Kaon followed a servant up to the second floor of the banquet hall. Leading silently, the servant took him through to a balcony tucked behind a thick curtain. As they stepped through, a woman turned around to face them.
“I’ve come as summoned, Your Highness.”
After Kaon spoke softly, the princess slowly turned to look at him. Her auburn hair, reminiscent of the queen’s, was elegantly pinned up, and she greeted him with a bright smile that matched her sun-kissed skin and refreshing grin.
“Young Master Kaon Ferdinand. Thanks for coming on such short notice. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“How long has it been… At least seven years, I suppose?”
“That sounds about right.”
Since his father’s health declined, Leonidas attended the banquets alone, and Princess Odelle wasn’t one to frequent such events anyway.
“Even as a child, you were the darling of all the young ladies, and now you’ve grown into quite the handsome man. It’s almost embarrassing to look you in the eye.”
“You flatter me.”
Kaon replied politely but was more curious about why she had summoned him here. They had no personal connections, and he was quite sure she hadn’t called him out of any personal interest.
The princess was examining him so intently that it felt almost comical compared to her comment about embarrassment. Her gaze lacked the usual excitement or anticipation that many women had.
“Ah, I’ve heard about your engagement. Congratulations. Ferdinand and Ingelos, what a fascinating development while I was away from Gaios.”
“It was an unexpected connection.”
“Indeed. Even the gods watching from the skies wouldn’t have predicted this. I suppose that’s why your father wasn’t too upset?”
As Kaon listened nonchalantly, the princess suddenly yanked a pearl pin from her hair, letting her bangs flutter freely in the wind. She sighed, as if finally relieved.
“I met Lady Ingelos for the first time; she’s truly beautiful. You’re lucky to have such a desirable woman as your future wife.”
“She would be quite embarrassed to hear that.”
Externally, perhaps, but internally she might feel somewhat the same. Otherwise, why would she bring him up so often?
“It seems you two get along better than I thought?”
Kaon was not sure why she thought that, but interest sparkled in the princess’s face. She seemed deeply intrigued by the engagement.
‘But why?’
The princess, recently returned to Gaios, probably only knew that ‘Ferdinand and Ingelos have engaged in a political alliance.’ It was easy to guess the motives of their families, but that didn’t change anything.
It was unlikely she was stepping into a political role, unless Prince Arno was involved. Princess Odelle had never been particularly interested in societal events.
“It’s tricky. I thought the two of you were forced into engagement.”
“I can see why you might think that, but that’s not really something I should discuss.”
Kaon stiffened at her overly direct words. If she weren’t a princess, it would be outright rude to say so.
“Oh, don’t worry. I assure you on my name that no one is eavesdropping. I just want to have a more honest conversation with you.”
The princess went further, confident in her privacy as the thick curtains between the balcony and the banquet hall ensured a quiet environment.
But Kaon didn’t feel like having a heart-to-heart talk with her. To him, it was an unnecessary kindness.
“Why should I?”
“I assure you, there’s nothing but good in this for you and your family,” the princess said, lifting her chin with confidence. Kaon hesitated for a moment. If it were just about him, he might have stormed off, but since she mentioned his family, he couldn’t easily walk away.
“I’ll listen.”
“Good choice,” she clapped her hands once, her bright smile revealing all her teeth.
“As you know, I’ve returned from studying abroad in the Kingdom of Ampher—a country where the sun scorches and the sea stretches beautifully free.”
Kaon listened quietly. Located in the southwest of the continent, Ampher was known for its livestock and fruit exports, particularly grapes. It wasn’t famous for its culture or arts, which is why there were rumors that the king had opposed the idea of studying abroad.
“Living there, I learned and gained so much—things I could never learn in this stifling, beautiful palace.”
“I’m not here to hear your life story.”
“Is romance only skin-deep for you?” she retorted sharply, then continued with a dreamy strength in her voice. “What I mean is, life in Ampher taught me what freedom and love really are—values I hadn’t fully appreciated back here in Gaios.”
“You mean love as in…”
“Yes, I have a lover in Ampher. He’s like the man of my dreams—passionate, with a fiery heart. I fell for him at first sight. Oh, talking about him makes me want to see him again so badly.”
Kaon frowned involuntarily. He had zero interest in someone else’s love life. As far as he was concerned, they could do whatever they wanted as long as it didn’t involve him; they could even dance naked for all he cared.
But cutting off the conversation now seemed ominously unwise. Why would the princess, whom he barely knew from childhood, ramble on about her romantic affairs to him? It was clear that he wasn’t the ideal conversational partner.
“He’s coming to my country soon.”
“Officially?”
“Oh, hardly.”
Her light response to his half-serious question made his head hurt.
To Kaon’s knowledge, Ampher’s king had no sons, only daughters. Since Princess Odelle clearly referred to her lover as a ‘man,’ it meant her lover wasn’t of royal blood. King Mahab II, who dearly loved his daughter, would never allow a common foreigner to be her partner.
That’s when Kaon realized why Princess Odelle had summoned him here.
“Marry me, Young Master.”
And his suspicions were spot on.
“Ingelos and Ferdinand are just engaged, and you have two more years until you’re of age. Unfortunately, I’ll be of age next year, but my father has promised to give me time before marriage.”
“…”
“At most, maybe he’d stretch it to three years, but I see that as unlikely. Luckily, the timing does coincide exactly with you becoming of age.”
Kaon was momentarily at a loss for words. He couldn’t relate to what was supposedly unfortunate or fortunate. One thing was clear: being summoned here was definitely unfortunate.
“Didn’t you just congratulate me on my engagement?”
“I did! And I meant it. You two really do make a lovely couple. If my lover had seen you, he’d have said you looked picture-perfect together.”
“…”
“Just think of it as getting married. No need to overcomplicate things. Once you find your own love, everything will be alright. My father would never approve of just anyone, but he would welcome you.”
In essence, she was proposing a sham marriage to serve as a cover for her own love story. Kaon wondered if her brain had been replaced with flowers.
“I know that my father made an unfair proposal. It must have been impossible for the Ferdinand side to accept,” Kaon was about to flat-out refuse when he hesitated. The princess chuckled at his reaction, saying, “I have my sources, you know.”
“If you marry me, I’ll support you with mages, no strings attached. I can’t promise a huge number, but it’ll be better than borrowing from the mage tower, don’t you think? Wouldn’t my father at least do that much?”
The princess was confident, clearly not doubting her father’s love for her in the slightest. It was almost laughably naive, yet it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility, which was the real issue.
King Mahab II might not directly send his daughter to Ferdinand, but if she pleaded, he would likely concede. After all, Ferdinand was one of the noble houses, a prestigious ducal family in its own right.
Even if the king couldn’t spare court mages for a loyal subject, he might just make an exception for a son-in-law. King Mahab II was that kind of monarch.
After a brief pause, Kaon spoke.
🍉🍉🍉
