Things They Didn't Say Out Loud

Chapter 3: Her Childhood Friend

The day of the highly anticipated Debutante Ball finally arrived.

Lucas and several other magicians already secured the area of the Grand Ballroom building the day before. His Majesty requested extra layers of magic protection due to the importance of the day and the risky nature of the event, since many important officials, aristocrats, and noblemen would gather in one place that night. He even instructed them to expand the covered area so suddenly this morning. And that was why Lucas had been standing by on the Ballroom Garden this early. He yawned; he definitely needed a good rest. The protection magics always drained a lot of mana and demanded a lot of physical strength. He also needed to conserve some of his energy so he'd be fully alert when the event started.

Just think of this as an effort I have to make to keep the princess safe and sound.

His hand reached the inner pocket of his coat and suddenly smiled when his finger touched one of the items he found there.

--

"Here, take this!" the Princess handed him a small package that was filled with a lot of small paper-wrapped sweets.

"What is it?" Lucas took one of them and unwrap the packaging. It was indeed an opaque-honey-coloured candy.

"Some candies, but they aren't just ordinary candy, you know? So, I found this special sweets recipe book the other day in the library and found out we can incorporate some herbs and spices with healing properties inside them. Then, I tried to actually practice making the herbs candy with Hannah and Seth. It turned out great! It's not as delicious as chocolate of course because obviously, it's not a dessert, but it's also not as icky as the meds. You should try!"

He listened to the princess' excited explanation and nodded, carefully putting the candy into his mouth. The sweet taste of sugar, cool mint, and faint traces of ginger invaded his tastebuds. That wasn't bad at all, but no young kids would like that kind of candy. It was the kind of flavor adults would love. Lucas tilted his head, thinking. Maybe his hypotheses about Athanasia's soul age were right after all.

"How is it? Do you like it?"

"Hm, this tastes great. Its warming sensation somehow relieves my throat, too," Lucas confirmed. The princess looked satisfied and happy upon his comment.

"Really? Glad that you like it! It's made from honey, mint, and ginger. I heard those ingredients are good for your stamina. This batch I made especially for you!"

The last sentence made Lucas' heart stop beating for a second.

'This girl... She really is an expert for making me feel this goddamned giddy'

"U-uh, I mean, you've been working so hard lately and then I heard you're also going to lead the magical protection operation on the night of debutante ball... You will also stand by all night to make sure the Ballroom is clear from any magical threat and everything... I know your magic is powerful, but you must take care of your body too, right? Eat well and eat these candies. It might help, I hope,"

Her face slowly turned into a sheer shade of pink as she continued her lecture about taking good care of his health. She averted his gaze and looked down at her fingers.

'Whoa. She really IS cute,' Lucas thought. He chuckled. Suddenly he really wanted to embrace the princess and say thank you. But he shouldn't, that might make things more awkward.

So he put his fingers on the princess' forehead and do the mana-maintenance magic instead. His fingers lingered a bit longer than normal, though.