Chapter 39
In front of a marble castle, Ad bounced on his feet, exclaiming with admiration.
“Is this the Lespan estate?”
“Ad, you should say ‘His Highness the Crown Prince.’”
At Arin’s correction, Ad grinned and pretended not to hear.
“Lespan is still Lespan.”
With a pouty face, Arin tickled Ad’s chubby belly. He squealed with laughter and twisted his body like a pretzel.
When an older-looking head maid appeared, Arin stopped tickling and, still out of breath from laughing, picked up the now-exhausted Ad in her arms.
“Sir Yan, I’ll take you to the back garden.”
Following the head maid along the neatly maintained path, they soon reached a garden overflowing with red roses and a sunlit outdoor terrace. A glass canopy over the terrace shimmered gently in the light. Waiting there was Lespan, whose gaze met Arin’s with a soft warmth.
“I greet the Little Sun.”
“Sir Arin, it’s only been a day. Come, have a seat.”
Lespan offered his hand for an escort, and a soft, tiny hand gently rested on top. He stared intently at Ad’s little hand, like a maple leaf perched on his own.
Ad winked playfully and asked,
“Should I sit here?”
Maybe it was the pure smile that shone like a star, or maybe it was that Ad bore a strange resemblance to someone Lespan had buried in his heart. Whatever it was, Lespan felt his defenses crumble.
He slipped his hands under Ad’s armpits and lifted him high into the air.
“Whoa!”
Laughing and kicking his legs in excitement, Ad was lowered back to the ground.
“Ad, what would you like to eat?”
“I like chocolate cookies!”
“Then, would you get me some chocolate cookies?”
“Sure! But… aren’t I the hyung (older brother)?”
“What?”
“I’m the hyung, right?”
Ad made a ridiculous claim, and Lespan looked bewildered. Laughing at the confused Lespan, Ad shouted joyfully,
“This hyung will bring you something tasty!”
The way he beat his chest and made his grand declaration was so adorable that Arin’s face practically melted like sugar water. From the way he talked, it was clear he’d picked up the whole “big brother” act from Yello.
Lespan signaled the head maid to take good care of Ad. As she led Ad away, Lespan sat up straight.
Arin noticed that Lespan was sending others away to talk with her privately.
“Sir Arin, the reason I made time to meet with you like this is…”
His eyes curved into gentle crescents—his trademark business smile.
“I’ll be direct, since you tend to dodge indirect questions. I want to officially scout you. This isn’t something from my father—it’s my own proposal. I heard you’re returning to your estate soon, so I felt pressed for time.”
“I… must decline.”
At her refusal, Lespan looked disappointed. Arin carefully continued.
“As you’ve likely noticed, the Duke and I are more than just master and vassal—we’re close friends. I could never betray him.”
Lespan’s gaze probed her, as if trying to uncover the truth behind her words. Embarrassed by her own cheesy phrasing, Arin still showed no sign of deceit.
He let out a hollow laugh. Arin was resolute. Her clear rejection gave Lespan both a strange relief and a dull ache.
“It can’t be helped then.”
“……”
“Sir Arin, as you know, the Imperial Family and House Altair don’t get along. That relationship is only going to get worse. But even setting that aside, I personally admire your loyalty. So, allow me to give you a warning.”
His gaze was solemn, and filled with an almost sorrowful depth.
“Don’t trust him—or rather, the Duke’s household—too much. They’re not above betrayal.”
It didn’t feel like mere manipulation. His warning seemed to carry personal weight. Just as Arin was about to ask more, Ad’s wailing echoed from the far end of the garden.
Both of them sprang up and ran toward the sound.
“No! I don’t want to! Don’t do that!!”
Melodian and Deneb stood in a standoff, with Ad caught between them. Intimidated by the atmosphere, Ad sobbed, tears streaming down his face like raindrops.
“Ad!”
At Arin’s call, Ad ran to her and buried himself in her arms. She gently wiped his tear-stained cheeks, and he rubbed his face against her hand like a kitten, comforted.
“What happened? Did someone make you cry?”
Sniffling, Ad pointed at Deneb with his tiny index finger.
“I got cookies for Lespan, but Deneb ate them all! He’s mean!! So… so… hic…”
Arin looked to the head maid, who nodded to confirm Ad’s story.
Feeling even more upset after recounting the event, Ad burst into tears again, once more jabbing his finger at Deneb.
“Meanie!”
Determined to defend the little tattletale, Arin decided to scold Deneb thoroughly. She cocked a hip and curled a finger toward him.
‘Come on over and explain yourself.’
Seeing Melodian involved too made her suspect there was more to the story, but for now, Deneb was her target.
“You had nothing to eat, so you stole Ad’s food? What are you, Yello? Even Yello doesn’t mess with Ad’s food. He’d steal mine instead!”
She smacked Deneb’s muscular arm. It looked like a light tap, but the impact sounded like an explosion.
Melodian’s eyes gleamed as she watched.
After Arin’s anger cooled a bit, the four of them moved back to Lespan’s terrace.
An awkward silence settled due to the tension and wariness, but Melodian was thrilled by this unexpected gathering. She had longed for this moment—and it felt surreal that it was finally happening.
For her, this was a golden opportunity. Melodian believed this was the moment her life would begin to change, and her mind wandered back to her difficult past.
It hadn’t been long since she possessed this body.
She had a half-sister who picked fights over everything, a father who didn’t care for his daughters, and a mother who doted on the legitimate daughter while treating Melodian like she was invisible.
Walking on eggshells every day was exhausting, and staying shut in her room like a corpse was mind-numbingly boring.
While irritation continued to pile up, news of a royal party reached her ears. Wanting to annoy her half-sister and escape her boredom, Melodian decided to attend.
Typical of transmigrator fate, someone tried to interfere, but she eventually made it to the capital safely.
The day before the party, she snuck out of the mansion out of boredom—and then she saw it. A glittering, smooth cylindrical object on a market stand…!
Pointing to it, she asked excitedly,
“Is this for sale?”
“Of course it is, miss!”
“Is this… an insect repellent?”
“The very one that everyone’s dying to get! Only one left!”
‘Jackpot! Why is this even here? That logo is definitely XX Pharmaceuticals. There must be another modern person in this world! Otherwise, how would this be in circulation here? I’m buying it!’
But just as she reached for it, another hand grabbed the item at the same time. A large hand rested over hers—he was just a second too late.
“I touched it first.”
“If you give it up, I’ll pay extra.”
Not quite rude, but the money talk irritated her. Melodian smiled as she declined.
“I’m not exactly strapped for cash either, so I’ll have to refuse.”
Even after her rejection, the man didn’t let go.
“I don’t usually like these things, but I have no choice. I work for the country. This is for the nation’s development.”
“I work for myself. This is for me. So let go—now!”
She thought he was talking nonsense.
Trying to impress her, the man leaned in to whisper in her ear.
“I’m Crown Prince Lespan Procyon.”
Beyond nonsense—it was offensive. The hot breath in her ear disgusted her. Deciding he was insane, Melodian elbowed him square in the face.
“If you’re the Crown Prince, then I’m this country’s Crown Princess, you jerk.”
As Lespan clutched his face in pain, Melodian paid for the item and walked away.
He rubbed the sore spot, confused if this was real or a dream. He had revealed his identity—only to be attacked. When they met again, she was going to pay.
A day passed after that fateful meeting. The day of the royal party arrived.
Melodian, dressed in an elaborate gown, wandered through the crowd at the palace out of boredom. Surprisingly, she overheard a major piece of information:
The existence of Sir Arin Yan.
‘That’s the person who made the insect repellent, right? How should I approach them? What should I say to make it natural?’
While she was racking her brain, she saw someone very familiar approaching Arin. Golden hair, blue eyes… That guy from the market!
‘Gasp! He really was the Crown Prince?!’
She broke into a cold sweat and seriously considered giving up on talking to Arin and just fleeing.
‘Yeah. Let’s run!’
But before she could move, Lespan was already approaching her. A chill ran down her spine.
“Lady Rigel, may I have this first dance?”
If she refused now, he might use yesterday’s incident to charge her with insulting royalty. His eyes were that menacing.
Because of Lespan’s mischief, she ended up dancing in front of everyone’s eyes. Her plan to approach Arin quietly and naturally was ruined. She sulked in a corner of the ballroom, teary-eyed.
‘I need to talk to Sir Arin! Ugh, everyone’s watching too closely, I can’t do anything!’
While sneakily glancing at Arin and panicking internally, someone suddenly shoved her hard. She landed on her rear, wet from spilled drinks.
“Oops! I ‘accidentally’ spilled that. Ah well—looks like your dress is ruined. Guess you’ll have to go home. What a shame~”
With that mocking tone and smug face, it was clearly on purpose. Everything she had bottled up burst out all at once.
After verbally tearing into the other noble ladies, she looked around—but Arin was gone. He must’ve left while she was making a scene.
‘Ugh, no! I was supposed to talk to her! Everything’s ruined…’
