The ball that had seemed endless was finally drawing to a close. No one was dancing anymore.
The night banquet that followed, accompanied by freely flowing wine, was heightening the atmosphere in the mansion. Whether to stay until the end or not was a matter of personal choice.
Princess Lylaina had already left long before midnight—likely because she had yet to come of age.
And Prince Leon de Idris had also departed. From what I’d heard, he had left the mansion shortly after his meeting with Duke Callinan.
It seemed clear now that the only reason he had attended this ball at all was to meet with the Duke.
“Don’t take it too personally, Minister. His Majesty also…”
Prince Leon’s words as he left the Duke’s office came back to me. It sounded like he was relaying a message from His Majesty, King Enrique.
The only time I had ever seen him was from afar. So it must have been something concerning the affairs of the kingdom.
Apparently, Prince Leon’s personality left much to be desired, but he was diligent in matters of state. Perhaps that was why he’d become crown prince without much controversy.
Diligent, capable, the Crown Prince of Martina—the future king, and a gifted man in every respect.
That was the public’s most common image of Leon de Idris. Quite the opposite of Kian de Idris, who was known for chasing shallow pleasures despite his status as a royal.
But having met them both, I knew that image was entirely wrong.
Especially when it came to Kian, the Second Prince—those rumors about him were nonsense.
He only pretended to be someone who pursued idle amusements. In truth, he wasn’t that sort of man at all.
When I first met Kian de Idris, he acted exactly as his reputation described. But at some point, something shifted. After that, it was as though he stopped pretending altogether, even in front of me.
Why is it that no one seems to put on an act around me? Even a little—just a little, would be fine.
It’s not as if I ever wanted to know the deep personal secrets of highborn people.
A sigh escaped me. My chest felt heavy.
Really, this must be some unique kind of suffering only I experience.
“Even if you heard it, you didn’t. Don’t mention it to anyone—not even yourself.”
Prince Leon’s warning brushed through my mind.
I hadn’t heard what he and Duke Callinan discussed behind those doors, but even if I had overheard something useful, I wouldn’t have dared to repeat it.
The last thing I wanted was to become entangled in any way with the Crown Prince of Martina. His golden eyes always made me uneasy.
My instincts told me he was dangerous.
Then, from across the room, my lady caught my gaze and signaled me over.
I quickly cleared my thoughts and approached her.
“Amel, here.”
My lady handed me a handkerchief.
“Give this to him. He should be in the garden.”
I glanced out the window. It was already completely dark. Apparently, Prince Kian de Idris—who had been at the banquet not long ago—had stepped outside into the garden.
With the Crown Prince gone and Princess Lylaina having returned to Heren Palace, the only guest of House Idris left at the Callinan estate was now the Second Prince, Kian de Idris.
After checking to make sure there was nothing hidden in the handkerchief, I carefully held the simple lace square in my hand and slipped quietly out of the main hall.
The soft dew-laden grass crunched faintly under my steps as I walked through the garden. I couldn’t help thinking—if our lady and Prince Kian were to marry, would she become a future princess?
Whatever the title, I just hoped that my lady would find true love.
In my five years of service at the Aspania estate, I’d only realized after our contract began just how far she would go for love.
To risk the scandal of a broken engagement as a noblewoman, to cast aside security for genuine affection—that took courage.
Though I had suffered no small amount of anxiety because of it… my lady was still a good person.
So I prayed she would find happiness.
I wanted everyone around me to be happy—those in the Aspania household, the other servants, Madam and Master Alex…
And above all, Arthur.
……And Edward Callinan, too.
I wanted him to be happy.
It was strange—someone who had once been a complete stranger had become so deeply entangled in my life.
Whether he wanted it or not, he was now one of the people around me. So I hoped Edward Callinan would also find happiness.
If he ever found out what I was thinking, he’d probably scoff.
Who am I to wish anyone happiness?
But feelings have a will of their own.
That much can’t be helped. Truly—it can’t.
So I hoped this contract might give him something in return. After all this chaos, it would be too sad if Edward Callinan gained nothing at all.
The moon shone bright in the crisp, clear night sky.
I wandered the well-tended garden, then closed my eyes briefly and made a wish.
“……Praying to the moon?”
“……!”
“What did you pray for? Do you have a wish?”
I spun around, startled.
……Of course. Edward Callinan.
Once again, my luck was dreadful tonight.
When I’d actually been looking for him earlier, he was nowhere to be found—yet now, at the worst possible moment, he appeared.
Perfect timing, as always.
A short distance away, Edward Callinan stood beneath the night sky.
His dark hair and eyes—like the color of midnight itself—were features rare in Martina, and by now, they were no longer unfamiliar to me.
Standing there, he looked as if the night had simply melted around him.
As always, he approached me—slowly, but with unwavering steps.
Two long strides closed the space between us.
Praying under the moon was hardly something I wanted anyone to see—least of all the very person I had prayed for.
I only hoped my face wasn’t visibly flushed. Thankfully, the darkness hid most of it. The faint lights drifting around the garden gave everything a quiet, ethereal glow.
It felt like a different world altogether—far removed from the noisy ballroom. Just the two of us, beneath the large old trees.
A cool breeze whispered through from the northern forest of the Callinan estate—a sound I hadn’t heard during the day.
The swoosh of the wind was oddly soothing.
A wish? I have one, but I can’t tell you.
“I’m just here on an errand for my lady,” I said.
“Did Dianthe tell you to pray to the moon while you were at it?” he asked.
“……”
I was speechless. I’d hoped to deflect the topic, but failed.
How did he even see me muttering with my eyes closed?
……Better change the subject.
I needed to explain why I was here.
“Do you happen to know where Prince Kian de Idris is?”
“Hmm. Probably being lectured by someone right now. That’s usually his role,”
he said with a faint chuckle.
I frowned, puzzled.
“Why are you looking for him?”
“Lady Dianther asked me to deliver this.”
I showed him the lace handkerchief folded neatly in my hand. He glanced at it briefly before asking,
“She told you to give it to ‘Prince Kian’? I doubt that.”
“Well, um… that is…”
I paused, thinking back.
What had my lady said exactly?
She’d told me to give it “to him.” But she hadn’t said who “him” was.
‘Give this to him. He should be in the garden.’
“……Are you sure Prince Kian isn’t here? In the garden, I mean.”
“I saw him on the second floor, being cornered by the High Priest. Unless he jumped out a window, he’s definitely not here.”
“……”
“If she told you to come to the garden, then that handkerchief was meant for me.”
I couldn’t deny that his reasoning made sense.
Our lady had been vague—but perhaps intentionally so.
She must have known this would happen.
Just like with the macarons at Karl’s Bookshop.
Once again, the intended recipient wasn’t someone else—it was Edward Callinan.
Our lady does have a mischievous streak.
Still holding the “misaddressed package,” I extended the handkerchief toward him.
But he didn’t take it. Again.
Why? It was his—why refuse it?
I looked up at him stubbornly.
He said,
“I seem to be receiving a lot of handkerchiefs from you today.”
“Yes. So please just take it already.”
“I don’t need it,”
he replied quietly.
“That’s not for me to keep—”
“It’s not for me either.”
He added, in a low voice.
“……”
I looked straight at him, the lace handkerchief still clenched in my hand—and then, realization dawned.
Now I understood what Edward Callinan meant. And that my lady hadn’t sent me to deliver a simple handkerchief at all.
Rustling footsteps. Voices.
They carried faintly on the night breeze.
Someone was coming this way. It must have been part of tonight’s plan as well.
Edward Callinan had come closer—so close I could feel the space between us vanish.
He wore that same unreadable expression again.
Like a man forced to do something he didn’t want to do.
This time, it wasn’t me who looked troubled—it was him.
Why do you keep doing this, even when it seems to hurt you so much?
Without breaking his gaze, he finally spoke. His voice, deep and subdued, sounded as if he were speaking more to himself than to me.
“Tonight will be the last.”
“……”
“This will be the end.”
The end.
It was the end of our act—of the false relationship, of the pretend contract that had bound us together.
This was the moment I had been waiting for—the moment to end all of it.
The final act. The last performance.
I looked at him.
Footsteps drew closer and closer.
He stood only inches away now.
I closed my eyes.
From far off, I heard the sound of the forest.
The northern woods of Callinan whispered softly through the night.
