I Start with a Bad Hand!

‘What is this? What’s going on?’

Some instinct honed by dealing with the crazies in this insane world told me something was off. There was something shady about Hayden. Not a decisive blow, but a series of very thin suspicions that together formed a vague shape of Hayden in my mind.

‘Hayden taking a vow in a way that’s not typical of Sereti?’

Okay, fine, let’s concede a hundred times and say that’s possible. Maybe he took those embarrassing vows twice just to accommodate me.

‘Hayden smoking a cigarette that only grandfathers or older people would smoke?’

Let’s give him that too. Even though it’s a cigarette certified by locals as something from the grandfather’s generation, there might be young people who smoke that kind of thing. It could be a bit retro, that kind of feeling.

‘Hayden being familiar with the culture of the Empire?’

This could be explained too. Hayden and I weren’t really that close. There might be circumstances about Hayden that I didn’t know. He could adapt faster than others, or maybe he lived in the Empire when he was young but found it too complicated to explain to me….

‘Hayden knowing a fairy tale that is actually from the Empire, not Sereti?’

This one, I couldn’t explain. What’s going on?

Individually, these things could be explained, but together they seemed quite suspicious. Hayden’s behavior and the way he carried himself couldn’t be seen as that of someone from the Empire.

‘Then why did he emphasize so much that he was from Sereti?’

At that point, I wanted to ask Hayden. Why say those things? Why emphasize over and over again that he was unfamiliar with this place and an outsider? For someone like that, he seemed remarkably well-versed in the culture and lifestyle of the Empire.

‘Is he slightly inconsistent in his words and actions?’

But at the same time, I felt like I was digging too deep into something that might not be significant.

‘Honestly, it’s random.’

With the Elexion lumps who seemed to inherit a flaw in character, the seemingly insane crown prince, and the foreigner Hayden. No matter how much I thought about it, the latter seemed lacking in the qualities to be included in that list. The qualities of a person with a diseased character.

‘And above all….’

I watched Hayden from a distance. From afar, I could see Hayden holding a pen with his right hand, writing something down.

‘The person who came to Lymus Street was left-handed….’

Yes. One of the reasons I had completely ruled Hayden out as being involved in this series of incidents was because Hayden was right-handed. In this world, even the crown prince and the second son of a ducal house write with their left hands. Even if it’s not them, you can often see left-handed people in the academy. The fact that people don’t bother to correct left-handedness means there’s no discrimination or prejudice against left-handers in this world.

‘So, being naturally right-handed means there’s no need for correction.’

I pulled my body back, which had been leaning toward Hayden. Damn it, I don’t know. Am I overthinking this? Maybe I’m becoming paranoid and suspicious of everything because there’s been no progress in this case.

I took my eyes off Hayden’s fluttering brown hair. But those lightly floating strands still lingered in my mind.

***

“Dietrich, could you please tell the Prince to stop coming to the archery range?”

The day of the decisive match had dawned. Though calling it a decisive day felt a bit grandiose. Anyway, today was the day we had decided to split into teams within the archery club and have a match. While everyone was cheerfully gearing up without any real tension, Frank approached me with a request.

“Why are you telling me this…?”

I paused while putting on my protective gear and glanced at Frank. Following Frank’s somewhat anxious gaze, I saw Icarus standing with a tilted head beyond the makeshift tent. Surrounding him were other students who weren’t part of the archery club.

“Isn’t he just here to watch today’s match like other academy students?”

But seriously, don’t people have anything better to do…? Even the participants think this is a trivial match, yet people came all the way out here to this remote archery range to watch. Frank waved his hand in front of my distant gaze and then leaned in close to whisper.

“He keeps glaring at me. Okay, I admit I’ve wronged you, but it’s really scary.”

“What’s so scary?”

As I resumed fastening my protective gear, I asked Frank.

“He doesn’t look at others like that when they’re shooting, but he keeps staring at me intensely when I shoot.”

“Maybe he’s interested in you.”

“Last time, he even asked if I was in the music club. How did he know that?”

“Can’t he just ask? And how could I dare tell His Highness not to come to the archery range?”

Frank, looking slightly teary-eyed, replied, “Come on, you know why I’m asking you. Prince—”

Frank, who had been sneaking glances at Icarus, lowered his voice and leaned closer to me.

“Everyone in the archery club knows he’s here to see you.”

In the distance, someone’s face was twisted in a displeased expression. Ignoring the furrowed eyebrows, I took a step back.

“That’s not true.”

“Why do you keep pretending? the prince’s eyes light up whenever he sees you.”

Frank lifted and then lowered his hands to demonstrate how Icarus’s eyes looked, but I ignored him and picked up my bow. I replied to Frank, who was following me closely, “It’s not true.”

Frank grumbled in response, “They say you can’t hide love, a sneeze, poverty, talent, or stupidity.”

“With that logic, there’s hardly anything that can be hidden in this world.”

I didn’t entirely disagree. Especially in this world, at this time, the emotions of children were among the few clear things in this otherwise obscure and enigmatic place. That’s probably why the crown prince himself had deigned to come to the archery range, gently stroking Roxanne’s hand.

‘If he’s at the academy, he should be studying…’

I glanced at Elius, standing with uncharacteristically flushed ears, and Roxanne, quietly accepting his touch. Then, as I unintentionally shifted my gaze elsewhere, Frank’s words echoed in my mind again.

That you can’t hide love. Even if countless eyes were on one person, the uncontainable emotion stood out. I slowly withdrew from the scene.

‘I’ve never seen those two together before… No wonder I didn’t notice until now.’

The way Hayden looked at Roxanne, the way her gaze fixed on the hand held by the crown prince, the way her jaw tensed.

Only then did I realize Hayden’s faint affection for Roxanne. I suddenly remembered that, in the original story, Hayden persistently lingered around Roxanne. And in this world, it seemed there wasn’t anyone who didn’t like her.

I looked at Elius’s profile as he continued to hold Roxanne’s hand. What I had thought was an overly long grip was actually Elius applying ointment to her hand.

‘Why is he applying ointment before the match? It’ll make her hands slippery.’

Even as the crown prince, he’s foolishly doing something so… But there was a peculiar certainty in his actions, a certainty that I needed to do something right now. I nudged Frank, who was still whining beside me, and asked,

“Frank, do you have any ointment or cream for your hands?”

“Huh? Yeah, I do. Why, do you need it?”

“Yes, please. Can you lend it to me?”

Frank rummaged through his bag and tossed me the cream. I caught it and slowly walked toward Hayden.

The reasons I hadn’t considered Hayden a suspect in this series of events were:

First, Hayden is a foreigner. Second, Hayden is right-handed. Third, Hayden lacks a motive to harbor ill will towards Dietrich.

But certain things are impossible to hide. It’s a habit ingrained in someone who has a particular way of living, a habit that reveals itself no matter how hard one tries to conceal it.

“Heyden, did you come to watch the match?”

Hayden’s face, which I had observed from afar, was now completely relaxed and friendly.

“Of course. I heard the archery club was having an interesting match.”

More importantly, you’re here too. Looking into his seemingly kind eyes, I gently took Hayden’s hand. He flinched slightly in surprise but then let me hold his hand.

“That’s great. I’m glad you came to see me.”

I turned to look at Roxanne and Elius. I felt Hayden’s hand briefly tense in mine before relaxing as if nothing had happened. I looked back at Hayden. An enigmatic smile played on his lips. I tilted my head slightly towards them and whispered to Hayden,

“I didn’t understand it then, and I still don’t.”

“Indeed.”

Hayden chuckled and nodded, while I slowly ran my fingers over his hand. The cream slid over the cool surface of Hayden’s hand. I kept my gaze deliberately on his brown eyes to keep him from thinking or feeling anything else.

“But… even if I don’t understand, I’ll give it a try.”

The middle finger of Hayden’s left hand. Right next to the nail.

“I want to get to know you better, just as you wanted to get to know me.”

If you hold a pen or brush, a callus is inevitable.

“Like you did…”

On the middle finger of Hayden’s left hand, there was a prominent callus.