Chapter 135: Chapter 135 - My Standards Are High (2)

I had a lot of work to do.

Wirwol was still bright and bustling with activity. Although it was the city of mages, the decline of magic did not yet seem to darken the mood. Young scholars passed by with bags of research equipment, and a tall woman looked lost in thought as she weaved a golden wind through her fingers. Young students were spotted here and there, hugging thick textbooks and speaking in jargon.

The knights who followed me looked around with curious expressions, and I deliberately walked at a slow pace as they looked around. When I passed by the restaurant that I had dined in with Heinley, my footsteps stopped on their own accord.

It had only been a year, but it seemed like a lifetime ago that we were laughing and chatting happily inside the restaurant. That time was difficult for me because of Sovieshu and Rashta...but that could now be considered peaceful, compared to my brother’s banishment and my imminent ousting as empress.

The restaurant gave me a strong sense of longing, and I ended up entering with the excuse that I was hungry. When I looked at the table where I once sat with Prince Heinley, I saw the back of a familiar-looking figure.

‘Prince Heinley?’

Impossible. A king wouldn’t come here. But that light blond hair and straight posture looked just like his.

I suppressed my surprise and approached slowly. I sneaked a look at his face, pretending to just sit nearby. However...

“Prince?”

It was really Prince Heinley. My mouth spoke of its own accord, and Prince Heinley, who was studying the menu in serious thought, glanced up at me.

“Que—”

Prince Heinley jumped to his feet in surprise.

He quickly closed his mouth when he realized he almost called me by my name in the restaurant. The look on his face was bright. When I saw his selfless expression, the shadow in my heart disappeared and I smiled.

“It can’t be.”

He muttered, combing his hair back with one hand.

“What a coincidence!”

I instructed the knights to sit at another table, then turned back to Prince Heinley.

“May I join you?”

“Of course.”

He quickly stood up and pulled out the opposite chair for me to sit in. I seated myself, while he went back to his own seat and rested his cheek against his hand.

“You have no idea how surprised I am. I didn’t expect to see you at this restaurant.”

It was fascinating that we met here again. Was this place a special memory for him?

“I’m surprised as well. Prince Heinley is now—ah.”

He wasn’t a prince anymore. I smiled awkwardly when I recognized the mistake, but he simply smiled back.

“You can just call me Heinley.”

“...That’s a little too much.”

“Even more so if you don’t say my name properly.”

“But...”

“Please. Just call me Heinley.”

Even if it was just his name, Heinley was skilled in giving whispers that were like drops of sugar. Amazingly, as he repeated his preferred method of name calling, he began playing with the rim of his ear while avoiding eye contact. His face reddened, making him look like he was still a free prince. That form of his was cute, but it brought about a real concern.

“I didn’t realize you were here. How did you get here?”

There was no one around him that looked like his entourage.

“Hmm.”

Heinley smiled awkwardly and fiddled with the cup in front of him.

“Ah. Well.”

When he belatedly noticed that he only had a drink, he called for a waiter and ordered several items on the menu.

“Are you fine with it?”

“I’m fine.”

Heinley’s order was the same food we shared together in the past. He smiled, his chin resting on his hand.

“In truth, I snuck out to avoid all the nagging from the courtiers.”

He sounded so serious that I almost laughed.

“You came here secretly?”

I looked back at him in amazement.

“Can a king simply sneak out like that?”

Was that possible? It sounded dangerous. Heinley chuckled and whispered to me conspiratorially.

“No one is more talented at escaping the royal family than I am.”

“That sounds risky.”

“Sometimes the most amazing and wonderful things happen when one takes risks. Like today.”

My heart warmed that he chose to describe our meeting this way. Whether his words were empty or I was being delusional, at least his he made me feel good. I laughed and shook my head, and Heinley gazed at me.

“I missed you.”

“!”

My eyes rounded in surprise, and Heinley continued with a gentle smile.

“The days I spent with you, Your Majesty, were my last days as a free prince.”

I nodded comfortably after listening to him. Heinley was going through a difficult transition as king at this point.

I recalled the time when I first took the throne. Despite the fact that I shadowed the former empress and was given extensive education, once I was coronated, everything seemed strange and frightening. While I was given the tools to succeed in the position, I was afraid my choices would bring harm to people. Heinley was likely struggling with the same problem.

“It’s alright, Heinley. You will be brilliant.”

“That wasn’t the cause of my distress.”

“No?”

“Someday...well, I’ll tell you when I get the chance. It’s too personal.”

“?”

“Thank you anyway. But it’s not too hard to keep things going.”

I looked at him in puzzlement, and he smiled confidently and picked up his teacup.

The waiter pulled up with the food cart, so we paused our conversation. After the waiter set down our food and left, Heinley put down his teacup and continued.

“It’s another matter that’s on my mind, not work.”

“Another matter?”

Heinley hesitated, embarrassed, then finally confessed.

“My people keep asking me to choose a queen.”

“Ah...”

“I say I’m fine, but they keep insisting that I get married as soon as possible.”

Heinley let out a tired sigh.

“There is no young woman betrothed to you yet?”

I was chosen as a child to be the future wife of the Crown Prince, and I found it strange that Heinley did not already have a marriage partner chosen for him at his age.

“I wasn’t the crown prince, so I was a little freed from that problem.”

Heinley shrugged and gave a furtive glance at me.

“But the queen I need is someone who needs to be involved in state affairs immediately. No matter how clever one can be, it’s difficult to run a nation without a Crown Princess.”

Heinley had a point, and as I nodded, he spoke in a lower voice.

“Besides, after I saw you, my standards became higher.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s not just a compliment, it’s true. I can’t accept a queen unless she’s like you.”

His tone was humorous, but the look in his eyes was serious. I smiled awkwardly and avoided his gaze. My mood turned bitter. Sovieshu was trying to divorce me, while Heinley wanted to welcome a queen just like me...

Heinley cupped his teacup with both hands and looked into my eyes.

“Really, sometimes I think. If you were the Queen of the West, the people would love you.”