Chapter 111

Scarlett drained her glass of champagne in a single gulp, then swung the empty flute between her fingers as she gazed out into the garden. Her face was flushed as if she were hopelessly drunk, but she was a high-ranking knight; it would take far more than that to truly intoxicate her.

Clicking her tongue, she leaned against the balcony, watching Lilithia—who was currently alone and drinking quite heavily—from a distance.

“Simple as always,” she murmured.

She liked that about Lilithia. No matter how complicated or difficult things got, Lilithia endured it, and a plate of delicious food was enough to make her forget her troubles for a moment. Lilithia was naive, yes, but she had a backbone and the discernment to know right from wrong. Most of all, she had a heart that sought to repay every kindness shown to her.

Scarlett found that refreshing. Everyone around her was usually hiding a dark, calculating interior. But there was another reason Scarlett was keeping such a close eye on her.

Freyer Lundberg. The Second Prince of the empire was her long-time friend. He had contacted her out of the blue, bluntly asking her to protect Lilithia Baimery. Scarlett had been both incredulous and stunned by the request—to look after her until he could return to Pearching Kingdom. It turned out the woman she had taken a liking to was the very woman Freyer loved.

“I think I see why he likes her so much.”

As Lilithia sat there, caught between her food and her drink, Kyle—no, Freyer—approached her.

“Ah, the protagonist makes his entrance.”

Scarlett’s eyes gleamed as she watched the garden. It was the climax of the play. Their eyes met, and at that perfect moment, fireworks finally began to bloom in the sky. Scarlett gave a satisfied smile and took another sip of her drink.

“Making Freyer suffer a little was quite fun.”

The duel over Lilithia, forcing Siphiell to dance with her—it had all been part of her plan to provoke a little jealousy.

“Tsk. It’s over now.”

Seeing them finally confirm their feelings for one another brought a sense of emptiness, like finishing a long-awaited play. Scarlett drained the last of her drink and turned away.

“I’m going to die of loneliness at this rate. I wonder where my own darling is hiding?”

***

Freyer looked up at Scarlett on the balcony. She gave a casual wave before disappearing back into the ballroom.

Lilithia’s eyes were brimming with tears. Freyer reached out with his long fingers to brush away the transparent beads once more.

“Did I startle you that much?”

“…Of course you did!”

Lilithia’s scolding—asking who wouldn’t be shocked to see Lord Kyle suddenly turn into Freyer—was both adorable and touching. It felt like she had truly missed him every moment they were apart.

“So… why did you change your appearance like that?”

Freyer couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth. That there was an assassination plot, and that she, too, might have been in grave danger.

‘I can’t let her know.’

He had heard that Scarlett and Lilithia had met by chance. If it hadn’t been for Scarlett, Lilithia might be in a life-threatening situation right now. Freyer looked at his reflection in her amethyst eyes and quickly masked his troubled expression.

“I wanted to surprise you.”

Lilithia was a fragile person who had already faced numerous dangers because of him. The best course of action was to prevent further danger rather than burdening her with the grim truth.

“Do you have any idea… how much my heart raced when I looked at ‘Lord Kyle’…?”

“And why did your heart race?”

***

‘Why did my heart race?’

I struggled to find the right words to answer Freyer’s question. I lowered my head, my fingers fidgeting nervously, until a sharp sting made me let out a small cry.

“Ah.”

I must have accidentally pressed on the cut from the glass; a fresh drop of crimson blood seeped from my fingertip. As I stared blankly at it, Freyer acted before I could stop him. He pulled my finger to his lips.

“…Your Highness!”

He licked the tip of my finger. The unfamiliar sensation sent a jolt through me, and I instinctively tried to pull my hand away.

“Please, let go!”

“The bleeding hasn’t stopped yet.”

His grip was gentle but firm; I couldn’t retreat. In that moment, I finally realized why my heart had felt like it was falling every time I saw him. That indescribable emotion had a name: ‘Love.’

When he had first called it a prank, a blurred resentment had flared up, but another part of me was just so relieved to see him that I found his playfulness irritatingly charming. I had been holding myself back. As a reader who knew the novel, as a fan who adored her ‘favorite,’ I had built a wall.

‘What if Freyer isn’t happy because of me? I wanted him to be happy in this life above all else.’

The worry that I might be the one to ruin his fate had weighed on my heart like a boulder, forcing me to deny my own feelings. I had kept my distance, convinced he wouldn’t be happy with me. But without realizing it, I had fallen for him.

When did it start? Was it when he ran to my mansion because he couldn’t reach me? When we spent that night in the cave? Or when he ‘invaded’ my home under the guise of palace repairs?

I didn’t know when it began.

‘I love Freyer.’

It had only been a few days since we were apart. Perhaps I hadn’t realized it because I had taken his presence for granted. Looking back, my feelings for him had started a long time ago. I told myself my actions were just to change the fate of my favorite character, but it was never that simple.

That was why I had risked everything during the hunting festival. If my sacrifice was the path to his happiness while he fought those monsters, I would have leapt into the fray without a second thought.

His lips finally left my finger, and I felt a sudden, strange sense of loss. Freyer leaned closer, asking again.

“I still haven’t heard the answer. Why did your heart race, Lilithia?”

“It’s because… Prince Freyer…”

I mumbled the words, trying to summon my courage, but a sudden swell in the music drowned me out. Freyer frowned slightly, looking as though he hadn’t heard.

“Tell me one more time.”

My face flushed a deep red.

‘I’m too embarrassed to say the exact same thing twice.’

“…Would you like to dance with me?”

“Dance?”

“I realized… we’ve never danced together.”

Freyer’s expression turned unreadable. For a moment, I panicked, thinking he might refuse.

“Now that I think about it, you’re right.”

He offered me his hand. I took it carefully, the warmth of his touch sending a tingle all the way to my fingertips. He pulled me close by the waist, and my eyes widened as I was drawn into his embrace.

“I’d very much like to hear that reason later, though.”

I froze with my hands against his chest. I could feel a heart thudding beneath my palms. Was it his, or was it mine? The rush of blood made my face burn. I took a sharp breath as his hand moved slightly against my waist.

“Just follow my lead.”

With a soft smile, Freyer guided me into the rhythm of the music. The only thing I could hear was the sound of a heartbeat in my ears.

“Lilithia.”

I looked up at the sound of his voice. Beneath the sky filled with exploding colors, Freyer looked radiant, shimmering like a rainbow. My heart hammered against my ribs.

“I hope the reason your heart raced… was me. Because I don’t ever want to lose you again.”

Gazing into his eyes, which reflected both moonlight and the glow of the fireworks, I finally found my voice.

“If you love me… you might regret it.”

“Why?”

‘Because I’m not sure if I can make you happy. Because this place was supposed to belong to Nazlee, not me.’

But… but…

“What am I going to do…? I think I love you, Your Highness.”

Freyer’s gaze held me like the moon, steady yet making me tremble.

“Then, Lilithia… do you regret loving me?”

I bit my lip and shook my head. I didn’t regret holding him in my heart. My only fear was being a burden to him.

“I feel the same way.”

The soft warmth of his forehead against mine and the scent of him as he held me made my head spin. He leaned in, and for a fleeting moment, his lips touched my skin before pulling back, leaving me breathless. I darted my eyes away awkwardly, only to see him smiling—a smile filled with the colors of the night.

“My only regret,” he whispered, “is that I didn’t find you sooner.”

Then, his sweet, warm lips met mine. Our breaths mingled in the night air, finally becoming one.