“Can you say that again? That you’re not angry.”
Lilien looked up at Jake for a moment before lowering her gaze.
“I’m not angry. I just don’t have the confidence to stand by your side, Sir Jake.”
Jake’s expression twisted as he looked down at her.
His pearl-colored eyes drifted into the air, deep in thought.
“Ha.”
A few seconds later, realizing the meaning behind her words, he let out a self-mocking laugh and pressed his forehead with his hand as if scolding himself.
He had overlooked it. As someone who had always been in the position of Crown Prince, he hadn’t considered the hardships, scrutiny, pressure, and responsibilities she would have to bear.
For him, these things were as natural as breathing—something he had never needed to reflect on.
‘I’ve been selfish, making her struggle alone while I was lost in my own naive notions of love…’
“Damn it,” Jake muttered under his breath. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, biting the inside of his cheek.
“B-but… I want to change.”
At that moment, a pair of small, soft hands grasped his.
Lilien held his hand close to her chest and looked up at him.
Her silver hair cascaded over their intertwined hands, shimmering gently.
Jake, who had turned to look at her naturally, widened his eyes in surprise.
“Lady Lilien.”
In his startled gaze, Lilien’s tear-streaked face was reflected.
“I want to become someone who can support my people. Even if it takes time, even if I started later than others, one day, I will. And among those people… Jake, no, Your Highness, you are included as well.”
“That means…”
Just as joy filled Jake’s face, Lilien loosened her grip and lowered her head.
“B-but what if I fail?”
“……”
Her chin dipped, and her shoulders slumped.
As her delicate hand slipped away from his—
Jake caught it and pulled her into his embrace.
“……!”
Burying his face in her soft hair, he inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling with the motion.
Lilien stiffened at the sensation of his warm breath against her.
“S-Sir Jake.”
“Of course you can. If not you, then who else could stand beside me?”
“Are you saying…”
“I love you deeply, Lilien.”
Lilien gasped as if her breath had been stolen. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the golden hues of the sky like watercolor on a canvas.
“You don’t have to struggle alone anymore. I won’t leave you on your own ever again.”
Frowning slightly, he pulled away just enough to look into her face.
“Soon, the official birthday ball will be held. There are rumors that it will serve as an event to select the Crown Princess. Of course, none of the ladies attending will truly be there for me.”
“Please don’t say that. To me, you—”
“I know. You see me as perfect.”
Unlike before, this wasn’t a self-deprecating remark.
Drunk on a sense of fulfillment, as if embracing all the brilliance in the world, he smiled with triumphant confidence.
For the first time, Jake was grateful for his own imperfections. If he had been flawless, he might never have found someone who truly loved him for who he was.
Just the thought of it made his pearl-like eyes curve into a gentle arc.
Lilien, mesmerized by his beautiful smile, couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“Lady Lilien.”
Jake slowly laced his fingers with hers.
As their hands intertwined, Lilien’s heart pounded as if all her nerves had concentrated on the tips of her fingers.
Her shoulders trembled slightly as she looked up at him.
Like crystal adorned with yellow tulips, his amber eyes shimmered under the fading sunlight.
“Come to the ball.”
“……”
“I will wait for you. Only you.”
Their gazes, locked together, grew misty with unshed tears. Their blurred vision reflected each other’s faces.
“You don’t have to rush. Take your time. Even if you come when the ball ends, when the hall is empty, and the first light of dawn breaks, that’s fine. Just take one step forward with courage.”
“……”
“Because I won’t run away anymore.”
They stood there in the golden glow of sunset, looking at each other for a long time.
Sitting at the vanity, I glanced at the mirror, watching as he dried my damp hair with a towel.
Edmund had just returned to the mansion and had dismissed the maids, choosing to dry my hair himself.
I enjoyed the sensual tension between us, but I also cherished these quiet moments when we simply relaxed together.
Feeling his careful touch, I closed my eyes and smiled.
“Lilien said she definitely wants to attend the ball. It looks like things between them will work out.”
“That’s a relief.”
I lazily opened my eyes and gazed at our reflection.
“But are you really okay with this?”
He paused, still holding the towel. Our eyes met in the mirror.
“Lilien might marry Jake. She could become the Crown Princess.”
“I don’t like it, but it’s her choice, so I respect it.”
Edmund answered indifferently, focusing on drying my hair.
‘He even officially invited Jake… He used to only care about Lilien, but now he doesn’t seem concerned at all.’
For someone whose life revolved around Lilien and fighting monsters, I must have been the unexpected variable that changed him.
Realizing that, a shiver of excitement ran down my spine.
‘This… feels pretty good.’
It was as if I had proof of how deeply I had infiltrated his life—how much I mattered to him.
Feeling a smirk creeping onto my face, I shifted my shoulders, rubbing my blushing cheeks against them.
At that moment, I felt a chill.
Wearing only a peach-colored nightgown with lace ruffles on the straps, my exposed arms felt the cold.
My body temperature had dropped after soaking in the hot bath, making my hands and feet cold as well.
I tucked my hands under my thighs to warm them, then stole a glance at him in the mirror.
A late-night, quiet atmosphere—
The perfect setting for a deep conversation.
I cleared my throat and cautiously spoke.
“You seem really busy with the reconstruction of the duchy.”
His gaze, which had been lazily drifting, snapped to me and wavered violently. He quickly looked away.
“There’s a lot to manage, like building materials and workers…”
Suddenly, Edmund let go of the towel wrapped around my hair.
“I’ll be going now. Get some rest.”
Wait, again?
“W-wait, Edmund…!”
Bang.
Before I could stop him, he grabbed the towel and bolted from the room.
I reached out helplessly, then let my hand drop in frustration.
‘What’s his problem?’
I pouted with displeasure and squinted my eyes sharply.
Wait a second. Thinking back carefully, we hadn’t shared a bed since the first night.
Back then, I was too focused on getting rid of the monsters to notice, but… could it be that he’s scared to spend the night with me now? Did I look like a fox spirit sucking out his life force that night?
As those thoughts piled one after another, a wave of anxiety hit me.
‘…Am I the only one thinking seriously about marriage?’
Groaning and lost in worry, I sat at the console for a long time, forgetting even the cold.
As he walked down the hallway, Edmund suddenly collapsed against the wall.
“Haah…”
He sat down, covered his face with his large hands, and let out a deep sigh from his gut.
‘Does she know what she’s doing, or not?’
Normally, he would’ve caught on to her playful tricks and lightly bit her nose as a joke, but seeing those innocent eyes… there wasn’t even a hint of intention.
‘In short, I’m just the one acting like a beast in heat.’
Groaning in self-mockery, he furrowed his brows.
He had never known himself to be so impatient. But then again, he wasn’t some celibate priest. How was he supposed to hold back after seeing that?
Her seductive eyes and moist lips were already enough to overwhelm him, but that pale, smooth skin that peeked out when she bent forward with her hands tucked under her thighs…
As the memory came back, a strange heat rushed through him, and the back of his neck stiffened. His hand naturally reached up to rub it—but then paused when he noticed the handkerchief he was holding.
A faint, deep scent of Etricia lingered from it.
“Damn it…”
In the end, surrendering to his instincts, he turned to head for her room—only to stop in his tracks. Just as his reason was about to be consumed by heat, Lova’s voice echoed in his mind.
[ You do understand, right? Even though Lady Etricia has awakened and is temporarily stable, she must not push herself for a while. ]
Lova had looked at Edmund like he was some wild animal in heat as she added,
[ Especially anything that might physically strain her body must be avoided. Especially sexual a— ]
[ I get it. Just shut up. ]
[ …Can you really hold back? ]
He glanced down at the front of his pants and irritably ran a hand through his hair.
That was when he definitely shouldn’t have nodded with confidence.
“Master, there you are.”
Just then, a voice called out from behind, and Edmund turned around with clear irritation.
Tale, who had just arrived, froze when he sensed his master’s fierce mood. His pupils shook wildly like a herbalist who had just run into a bear.
“S-Suddenly I really need the bathroom… Where is—Ack!”
As Tale awkwardly tried to slip away, he was immediately grabbed by the back of the neck.
“Come with me.”
Edmund started dragging him away, and Tale flailed in protest.
“W-Wait, Master! What did I do wrong?!”
“Shut it and come.”
At the Mipedian Duke’s training ground, the sound of metal clashing and bodies hitting the ground echoed until morning.
