Chapter 1.4

The next day, I brought the fragrant tea leaves and headed to the imperial palace.

“Lady Ianster, I may call you by your name, yes?”

“Yes…”

I acted demurely, pulling my body back slightly and looking at him.

‘Ugh, so dazzling. Did someone turn on a spotlight in here?’

He was definitely the male lead. I hadn’t gotten a good look at his face in the dark shop with his black cloak on, but with him sitting in the sunlight, his golden hair seemed to act as a reflector.

‘His eyes are the same as his. Is this the color of the royal family?’

“You’re thinking something about me again.”

‘Wow, he’s so perceptive.’

“Of course not, Your Highness. I was just admiring your good looks.”

“Ha. You’re the first person to say such a thing to my face.”

Is this the “You’re the first person to ever treat me this way” I’ve only ever heard about?

“I brought some tea leaves with me.”

“Hahahaha.”

“Why are you laughing?”

I pretended not to know the reason for his laughter and used the skills I had honed over five years of brewing tea for my old boss, Director Han. I brewed the tea to perfection and served it to him.

“Indeed. The tea my fiancée brewed tastes good.”

“Your prospective fiancée. Speaking of which, I have something to tell Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

“Well… I’m having my coming-of-age ceremony in a few months. You’ll be proceeding with the engagement right away, won’t you?”

“Why? Are you in a hurry?” A smile appeared on his face.

“It’s not that, but as you know, I have a missing sister. If she were home, the seat next to Your Highness would probably not be mine.”

The smile on his face vanished so quickly I almost thought I was imagining it.

“Is it possible to postpone the engagement? I feel as if my sister might return at any moment. She appears in my dreams often these days…”

“…I thought you had never met your sister.”

“She can still appear in my dreams.”

“This is not a personal matter, so I will have to discuss it.”

I felt his mood darken, so I decided to change the subject.

“Um, Your Highness?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been making some leather crafts as a hobby lately, so I brought one with me.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a pencil case. You can put small things in it. You probably don’t need it, but I wanted to give you one as a souvenir.”

“It’s interesting.”

“And I want to brand your name on it… if that’s okay?”

“Of course.”

I reached for the letters to spell out his name, Sebastian Quinze-Nouais. The man who had the name of the Empire as his family name. I grabbed the letter ‘Q’ to spell out ‘Quinze-Nouais,’ and the Crown Prince gently took my wrist.

“My name is Sebastian.”

“Ohh…”

“Ohh?”

“It’s just that you’re so handsome…”

I spent half the day branding his name onto the item and talking about various things. By the time I got outside and into the carriage, the sun had already set. And the Crown Prince, as if he had nothing else to do, told me to visit again the following Wednesday.

***

The reason Sebastian visited that jewelry store was simple. He had received a tip that an item he was looking for had been found there. He could have sent someone to get it, but he went there himself. As he was about to buy the item and leave, a woman with violet eyes caught his attention. And the violet gem she held in her hand… Sebastian found it quite beautiful. Perhaps that’s why he ended up getting involved in her business.

Sebastian was not a person of extreme emotions. Born as a prince and living as a crown prince, he was indifferent to the feelings of others and even his own. But today, a clear sense of irritation welled up inside him when his prospective fiancée asked to postpone their engagement.

In truth, her words weren’t wrong. He was not trying to marry Claire herself, but rather the Ianster family. The advisors had also tried to dissuade him from the engagement, as the woman’s reputation was so scandalous.

So, the Crown Prince changed his mind from only meeting her once before the engagement and ordered her to visit again the following Wednesday. Sebastian was not a man to let go of a woman who had, for the first time in a long time, piqued his curiosity.

***

After returning home, despite being exhausted, I quickly washed up and went to Adrian’s room. I didn’t know if he would open the door, but I was steadily investing in my survival. As I got closer, the door swung open before I even had a chance to knock.

“You’re here.”

Startled, I couldn’t speak, only blinking my eyes wide.

“Come in.”

“Okay.”

It made no sense that a person who looked and talked like that was a slave. After knowing he was a royal, his way of walking seemed new to me. When I entered the room, I saw the paper he had been writing on.

“Wow, you can already write?”

“It wasn’t difficult.”

“Then starting tomorrow, I’ll give you a quiz with ten words. Oh, and I’ll bring you a book. This is exciting.”

“Exciting?”

“Yes!”

Adrian swept his hair back and sat down in a chair. The shabby wooden chair looked like a throne. I also sat down in front of him. It was so fascinating to see his writing. His handwriting, unlike his cold appearance, had a warm feel to it.

I was so intrigued by the letters that I accidentally knocked the pencil, and it fell to the floor. As I bent down to pick it up, I saw Adrian’s exposed ankle.

“Oh!”

My breath hitched. I crawled to the side of the table and grabbed his ankle. He noticed my strange behavior and tried to get up to hide his leg, but I was faster.

“What is this?”

“…”

“What is this?! Sob.”

A scene from a show called Animal Farm came to mind. The dog had grown, but its collar hadn’t, and the iron collar was digging into its neck… No, this wasn’t a collar, it was a shackle. As I said the words, the scene from the novel came back to me vividly. The original Claire Ianster had bound Adrian’s ankles with an iron chain, and the scars were brutally visible on both of his ankles.

***

“Claire, Claire, please… just take this off.” Adrian was begging, something he rarely did. Claire approached him with a grotesque laugh.

“Beg more, Adrian… more.” Claire grabbed Adrian’s chin with her hand.

“Please…”

“Heh, it looks good. And your voice sounds good, too. Hey! Tie up his other ankle!”

“CLAIRE!”