Chapter 18
Unlike him, who had gone back to calmly eating his sandwich, Siena remained completely frozen.
What was that? Why did it feel so natural? Why was he being so gentle?
‘…Should I try getting some on my lips again?’
She entertained the thought, then quickly discarded it.
She didn’t have the confidence to cutely smear cream on her lips like a heroine in a comic or drama.
‘If anything, I’d just look like I was eating messily.’
Maintaining her dignity as a princess, Siena finished the rest of her sandwich neatly and elegantly.
When she picked up the second piece, Dandelion asked,
“Do you like peaches as well?”
“I do.”
“I heard that peach sandwiches will be released in June.”
“Wow. Just imagining it makes it sound delicious.”
“Does it?”
“Of course. It’s something delicious added to something delicious. There’s no way it wouldn’t be amazing.”
Siena emphasized the word amazing.
“Then let’s go eat it together. We can even wait in line together.”
And just like that, he naturally asked her out again.
“Definitely.”
She even held out her pinky.
It was childish, but without hesitation, he hooked his finger with hers.
“Yes. Definitely.”
Despite being filled with cream to the point where it should have been overwhelming, the sandwiches were strangely easy to keep eating.
She smacked her lips as she looked at the empty basket, when Dandelion hesitated before speaking.
“I tried practicing alone yesterday.”
“Really? How admirable.”
Clap, clap, clap.
Siena gave a small round of applause.
Maybe it was the sunset, but his cheeks seemed slightly flushed.
“It’s still difficult by myself.”
“……”
“Would you dance with me?”
As if formally asking for a dance, Dandelion bent one knee and offered his hand to Siena.
“Of course.”
She took his hand and gave a light bow in return.
There was no music, but imagining the rhythm in their minds, they stepped together.
And yet, in just a single day, he had improved dramatically.
“Didn’t you practice a little too much?”
“I can’t very well step on your feet.”
“Hm. You seem to have a lot of secrets.”
“More than that, it would hurt if I stepped on you.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you—but that’s a bit disappointing.”
There were so many things she wanted to ask.
“Then how about this? We ask each other one question.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
Ladies first.
Naturally, he yielded the first turn to her.
Siena didn’t want to beat around the bush.
So she pulled out the question she had buried deepest beneath a mountain of others.
“Back then… why were you crying?”
She felt his grip tighten slightly around her hand.
Would he get angry? Or smile as if it were nothing and brush it off?
Under the sky where twilight was fading, she couldn’t clearly see his expression.
Siena wasn’t even sure what kind of face she herself was making.
They continued dancing in silence for a while longer, and only after the dance was over did Dandelion finally speak.
He looked at her standing before him.
Against the darkened sky, only Siena’s silhouette stood out clearly.
“Dandelion?”
It was a little cowardly, but in the hazy scenery, her heart felt more honest.
In truth, it was a story he wanted to tell someone—anyone.
He had only lacked the courage.
“Do you know about the battle at the northeastern border?”
“Yes. I’ve heard of it. I don’t know the details, though.”
For a while, the entire country had been elated, celebrating Stern’s victory.
“I was there as well.”
He closed his eyes for a moment.
A ruined village. Thick smoke. Pitiful cries.
That place had been hell.
And in that horrific place, there hadn’t been much he could do.
At most, he had secretly helped a few children escape.
But the lives awaiting those children who had lost their parents would be far colder.
No one knew that better than he did.
“So many things were destroyed. So many things collapsed.”
“……”
“It was an order, and a choice made to protect the people precious to me… but even now, I can’t forgive myself.”
Here, where everyone was drunk on victory, the sound of someone’s wailing never left his ears.
“Saying it couldn’t be helped isn’t an apology. It’s nothing at all.”
Nightmares and severe insomnia were his only forms of atonement.
“I’m afraid of falling asleep.”
“……”
“I can’t sleep deeply.”
After parting with Dandelion and returning to the princess’s palace, Siena remained silent for a long time.
It felt as though she had learned a massive secret.
She rummaged through her jewelry box, then returned to the table and scribbled something down on a piece of paper.
“Anna, could you prepare this for me?”
“Why do you suddenly need this…?”
“I want to try making something.”
Soon, even Anna left, and Siena was alone in the room.
She lay down, but sleep refused to come.
She lit a candle, pulled the blanket over her head, and even counted what felt like a thousand sheep.
“I can’t sleep.”
From the marquis family’s shoe gift, to Pierre causing trouble, to dancing with Dandelion in an empty courtyard—it had been far too long a day.
So much had happened that her body and mind were exhausted, yet sleep remained cruelly out of reach.
“They say you start to resemble the person you like… did my insomnia come back too?”
She suddenly felt oddly hungry.
“Ah… am I hungry?”
It was just about the time when late-night snacks sounded tempting.
“I want tteokbokki.”
Siena stared at the tightly closed door.
At this hour, Winter Brown would be standing guard outside.
‘What kind of person is he, anyway?’
She couldn’t even remember whether he appeared in the book.
All she remembered was the first day he’d been assigned here.
Dark brown hair darker than Anna’s, sharp eyes, and a taciturn demeanor.
She hadn’t encountered him since.
He was like a shadow—appearing when she slept, disappearing when she opened her eyes.
Siena draped a large cloak over her light indoor clothes and carefully opened the door.
As the heavy door swung open, it creaked loudly.
