Chapter 45
Until the end of the banquet, Teowin maintained his usual expressionless demeanor. The gentle smile he usually showed when they were alone was nowhere to be seen.
It seemed like his mood had soured sharply ever since Kirkan had come by earlier… Were they on bad terms? Or was it nothing?
Agnes, whose mind had been entirely consumed with thoughts of mana and the necklace whenever Kirkan was nearby, tried to clear her head and focus on Teowin. But he stayed silent and expressionless, as if to prevent her from reading him.
He held that stance until the banquet ended. Unaware of what had really happened, Agnes had spent the entire time gauging his mood.
The banquet concluded successfully. The various conversations they had, along with the unexpected visit from the beautiful magician Kirkan, became the highlight of the evening.
Of course, the elegance of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess was also a topic of discussion.
Clack, clack. Agnes listened to the sound of her own heels as she stared intently at his back while he walked ahead of her.
If only he would tell her what was wrong, she could either fix it or explain herself—but with his lips pressed tightly shut, she didn’t even know what to say.
If she said the wrong thing and he reacted coldly, or snapped at her… somehow, her heart felt like it might crumble, and she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
“Nothing… to say?”
They stopped at the fork in the road that divided the Crown Prince’s palace from the annex. He asked the question without even looking back at her.
But… why did the question feel like that?
“Are you… asking me now?”
Shouldn’t the words be coming from you?
She restrained herself from retorting. She didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere—she wanted to have a proper conversation with him.
“Then who else would I ask besides you right now?”
Yet, strangely, Teowin sounded unusually sharp. His mood… was far from good. She tried to restrain herself, but he seemed intent only on mocking her.
“W-words? If you ask me like that all of a sudden, what am I supposed to say?”
She couldn’t guess what story he wanted to hear.
If there was something to explain, he should have told her first, regardless of whether the question concerned him.
Teowin stood still, motionless for a moment. Agnes felt a flicker of anger at his back. How could someone make a person so anxious for hours?
Yet he still said nothing.
Let’s wait—let’s wait until he speaks… but quite some time had already passed.
“Then, Your Highness, do you have nothing to say? About why you seemed to have completely forgotten that someone was standing next to you all through the banquet?”
Agnes ended up saying it. She hadn’t realized it, but apparently this had been bothering her and even pained her heart.
As she confessed her feelings, her voice trembled slightly, and the moment she noticed the tremor, her heart felt as if it had been dropped.
“Hah…”
A sigh followed, falling along with her heart. Hearing the sigh, Teowin, who had only been showing his back, suddenly turned to look at her.
“Agnes…”
Seeing him reach out, Agnes stepped back.
The clear gesture of refusal shocked Teowin as well.
“No, I… meant to—”
“I had no trouble the whole banquet. Until Your Highness became so cold and distant, I was planning to fully enjoy the day you worked so hard to prepare…”
Hearing Agnes speak, Teowin bit his lip. Something was seriously wrong.
If she said nothing had happened… then it meant he was the cause.
Especially since he had only asked if she had anything to say, his petty pride as the Empire’s Crown Prince had prevented him from asking the question he really wanted to—whether she had harbored any thoughts about him. He understood that much himself, but he didn’t know how it had come across to Agnes.
“Fine. It’s okay. You don’t want to talk, I suppose. Rest. I’ll go inside.”
Waiting for his reply, Agnes turned with a tired expression. Though her steps toward her room seemed light, they weren’t carefree.
Watching her back, Teowin felt as if someone were squeezing his heart.
Tarin was startled as she watched Agnes return to her room so wearily.
“Oh my, Miss! Ah, no—Your Highness! Are you alright? You look so unwell!”
Even as she spoke, Tarin was busy checking Agnes’s condition. Agnes sank into the large sofa without doing anything.
Tarin first removed her shoes and quickly brought a blanket to cover her. Since the banquet dress was somewhat revealing, keeping her warm would help.
She didn’t seem physically ill. Her face was stiff, and her gaze seemed distant, but she wasn’t feverish, shivering, or sweating.
So clearly, something at the banquet had left her shocked.
“What happened to leave you in such a daze? I’m glad you’re not hurt…”
Agnes, blinking slowly, listened to Tarin chatter.
“How did you know something happened to me?”
She was only a bit weak.
Tarin explained her earlier guesses, and as Agnes listened, her facial muscles moved as if color was returning to her cheeks and she smiled slightly.
“Your hard work has become a great strength.”
Seeing Agnes’s expression soften, Tarin felt slightly relieved. She hadn’t solved the problem that troubled Agnes, but even easing her mind a little was satisfying.
“That’s nothing. Miss, banquet dresses are constricting and revealing—you should take it off, okay?”
Agnes took a deep breath and began to get up. Though the banquet hadn’t been physically exhausting, the incident at the end had drained her completely.
With Tarin’s help, she removed her dress and entered the bathroom, staring at the bathtub being filled with hot water.
“Please wait a moment, Your Highness. Once the water is ready, the room will quickly warm up.”
Tarin moved busily, preparing bath salts, a hint of fragrant oil, and other items for her.
Sometimes, a person alone could be a comfort—Tarin was like that, and so was Cesar.
In fact, Teowin had been like that too. He was the one she had longed for as family. And on top of that, he had shown a tender side—how reassuring.
“Miss! The bath is ready. Is the temperature okay?”
Agnes finally snapped out of her thoughts and dipped a leg into the water. The slightly hot water seemed to dissolve her fatigue.
“This feels perfect. My body can relax.”
The warmth seemed to ease her mind too. Only then did Tarin move quickly with relief.
“I added some oil to ease your fatigue. You’ll feel comfortable now.”
But in Agnes’s mind, another uneasy thought sprang up. What happened to that tender person?
Had she… crossed a line?
But which line exactly? She felt trapped in a confusing loop.
Today, it was impossible. She had tried speaking on the way back but ended up only feeling worse.
“Your Highness…”
Her briefly relaxed expression stiffened again. Tarin looked at her and called softly.
“It’s okay, Tarin. Don’t worry too much.”
She patted Tarin’s hand, which looked ready to sulk.
“Tarin, I’ll handle the rest, so go rest.”
“No, Your Highness! I’m here to help with the bath.”
“I haven’t had anyone help with baths lately. Have you forgotten my preferences?”
Saying it like a playful threat, Tarin gave a faint smile.
“No, it’s not that. Your Highness, what if you slipped under the water? Falling asleep in the bath could give you a cold—it wouldn’t be good.”
Eventually, she gave in to Tarin’s persistence, cleaned herself quickly, and stepped out of the bathroom. Tarin promptly dried her hair.
Only when she moved to the bed did Agnes finally feel completely at ease.
Once she was comfortable, she thought of his embrace—how she wanted to hear his heartbeat and fall asleep in his arms. But she had just fought with him…
She had always thought of him as someone who could lie beside her and protect her in any situation… Yet now, she felt conflicted.
