Chapter 49
“…I’m sorry.”
At his direct words of apology, Aneth pressed her lips together. Should she be more surprised that the Crown Prince, infamous for his coldness, had just apologized? Or that he had been stumbling all day because he didn’t know how to handle jealousy?
“You… were jealous?”
“Jealous, yes. That’s exactly what it was. That mage is a well-known figure. He’s handsome, and many young ladies like him… If anyone had seen your eyes in that moment, they would have thought the same thing I did.”
Aneth had indeed been excited when she first heard the word “mage.” She hadn’t realized her expression had been that obvious.
If even Theowin, who always had his eyes fixed on hers, had seen it that way… then maybe it was natural for him to be confused.
“I didn’t know it looked like that. I was just… curious and glad to meet a mage for the first time, that’s all…”
Theowin let out another short sigh at her words. If only he had asked her directly in that moment, things wouldn’t have come this far. But when it came to Aneth, the otherwise capable prince had been clumsy—choosing silence instead of speaking up.
“But, Your Highness… was it really so different from how I usually look at you?”
Aneth finally voiced the question she had been holding back. She had been curious, but more than that, she felt it was time to be honest with herself, too. After all, he had agonized all day over just a single glance she gave someone else.
“Hmm… come to think of it, I don’t think you’ve ever looked at me with sparkling eyes.”
“Well, Your Highness hasn’t exactly looked at me with sparkling eyes either.”
At her retort, Theowin’s pupils shook violently. Had he really thought she was always gazing at him with shining eyes?
“Now that you mention it… you’re right.”
“But Your Highness has said you like me, hasn’t he?”
He had never made a grand declaration—no dramatic “I love you” under the perfect atmosphere. But he had always expressed his feelings quietly, sincerely. He didn’t have much experience with emotions, but he was at least honest.
If yesterday he had truly been jealous, then that reaction had been just as genuine. He hadn’t spoken up because he thought it would make him look petty—but staying silent only made him restless.
The idea that he had judged her feelings only by the look in her eyes made her laugh a little. But if she tried to understand, it did make sense.
“Even if I haven’t looked at you with sparkling eyes, that doesn’t mean I don’t like you.”
Aneth ended with a faint smile, her gaze sliding away from the burning intensity of Theowin’s eyes.
“I understand… but wouldn’t it be better if you expressed your feelings more clearly with words?”
He replied so calmly that Aneth almost doubted he’d actually understood. Of course, she hadn’t expected him to beam and jump around with joy at her confession, but still—his bland reaction made her feel slightly deflated.
Without meeting his eyes, she murmured in a small voice:
“What I mean is… I like you too, Your Highness. I like your kindness. I was just afraid that maybe that kindness wasn’t your true self… so I couldn’t say it before.”
It was true—she had worried. What if the tyrannical side of him was his real nature, and all the gentleness he showed her was nothing more than an act?
Of course, she also feared her own fate of bringing disaster.
But when nothing was certain yet, wasn’t it a waste to keep suppressing the feelings they already had for each other?
After all, until that day came, he would be her husband and she his wife. If so, wouldn’t it be better to live not with pretense but with genuine affection, even love?
Because love had its own power.
In stories, love was often said to perform miracles—allowing humans to achieve what should have been impossible.
At her long-awaited answer, Theowin froze.
Did he simply not expect her to respond so readily? Or did he just find it impossible to believe that Aneth actually liked him?
She waited patiently for his reaction. She didn’t know exactly how he felt, but she knew that for him, this was like stepping into a whole new world he had never known.
He had already opened that door when he first came to like her. He had left it ajar, so that whenever Aneth was ready, she could step in too.
“You… like me.”
She nodded.
He stared at her for a long moment, then pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Yielding, Aneth let herself rest her forehead lightly against his shoulder.
“Really… me? Aneth likes Theowin?”
“Of course. I don’t lie.”
Her firm answer carried on her breath, brushing against his shoulder. The faint vibration reached his ear, and Theowin bit his lips hard.
But just as Aneth expected to stay in his warm embrace, he suddenly pushed her back by the shoulders.
His amber eyes, wide open, captured her startled face—and then he leaned in without warning.
“Ah…!”
A ticklish sound escaped as something even more ticklish brushed her lips.
He had kissed her.
The order of things was all mixed up. They had shared a night together before even a single sweet touch like this. They hadn’t even kissed until now—Aneth only realized that at this very moment.
After the brief touch, Theowin looked into her eyes, only to see her cheeks flushing red. His brows furrowed.
“How… did I endure until now?”
His low voice reverberated in her chest, and before she knew it, his strong arms had seized her completely. Their bodies pressed so close together that no space remained. Then, with his fingers, he tilted her chin upward.
Their chests pressed together, and she could feel the rapid pounding of his heart.
So this is what it means to like someone… This pounding, this urge to act.
She knew exactly what he would do next. But she didn’t want to run away. In fact, the knowledge of what was coming—and her own desire for it—confirmed that they were of one heart.
Meeting his gaze, Aneth slowly closed her eyes. Recognizing her signal, Theowin smiled faintly against her lips and captured them again.
Though they had already shared their bodies, this was entirely different—the lingering kiss, the intimate mingling of breath, the way lips pressed and parted to allow something deeper.
Aneth’s heart felt as if it were melting.
How had someone like her—who once lived with no warmth, no affection—come to know love, and such overwhelming sensations? Even now, as her body trembled with excitement, a shadow of her past threatened to intrude.
But she was determined not to let that darkness take hold again. Even if she carried a heavy burden here too, she would face it with strength.
Inside the office, the moist sounds of lips meeting filled the air.
Unsatisfied with just lips, neither of them knew how to stop. They clung to each other, kissing with a passion so fierce their whole bodies shuddered, their mouths exploring, their hands roaming freely.
His hand held her waist, caressed her back, sharing his searing warmth with her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he deepened the kiss, moving more intimately inside her mouth.
The deep exchange didn’t stop for a long while. Not until the head maid, unable to wait any longer, knocked to call them for dinner.
Thanks to her unintended interruption, they reluctantly pulled apart and hurried out of the office—still holding hands tightly.
“…It’s a little overwhelming, having more and more people I want to protect as ‘mine’… But still, I want to protect them myself.”
As they walked down the corridor, Aneth confessed softly. She was relieved that what she had to do and what she wanted to do were finally aligned.
If her destiny had been to destroy the empire while her heart brimmed with love for so many within it… that truly would have been cruel.
“Don’t worry about that. Everyone you want to protect… I’ll protect them all for you.”
His low whisper was quiet enough that the head maid walking ahead couldn’t hear.
How had he hidden this gentleness all his life? How had no one else ever drawn it out of him?
Even she hadn’t done anything special. Maybe this really was what people called fate—a destined encounter that was bound to happen.
Walking side by side, hand in hand, their joy showed even from behind.
At dinner, sitting together. Back in the office afterward, finishing the work. And later, when bedtime came and they naturally climbed the stairs to her chamber together.
The day had started darkly, but it looked as though it would end with joy… and a night overflowing with love.
