I Reincarnated as the Daughter of a Runaway Sub Heroine - Chapter 77

But why did I have to apologize for this? While I was thinking that, Hyperion spoke.

“Honestly, I don’t really find much joy in eating. So I just eat whatever is available.”

“You don’t enjoy eating?”

“No.”

If Derek had heard this, he would have been furious. He would consider it an insult to food. For Derek, eating was a very important matter.

“Oh, right. You said you don’t even eat late-night snacks.”

Thinking back, I realized I had never seen Hyperion show any preference for anything. In short, he had no interest in anything at all.

What kind of fun does he find in life?

We continued to ask each other questions and guess the answers.

Surprisingly, Hyperion knew a lot about me. Meanwhile, my accuracy rate was at rock bottom.

“What’s my favorite season?”

“Winter?”

“It’s spring. Arcadia, I’m really disappointed.”

I groaned and then asked him, “Okay, then what’s my favorite flower?”

As soon as I asked the question, I realized I had just spoon-fed him the answer and let out a sigh.

My favorite flower is the anemone, and the person who sent it to me was Hyperion. Since I had asked about the flower language of anemones last time, he must have figured it out.

“Anemone. You said you liked it because your mother does.”

“Um, that’s right.”

While that wasn’t incorrect, the truth is I first became interested in anemones after receiving them as a gift from Hyperion. Later, I found out that my mother’s favorite flower was also the anemone.

So, to be precise, the reason I came to like anemones was because of Hyperion. Why does he jump to such conclusions?

Then suddenly, a dream I had once recalled to me.

Arcadia, walking while holding a bouquet of anemones, and a man who sat her on his lap and embraced her. The words she spoke to him.

“This is my mother’s favorite flower. Do you know what the flower language of this flower is, my lord?”

My lord.

The last words I had forgotten came to mind. In the dream, Arcadia had called that man “my lord.”

My lord. There is only one ducal family in the kingdom. Why did she use such a title for that young man?

The Acanthus ducal family tends to pass on titles early to their heirs, but there are exceptions for heirs born without magic, like Hyperion. In such cases, the title is passed on only after the head of the family’s death, like with other families.

So, could the scene I saw in the dream not be from the kingdom? Now that I think about it, a long time ago when I fell into the water, I saw a man dressed in the clothes of the Ram Empire in a strange vision.

Right, while there is only one duke in the kingdom, there are multiple dukes in the empire. There are as many as five, including Duke Ashil Myura. Perhaps he is one of them?

“Then, what’s my favorite flower?”

At Hyperion’s following question, I answered confidently.

“This time I can guess. It must be a rose. It’s the symbol of the ducal family.”

Hyperion responded with a smile instead. Now that we had asked enough questions, I began to ponder.

“What should we guess next?”

“A kiss.”

I looked at Hyperion in shock, nearly jumping up.

“What, what did you say?”

What are we guessing now?

However, despite my astonishment, Hyperion maintained a calm expression.

“People will be curious about how far things have progressed between us, you know?”

“Why would they be curious about that? Are they perverts?!”

“If I say I kissed you and you say I didn’t, wouldn’t that be a bit strange? They might doubt our relationship or think I’m cheating on someone else.”

“Well, we could just not answer!”

“I’m not saying we should answer; I’m saying we should at least agree on some information between us. Unexpected situations can arise at any time.”

“That’s true.”

Yeah, if we were to play a game where we had to answer at the same time, that would be a real problem.

Quickly coming to an understanding, I nodded.

“Alright. No matter how much we might not want to answer, it’s much safer to at least agree on something…”

Damn! What did I just say! Why did I have to use the expression “agree on something”!

A wave of indescribable self-loathing washed over me, and I held my head in my hands. Meanwhile, Hyperion started laughing loudly.

Ha, I’m not someone who gets laughed at like this.

“Don’t laugh!”

“Oh, sorry.”

Hyperion offered a half-hearted apology and continued to tease me.

“So, how far should we say we’ve gone? Cheek? Forehead? Lips? Instep?”

His following remarks were absurd. With my mouth agape, I genuinely couldn’t understand something and asked him.

“Even if we say forehead or lips, what’s with the instep? Why would you kiss someone there?”

A long time ago, nobles kissed the instep as a sign of obedience to the king, but I doubt they did it because they wanted to.

At my serious question, Hyperion threw his head back and laughed. He must have laughed enough for a whole year in one go.

Wiping away his tears, he said.

“Arcadia, when you fall in love with someone, everything about that person becomes lovable, and you want to leave your mark there. That’s just instinct.”

From his words, I realized one thing: what he just said could only come from someone with experience.

Hyperion had truly loved someone or was still in love.

“You’ve really loved someone sincerely, haven’t you?”

The moment I said that, Hyperion’s laughter immediately ceased. The beautiful blue eyes I had praised were now watching me in silence, neither affirming nor denying.

Suddenly, he felt so distant, like the deep waters of the ocean that I could never reach again.

“Who…”

I was about to ask who it was when a scream echoed from somewhere.

“Princess!”

At the urgent shout, we quickly urged our horses forward. Before long, we saw the princess lying on the ground after having fallen from her horse.

“Princess, are you alright?”

I immediately jumped off my horse to check on the princess. Hyperion also rushed over. Fortunately, she seemed to be conscious. At first glance, there were no significant injuries.

The princess’s maid spoke in a flustered manner.

“The horse suddenly went wild, and the princess…”

At that moment, Princess Cassia waved her hand.

“I’m fine. I was just startled by the fall. I’m not hurt.”

“Still, it’s better to check thoroughly just in case. May I examine you?”

The princess nodded, and I began to carefully check her arms.

While I examined the princess for injuries, Hyperion inspected the horse. After checking from the horse’s flank to its hooves, he returned to us.

“There’s nothing particularly wrong with the horse. It might have been startled by something.”

The princess let out a small sigh.

“I know horses are very sensitive creatures, but I didn’t expect it to act up so suddenly… Ah!”

As I touched the princess’s right ankle, she let out a small whimper.

“It seems you injured your ankle when you fell. It would be best to return to the palace immediately for treatment.”

At my words, the princess nodded and looked up at Hyperion.

“Then, will the young duke escort me to where the knights are?”

The princess then turned to me with an apologetic expression.

“I’m really sorry for asking this on a day like today. I don’t want to disturb you two, but given my current situation, I have no choice.”

At this moment, it was just the princess, her maid, Hyperion, and me. Even without the princess’s request, it was a situation where I had to help.

I looked at Hyperion and said, “Hyun, take the princess back. I’ll stroll around here for a bit.”

If I were to follow them, the picture wouldn’t look good. It would be strange for a couple to follow behind while two unrelated individuals rode the same horse. No matter how much the princess was injured, people would inevitably talk.

Hyun seemed to ponder something for a moment but soon nodded. He realized this was the best course of action.

He lifted the princess onto his horse and then mounted behind her, turning to the maid.

“Please take the princess’s horse and follow me.”

“Understood.”

Finally, Hyun looked at me.

“I’ll be back soon, so wait a little.”

“Okay.”

I nodded with a smile. After they moved away, I urged my horse to walk slowly.

The day was truly sunny. The breeze was cool, and the fragrant scent of flowers filled the air. The green leaves covering the sky sparkled like jewels in the sunlight, creating a fantastical atmosphere.

“Why do I feel so down, though?”