Episode 8
It was something she had never expected—and absolutely never wanted.
The Fourth Prince was known as the half-blood prince. Though he was officially tied to House Leonik, Adora knew very well where the other half of the blood in his veins came from.
That was why she had absolutely no desire to serve as the Fourth Prince’s guard.
The problem was that no one else wanted the assignment either.
And to make matters worse, Adora was the only guard assigned to him.
“Am I truly the only one?”
Because of the unstable situation with the enemy nation, they couldn’t afford to weaken security, so only a limited number of temporary guards had been selected. Most of them had been assigned to the Crown Prince first, leaving very few people behind.
Still, assigning only one person felt strange.
“Yes. His Highness the Fourth Prince rarely leaves his bedroom and never goes outside the palace. The others at least take walks in the garden now and then, but he doesn’t even do that. To be honest, there’s no real need to add extra guards to his palace… but it was a royal command.”
In other words, if it hadn’t been ordered by the king, no additional guard would have been assigned at all.
Adora frowned.
Perhaps feeling sorry for her, the guard added what he seemed to think was advice.
“You can just keep a casual watch.”
Was he seriously telling her to do a half-hearted job?
Her expression darkened further.
Terric had said something similar before, but the way this man spoke made it sound as if there was no need to save the Fourth Prince even if he were in danger.
No matter how she thought about it, that was not something someone tasked with protecting the royal palace should ever say.
Pushing away unnecessary thoughts, Adora headed alone toward the palace where the Fourth Prince resided.
Among all the royal residences, his palace was the smallest and most secluded.
Yet to Adora, it still looked enormous and luxurious.
She turned her head and looked at the garden she had passed on her way there.
A vast field of red roses.
She had heard that many kinds of flowers were cultivated within the royal palace, but this was the first time she had seen a garden filled with nothing but roses.
And red roses, at that.
Deep crimson flowers—considered omens of misfortune—completely surrounded the palace.
She couldn’t tell whether the scene had been intentionally created or had naturally grown that way.
After staring at the white palace that contrasted sharply with the red garden, Adora stepped inside.
She had heard the Fourth Prince stayed in his bedroom, so she headed straight there.
Standing in front of his bedroom door, she adjusted her uniform.
She quickly smoothed down her messy hair and carefully knocked.
Knock. Knock.
But contrary to her expectations, there was no response.
Thinking perhaps he hadn’t heard her, she knocked again and waited for permission.
Still nothing.
After hesitating briefly, Adora said, “Excuse me,” and slowly opened the door.
Her eyes quickly scanned the room.
No one was there.
“Your Highness?”
She opened the door wider and stepped inside.
The room was completely empty.
She walked back out and searched for someone nearby.
Just then, four maids were walking toward her from the opposite direction.
Adora approached them, politely introduced herself, and asked where the Fourth Prince was.
“He’s not in his bedroom?”
“No.”
“Then go downstairs. He should be in the room directly below his bedroom.”
Following their directions, Adora immediately headed downstairs.
Once again, she knocked and waited for permission.
Once again, there was no response.
This time, she didn’t wait and entered.
The room appeared to be a reception area, with a table set up for guests.
But once again—
No one was there.
Did he leave the palace?
As she turned to leave, she sensed movement from deeper inside.
A curtain fluttered nearby.
Adora headed toward it and pulled it aside.
Behind it was a large glass door standing open.
Beyond it was a terrace.
And in the middle of that terrace stood a boy.
Her first impression was that he was completely white.
His skin was pale enough to seem cold to the touch.
His neck looked fragile enough to snap.
His collarbones were sharp.
His hands and ankles were pale.
Even his hair looked as though it had been sculpted from snow.
The only color in the scene was the red flowers being crushed in his hand.
Torn petals fell one after another, staining the ground at his feet red.
Sensing someone’s presence, the boy slowly turned around.
The remaining petals slipped from his hand and fluttered down.
A gentle breeze scattered the petals around his feet.
Then his cloudy eyes—tinged faintly with blue—focused clearly on her.
“Who are you?”
His voice sounded like a whisper in the night.
Low, but firm.
Commanding, yet not arrogant.
There was something undeniably elegant about it.
Adora realized that the boy standing before her was the infamous Fourth Prince.
She had heard he was seventeen, but perhaps because of his small frame, he looked much younger than she expected.
Internally flustered, Adora quickly knelt and bowed.
“I greet Your Highness. My name is Adora Alfred, and I have been assigned as your temporary guard.”
“…”
No reply.
Not even the slightest reaction.
As the silence dragged on, Adora felt an odd tension building.
Then suddenly—
A pale foot stepped into her view.
At the same time, something brushed against her head.
Startled, Adora looked up.
The Fourth Prince was touching her red hair.
As though he found it fascinating.
As though he was checking whether it was real.
His face was close.
Light clung to his long lashes, making them shine.
“Ugh.”
A sharp pain suddenly shot through her scalp.
Adora winced.
When she looked up again, the prince had stepped back two paces.
A strand of her hair was clenched in his hand.
He lifted it toward the sunlight.
“So it was real.”
Despite his words, his face remained emotionless.
Even when a stranger had suddenly appeared before him, he hadn’t looked surprised in the slightest.
His cold expression seemed natural.
Yet there was unmistakable curiosity in his eyes as he stared at the red strand of hair in his hand.
He ran his fingers over it before looking back at her.
The moment their eyes met, the prince changed.
His cold expression softened.
A breathtaking smile bloomed across his face.
His white hair shimmered in the wind.
The warmth of the sun painted a faint blush across his cheeks.
He suddenly looked innocent.
Almost childlike.
At his feet, red petals—matching her hair—danced in the breeze.
Adora stared blankly at the scene.
The prince met her dazed gaze.
Then he slowly parted his neatly pressed lips.
“I hate it.”
It was such an absurd statement that it felt unreal.
When she opened her eyes, Adora couldn’t immediately tell whether she was awake or still dreaming.
She blankly recalled the dream she had just had.
It had been her first meeting with Prince Lionel.
No matter how she thought about it…
That hardly seemed like the beginning of a good relationship.
Her dazed gaze shifted toward the table.
A bouquet of red roses—just like the ones in her dream—sat neatly arranged in a vase.
Ever since the day he proposed, the Fourth Prince had sent her flowers every single day.
His persistence was almost enough to make her suspect he was actually trying to curse her.
Still, every flower he sent was fresh and vibrant.
Adora stared at them before plucking one white decorative flower from the arrangement.
As if venting her frustration over what he had done in her dream, she began tearing at the innocent flower.
Knock knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and John entered.
“You have a guest.”
“Who is it this time?”
Adora pressed a hand to her forehead.
Lately, she had realized that far more people were interested in her than she had ever imagined.
“Miss, are you really going to marry the Fourth Prince?!”
After the prince left, the household staff who had witnessed the proposal had rushed toward her.
Excitement, anticipation, and disbelief mixed together as they bombarded her with questions.
When she calmed them down by saying she was still thinking about it, they let out long, dramatic sighs.
Then somehow, news of the proposal spread.
Visitors began arriving to uncover the truth.
She first realized this two days ago when another guest arrived—as usual—to propose marriage.
The visitors were a noble couple.
By now, Adora had become fairly used to entertaining guests.
The nobleman proudly boasted about his excellent second son.
Adora gave half-hearted responses as the conversation dragged on.
Then suddenly, the noblewoman—who had remained silent the entire time—abruptly asked if it was true.
Adora had no idea what she meant and asked for clarification.
The noblewoman then brought up the Fourth Prince’s proposal.
For a moment, Adora genuinely wondered if the woman had planted spies in her estate.
But it wasn’t just her.
Every guest who visited afterward asked whether she had chosen a marriage partner—
and whether the Fourth Prince’s proposal was real.
Their attitudes were cautious.
Yet beneath that caution was unmistakable curiosity.
After hearing the same question five times in a row, Adora finally realized something.
People were extremely interested in her life right now.
Still…
At least today’s visitor was someone she was happy to see.
When Adora entered the drawing room, she was greeted by a familiar face.
It was Carlton, the former commander of the Green Knight Order.
“Did Prince Lionel truly propose to you?”
The moment she entered, he fired the question at her.
Adora frowned.
It had only been a week since the prince visited, yet it felt like the entire world already knew.
Even Carlton—who hadn’t reacted much when she announced her retirement and plans to marry—had rushed all the way here.
Adora sat down across from him.
“How has your health been?”
This was their first meeting in three years.
After they had parted ways on the battlefield, she had returned victorious, resigned from knighthood, and quickly left before she had the chance to properly see him again.
Naturally, she had never gotten to ask how he was doing.
Carlton looked slightly surprised before answering.
“Not bad. I’ve recovered enough to manage daily life without issue now.”
As he spoke, he lightly rubbed his left leg.
Three years ago, Carlton had suffered a severe injury to that leg on the battlefield.
The doctor had warned him that if he pushed himself any further, he would spend the rest of his life crippled.
In the end, he had no choice but to leave the battlefield.
As a result, the vacant commander position of the Green Knight Order had gone to Adora, since she had been vice commander at the time.
“That’s good news. Can’t you return?”
“I don’t think so.”
Carlton answered bitterly.
Adora genuinely felt sorry for him.
He had been one of the kingdom’s most loyal and talented knights.
Had he not been injured, he would have achieved great glory in the war and celebrated victory alongside everyone else.
No one had suffered more from that injury than Carlton himself.
“I just feel sorry for Terric.”
“Please don’t blame yourself.”
After Carlton’s retirement was finalized and Adora resigned as well, the commander position naturally passed to Terric.
He had been vice commander during Adora’s time as commander.
Truthfully, leadership required more than strength.
It also required the trust of one’s comrades.
And in that regard, Terric had always been more suited than she was.
If Carlton hadn’t insisted back then, Terric should have been vice commander from the beginning.
Things had merely returned to how they should have been.
“More importantly,” Carlton said anxiously, returning to the topic.
“Tell me the truth. Is the rumor real?”
Adora answered as calmly as possible.
“Yes. It’s true.”
“He really proposed to you?”
His emphasis on proposed sounded almost desperate—as if he wanted her to deny it.
But Adora couldn’t lie.
“…Yes.”
Still unable to believe it, Carlton asked three times.
“Really? Really? Really?”
And all three times—
Adora answered yes.
After a long silence, Carlton cautiously asked:
“Did His Highness seem… well?”
He was asking, in the calmest way possible—
whether Prince Lionel was mentally sound.
