Crown Prince’s Ex-Boyfriend

“Cith.” 

“Why do you come into someone else’s room without permission?” 

Cith, who crumpled his face, took the drawing roughly from my hand. 

Vin’s pretty face was also wrinkled in the hands of Cith. 

Unfortunately, my eyes did not fall off from the picture. 

Nevertheless, I managed to take my eyes off and look Cith in the eye. 

“I thought you were inside, so I came in. I was about to go out right after checking that you aren’t here. I’m sorry.” 

“Sorry?” 

Damn. It seems like he also thinks that it’s a “normal” word. 

I wish you’d stop thinking it’s weird. 

You’re already 13 so it’s time to grow up!*(1)

“No, I wouldn’t want to come into your room without permission.” 

“Irelyn Heather is not a person who can think in other people’s shoes.”

“Cith, I guess you don’t know me well yet.” 

“She’s not even a person who can apologize.” 

“You don’t know me well.” 

“No. I know you better than you do.” 

“Why do you think so?” 

There was no answer to that question.

 However, he only pointed at the door with his finger.

“Out?”

“Do I have to tell you? You said you were sorry. Then you have to leave before I tell you.” 

“Yeah. I’m sorry I didn’t go out sooner.”

I snorted sarcastically and strode towards the door.

In front of that guy, I didn’t pretend to have a bad temper, but I really had a bad temper.

So, the sarcasm I showed at that moment was not pretending to be like Irelyn, it was my true feelings.

Bang-! The same is true for the door that has been closed with great force to openly express my dissatisfaction.

“That’s strange.”

As Cith murmured through the door, regret flooded in me at the same time.

I have to somehow win the favor of the Cith, but then I treat him emotionally like an idiot.

‘Control your temper, you boar. I’m sure you’ll get into trouble. Or you’ll get yourself killed!’

The sound of my older sister’s scoffings disguised as advice lingered in my ears and then disappeared.

At that time, I was just overheated and didn’t listen to my sister, but maybe it will come true.

Even now, I put my emotions ahead of things that my life depends on.

‘I have to do really well tomorrow.’

I am making the decisions I made countless times in my original life thinking of my older sister, but now I am thinking of Cith.

Does my sister know?

That I am trapped in the world she created, and when I come in contact with the characters of that world, I think of my older sister.

Everyone looks a little like her, they’re not even her children. 

* * *

The morning of the second day of school at the academy came.

Now that I know what happened just before the vacation and the course of the incident, I have to show my heart through actions rather than unilaterally declaring that I have changed my mind!

It seemed to be a morning full of enthusiasm, but there was an unexpected difficulty.

Of the numerous classes at the academy, there is no class different from Vinh*(2) and his partner. 

Except for mobile classes where partners are not specifically fixed. 

I tried to prove my mind by openly avoiding Vinh, but I couldn’t. 

Damn it. 

Besides, it is a swordsmanship class that cannot be missed even for an hour from the first lesson.

‘You said you wouldn’t bother me now? It was also a great way to get my attention. Aren’t you embarrassed?’

Vinh said nothing, but somehow his expression seemed to say that. 

“You didn’t forget the class you took for the past 6 years because it’s been a while, right? As always, start the fight!” 

The swordsmanship teacher shouted with a loud voice, and all the students in unison took out their practice swords from their scabbard.

It was because they were students of the Imperial Academy, so even though they were just 13 years old, they seemed to already have a good posture.

Among them, the partner in front of me, Vinh Ortega, was truly outstanding.

Afterall, he is a man who will rise to the top of Imperial Knights in the future.

“What are you doing? You’re not holding a sword.” 

Vinh asked, pointing his chin at my scabbard. 

I swallowed my saliva. Cold sweat flowed down my spine. 

I should have put my hand on the scabbard, but I couldn’t.

If I hold a sword, I’m scared it’ll be obvious that I’m a beginner? Absolutely not. 

I am a person who used to hold a sword even in my original life.

In addition, the swordsmanship they use is very similar to the “fencing” I learned. 

There is no way that a person who aimed as a fencing national team player will be intimidated in front of only 13-year-olds. 

The reason why I can’t pick a sword now is because of something else.

“Fencing will be difficult in the future. You’ll have to be very careful even in your daily life.”

Just before entering this world, I heard it from a doctor.

At that time, I couldn’t even pick up a spoon, let alone hold a sword, because of an injury during the competition. 

So, when I first came to this world and possessed Irelyn Heather’s healthy body, it was honestly good. 

Opening the door myself, eating with a spoon, and brushing my hair. 

I was able to do all of that. 

In fact, I had to do it secretly because the original Irelyn usually made others do it, but it was good just to be able to do it anyway. 

Nevertheless, I didn’t dare touch the sword. 

It was because I was afraid. It’s something I can’t do if I go back to my original world. 

I didn’t want to feel the loss of never holding a sword again. 

I didn’t want to collapse. 

“I’ll sit in the classroom for a while. Please tell the teacher that I’m not feeling well.” 

“What? Wait a minute.” 

“You want to ask, ‘Why are you missing out on a chance to be close to me?’? I told you. I won’t bother you anymore…”

“No. Tell the teacher yourself.” 

“…, yes.” 

You’re not cute. 

You’re as cheeky as your creator. 

Because Vinh made me feel awkward, I had to tell the swordsman that I was feeling sick. 

Fortunately, I was still in elementary school, so I didn’t get any credit cuts just because I missed class. 

After changing from practice clothes to casual clothes, I was returning to the classroom alone when I suddenly saw a familiar shape. 

Cith Heather, a boy with blue hair and eyes like Irelyn. 

He stood in the hallway in front of our classroom. 

Cith is 14 years old, so he must be taking classes in the middle school building right next to ours. 

What’s he doing here?

“Cith?” 

“Oh.” 

At my call, Cith trembled for a while as if he was surprised, took his eyes off something he was looking at, and looked at me. 

What he was looking at was a promotional pamphlet attached to our classroom. 

“‘Founding Day Art Contest’? Why are you looking at this?” 

“You don’t have to know.”

“Why are you here?” 

“You know…”

“Looks like you’ve got something.”

I beckoned to the Founding Day promotional brochure that was held in Cith’s arms.

Then Cith seems to want to hide about the competition when he took a step back, hugging what’s in his arms more tightly. 

If that’s the case, you have to pretend you don’t know like an adult!

There’s no way to say that.

I don’t want to do this when I’m 20 years old, but I can’t let go of even the smallest things because the 14-year-old in front of me is someone who will kill me someday.

All the information about Cith Heather might be the key to my survival. 

I read the promotional pamphlet that Cith was holding with my eyes wide open. 

{36th Abert Empire Founding Day International Memorial Junior Art Contest}

 Applications:

Painting — Portrait, Landscape, Abstract 

Dancing — No limit 

Writing — poems, novels, essays. 

Prize money: 

1st place – 3 million gold. 

2nd place – 1 million gold. 

Third place – 100,000 gold. 

Make your dreams come true! 

As soon as I saw it, there was a field that caught my eyes. 

Portrait! Isn’t it the hidden talent of Cith Heather? 

I can assume two reasons why there is no mention of Cith’s talent in painting in the novel. 

Due to his timid and gloomy personality, he has never challenged such a competition, or it may be a setting that has been omitted due to the amount of time. 

Whether the former or the latter, there seemed to be no reason for Cith to not try. 

No, he has to try! This competition may be the key to my survival. 

“Cith. You want to participate in the drawing contest, don’t you?” 

“…What are you talking about? No, it’s-”

“I want you to go and try it out. You want to show your talent to others, too, right?” 

Typically, it depends on the parents of Cith.

The reason why the marquis and the marquis’ wife discriminated against Cith was that Cith has no desire and will.

Irelyn has a desire for Vinh. 

As she tried to follow Vinh, who was talented in many ways, she reached a similar level. 

On the other hand, Cith had no desire. All he wanted was not to be bullied by anyone. 

So Cith’s life was full of only avoidance. 

He had no will to develop his talent or desire to show it. 

The Marquis couple, who was full of will and desire, refused to recognize their son as a family who did not resemble them. 

The more I did something, the more Cith’s confidence shrunk. 

But now it won’t be like that. 

I’m going to change the story! 

Their parents’ discrimination can also cause hatred of Cith to me, so they shouldn’t discriminate against him anymore!

With his own desire and his own will. 

“Show me that you have desire and will. Are you going to be stepped on like a bug for the rest of your life? Won’t you crawl out of your hole?” 

I deliberately spit it out in a provocative tone. 

As if I was not desperate at all, as if I told him not to go out lightly.

But Cith trampled on my efforts. 

Easily. 

“I don’t want to.” 

* * *

Resting time after the swordsmanship lesson. 

The cool wind scattered Vinh’s silver hair. 

Today, his hair was not wet with sweat. 

It was because of some kind of lightning strike, his partner, Irelyn, who never missed out during swordsmanship or all the time he was with her, for some reason missed class.

‘I’ll sit in the classroom for a while. Please tell the teacher that the pen is not feeling well.’

Irelyn, who said so, seemed to be afraid of something. 

It was something like…, maybe a sword. 

She was definitely shaking looking at the sword. 

Why? She was someone who wouldn’t do that at all. 

What happened during the period when he couldn’t see her? 

A very short concern crossed Vinh’s mind.