The End Of An Unrequited Love

Rubellus’ purple eyes kept staring at me.

Why do you smile like that?

I do not understand!

“You know what I mean, Ira?”

No, I don’t.

I blinked again. He tilted his head to the left, looked into my eyes, and then muttered:

“I’m not sure what you mean…” I whispered.

“My secret.”

Oh.

My eyes opened.

Rubellus’ secret…

There was a time when I felt special knowing that.

I looked at my bracelet, the secret I hadn’t told anyone since I met him when I was four.

Why do you make me remember it?

His secret might seem ridiculous to the hates of many, but to the royal family, it was dangerous.

And they were willing to kill for it.

Rubellus’ beautiful purple eyes… were not the true color of his eyes.

When he was a child, special lenses were created that were capable of obscuring reality. Because anyone who saw the color red in his iris couldn’t stand it.

Red as blood.

I choked, I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t really do it.

I haven’t seen him in a long time and this might be the last time I see him.

Well maybe… I’ll see him again when he decides to get married…

And the woman with whom I walk down the aisle will also know his secret, will be close to him and will achieve at his side all that I could only dream of.

“So, do you understand?”

Rubellus extended his hand to me with a smile on his lips.

I looked at him perplexed as my brain tried to process all the information.

Why are you holding out your hand? Do you want me to hold your hand?

What do you want?

I looked at his hand a second time and blinked awkwardly.

Rubellus looks at me and smiles.

Is this a joke? Are you making fun of me?

Help!

“Now you know what that bracelet means, Ira.”

I don’t know anything!

Could it be that I’m a fool?

“I… don’t understand you” my tone of voice became lower and lower as I spoke.

Do you want my bracelet?

But this bracelet was given to me by my brother!

Why would you want a bracelet?

With your fortune you can buy ten of these!

Then, as if Rubellus understood my confusion, he stopped smiling. I have a feeling I’ve offended him somehow.

“Ira?” he muttered my name softly.

I don’t want to disturb him.

I’m really giving it my all, but I don’t understand anything.

“I-I don’t know…”

And then Rubellus’ expression was a somber face.

He blinked for a moment, as if he could not understand, and then he said:

“Don’t you understand?”

I hesitated to answer for a moment, but in the end I was honest.

“The jewel in this bracelet is rubellite.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I know the color of the rubellite is the same as the color of your eyes.”

“Yes, it is.”

“But this bracelet was given to me by my brother… “

“Yes, I was… Your… brother?”

It was then that Rubellus frowned. His expression was so frightening that I could not look at him directly.

I do not know where to look…

How frightening!

“This bracelet is my birthday present and my brother gave it to me, I-I… how is this bracelet connected to His Highness?”

“….”

“Do you know Elpine? My brother… you met him at the ceremony, right?”

The look on Rubellus’ face became even more frightening when I finished speaking.

Oh my god! I want to live!

“Your brother…”

I kept my head down and started blinking quickly.

I was so embarrassed.

If I had known all this would happen, I wouldn’t have come to this place.

“I’m sorry…” I muttered.

I felt I should apologize, I didn’t know why, but I did.

Maybe I didn’t want him to be angry…

But suddenly my eyes were blurry.

No! Stop it!

I don’t want to cry, but I’m so scared.

No, don’t cry, please…

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset Your Highness.”

At the end of the prayer, my voice trembled and tears began to flow down my cheeks.

“Ira, you don’t have to apologize, why should I be angry?”

I shrugged and snorted.

I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, I didn’t want him to see me cry.

But before I could even run, I heard him call me.

“Ira…”

I could feel his fingers caressing my chin and lifting it until we crossed eyes. My eyes were still blurry, so at first I thought it was a mistake.

How could the Emperor of this country, look at me like that?

Wait a minute, His Majesty is on his knee, right?

At what point did I end up on the floor?!

I opened my eyes wide in surprise and the big tears that had been in my eyes fell to the floor.

I was on one knee, looking at myself.

Oh, my God… an Emperor should never do something like that, the etiquette doesn’t allow it, because… you? It can’t be real…

Rubellus held my hands in his.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a voice full of regret. “Don’t cry, please, I’m not angry with you.”

I think I’m going crazy.

He’s even begging.

If anyone saw us, they’d never believe it!

I blinked, not understanding what was happening in front of me.

It was so unreal…

“Prince Rubellus.”

I was about to say something, but someone beat me to it.

I turned my head to the voice I had heard.

But Rubellus took me in his arms, lifted me off the ground and stood in front of me, as if trying to protect me.

“Who’s there?”

Release (5/5)