Chapter 113

“So… please, let go.”

 

The embrace that had been stifling me finally loosened. I stood up quickly, trying to hide my face, which had flushed the color of a sunset. I began to hastily put on my dress, which lay discarded and scattered across the floor like petals.

 

As soon as I saw Freyer rising from the bed, I whipped my body around. I was wearing a thin robe, but I had no idea what state Freyer was in. His lower half was hidden beneath the snow-white blankets.

 

‘If his top is off, the bottom might be… Lilithia Baimery! Stop thinking. Please.’

 

It felt as if a naughty devil had taken up residence in my head, scrambling my thoughts. Overwhelmed by shame, I kept my head tucked down toward the floor and focused on dressing myself.

 

‘Why won’t this work!’

 

The dresses in this world were incredibly difficult to put on. Without someone’s help, getting back into one was a struggle.

 

‘They should have just put a zipper on the back!’

 

As I was grunting and struggling to finish dressing, a voice reached my ears, making me turn my head.

 

“Are you planning on leaving something behind again?”

 

At the sight of the black strap dangling from Freyer’s hand, steam practically hissed from my head like a boiling kettle. Freyer was holding my garter belt.

 

Driven by the sole thought of snatching it back from him, I marched toward him and reached out.

 

“Give it to me…!”

 

Freyer held his hand high above his head, and my hand, though stretched to its limit, couldn’t reach the strap. I hopped up and down, trying to grab it, but due to our height difference, the end of the strap only teased my fingertips, swaying just out of reach.

 

“Your Highness…!”

 

To think he would play games with my garter belt!

 

After several leaps, the strap finally landed in my grasp. The sense of achievement was fleeting, however, as a stifled laugh—a “pfft”—floated down from above. Stunned, I looked up at him blankly.

 

“Cute.”

 

Looking down at me, Freyer pressed a kiss to my forehead. Just as I was turning away to hide my reddening face—

 

Knock, knock—

 

The sound of knocking and a maid’s voice returned.

 

“The Princess is urgently looking for Vice Head Leader Lilithia!”

 

“The Princess?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Do you require assistance with your preparations?”

 

“I’m all done!”

 

I wondered what Scarlet wanted. As I was about to head out after one last adjustment to my dress, I felt Freyer’s hand gently wrap around mine.

 

“Let’s go together.”

 

“Your Highness is coming too?”

 

“She’s likely looking for me as well.”

 

“Kyle? Or Your Highness…?”

 

“Probably both?”

 

While I was tilting my head in confusion at his cryptic words, Freyer pulled a small vial from his pocket and downed an opaque liquid.

 

The moment he drank the medicine, Freyer’s silver hair began to turn black from the tips, and his green eyes bled into gold. Before long, Freyer had become Kyle. Amazed by the sight, my eyes went wide as I looked back and forth between the empty vial and Freyer.

 

“Wow… can I touch it?”

 

‘Does the color rub off on your hands?’

 

As soon as he gave a small nod of approval, I reached out to Freyer out of pure curiosity.

 

‘It’s soft. And the color doesn’t rub off at all.’

 

Good heavens. To think such technology existed. There would be no need for hair dye. The transformation was one thing, but what if I could modify the formula to change only hair or eye color and bring it into the merchant guild? I could already see myself sitting on a mountain of gold.

 

“I feel like you’ve just learned a fact you weren’t supposed to know.”

 

“Your Highness…!”

 

“Could it be that this look is more your style?”

 

I shook my head vigorously, my eyes sparkling.

 

“Where did you get that? Can I buy it?”

 

“So that’s where your head is.”

 

Imagine—a dye that doesn’t even damage the hair! However, Freyer gave me a blunt answer.

 

“It’s hard to come by.”

 

“Still… if you tell me the source, I think I could negotiate with them.”

 

My mind was already filled with images of noble ladies clamoring to buy it. Freyer’s next words popped my bubble of imagination.

 

“There is only one person on the entire continent who can brew this alchemical potion.”

 

To think there was only one creator in the world. If it was handmade with such craftsmanship, the price would be astronomical. That was a hurdle I was prepared to clear.

 

“Yes! So, how much is it, roughly?”

 

“About 1,000 gold pieces per vial.”

 

“Eh…?”

 

A gasp escaped me. I wondered if I had misheard and let out a nonsensical sound.

 

“The effect of the Polymorph potion only lasts for a single week.”

 

I fell into despair at the sight of a potion with such a terrible return on investment. And here I thought I’d found the item that would build the guild’s fortune….

 

“By the way, Lilithia. I think it would be best if you turned around.”

 

What was he talking about? I turned my head to find a maid standing there, clutching her mouth with both hands.

 

“Yo-you didn’t answer, so… I’m sorry! Have a wonderful time!”

 

It felt a bit unfair, as we hadn’t even been about to kiss. I wanted to tell her she was mistaken, but it was clear she wouldn’t believe me. In her eyes, the scene of me looking up at a man while holding a garter belt in one hand exuded a suggestive aura right before a kiss.

 

“You should have told me….”

 

“She knocked several times before coming in, but you were so focused on the hair that it was hard to speak up.”

 

Despite my grumbling, Freyer led me by the hand.

 

“Let’s go. The Princess seems to be looking for you urgently.”

 

 

***

 

 

The place Scarlet had summoned me to was the dining hall. As we entered, she was leaning her chin on one hand, waving slightly with the other.

 

“I only called for Lilithia, yet Kyle comes along too?”

 

Scarlet narrowed her eyes as she greeted Freyer and me.

 

“Have a seat.”

 

“Princess Scarlet. You were looking for me?”

 

“Yes. I couldn’t find you since last night, so I was searching. But seeing you arrive with Kyle… could it be that you two?”

 

She let out an exclamation that was almost a cheer, and a meaningful gaze fell upon Freyer and me. It was a piercing look that said, ‘I know exactly what you two were doing last night.’

 

“U-us two?”

 

“Were you together all night?”

 

“That’s….”

 

As I fumbled for an answer in my flustered state, Freyer sat me down and replied to Scarlet.

 

“Lilithia is flustered. That’s enough.”

 

“Lilithia is flustered?”

 

As I hesitated, Freyer said firmly: “Knock it off.”

 

“But Kyle. Even if I am a generous person, isn’t telling a Princess to ‘knock it off’ a bit much?”

 

“A Princess has to act like a Princess to earn a formal address, don’t you think?”

 

“I suppose so.”

 

They exchanged casual banter, and Scarlet didn’t seem to mind Freyer’s rude attitude at all, maintaining her relaxed posture.

 

“You weren’t this rude before you revealed your identity to Lilithia.”

 

I was even more shocked by the conversation between Freyer and Scarlet, looking back and forth between them.

 

“You knew?”

 

“What? That the man named Kyle from the delegation is actually Freyer Lundberg?”

 

A smirk played on Scarlet’s lips.

 

“Or are you referring to the fact that you two were together last night?”

 

“Not that! Of course, I meant the former!”

 

“Really? I thought it was the latter.”

 

Freyer shook his head, crossed his arms, and sat down beside me. Scarlet looked at Freyer with a mysterious glint in her eyes and smiled shyly. It was the first time I had seen such a smile from her during our time together.

 

“We’re close enough that of course I’d know that much.”

 

Scarlet twirled her hair and blushed. Then, a sentence tumbled out of her mouth that turned me to stone.

 

“I am, after all, the 2nd Prince’s fiancée by political arrangement….”

 

A political marriage—a union for the benefit or purpose of two families regardless of the parties’ will.

 

‘The novel never mentioned anything about Freyer’s political marriage….’

 

Freyer was the 2nd Prince of the Empire. Scarlet was the Princess of the Pearching Kingdom. It wasn’t impossible. But I never imagined I would find out at this very moment, right after confirming my feelings for Freyer.

 

“It’s a family promise, but truth be told, I really love Freyer—”

 

Just as my heart felt like it was sinking into the floor, a cold voice directed itself at the grinning Scarlet.

 

“That’s quite enough, Scarlet Ligliano.”

 

“Aww, you’re no fun.”

 

Scarlet adjusted her posture and stabbed a fork into the steak in front of her.

 

“I can’t even play a prank on Lilithia with him glaring at me like that.”

 

“Pardon…?”

 

I let out a dazed sound as I watched Scarlet chew through her steak. Scarlet waved her free hand dismissively in the air as if she were fed up.

 

“What political marriage? We’re friends. Childhood friends.”