But the sight before her was anything but reassuring.

Luana’s eyes widened as she hiccupped helplessly. Two people stood before her, both far taller than she was, and one of them looked terribly familiar.

　　The Crown Prince!

　　She had never seen him in person, but it was impossible not to recognize him. Seeing him up close was startling. His hair and eyes were exactly the same colors as hers.

　　Crown Prince Ludeon. Her half brother.

　　Luana swallowed hard and shrank back slightly. She reached up to feel her head, but the lace that had been covering her hair was long gone, having fallen off when she tumbled down the slope.

　　Staring blankly at Ludeon, Luana snapped out of her daze and quickly turned her head away.

　　Meeting the Crown Prince, the Empress’s son, on her way to see the Empress might have seemed fortunate. But Luana could not bring herself to be happy.

　　Why is he here?

　　From what she had overheard from the maids, both Liliana’s and Luana’s palaces were tucked away in remote corners of the imperial grounds, whereas the Crown Prince and Empress resided at its very heart.

　　So why in the world was the Crown Prince out here?

　　Luana ducked her head slightly, hoping the leaves and dirt scattered over her hair would hide its color.

　　She hoped the eyes beneath her bangs remained out of sight.

　　Luana had chosen the Empress as her only hope for a reason. Rumors about the Empress were always filled with praise. People said she was kind, benevolent, practically a saint reborn.

But the Crown Prince had a terrible reputation, unlike his mother. Someone like him was hardly going to help her. The rumors painted him as cold and merciless. He despised Liliana and anyone associated with her. He had even insulted Louis to his face.

　　If he was the type to humiliate a young child just for being Liliana’s son, he was unlikely to show any kindness to her, Liliana’s daughter.

　　And if she asked someone like him to let her meet the Empress, he would surely become suspicious.

　　What do I do?

　　When Luana remained huddled on the ground in silence, one of Ludeon’s eyebrows arched upward. A quiet curse slipped from his lips as he looked down at her.

　　“Damn it.”

　　Anyone could tell he was far from pleased.

　　Luana squeezed her eyes shut. He seemed to know who she was.

　　In truth, it was impossible for him not to.

　　Earlier, when it was dark and the lace was draped over her head, her colors had been hard to discern. But here, bright sunlight lit up everything around them.

　　Luana had believed she wouldn’t need any other proof of her identity. She herself was proof enough.

　　Not mere blonde hair and blue eyes, but hair that shone with brilliant gold and eyes of a cool, rippling blue.

　　No one outside the imperial family possessed those colors. It would have been stranger if he had failed to recognize her immediately.

　　Watching his reaction, Luana timidly tried to back away.

　　…Or rather, she attempted to.

　　The moment she took a step back, someone blocked her path from behind. It was the man who had been standing beside the Crown Prince.

　　Adan examined Luana carefully.

　　Her clothes were a mess, her hair tangled. Her slippers looked too small for her feet, and her movements were frantic, as if she were running away from something.

　　For a princess who ought to be celebrating her birthday, being in this state was far from normal.

　　Having pieced together the situation, Adan checked Ludeon’s expression.

　　Seeing that Ludeon was still thoroughly incensed, Adan hesitated briefly. But soon, he pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping the dirt off Luana.

　　Once her face was clean, Ludeon finally spoke.

　　“Luana Belkium.”

　　His voice was icy, but before fear could take hold, a sudden thrill ran through Luana.

　　It was the first time anyone had called her by her full name.

　　Luana raised her head and met Ludeon’s gaze. At the sight of her clear, bright eyes, Ludeon gave a subtle shudder.

　　Huh?

　　Luana blinked at his reaction.

　　Was it just her imagination? Before she knew it, Ludeon was staring down at her with a frosty expression once more.

　　“Do you dare mock me? What are you doing here?”

　　“Um…”

　　Luana could not answer his question. Even if he asked, she could hardly reply, “I came to see the Empress.”

　　She had no confidence that saying so would make Ludeon take her to the Empress.

　　When Luana remained silent with trembling eyes, Ludeon looked down at her in annoyance and turned away.

　　“Ah! W-Wait!”

　　Luana could not let him walk away like this. She had no guarantee, but this opportunity was far too precious to lose.

　　She managed to stop him, but she still struggled to open her mouth.

　　When Luana continued to hesitate and stammer, Ludeon scowled.

　　“What are you playing at?”

　　“I… well… um…”

　　Biting her lip, Luana closed her eyes tight with sudden resolve.

　　“Please let me see Her Majesty!”

　　Her voice was quiet but resolute, and both Adan’s and Ludeon’s expressions changed at once.

　　Adan appeared troubled, while Ludeon’s face filled with rage.

　　“You want to see my mother?”

　　As Ludeon let out a hollow laugh, Luana began to tremble uncontrollably. It felt like the moment she had died. A suffocating pressure crushed down on her.

　　“Give me a reason. If it’s not to my liking…”

　　“Ludeon!”

　　Adan quickly intervened, shielding Luana in his arms. Though they were friends, Adan normally kept proper decorum in front of others, so his interruption caught Ludeon off guard.

More than that, Adan had his own reasons to hate Liliana. Ludeon had never expected him to step in.

Ludeon immediately reined in his intimidating presence. Only then could Luana breathe, panting as she burrowed into Adan’s embrace.

　　Still dazed by Ludeon’s intensity, Luana slowly calmed against Adan’s warmth. Yet as the tension left her body, the hunger she had forgotten came crashing back.

　　Luana’s stomach growled loudly. A brief silence fell over them.

　　This is so… embarrassing.

　　She felt her face burning bright red. Under their gazes, Luana hid her face in both hands and mumbled as if trying to explain herself.

　　“What did you say?”

　　“I’m… so hungry…”

　　“What?”

　　“So… hungry…”

　　Luana felt as if she might die of embarrassment. And after the fright Ludeon had given her, she could barely stay awake.

　　Luana trembled as she burrowed deeper into the arms around her.

　　She knew she needed to speak more clearly, but her young body simply refused to obey.

　　Her fading consciousness made her even more anxious.

　　I need to stay awake…

　　This could be her last chance.

　　Luana looked up desperately at the man before her.

　　He had the same hair and eyes she did. He stared down at her in disbelief. The sight of him frightened her, but right now, he was her only hope.

　　Liliana can’t find out…

　　The thought of what her mother might do if she discovered Luana had run away terrified her.

　　“I… don’t… want… Liliana…”

　　With the last of her strength, Luana forced the words out and collapsed. Through her blurred vision, she caught a brief glimpse of Ludeon looking completely flustered.

　　“Huh?”

　　Ludeon had only meant to frighten her. Even if she was Liliana’s daughter, he had no intention of harming such a tiny child. He hadn’t expected her to react so strongly.

　　Ignoring the bewildered Ludeon, Adan examined Luana. Though she had been thoroughly shaken, nothing seemed seriously wrong.

　　“We need to have a doctor see her.”

　　Adan spoke firmly as he looked down at Luana, who was still barely conscious and trembling.

　　Ludeon hesitated briefly before speaking.

　　“Send someone to Liliana—”

　　“No.”

　　Adan cut him off sharply.

　　“You heard her. She said she didn’t want Liliana.”

　　“She’s still Liliana’s daughter. It’s better to send her back before things get complicated. I don’t want to deal with anything related to that woman, even in the slightest.”

　　“Please, stop being an idiot.”

　　Ignoring Ludeon, Adan checked Luana’s condition once more. Compared to other children her age, Luana was far too small.

And…

　　Adan’s expression darkened. Up close, Adan could clearly see bruises in places that were usually hidden.

　　“Then what do you want me to do?”

　　Adan placed Luana directly into Ludeon’s arms.

　　“What the—Hey!”

　　“I’ll go get Medique. You take her inside.”

　　“Why on earth should I? I’m telling you, let’s just inform Liliana to come get her daughter! You hate Liliana just as much as I do, so why are you fussing over this kid?”

　　“What does that have to do with Her Highness?”

　　“What?”

　　Adan replied calmly. “Why are you bringing that up in this situation?”

　　“She’s Liliana’s daughter, Adan. Whenever I think about what happened to you, I could—”

　　“I’m fine with it. Why are you getting more worked up about it than I am?”

　　“You’re fine with it?”

　　Ludeon blinked in stunned silence.