Episode 7
Even setting the schedule aside, wedding expenses were normally something both families discussed together.
And most noble families did not want a simple wedding.
The scale of the ceremony reflected how much each family was willing to give and receive, and it was often seen as proof of sincerity—as well as a display of prestige.
If a royal prince were to hold a wedding as plain and modest as that of a commoner, what would people say about him?
And yet Lionel seemed to have come fully prepared.
He accepted every single one of her conditions without hesitation.
Adora began wondering whether the prince had actually understood what she was saying.
As if reading her thoughts, Lionel spoke again.
“I’ll agree to every condition you mentioned. If there’s anything else you want, feel free to tell me. I’ll accommodate all of it. And don’t worry about the aftermath—I’ll handle everything myself.”
“…Yes.”
Adora answered awkwardly.
Lionel smiled in satisfaction.
For some reason, things seemed to be progressing exactly the way he wanted.
“So,” he asked, “what is your answer?”
“…I think I need time to think.”
Adora pressed a hand against her throbbing forehead.
Her spinning thoughts had finally reached their limit.
She needed time.
This wasn’t something she could answer immediately anyway, so she chose to retreat for now.
Lionel nodded easily at her response.
“That makes sense. Marriage is an important matter.”
“Take all the time you need.”
“Think carefully and give me your answer.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Then he slowly rose to his feet.
He’s finally leaving.
Color returned to Adora’s face.
She began standing as well to see him out—
but instead of heading toward the door, Lionel walked toward her.
His outstretched hand gently took hers.
His long fingers brushed against her pinky before wrapping around her hand.
Before she could react, he had already captured it.
Her gaze followed their joined hands upward—
and she saw Lionel bending closer.
Adora instinctively stared at him warily.
He seemed to notice her guarded expression and briefly paused.
Then he smiled warmly again and tilted his head.
His red lips brushed dangerously close to her cheek—
hovering near her ear.
His smooth voice whispered like temptation itself.
“You know…”
“I believe there’s a reason you suddenly decided to marry.”
“A reason you can’t tell anyone.”
The confusion on Adora’s face instantly froze.
Her expression remained controlled, but she couldn’t hide the slight tremble in her eyes.
The corners of Lionel’s eyes curved.
“And I, too, must have a reason for this marriage.”
“Then—”
“But don’t overthink it.”
He cut her off gently.
“Whatever that reason may be…”
“I proposed because I want to marry you.”
“And you received my proposal.”
“That’s all that matters.”
A strange expression crossed Adora’s face.
Lionel’s smile deepened.
Then he lowered his lips to the back of her rough hand.
He kissed it softly.
Adora froze completely.
She had felt the warmth of his lips far too clearly.
Unbothered by her stunned reaction, Lionel lifted his head.
Wearing the same radiant smile he had arrived with, he whispered:
“Until next time, Lady Alfred.”
After seeing the Fourth Prince off, Adora returned to her office and collapsed onto the sofa.
It felt as though a storm had swept through her life.
And worse—
she had a terrible feeling that this storm wasn’t over yet.
“How was your conversation with the Fourth Prince?”
John asked cautiously.
Adora absentmindedly scratched the back of her right hand.
“Uh… well.”
“He really did come to propose.”
The sensation of his lips still seemed to linger on her skin.
It wasn’t unpleasant.
But it sent strange chills through her.
As she recalled his endlessly smiling face during his departure, her expression twisted oddly.
“The Fourth Prince truly is as beautiful as the rumors say.”
John muttered quietly.
Adora glanced at him and nodded.
That was undeniable.
He had always been beautiful—
but over the past six years, he had grown even more dazzling.
His manner toward her had been gentle.
His speech had become even more refined.
In a good way, he had matured wonderfully.
In a bad way—
he had become exactly what royalty often was:
impossible to read.
Adora stared at the bouquet of red roses resting beside her.
She had received many extravagant bouquets lately—
but this one made her more uncomfortable than any of the others.
The flowers themselves had done nothing wrong.
“That’s not exactly an appropriate gift for a marriage proposal.”
John stared seriously at the roses—but for a completely different reason.
Adora absentmindedly touched her hair.
In the Kingdom of Glorious, red was considered an ominous color.
It reminded people of blood.
There was an old superstition that surrounding yourself with red invited death.
The belief had formed long ago after repeated territorial wars during the kingdom’s founding years.
People wished never to experience such tragedy again.
As a result, unless someone was a soldier or mercenary, most people avoided red-colored possessions.
That included flowers.
When she was young, Adora had even been bullied because of her deep crimson hair.
Orange-red hair wasn’t uncommon.
But hair as vividly red as hers was rare.
Other children had called her ominous and pointed fingers at her.
It had upset her parents deeply.
Eventually, though, she stopped caring.
She didn’t believe in superstitions.
And she learned that ignoring people was often wiser.
Since red hair was a trait of House Alfred, the servants here didn’t believe such superstitions either—
but even they seemed to think red roses were a poor choice for a proposal gift.
“I don’t think he meant anything bad by it.”
Adora couldn’t imagine the Fourth Prince bringing those flowers with malicious intent.
He wasn’t the type to smile sweetly while secretly cursing someone.
If he hated someone, he seemed more like the type to say it directly.
I brought red roses so you’ll suffer.
That would be more believable.
Adora stared at the vivid roses.
Despite having traveled such a long distance, they looked strangely fresh.
Were they soaked in some kind of preservative?
As she found herself wondering absurd things, John carefully spoke.
“My lady… could it be…”
“Hm?”
Adora looked up—
only to see John wearing a very serious expression.
She immediately began shaking her head violently.
“No.”
“Absolutely not.”
“It’s not like that between me and the Fourth Prince!”
“Then perhaps… some special connection?”
“The only connection we have is that I briefly served as his guard six years ago.”
“That’s it.”
“We barely even spoke before that.”
“Then why would he come propose to you?”
“…I don’t know.”
What exactly was Prince Lionel planning?
She knew he had some kind of motive.
But he refused to reveal it.
Instead, he casually promised they would meet again.
“I hope this isn’t something troublesome.”
“Something troublesome…”
Adora sighed.
She wanted to confidently say it wasn’t—
but she couldn’t.
Did he truly know why she had suddenly decided to marry?
Running her fingers through her hair in frustration, she sat up.
She decided to distract herself by reading the remaining proposals.
But John stopped her.
“My lady.”
“You must think carefully.”
“Hm?”
Adora looked up in confusion.
John wore the same stern expression he used when she was a child.
“You may consider family status.”
“You may consider wealth.”
“You may even consider bedroom compatibility.”
“But choosing someone based solely on their face is a terrible idea.”
“I’ve seen many people marry for beauty and later demand divorce because of personality differences.”
“What matters most is what’s inside. A person’s character.”
After saying family status, wealth, and bedroom skills were acceptable criteria—
he suddenly began passionately preaching about inner character.
“So please don’t be blinded by a handsome face!”
he cried dramatically.
Apparently, John believed Adora had already fallen under the Fourth Prince’s dangerously beautiful spell.
Who exactly was dazzled here?
She wanted to point out that he had nearly been mesmerized too.
But she was too tired to argue.
She simply waved him off and returned to the proposal letters.
Unfortunately, John became increasingly worried and launched into a lengthy lecture.
When his nagging showed no signs of ending—
Adora finally threw the letters into the air.
While John scrambled to pick them up,
she fled to her room.
Relations with the enemy nation were growing increasingly unstable.
It felt as though war could break out at any moment.
They had crossed the line long ago—
and there was no longer any reason for Glorious to continue tolerating it.
Both nations stood on the brink of war.
The king strengthened security throughout the kingdom.
He also ordered increased protection for the royal family.
To do that, temporary guards were selected from the Royal Knights.
Adora was among them.
Naturally—
she didn’t want the assignment.
The knight selected alongside her was thrilled, calling it a perfect opportunity to build connections with royalty.
Adora had no interest.
If anything, she found it bothersome.
So she went to speak with Carlton, the commander at the time.
She intended to recommend someone more suitable for the task.
But the moment Carlton saw her, he firmly refused to reconsider.
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately.”
“Even considering the situation ahead, you’ve gone too far.”
“Passion is admirable—but too much of it becomes poison.”
“Do you realize the other knights are too intimidated by you to focus on training?”
Adora had lived only for revenge.
From the day of her tragedy onward, she had run without rest.
She had worked endlessly.
There were times she wanted to give up.
Times it hurt so much she could barely continue.
But she endured for one reason only:
revenge.
And now that opportunity was finally close enough to grasp.
That urgency had made her reckless.
Apparently, it had shown.
“Think of this as a chance to catch your breath.”
Carlton patted her shoulder.
“Because later, no matter how much you beg, you won’t get another chance to rest.”
After hearing that, Adora couldn’t stubbornly refuse.
And truthfully—
if the commander gave an order, she had no right to reject it.
When she left his office, Terric was waiting for her.
He had been her fellow trainee knight—and close friend—since their apprentice days.
He walked over and threw an arm around her shoulders.
“Don’t worry so much.”
“There are already guards assigned to every palace.”
“And the royals all have personal guards too.”
“What could possibly happen?”
“Unless something major occurs, no one pays attention to temporary guards.”
Then he added that palace food was delicious and told her to enjoy herself.
He even advised her to humor the royal family’s whims.
His joking tone made it obvious he knew she hadn’t wanted the assignment.
The Royal Guard consisted of four knight orders:
Gold, White, Blue, and Green.
Adora belonged to the Green Knights.
Three members were selected from her order—including her.
As she walked away hearing her fellow knights sigh in envy—
Adora moved forward with heavy steps.
The Kingdom of Glorious had one princess and four princes.
And of all people—
Adora had been assigned to guard the Fourth Prince.
