Chapter 11
The eyes fixed on me gradually widened. He looked genuinely startled, and for some reason my completely innocent cheeks started to burn.
“Th-that—”
“You look very good.”
Very.
“!”
At the compliment that struck so suddenly, my heart dropped heavily.
I’d brushed off all the praise from the maids just fine, yet for some reason, what Mikael said got under my skin. Barely managing to overcome the awkwardness, I stammered in a way that wasn’t like me at all.
“Th-thank you.”
“I truly mean it. You’re so beautiful that for a moment—”
‘Aaaagh!’
Has he lost his mind?!
Before I could get any more embarrassed, I quickly covered that bewitching mouth of his. How could he say something like that so easily?! He gets shy when I compliment him, yet when he’s the one speaking, he’s even worse than me.
The hand covering his mouth turned faintly red.
“That’s enough, let’s go now!”
“…….”
With his mouth suddenly blocked, he smacked his lips with a dejected look. His drooping eyes made it seem like he had a lot more he wanted to say. His sulkiness was written all over his face.
No—what are you even disappointed about?!
The place where the Second Prince resided was the main palace where the Emperor himself stayed. As such, the dining hall he’d invited us to was also located within the main palace.
For Mikael, this was probably the first time he’d ever left the Fourth Prince’s palace. Perhaps because of that, he looked around the corridor with clear curiosity.
He tried to act like he wasn’t, but from beside him, it was obvious. His innocent eyes were glued to everything around him.
Finding it rather cute, I let out a quiet chuckle and looked out the window at the sunset glowing red. Just then, Mikael lightly tugged on my arm.
“Your Highness?”
I turned to him, wondering what was wrong, and saw Mikael blinking with his face flushed.
“W-was my behavior just now… strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“Th-that. Me looking around here so curiously.”
“Hmm. Not really?”
Rather than strange—
“I laughed because you looked cute.”
No matter how splendid the imperial palace was, to me it was nothing more than a massive pile of money.
I’d seen so many palaces already—there was nothing left to be impressed by.
If anything, watching Mikael look around in fascination was far more enjoyable. Seeing him gaze around with such wonder, anyone would find it cute. If I had to compare it, it felt like watching a child visit an amusement park for the first time.
Especially with that face.
“M-my lady!”
“Yes?”
When I asked what was wrong, Mikael pressed his lips together tightly. He looked like he was holding something back.
Had he disliked being called cute? I hurriedly examined him. I’d meant it as a compliment, but thinking about it, Mikael was only seventeen.
At that age, people can be sensitive. I quickly accepted his reaction.
Gently trying to comfort my possibly sulking husband, I spoke softly.
“If that bothered you, I’m sorry. I really meant it as a compliment—there was no other meaning.”
“!”
At those words, Mikael snapped his head away. The sudden motion left me momentarily speechless.
“Your Highness?”
I called out to him in confusion, but he only kept his head turned, saying nothing.
‘Did he really get upset?’
But then I noticed his ears slowly turning red.
No way.
“Your Highness… do you have a fever again?”
He’s not sick again, right?
“…….”
At my question, his long legs came to an abrupt stop. He turned back around and muttered with slightly resentful eyes,
“I don’t have a fever.”
Then he turned his head away again.
“?”
What’s wrong with him?
Seeing how thoroughly sulky he looked, I tilted my head in confusion. Did he really hate being called cute that much? Feeling uneasy, I parted my lips to speak.
Just as I was about to apologize again, a voice suddenly came from ahead of us.
“You have arrived.”
“……Ah.”
We were already here. Having walked absentmindedly, we’d reached the dining hall before I realized it.
I glanced at my husband, who might still be sulking. But Mikael kept his mouth firmly shut.
What if he stays upset the whole time? Worried, I poked his arm lightly with my finger, but there was no response.
The attendant who’d been glancing at us let out an exaggerated cough on purpose.
“The Second Prince is waiting.”
I awkwardly withdrew my gaze.
The unexpected reaction had already left my insides feeling stifled. It felt like being pressed down by a heavy stone, yet unfortunately, there was no time to resolve it.
“The Fourth Prince and the Crown Princess have arrived!”
The loud announcement echoed through the air, cutting off my worries.
At the same time, the dining hall doors opened. Bright light poured out, making me squint slightly.
“You came?”
The moment we stepped inside, an unpleasantly familiar voice greeted us. Inside sat a man with silver hair just like Mikael’s.
Standing up from his seat, Cedric smiled gently and said,
“I even sent clothes because I thought you might not come. They suit you better than I expected.”
‘Damn it. That was why?’
No wonder he’d sent the invitation so casually. If I’d known that was his intention, I never would’ve worn it.
“……Greetings, Your Highness.”
Mikael spoke with a heavy voice.
Aside from the Emperor, this was the first family member he’d ever met in his life.
When Mikael greeted him, I followed suit and offered my own courtesy. A faint sigh escaped as I bowed my head.
“Sit down. I don’t have a hobby of making people stand for their first meal.”
As exhausting as ever.
Still feeling awkward, we sat at the table under Cedric’s courteous guidance—unfortunately, directly opposite him.
Resting his chin on his hand, Cedric nodded in satisfaction as he looked at us.
Soon, the prepared dishes were served. Just as I was admiring how surprisingly normal the food looked—
“Oh, right.”
Cedric spoke to me in a calm tone.
“Want to go to a party with me?”
Clatter—
The glass of water in my hand fell straight to the floor.
Mikael, of course, froze—and even Cedric, who’d caused this mess, blinked in surprise.
After a brief silence, I looked down at the shattered glass on the floor. An attendant nearby rushed over in a panic.
“Are you all right?”
“……I’m fine.”
As I frowned in embarrassment, Cedric let out a dry chuckle.
Resting his chin on his hand, he muttered quietly,
“Do you dislike parties, or are you just weak in the hands?”
Probably both. I answered him by simply looking at him.
“Are you truly all right, my lady?”
The raw concern from beside me made me bite my lip unconsciously. It was just a broken glass.
I tried to hide my flushed cheeks.
Still, suddenly inviting me to a party—
‘Do people here not believe in giving warnings?’
At this point, it had to be hereditary. Or maybe startling people was their hobby. If so, it was a truly awful one.
Once I’d barely composed myself, I asked carefully,
“……A party?”
“Yeah. Don’t know what a party is?”
No, I knew that much.
That wasn’t the point.
“With whom?”
“With whom, you ask?”
Who else—
“With me.”
Cedric pointed back and forth between himself and me. His tone was so matter-of-fact that I forgot who I was talking to and nearly jumped up.
“Wh-why me? No, I mean—my apologies, Your Highness.”
“Why bother now? It’s fine, speak casually. Formalities don’t suit you.”
And besides, hadn’t she already said everything she wanted to say?
Having unexpectedly been given permission to speak freely, I didn’t waste the chance.
“Then why me—”
“I need a partner.”
……And you really had to?
My head quickly became a mess at a reason that made no sense whatsoever.
Cedric might be a notorious troublemaker, but if he asked, there’d be plenty of people willing to risk their lives to go with him.
‘So why me?’
When I looked at him with genuine curiosity, Cedric confidently lifted his chin.
“I don’t have any friends to go with.”
‘……You lunatic.’
I completely failed at controlling my expression and stared at him like I’d just eaten something foul. I was the idiot for overthinking anything involving him.
Only Cedric would know how ridiculous my face looked right now.
Seeing my expression, he suppressed a laugh and instead smiled brightly.
Scowling deeply, I turned to check on Mikael, who must’ve heard this nonsense too.
But Mikael’s reaction was far from normal.
‘Is he… glaring?’
The timid face from earlier was gone—his expression was hard as stone.
As if he were about to bare his teeth at Cedric. Since I’d only ever seen his fragile side, this was undeniably unfamiliar.
“Your Highness?”
He was facing the Second Prince, after all. Calling Mikael softly as a warning, his rigid expression finally eased a little.
With a nagging feeling, I glanced at Cedric. He, too, was staring intently at Mikael.
There was curiosity mixed with something like fascination, as if he were looking at a rare specimen. The atmosphere between them was unsettling.
‘No!’
I’d worked so hard to avoid death flags—at this rate, I’d end up raising one in a completely different direction.
Catching the mood between them, I hurriedly changed the subject.
“S-so… what kind of party is it?”
“……Nothing special.”
Cedric replied lazily, though his gaze remained fixed on Mikael.
“This time, the Hendron Marquisate is hosting it.”
“!”
Wait.
I replayed those words in my head.
“Where did you say?”
