Chapter 30
While Pri was distracted by the changing dishes of the next course, unable to keep her eyes on the front, Gaia made eye contact with Argent. As if he’d been waiting for that moment, Argent raised a hand to cover his lips while looking at Princess Gaia. His long fingers brushed against his smooth lips in a way that was momentarily mesmerizing—but it was, in fact, another warning: Don’t speak nonsense.
Gaia quickly turned her gaze to Pri, but it seemed she hadn’t noticed anything.
That useless girl…!
“Eat up. If Princess Gaia doesn’t eat, the chef who prepared this with such care will surely be disappointed.”
Gaia barely managed to gather strength in her trembling lips and spoke to Argent.
“…I have a question.”
“What is it?”
Though she turned her head toward Argent, she subtly shifted her gaze to Pri. She hoped her sister would notice the chilling look he had given her—but the stupid girl was too busy staring at her plate. Utterly useless.
“So, what is it? What do you want to ask?”
Argent’s sharp gaze fixed on Gaia.
Tap tap. Gaia’s slender fingers tapped irregularly on the table.
“It’s nothing much. I was just curious why you never take off your mask. Is your face truly hideous, like the rumors say? Even during meals, you keep it on. I find it curious.”
She barely hid the tremor in her voice as she added, “Isn’t it common courtesy to remove it while eating?”
“I thought you’d ask something else. That’s unexpected. You seem more perceptive than I thought.”
Gaia’s cheek twitched.
Pretend not to know—even if you do. That’s the only way to survive. Gaia stared at him, trying to act indifferent.
“Unfortunately, I’m not some hideous monster. It’s simply a preference. I just don’t want anyone to see my true face.”
Argent’s gaze briefly flicked to Pri.
‘After you left, Pri… if someday you were to see me from afar, I wanted to be sure you wouldn’t recognize me.’
If he could just manage that.
When this moment, which he thought would never return, finally came, the first thing he did was don a mask—so no one would ever know his real face. So that one day, when Pri fluttered away like a butterfly, she wouldn’t be startled if she ever saw him again.
That was the one thing he hoped for.
“I can’t believe that. Maybe there’s a terrible scar beneath that cruel personality. What do you think, Pri? You married him, didn’t you? Have you still never seen his face?”
“……”
Only then did Pri lift her gaze from her food.
“You haven’t? Even though you’re the empress?”
Empress. That word hit hard. Pri had become Argent’s wife, yet she realized now that she had never truly seen his bare face. Realizing that, her face turned ashen.
“…Not even once.”
“Then who knows. Maybe he really does have a scar.”
“My younger brother—well, the Emperor Alton of the Behfort Empire, who was once engaged to Princess Gaia—did get injured when he was young, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a facial wound.”
For a moment, Gaia’s face stiffened.
“What do you mean ‘was once engaged’? Are you mocking me? I will be the next empress of the Behfort Empire. And Auarni… Don’t tell me there’s really something between the two of you…”
“You really didn’t know, even after all this? Maybe you’re not as perceptive as I thought.”
“Stop dodging the question and answer me.”
“Or are you just pretending not to notice? What I mean is, now that you’re here, the marriage might not happen. And besides, I am the elder brother of the emperor you so adore. Disappointed?”
Pri and Gaia’s faces both froze.
Pri was shocked to hear what she’d long suspected confirmed with his own mouth, and Gaia was stunned by something she’d never expected.
“You’re serious…”
“You couldn’t tell from my appearance alone? Or… maybe you didn’t want to believe it.”
“…That’s ridiculous…”
“So think it over carefully, Princess Gaia. Either way, if you marry me, you’ll still be marrying into the bloodline of the Behfort Empire. Isn’t that good enough?”
With a smirk, Argent once again moved his cutlery.
“The cuisine of the Ezan Kingdom is quite different from what I expected. It’s hardly impressive—like chewing on dead meat.”
Still reeling from the shock, Gaia found her voice again, spurred by his insult to her homeland.
“Are you mocking us?”
“Of course not. I simply meant that eating like this might weaken the body. Starting tomorrow, we’ll serve fresh dishes from the Intelia Empire instead. I’m sure they’ll suit your palate.”
“…I’ll pass. I’m a princess of Ezan. And soon to be the empress of the Behfort Empire. I will eat only the foods of Ezan or the Behfort Empire.”
“As you wish. I’ll have it arranged that way.”
Pri found their dynamic fascinating.
Why is he being so kind to her? Is this truly revenge for what the Emperor of Behfort did to him? Or does he have genuine interest in my sister?
With that, she hurriedly finished her meal.
She felt like she didn’t belong between the two of them.
She thought her only role here was to leave. And so, Pri stood up before dessert was served. Argent’s eyes locked on her.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“You’ve finished your meal?”
“Yes.”
“…I see. Then go ahead.”
Feeling the stark contrast in his tone, she looked at her sister and Argent one last time before turning away.
What am I supposed to do?
The thought weighed down her shoulders.
As she approached the door, the waiting attendant naturally opened it for her. She stepped outside.
Sure enough, Ian was standing just beyond the door. When she emerged, he smiled warmly at her.
“Lady Pri. Did you finish your meal?”
The line between the familiar and the unfamiliar.
It was familiar that Ian would appear and offer his hand once the meal was over—but unfamiliar that he would care for her so deeply.
Ian was always hard to read. Understanding what lay beneath his exterior was never easy.
“Yes. But maybe I should tell Seth we should go out for a walk today?”
“Would that be all right?”
“Honestly, it was so uncomfortable in there I’m not even sure I ate properly. I might not have eaten at all.”
Forcing a soft smile, Pri took Ian’s outstretched hand like always.
“I just want to forget everything that happened in there and relax.”
“Actually, right after you went inside, Lord Seth went to the kitchen with a very cheerful expression. He said he was going to prepare just in case you wanted to visit the garden today. Looks like everything’s working out.”
Ian’s expression also brightened noticeably.
Something about his cheerful face brought a small smile to Pri’s as well.
“If you rest in your room, I’ll go fetch Lord Seth for you.”
“That sounds good.”
Just then—
As they approached her room, guided naturally by Ian, Pri ran into Cassie.
She hadn’t expected to see her for a few more days, since she’d been sent out to handle external matters. But Cassie had returned while Pri was briefly out, tidying up the bedding.
“Oh. Cassie.”
“…You’re back, my lady.”
Cassie, who always used to greet her with a smile, now bowed with a clearly drawn line of distance.
“Cassie, did you not miss me?”
Still feeling troubled by the earlier mealtime, Pri decided to exaggerate her reaction.
“……”
“I heard everything. Don’t be too hard on Seth, Cassie.”
“Who am I to resent him?”
“He’s doing it all for your sake. Because he wants to keep you here, in the place you want to stay, for a long, long time.”
But even with Pri’s gentle words, Cassie gave a surprisingly cold response.
“Yes, my lady.”
“We’ll see each other again soon, Cassie. I already spoke to Seth. You’ll be back soon.”
“Really? I can come back?”
Cassie’s eyes sparkled, suddenly filled with life—as if she were a completely different person from just a moment ago.
“Of course. I asked him to bring you back as soon as possible, so be patient.”
“Yes! I actually misunderstood earlier.”
She was back to the old Cassie in an instant.
Like flipping a switch. She was bright again—so much so that Pri wondered if she’d imagined that other person from moments ago.
“Is that so?”
“Yes! I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to come back… I was even thinking of quitting this job. But I’m so relieved.”
“Cassie…”
At that moment, as Cassie remained inside tidying up the bed and didn’t come out for a while, another maid came to call her urgently.
Only then did Cassie stop talking and step outside. She bowed deeply, now wearing a much brighter expression than before. But even then, her gaze turned toward Ian, who had entered with Pri.
Maybe that was why—when the door shut, Ian’s expression hardened.
“Lady Pri. Is there a particular reason you keep that maid by your side?”
“Why?”
“…No reason. It’s just that I don’t think she suits you.”
“What do you think of her, Ian?”
“…She’s frivolous. I fear that frivolity might harm you.”
So he thinks the same way.
Pri made a slightly bitter face and sat on a nearby sofa.
“It’s all right, Ian.”
“I’m not all right.”
Pri lifted her hand toward him.
“You always confuse me, Ian. These beautiful eyes looking only at me. That gentle voice wrapping around me. You make me fall into those illusions…”
