Creak.
Creak.
As he rotated his hips side to side, an ominous sound came out. His back and shoulders felt stiff, so he slowly stretched his body.
“This is truly beyond imagination.”
The amount of work was astonishing.
Despite spending just an hour dining with Rohiriel at lunch, the workload seemed to have doubled or tripled for some unknown reason.
“Pailson. Is this all for today?”
“Yes, Your Highness. You may rest now.”
After receiving Pailson’s confirmation, Julion stood up from his seat. The candlelight flickered as he moved.
“You’ve worked hard too. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Julion picked up his coat and left his office. Perhaps due to reading so much, his eyes felt heavy.
Looking up at the sky, he saw the moon hanging halfway up.
As Julion was about to walk towards the prince’s residence, he stopped and called out to Freck, who was following behind.
“Freck. Has Rohiriel gone to bed?”
“…I’m not sure, but usually she’s awake until this time.”
“Is that so? What could she be doing up so late?”
It was obvious.
Probably attending to medical duties in the infirmary or immersed in developing some new medication.
He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Rohiriel’s serious face as she worked.
“I’ll stop by. Where was the last place you received information about Rohiriel’s whereabouts?”
“Yes, Your Highness; it was in the infirmary.”
With that, Julion redirected his steps towards the infirmary.
Walking along the quiet night street, various thoughts swirled in his mind.
With only about a month left until the coronation, time passed without him having a proper conversation with Rohiriel. In this ambiguous situation, having to welcome guests from another country only added to his unease.
‘Come to think of it, she mentioned having something she wanted to see.’
When welcoming the envoy from Razia, Rohiriel clearly said so.
Could it have been one of the items brought by the envoy?
Julion vaguely recalled a list of items, among which a rare item was mentioned.
It was highly likely that this was the reason.
It must have been upsetting to return without being able to confirm it.
Recalling the earlier incident, he also thought of the rude prince.
‘The nerve…’
The prince of Razia had the audacity to ask to be called by his nickname.
It was out of character for him to say such a thing to a woman he had never met, much less to the Crown Princess.
More importantly, Rohiriel hadn’t even addressed him by a nickname yet, which bothered him.
He had planned to casually ask to be called by a nickname soon, but that prince, whether it was Shuttan or Shuttin, made it even more difficult to bring it up.
“Hah…….”
A sigh of frustration escaped Julion’s lips, coloring the night air white. Feeling the deep chill in his lungs, Julion took another deep breath, trying to clear his mind.
By the time he reached the garden near the infirmary, he sensed someone’s presence.
It was definitely not Rohiriel.
Nor was it the guard.
“Who could it be at this hour?”
Furrowing his brows, Julion confidently stepped into the garden.
Under the beautifully blooming red winter flowers, the source of the presence stood.
Clad in unfamiliar attire and a headdress, with uncommon pink hair, she was undoubtedly the Princess of Razia.
“Princess ……Razia?”
Why is the Princess of Razia out in the garden at this late hour?
Looking around, there seemed to be no knights or attendants accompanying her.
She stared endlessly at the sky, her expression unreadable, appearing deeply troubled.
Julion contemplated quietly turning away, seeing her troubled look.
“Oh, Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
It was the Princess of Razia’s urgent voice that prevented Julion from doing so. Julion awkwardly turned back halfway, offering a brief greeting to the princess.
“Princess Razia. I see you’re… out for a walk….”
Julion had treated the princess poorly earlier out of anger, but since she was still a member of the royal family, he spoke up again.
However, the princess did not seem to be very concerned about it.
Instead, her eyes widened with apparent surprise at having met Julion here.
“To meet Your Highness again like this, what a delightful night it is.”
Her eyes seemed moist, as if on the verge of tears, but Julion didn’t feel inclined to inquire further about her apparent distress.
“Even though it’s the palace grounds, it’s dangerous to wander around without an escort at this late hour.”
“Oh, no. I was just about to head back.”
“Oh, I see. Then, please return safely.”
Julion was about to bid her farewell and leave, but the princess spoke up again.
“Your Highness! I was just on my way back when I ran into a problem.”
“A problem?”
Julion’s questioning gaze was filled with annoyance, yet the princess persisted.
“I got lost. I just wanted to walk around the palace garden for a moment, but then…”
The princess bowed her head slightly and looked down at her toes. She fidgeted with her hands, clutching the hem of her skirt in embarrassment.
Her soft, pink hair cascading down reflected the moonlight, shimmering beautifully.
Julion, momentarily observing the princess in this state, nonchalantly replied,
“I see. The palace grounds are vast. Next time, be sure to have someone guide you on your walks.”
“Yes, yes? Oh, yes, of course. I’m sorry; I seem to keep apologizing for things, like what happened earlier in the day.”
“No. Anyway, I bid you farewell for today. Freck, please escort the princess safely.”
A flicker of bewilderment flashed through the princess’s eyes. However, that quickly vanished, and she soon crafted a gentle and radiant smile.
“Thank you so much for your consideration, Your Highness Julion!”
It was a smile as bright as a flower bathed in moonlight.
Objectively speaking, it was true. The princess knew this all too well herself.
There was no one she had ever met who hadn’t fallen for it. But unfortunately, Julion was not in his usual state of mind.
“It’s a matter of course for a guest. Farewell, then.”
Julion politely bowed his head and turned away without a hint of hesitation.
He walked away steadily, not even a hint of reluctance in his steps.
Watching his back as he walked away, the princess tightened her grip on her dress.
The fabric crumpled, but that was not the main concern.
‘He didn’t react at all, did he?’
A normal man would.
A man with a proper sense of aesthetics.
In the presence of such a beautifully adorned woman, one would expect at least a momentary gaze filled with admiration.
His pupils should have dilated even for a moment as he gazed upon her, captivated.
It was only natural.
However, Prince Julion’s gaze remained as rigid as an iron spike.
It was nothing more or less than a thoroughly professional demeanor and expression.
‘Though, when it comes to the crown princess, it seems his eyesight is just fine.’
Crown Princess Rohiriel, the widely talked-about wife of the crown prince of Sertizan.
Today was the first time she had seen her in person, but she had already done some research to find out what kind of person she was.
Judging by her appearance, it was clear that Prince Julion’s aesthetic sense was in order.
It was frustrating, but the crown princess also possessed exceptional beauty.
‘Should I feel offended.?’
According to the gathered information, the crown princess had suffered from a serious illness.
Men often feel drawn to fragile and pitiable women.
Perhaps that was why the Crown Prince had given more attention to the current Crown Princess.
As she pondered what to do, Freck, the prince’s aide who had been left behind, spoke up.
“Should we go, Princess?”
Only then did Chersoniet realize that she had been standing still, gazing at the disappearing figure of Julion.
She made an effort to smile tenderly as she replied,
“Ah, my apologies. Then I shall be in your care.”
“Hehe, no need to be so formal.”
“No, I prefer it this way.”
Seeing Freck’s flustered reaction, Chersoniet flashed a bright smile.
It was the same smile she had shown Julion earlier.
Meeting Chersoniet’s red eyes directly, Freck hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat awkwardly.
“I believe the people of Razia hold the Princess in high regard.”
“Is that so?”
Chersoniet shyly lifted the corners of her mouth and lowered her gaze in response to Freck’s praise.
At the same time, she felt slightly relieved.
‘See? It’s clear that my charm hasn’t faded.’
Perhaps she should try a different approach.
If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Keep trying until it eventually works.
The silver lining was that tonight’s adventure wasn’t entirely fruitless.
She deliberately waited in the garden in front of the palace for the crown prince to pass by. She had heard that the crown princess was staying late at the palace. She also knew that the crown prince often visited late at night to see her.
‘And this spot is faintly visible from the entrance of the palace.’
Just now, she had caught a glimpse of what appeared to be the Crown Princess looking in this direction.
She didn’t expect to meet her right away tonight, but at least one part of the plan was successful.
Chersoniet’s eyes quietly lit up with determination as she formulated her next plan.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Meanwhile, Julion, who had parted ways with Chersoniet and left the garden, was feeling a bit uneasy.
He had just run into Rohiriel, who was about to return to the Garnet Palace, but somehow her expression seemed strained.
YES CONFLICT-