The Author's Will

73 | Time Limit

　　 Irene clasped Mikael's hand securely in her own as she guided him towards the stall that had caught her attention. Despite his efforts to avoid all the stares, it was to no avail. Townspeople meandered around them as their eyes followed the startlingly familiar blonde-haired young man.

An old carpenter who came to enjoy the festival with his family, completely came to a halt as he tugged the sleeve of his adult son's shirt. "Hey, James... Isn't that boy...?"

Following his father's gaze, the man's eyes widened. "E-Emperor Theodore?! No but that's... Impossible..."

Mikael had no idea how many times he heard this same sort of conversation play out between total strangers, and quickly grew tired of it. He didn't hold much of an opinion on his late father, but at times like these, Mikael cursed his close resemblance to him in his head.

The young prince was growing up into a fine young man every day, becoming more reminiscent of the previous emperor - who died a young adult. But the people's obsession with his similar appearance filled him with nothing but discomfort.

Nothing but the hand tightly grasping his own, soothed his anxiousness. As he attempted to ignore all the stares and comments, Mikael's gaze lingered at the back of Irene's dyed hair. For some reason, he hated the way it was coloured in that moment. A part of him longed to see her soft, clean white strands - and not such an unfamiliar creamy shade on her.

It doesn't suit her at all...

Dissatisfied, Mikael picked up his pace so that he wasn't being dragged along behind her.

Once they had finally reached the stall Irene had set her eyes on, her golden eyes practically lit up at the sight of all the adorable, glazed face masks, hand painted with the smoothest brushstrokes to resemble animals. Following her excited gaze, Mikael only pressed his lips in slight confusion.

"Hello there, Miss! Might I help you to a mask or two?" The old man at the stall beamed a toothy grin as she leaned against the table.

Irene nodded her head, before turning to glance at Mikael. She smiled at the way he seemed quite lost, his soft blonde waves of shoulder-length hair adorning his head and that perfectly gorgeous face as eye-catching as always.

It's no surprise people want to keep staring at him when he's this pretty... She thought to herself, before turning back to the man. "Yes, I'd like to buy one mask. For my friend here."

"—What?!" Realising her intentions, Mikael's cheeks turned slightly red as he frowned at her with a mix of aggravation and embarrassment. "You expect me to wear something as childish as this?!"

Irene shot him a scolding look. "Hey, don't be rude. It's not nice to disrespect the artists who spent so much time making these!" Her reprimand quickly settled, and Mikael averted his gaze, a hint of guilt in his eyes.

"S-Sorry..." He murmured an apology.

Gosh... He really turned into such a tsundere type. Irene stifled a laugh at his expression, before pointing towards the masks. "It's better to wear one and avoid stares, than have people continue to make you uncomfortable, right?" She smiled. "Since you're the one wearing it, you should choose which one you want. Personally, I think the cat mask would suit you the most."

Mikael followed her gaze, and searched for the animal she had mentioned. It was then he noticed what appeared to be a white mask with two pointed ears at the top, and narrowed eyes which made it seem like it was scowling. Though it was indeed adorable, he couldn't help but feel she was hinting at something there.

This girl loves to get on my nerves... He wanted to sigh, but the warmth of her hand in his made it impossible for him to feel annoyed at her.

Gazing around at the other options, Mikael didn't seem particularly interested in the other animals. There was an overly cheerful dog, a crying rabbit, a confused squirrel, and more bizarre options which he wished to avoid. Soon, the prince's eyes landed on a brown bear mask, which was plainer compared to the rest. It had no expression, with two simple black rings around the holes for eyes, and a simple painted mouth.