.”

 

What was the same, really.

 

Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, Nina pushed away the rabbit doll Casian was holding.

 

But Casian placed the doll in her arms.

 

“It’s a gift. To commemorate Your Highness releasing your first lantern.”

 

“You’re giving it to me…?”

 

“I’m too… adult to sleep holding such a doll?”

 

I’m an adult too.

 

Though she was dumbfounded, Nina didn’t push away the rabbit doll Casian gave her anymore.

 

‘A doll…’

 

It felt strange to receive a doll at twenty when she hadn’t even had one as a child.

 

Whenever Tila tried to make even a small cloth scrap doll for her, Lillien would tear it to shreds.

 

While her own room was filled with dolls of all sizes.

 

In any case, it was Nina’s first doll.

 

* * *

 

Nina, who returned to the Satellite Palace only in the deep of night, walked on tiptoes, sneaking carefully.

 

Though she had left through the window, she couldn’t enter through the window when coming back.

 

Click.

 

Walking without making footsteps was nothing to her, but she ultimately couldn’t hide the sound of the old door opening.

 

“Your Highness?”

 

“…Tila.”

 

Nina only turned her head while keeping one hand on the door handle.

 

Tila, wearing a sleeping cap on her head, lowered her eyes to Nina and the large white rabbit doll in Nina’s hands.

 

“Where have you been? And what is that…?”

 

“Ah… well… Just, for a moment, um… I picked it up while taking a walk.”

 

Tila’s eyes narrowed.

 

Picked it up, she says. She had just noticed that Nina was also holding a white rabbit mask along with the doll.

 

Moreover, the Princess she had served her entire life was terrible at lying.

 

‘Has our Princess found something she wants to keep secret?’

 

Tila felt both hurt and strangely amused.

 

It was even more so because she had a good idea of who Nina had gone out with.

 

“Then shall I throw it away for you?”

 

“No!”

 

“Pfft, alright. Just go to sleep quickly for now. It’s too late.”

 

“Mm. Good night, Tila.”

 

Nina quickly entered her room.

 

“Phew…”

 

Leaning her back against the door, Nina let out a deep breath.

 

She could have just said she went to the night market and bought it, so why did she lie?

 

Nina lifted up the large white rabbit doll in her hands.

 

“It doesn’t look like him. Not at all.”

 

Looking at it again, the rabbit doll’s face was far too cute. Moreover, with its red eyes similar to Casian’s, it might actually resemble him more.

 

Nina gently hugged the doll. It felt soft and cozy.

 

So this is what dolls feel like.

 

She thought that when she was tormented by nightmares of Baraguz as a child, it might have been better if she had a doll like this by her side.

 

Those were the days when she would cry alone in silence, afraid that if she burst into tears at night, Tila would be startled awake and come running.

 

Nina placed the doll on top of the dresser and turned around.

 

But after taking only a few steps, she went back and hugged the doll to her chest.

 

‘Just… I still keep having nightmares anyway…’

 

* * *

 

The next morning.

 

Nina opened her eyes to the sunlight streaming deep into her bedroom.

 

For the sun to penetrate this deeply into the bedroom, it must be close to noon.

 

‘I… slept this long? Even though I came back late from the night market yesterday…’

 

Nina, whose body was always cold, rarely slept deeply.

 

No matter how late she went to bed, she always woke up at dawn.

 

Moreover, she had slept so sweetly that even the burden of the final expedition that had been weighing on her seemed to have melted away.

 

As she was about to sit up, she felt something soft.

 

‘Ah…’

 

Nina finally noticed that the large rabbit doll was nestled in her arms.

 

She had placed it beside her to sleep… She couldn’t remember when she had pulled it into her embrace.

 

Nina buried her face in the soft rabbit.

 

It was because Casian’s face suddenly came to mind.

 

“Am I too… grown-up to sleep hugging a doll like this?”

 

She couldn’t and didn’t want to admit it, but she couldn’t deny that she hadn’t been an adult last night.

 

Knock knock.

 

“Your Highness, are you awake?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You need to come out for a moment. The Main Palace sent an attendant.”

 

Tila’s voice knocking on the bedroom door from outside was subdued.

 

She had a premonition that it wouldn’t be good news.

 

When Nina came out after getting dressed, the attendant greeted her respectfully.

 

“Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence.”

 

“Do you know what it’s about?”

 

“A mage has come from the Magic Forensics Institute regarding the hair sample you sent recently.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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