The prince of the empire, Benita, couldn’t suppress his racing heart.
He had never set foot outside the imperial palace in his entire life. Not just Benita, but no imperial family members in history had ever left the palace.
Of course, they ventured out for night patrols upon reaching adulthood, but Benita was only eight years old. The idea of leaving the imperial palace filled him with excitement.
However…
‘The North, all of a sudden!’
If he had been told to scout the capital, he wouldn’t have felt so burdened. Even being sent to the neighboring Marquisate of Rizen would have been manageable.
But the North?!
It wasn’t just far—it would take fifteen days to get there. Moreover, it was known as a region of extreme cold where monsters constantly emerged. If luck wasn’t on his side, he might even die on the way. And on top of that…
‘It’s freezing there!’
Having lived his whole life in warmth, never experiencing a hint of cold, Benita’s biggest worry was the harsh climate of the North.
Well, at least the knights would handle the monsters, so there wasn’t much to worry about on that front.
‘I should pack plenty of thick furs.’
Would the North even have such things?
Probably not—the North was a poor region.
Maybe if he handed out furs, they’d appreciate it. Perhaps they’d even worship him like a god for bringing clothing they’d never seen before!
If he earned favor and established his position in the North, it would surely make his mother proud.
With the bright eyes of an excited child, Benita jumped to his feet.
“Bring me a catalog right now!”
He shouted to the maid standing guard outside his room, determined to bring the capital’s refinement to the barbarians of the North.
***
“Ahchoo!”
Suddenly sneezing from the chill, the demon hugged his glossy fur coat tighter, shivering.
“Ugh, why is it suddenly so cold? Isn’t this strange?”
“You probably messed up another magic formula.”
“No, I didn’t! I’m the most amazing one here!”
“Yeah, sure. Keep dreaming.”
“I can’t hear you~.”
The demon chuckled and turned to watch Dehan, who was swinging a wooden sword in the distance.
Since finishing a morning training session, Dehan had been practicing with his wooden sword nonstop until now, even with the sun high in the sky. The demon shook his head, thinking, What a peculiar guy.
“How long do you think he’ll keep that up?”
Having observed humans for centuries, the demon knew their willpower wasn’t particularly impressive. He assumed Dehan would give up before long. Yet, a small part of him was curious.
Would he persevere?
Or would he quit?
The very fact that such conflicting thoughts arose meant the demon had a certain level of expectation for Dehan. He even considered placing a small wager on the outcome.
If Dehan endured…
‘Maybe I could give him a little help.’
Grinning slyly, the demon approached Dehan.
But Dehan, fully immersed in his practice, didn’t even notice the demon coming closer.
It was natural to lose against a demon. It was also natural to be knocked down without even properly swinging a sword.
But.
Even so, still.
– Yeah, you can’t beat me anyway, right?
– You can’t even touch me, right?
– How dare you try to challenge me, right?
Every time he heard such mocking remarks, his blood pressure spiked, and he felt like he might die.
If only he could land just one hit! Just one!
Argh!
Dehan gritted his teeth and swung his sword furiously.
That was when it happened.
“Oh dear, doing it like that completely ruins your form.”
The demon, who had crept up unnoticed, poked Dehan on the shoulder as he spoke. Startled, Dehan straightened his hunched shoulders and took a deep breath.
“You should pull yourself together. We’re expecting a guest soon.”
Huh?
Dehan tilted his head in confusion.
“A guest? What do you mean?”
He wore an unfamiliar expression. The demon smirked even more, thinking, This guy doesn’t know a thing.
“The prince is coming, isn’t he? To see Lady Shekina?”
“…What?”
Dehan’s gaze turned cold for a moment. The combination of the words Shekina and prince brought only one thought to mind.
‘Engagement.’
He didn’t know much about politics. But this one thing, he understood clearly: marriage was the most effective way to connect two families.
“Yeah, looks like they’re coming fully prepared.”
“…….…”
“You’re in trouble, aren’t you?”
Unknowingly, Dehan tightened his grip on his wooden sword.
***
Sub-quest: Win the Prince’s Favor!
The prince, brimming with excitement over his first assignment, is heading to the North.
You should treat this eager prince kindly, shouldn’t you?
Try to earn the prince’s favor! (Favorability: 0/100)
(Hint: None! Figure it out yourself!)
Reward: A Collection of Imperial Family Secrets
Failure: Death
Staring at the unchanged system window for two whole days made the back of Shekina’s neck ache. Clicking her tongue, she sighed.
Since then, the system hadn’t appeared even once. It was as if it was deliberately trying to mess with her.
If Shekina died now, it would suffer losses too.
“Fine, let’s see how this plays out.”
Haaa.
Shekina exhaled deeply and swept her hair back.
“A month, huh…”
Roughly a month later, the prince would arrive.
She didn’t know how long he would stay here, but one way or another, she had to win his favor. Only then would she receive the system’s reward—and get the chance to summon that system to curse it out thoroughly.
‘But how am I supposed to win his favor?’
After pondering for a moment, Shekina looked across from her at Arthur, who was sitting and reading a book.
“Arthur.”
“Yes, Lady Shekina?”
Arthur looked at Shekina with a warm smile, his eyes curving like crescents.
“Arthur, why did you like me at first?”
Arthur was slightly taken aback by the sudden question but soon returned to his calm smile and answered.
“Does love need a reason? I liked you simply because you’re Lady Shekina.”
Wow, even I think I said that well.
She’ll be pleased with that, won’t she?
Arthur thought so and eagerly awaited Shekina’s response.
But instead…
“What are you even saying? Not even a passing dog would believe that nonsense.”
“…………”
Shock.
Arthur froze with his mouth agape.
Lady Shekina… When did you become so cynical…?
“No, I mean it. I truly like you because you’re you, Lady Shekina!”
“Hmmm.”
Shekina’s eyes narrowed.
“No one gets loved just for existing.”
She could say that with conviction.
Throughout her life, Shekina had never been loved—not even once. No matter how much she tried, no matter how desperately she struggled, she never even caught someone’s gaze. For Shekina, love had to come with a reason.
“There has to be a reason why you like me. Think about it.”
Arthur’s expression stiffened slightly.
“Lady Shekina, why do you think Calvin cares so much about Sera? Why does he feel joy when Sera eats, contentment when she sleeps, and happiness when she plays?”
“…Huh?”
“Sera is lovable just because she exists. Simply existing makes her worthy of love.”
Arthur, now standing closer to Shekina, gently caressed her cheek as he spoke.
“To me, Lady Shekina is the same. Just your presence makes me happy. Simply existing makes you lovable.”
He smiled softly, his characteristic gentle expression on display.
“Love has no reason.”
“………”
A faint tickle stirred in her heart.
Shekina unconsciously lowered her gaze and inhaled sharply.
“Well… Thanks.”
Feeling embarrassed and bashful for some reason, she quickly turned her head. Arthur chuckled quietly at her reaction.
“Well… That’s not the point…”
Why had she asked that question?
Wasn’t it to figure out how to win the prince’s favor?
It was unrealistic to assume that the prince would automatically like her.
So she would need to create situations that could increase his favorability…
‘But do I really need to think about this now?’
After all, the prince wouldn’t arrive for another month. She could come up with a plan closer to his arrival.
Besides, sitting here with Arthur was making her feel flustered and awkward. It seemed like a good time to leave.
“Let’s focus on what needs to be done first.”
Shekina’s eyes sparkled.
“Where are Dehan and Yuriel?”
She had decided to start with the elders.
