Chapter 75
Theron was momentarily at a loss for words and pressed his lips together.
When did I start falling for her like this?
It had begun with curiosity, and then it had become simple jealousy.
It annoyed him that the small, cute creature who kept catching his eye belonged to his brother.
And the moment he learned that the true form of that adorable animal wasn’t a cat but a beautiful woman, he instantly sensed the truth:
He was already far too captivated. He would lose his heart to her completely, even before she had shown her human form.
A feeling he thought would quiet down soon instead grew into a wild storm that tore apart his entire heart, and he was simply a fragile human caught in its path.
She made him feel human—something he had never managed to become despite trying his entire life.
To pity someone.
To feel his heart tremble because of someone.
To want to protect someone even if it cost him everything.
She had accomplished all those difficult things with astonishing ease.
And Theron had no intention of losing the light he had finally gained.
The only thing hesitating him was Ishtar’s happiness.
Perhaps she would be better off with his brother, someone more stable than himself.
Love makes people foolish.
He had understood that while watching Roxelana, but he never thought he would experience it himself this intensely.
His chest tightened painfully, and he bit down hard on his lip.
It was the first time he had ever thought so deeply about another person.
If he wanted something, he took it. If he disliked it, he threw it away. That had always been his absolute logic—one in which she had never existed.
Maybe… this incident could become a turning point.
He didn’t like that the one creating that opportunity was his mother, but he was desperate enough to accept change in any form.
“So, what is your plan, Mother? How do you intend to approach her?”
“You only now show interest. I sent people to investigate the girl. She seems to have agreed to cooperate with Süleiman and Hürrem in exchange for land and a large sum of money.”
“That’s news to me.”
“Hürrem approved the documents. They were found in Aziz’s quarters. Had he still been alive, it would have been harder to discover.”
Theron nodded and sank into thought.
If Ishtar truly wanted money, then things would be much simpler than expected.
He already possessed wealth surpassing even Roxelana.
If she wished it, he could gather all the riches in the world and place them at her feet.
“Spend whatever you need. Please attempt to recruit her. I’ll cover all financial support.”
“Hm. So you have no intention of negotiating with her yourself. I thought it would be better for you to make the offer rather than me.”
“I can meet her once to test the waters, but I don’t want to risk saying something foolish and making her hate me. I don’t want to be seen as a narrow-minded man who gets rejected over money.”
“My, I didn’t expect to hear such words from you… You truly mean this, don’t you.”
Looking at Theron’s serious demeanor, Roxelana’s expression turned strange.
Young, healthy men being enchanted by a beautiful, capable woman was natural.
Her son seemed obsessed with Ishtar now, but she believed he would soon regain his senses.
Yet for some reason, a vague foreboding made her think she might be wrong.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. And… you might want to be careful about saying things like making the servants deaf. Rumors spread quietly.”
“Hmph, of all people, I don’t want to hear that from you. Enough, get out.”
Theron gave a slight scoff, offered an unnecessarily polite bow, and left the room.
Watching him disappear, Roxelana felt an uncomfortable aftertaste linger.
✦ ✦ ✦
After that, my days passed uneventfully.
I was wary that Roxelana might pull some suspicious trick again, but thankfully nothing happened.
Even Süleiman, who had been tense for a while, seemed to relax.
I also didn’t want unnecessary stress, so I let myself stop worrying.
Then one day, while I was resting in the bedroom, something unexpected happened.
“Um… Lady Ishtar. A guest has come to see you.”
“Hmm? Me? That can’t be.”
I looked up from the travel book I had been comfortably reading in the armchair.
The only person who might visit me was Süleiman, the owner of this room.
Hürrem or Roxelana would summon me, not come in person.
“W-well… Prince Theron is here. He says he wants to see you—what should we do?”
“What?!”
I jolted up from the chair so fast the book rolled onto the floor. But this was no time to care about fallen books.
Why is he coming HERE of all places?!
Well… technically, there wasn’t really a reason he couldn’t.
We weren’t strangers. We had enough rapport for a casual check-in.
But the problem was… this was Süleiman’s room.
Yes, my own room was connected inside, but it was too small to receive guests.
Whenever Süleiman was away, I spent most of my time in his spacious outer chamber, which functioned like a living room.
After a moment of hesitation, I hurriedly straightened my clothes and opened the door myself.
“Welcome, Theron… Prince. It’s been a while.”
I added his title cautiously, and he smiled brightly.
“I didn’t expect you to open the door yourself. I’m honored by the warm welcome, Ishtar.”
I stared at Theron, who looked almost radiant.
He was dressed far more splendidly than when I last saw him.
A white uniform embroidered with gold perfectly matched his bright blond hair.
While I was momentarily distracted, he casually stepped inside.
“So this is Brother’s room? It’s my first time seeing it. Quite interesting. Our tastes in furniture seem very different.”
“Wa—wait! You can’t just walk in!”
Flustered, I rushed to block him, waving my arms.
But Theron easily sidestepped me and examined the room.
“It’s a nice room. Spacious, comfortable. The large windows must give a lovely view. Do you stay here with him?”
“…I have my own room inside.”
“I see.”
He looked as if he had more to say, but closed his mouth.
His profile seemed oddly lonely, like some tragic prince.
But that wasn’t the important issue right now!
“Why did you come? Let’s talk outside. It’s awkward in here.”
“Oh dear, you won’t even serve me tea? That makes me a little sad.”
“Ugh… Fine, let’s take a walk! The weather’s good anyway.”
“That sounds lovely. I’d enjoy going anywhere with you—but even I prefer not to linger in this room.”
He agreed smoothly, and together we went out to the garden.
The palace garden had a small walking path, where Süleiman and I spent many evenings.
“Theron, why did you show up out of nowhere? You startled me!”
“We’re friends, aren’t we? Friends don’t need a reason to see each other.”
“…Don’t dodge the question. You’re not the type to come this boldly. And you don’t even like Süleiman.”
“Well, I suppose it goes both ways. If anything, I might dislike him more. Seeing his bedroom almost made me angry.”
“What? Why would you get angry about that?”
For a split second, coldness flickered across Theron’s face before vanishing.
Not noticing at all, I continued complaining.
“Well… I’m not planning to cling to that room forever. I should have my own place eventually, right? I’m working hard—like a fresh recruit starting life on her own.”
I rambled excuses, not wanting him—one of the few people I was close with—to think I lacked independence.
Though truthfully, Süleiman’s circumstances made it impossible for us to live apart.
But I couldn’t tell Theron that.
“You mean the clinic work? I heard you’ve been working hard. You even helped with a facility my mother runs recently.”
“Ah… yes. She does a lot of good work.”
“I appreciate the compliment, but it might be wise not to help her again. If she learns your true identity, things could become complicated.”
His sincere warning touched me.
Even though she was his mother, he was more worried about my safety.
“That aside, Süleiman is quite disappointing, isn’t he? If it were me, I’d gift you dozens of mansions immediately. No—more than that.”
