[ I am Sorry but –Cough… I just discovered that the Emperor is a woman while translating this chapter. I’m sooooo sorry. So I’m gonna translate her name Elisia ]
“Alright, come here.”
Ian still looked bewildered, but I turned him around and gently removed the handkerchief from his front pocket.
“…My lady?”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
I smiled sweetly, ignoring his flustered reaction.
“There, now it’s all set. Princess, please do it yourself.”
After I removed the handkerchief and turned Ian toward the princess, both of them looked even more confused.
The princess, in particular, seemed more stiff than before, probably not expecting I’d go this far.
“M-Me? Do it myself…?”
“Yes, Princess, you should do it yourself.”
“But… is that alright?”
Even though she was just bouncing around excitedly a moment ago, now she seemed adorably nervous.
“Who else would do it if not you, Princess? It’s your gift, after all.”
I shrugged casually, answering with ease.
“Besides, I accidentally pulled it out. Unfortunately, I’m not skilled at placing handkerchiefs neatly.”
Encouraged by my gentle reasoning, the princess bit her lip and blinked rapidly.
“Hmm…”
“Go on.”
I urged her again.
After glancing back and forth between Ian’s empty pocket and the handkerchief in her hand, the princess finally took it, hesitatingly.
“Alright, I’ll… do it.”
Seeing this as the perfect moment, I lightly tapped Ian on the shoulder.
“Your Grace, could you bend down a little? The princess is shorter than you.”
At my small whisper, Ian hesitated for a moment.
“…Very well.”
He bent down awkwardly, stiff as could be. They were clearly both equally tense.
‘Seriously, these siblings are just the same.’
Standing between them, I smiled warmly like a proud parent.
The princess, finding the situation quite awkward, folded and unfolded the handkerchief several times before finally placing it carefully in Ian’s pocket.
Only then did Ian slowly straighten up.
“Wow, it looks great! Doesn’t it, Princess?”
I clapped my hands with exaggerated enthusiasm. It might have been a little over the top, but honestly, it did look great on him.
The handkerchief perfectly complemented Ian’s uniform, as both were primarily white and blue.
They looked like they were meant to be a set from the start.
The princess, who had been gazing up at Ian, beamed with joy.
“…Yes! It looks really good!”
Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, likely because seeing him wearing the gift she had prepared filled her with a mix of excitement and unfamiliar feelings.
Princess Louisa’s eyes sparkled as she then glanced shyly in my direction.
“…I really should have prepared something for you too, Duchess. I’m sorry.”
“Princess, really, there’s no need to apologize. Besides, you’ve promised to celebrate my birthday grandly, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes, but…”
The princess fidgeted, still seeming a bit guilty, so I gently patted her head.
“I really mean it—it’s fine. But more importantly, Princess, shouldn’t you be going now? That gold box in your hand looks like it’s for His Majesty.”
I gestured toward the golden box in her other hand.
The princess blinked her large eyes in sudden realization.
“Oh, right! I need to deliver this! I promised my sister I’d give her the gift and then head back to the banquet hall for the gift-opening ceremony!”
Watching the princess beam with pride over her armful of gifts, I gave her a little nod, signaling her to hurry along.
“Well, you’d better get going then.”
“Yes! See you next time, Duchess! And… Brother!”
She waved her arms excitedly as she made her way toward the rest area where the emperor was waiting.
I watched her fondly before turning to Ian.
“So, Your Grace, what do you think? It wasn’t a big deal, right? See how happy she was.”
She was incredibly adorable too.
Ian, who had been watching the direction the princess disappeared in, turned back to me.
“I’ve said this before, but you have a knack for making things unnecessarily complicated.”
“Hmm? Do you want to see what it’s really like when I make things complicated?”
I raised an eyebrow at him, tilting my head slightly.
In response, he pressed his lips together tightly.
Stop teasing me.
“Well, shall we head back too? We’ve been standing in this hallway for too long. Though, going back together means all eyes will be on us again.”
Even if it feels overwhelming, we can’t avoid it. The best option now is to embrace the attention.
Just as I resolved myself to this and took a step forward, Ian remained rooted to the spot, silently staring at me. His gaze was so intense that I turned to look back at him.
“Your Grace?”
Why is he staring at me like that? Don’t tell me…
“…Ian?”
“Yes.”
Only when I addressed him by name did he respond immediately. For a moment, I stood there, a bit dazed, trying to grasp the situation.
What’s going on with him today? This is so unlike him.
While I was struggling to find the right words, Ian tightened his grip on my hand.
“Let’s go somewhere else, not the banquet hall.”
“…Somewhere else?”
If not the banquet hall, where else?
When I asked curiously, Ian briefly glanced at my back before looking away.
“At this hour, the garden will be empty. If there’s no one you need to meet in the banquet hall, I’ll take you there instead.”
His expression remained unreadable, but for some reason, there was a firm grip in the hand holding mine.
‘Could he still be thinking about my back?’
I wanted to believe that wasn’t the case, but something told me it probably was.
In the end, I blinked awkwardly and slowly nodded.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
I didn’t have any particular reason to return to the banquet hall anyway.
Only then did Ian loosen his previously tight grip on my hand.
“Yes, I know a place. Let’s go.”
After saying that, he took a short breath.
“…Eloise.”
His voice sounded cautious for some reason.
❖ ❖ ❖
The garden of the imperial palace, after sunset, was drenched in a soft darkness. Here and there, a few groups of people were strolling around.
However, the place Ian led me to was deeper, a quiet and small garden hidden behind the banquet hall.
It was filled with summer flowers blooming under white columns, and at the center, a small lake gently rippled, reflecting the moon.
I gasped as I stepped into the garden.
“Wow, I had no idea this place existed!”
“It’s the most secluded spot near the banquet hall. Not many people know about it.”
“I see…”
Although the palace grounds were vast, discovering such a hidden place was surprising.
“It feels like a secret garden.”
I could feel Ian watching me as I marveled at the surroundings.
“Knowing that not many people come here makes it feel strangely romantic.”
“Is this the kind of romance you seek, my lady?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s exactly that, but I do like this kind of thing.”
I shrugged and started walking slowly. A cool summer breeze gently brushed against my cheeks, feeling refreshing.
“I thought so. When you spoke during the Olsen family incident, it seemed like you had a fondness for special places.”
I suddenly turned my head at the sound of his voice beside me.
Our eyes met—he had been watching me the whole time.
“Oh…”
Come to think of it, I had talked about the tree, mentioning things like romance and a soulmate back then.
‘He remembered that?’
Feeling a bit awkward, I let out a soft groan and looked away.
After gazing around the garden bathed in moonlight for a while, a sudden thought crossed my mind, and I looked back at him. Ian had already shifted his gaze back to the front.
His profile, illuminated by the soft blue light, was composed and calm.
I rolled my eyes and asked,
“Ian… can I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
“Why is your relationship with Duke Roger so bad?”
At my question, he finally turned back to look at me. He stared at me for a moment before speaking.
“Are you interested?”
“No, it’s not that I’m particularly interested… It’s just that when I met Duke Roger before, he said he wanted to maintain a good relationship with you. But today, seeing how the two of you interacted, it seemed quite different from what I was told.”
Ian tilted his head slightly, as if lost in thought for a moment.
“A good relationship…”
After a brief silence, he spoke as though it was a trivial fact.
“Hayden Roger was once nearly betrothed to Her Majesty the Emperor.”
What?
His unexpected words left me wide-eyed.
“Betrothed?”
“Yes, it was an engagement arranged by the late Emperor and the former Duke Roger. It fell through because of Her Majesty’s wishes when she was still the crown princess.”
“Oh, I see…”
Suddenly, all the confusion I had felt began to make sense.
Usually, childhood companions were of the same gender, but now I understood why the former Duke Roger had introduced Hayden to the Emperor.
‘So, that’s why their relationship seemed so awkward…’
Was it because they were almost betrothed?
“That’s why I’ll never have a good relationship with the Roger family. They’ve always been the kind of people who would go to any lengths for imperial power, and placing a foot in that power is the least of it.”
“…I see.”
It seemed like their bad relationship went beyond just that, though.
However, I didn’t have the chance to ask more questions. Ian suddenly stopped walking and turned to face me, gazing intently.
“Even aside from that, it’s only natural that I’m wary of Hayden Roger.”
He glanced briefly at the lake behind me before continuing in a calm tone.
“Especially since you’ve been involved with him as well.”
“…Me?”
Why am I being brought up all of a sudden?
I didn’t understand what he meant and asked back. Ian raised an eyebrow, letting out a soft, short breath.
A sigh-like response followed.
“…It seems, my lady, that you don’t fully understand the meaning of the word ‘improper.’”
♧♧♧
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