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.
Somehow it looks like Daniel.
"...I'll take that one." He pointed at it almost immediately.
Once they handed the man his due payment and received the bear mask, Mikael put it on with ease. It was large enough to conceal his whole face, with two small holes over the eyes so that he could still see.
As she watched him gingerly tie the strings around his head, Irene raised a hand to her lips, desperately stifling a laugh. Mikael looked ridiculously adorable in such a costume - she never would have thought she'd witness such a sight.
Though his blonde locks still curled around that pale neck, that was no matter now. As long as his face was hidden, people wouldn't glance at him twice.
"How does it feel?" Irene asked him, and watched as Mikael turned his body to face her directly. She could hardly see his eyes.
"...Uncomfortable. I can only see what's right in front of me," he told her, his voice slightly muffled by the mask. "This isn't practical at all... But at least people won't look at me with it on."
Irene smiled, taking Mikael by the hand again without any hesitation. Her touch caused him to flinch slightly, but the girl paid little attention to that. "Then stay close by to me, okay? I'll be your second pair of eyes."
Mikael was silent, not knowing how to respond. For some reason, even with his obscured vision beneath the mask - Irene's figure was impossible to look away from. He pursed his lips, following her lead without saying anything else.
Even though it had been years since he came to live with the Cherlianns, sometimes Mikael wondered if it was truly okay for him to be this close to her. No matter how many times he pushed her away in the past, this stubborn girl always did whatever she wanted with him. Over time, perhaps she came to see him as a second brother, of sorts.
But Mikael realised he was becoming far more aware of himself. Irene's skin was soft, and her hand was small in comparison to his. She used to be taller than him when they first met - despite him being the elder of the two.
Now, her height just about reached the bottom of his nose. It was normal for them to develop differently, and Mikael was still in the starting phase of his growth. But the more time passed, the more he wondered if their closeness was maintainable.
Soon enough, neither Mikael nor Irene would be children anymore. Fraternising with the opposite sex, regardless of their friendship since childhood, was something high society would surely use against them one day. And if their relationship was to cause her trouble in the future, Mikael knew he needed to take a step away, before Irene got hurt.
Especially if he was going to leave her life, and the empire eventually.
For now, the warmth of her touch felt familiar and comfortable. Even if it was just for the present, Mikael didn't wish to let go of her. In this fleeting moment of their lives, Irene belonged to him and only him. She turned and smiled at him, and no one else.
Mikael smiled gently beneath the mask as they enjoyed the festival together, and seeing Irene have so much fun brought ease to his heart. He hated showing emotion in front of anyone, and hadn't really been open with her in a long time. Wearing a mask in that moment so she couldn't see the kind of expressions he had, allowed Mikael to conceal his true feelings.
I wish I could have her by my side like this all the time. He found himself thinking, watching Irene purchase some meat skewers - a delicacy she had been wanting to try all day. But she's someone important to this country... More so than even Daniel.
"Here!"
Breaking him out of his thoughts, Irene handed Mikael a skewer she had just bought. The meat and caramelised onions radiated a delicious smell and glistened beneath the light temptingly. Mikael gingerly held the wooden stick, adjusting his mask so that he could eat, and dug into the savoury food.
This taste is...
He remembered the taste of these skewers immediately, as the ones Daniel bought for him several years ago. Back when they lived in hiding, and Mikael was imprisoned by the maids who tormented him and fed him nothing but scraps.
During those days, it was Daniel who cared for him the most. The timid first prince, who feared the maids that tortured his brother - yet his constant efforts to bring food and medicine for Mikael, allowed him to understand what it meant to have someone truly care.
Irene turned to him, overjoyed as she scarfed down the meat skewers. "How ish it?" She asked him, her mouth full.
Mikael smiled a little. "...It's good."
Even while eating street food, the boy looked so graceful doing it. As expected of the beautifully tragic main villain and secondary love interest of her novel.
As they finished their skewers together, Irene glanced about at their surroundings. "Somehow, we got separated from the others. I think we should go and look for them."
Mikael nodded in agreement, tossing the empty wooden stick towards a nearby bin. "Your brother is probably going crazy for you, right about now."
Laughing sheepishly, Irene tilted her head. "Right? And poor Isabella is having to deal with that..."
It was just then that Irene remembered the image of her close friend gazing at her elder brother with such loving eyes earlier, and the recent memory caused Irene's smile to fade. "Hey, Mikael... Do you think that Isabella likes Rayvis?"
Mikael had his mask back on, but from the tone of his voice, Irene could already tell he was probably looking at her like she was late to the club. "...You've only noticed that now? She's been infatuated with him since before I even met you."
"...WHAT?!" Irene shouted, eyes widened in complete shock. "From that far back?!"
Startled by her reaction, Mikael faltered. "W-Well yeah... I thought it was obvious, I'm surprised you didn't know," he fell quiet for a moment, observing Irene's troubled expression. "...You write romance novels and yet you couldn't see that much?"
"...I had no idea. I can't believe I've been so blind all this time," she heaved a sigh, running a hand through her dyed hair. "So then... Do you know if Rayvis likes her too?"
"Your brother is too in love with you to look at anyone else," Mikael flatly responded. Leaning against the nearby wall of the building they stood beside, he folded his arms. "Knowing him, he's probably noticed Isabella's feelings. But if he hasn't said anything, he likely has no intentions of taking it anywhere."
Irene frowned a little. As much as she hated the thought of Rayvis leading Isabella on and acting kindly towards her, it wasn't his fault for not being able to return her feelings. Besides, if Isabella never confessed to him in all this time, perhaps she was aware he didn't like her in the same way.
"I can't imagine him returning her feelings..." Irene sighed dejectedly. She knew her brother well - and was aware of the fact that Rayvis wasn't interested in women or romance in the slightest. Despite being a gentleman well-versed in treating ladies with respect and grace, he didn't seem to grow very close to any.
In Laydel, it was customary for nobles - especially those of high rank - to form engagements at an early age. Rayvis was turning seventeen, but had been receiving proposals as early as six years old. Yet every one of them was declined, initially by his parents - and later by Rayvis himself. Irene wasn't sure what her brother was thinking, but maybe he had no interest in marriage.
Still, the implications of his love life was the least of her worries. Instead, Isabella being in love with him was the greatest object of Irene's perturbation. Given that her heroine was now in love with someone else, it left behind a gaping hole for the future role of empress - one which was vital to the country.
"...I can't think of her as a future empress anymore." Irene whispered as she wracked through her mind to think up a new solution to this mess, but to no avail. Little did she know, Mikael heard those words, with an eyebrow raised.
"Isabella? As the empress?"
He heard me?!
Mikael suddenly grabbed Irene by the shoulders, startling her out of her thoughts. As she gazed up at the masked young man in bewilderment, she had no idea what sort of empression he wore. His next words were spoken with a mix of hesitation and curiosity.
"Irene... Didn't you receive Daniel's proposal?"