Chapter 15

‘I really must be out of my mind.’

Esadien scolded himself, deciding to put an end to his pointless thoughts.  

He reopened his book, but not a single word stuck in his head. The pages turned slowly, meaninglessly, one after another.

Once that ran out, he became acutely aware of Minuelle’s soft, colorful breathing against him, and tension began to creep into his body.

‘Something’s clearly wrong with me.’

Not even right before a surprise attack or during a deadly battle with an assassin had his body gone this stiff.

‘Maybe I’ve gotten too soft lately.’

Now that Theodore was back in the capital, Roquate, it was probably time to get back into training.

But just as quickly as that thought came, it vanished the moment Minuelle’s eyelashes fluttered and a drowsy sound slipped from her lips.

“Mmm…”

“Y-You’re awake?”

“How long was I asleep…?”

Her voice, heavy with sleep, made Esadien swallow dryly for no reason.

“Around an hour… I think…”

Even his lips were dry now, and he barely managed to moisten them enough to speak.  

Surprised, Minuelle straightened up from where she had been leaning on him.

“That long? Is your arm sore?”

He should’ve been asking if her neck was stiff after leaning on him like that. But Esadien, with a stiff expression, only managed to say one thing.

“…It’s fine.”

“Then I’m glad. I’ll be heading out now.”

As Minuelle stood, Esadien felt a faint, inexplicable sense of loss.  

Then, words he would never have spoken just a week ago slipped from his mouth.

“It’s still early… You don’t have to rush…”

“I’ll be going, Esadien.”

She cut him off with a bright smile and gave a small bow.

‘Ah… she used my name again.’

His face lit up slightly.

At that very moment—

‘Smack.’

A soft, unbelievable sound echoed, followed by a gentle, cushiony sensation brushing his cheek and then disappearing.

“…!”

His body and thoughts froze.  

Esadien sat still, completely paralyzed, even forgetting to breathe.  

Only after Minuelle had left did he slowly raise a stiff hand and touch his cheek.

“…Even though I said it was inappropriate…”

That single spot burned warmly.

* * *

It wasn’t a joke—I genuinely became swamped with work.

‘Farewell, carefree days of loafing around.’

Sister Juela truly left everything to me unless it absolutely required her personal decision.

“My baby girl, this sister is breaking her back running the merchant guild.”

The reason I couldn’t even dare complain was simple: I had witnessed with my own eyes just how impossibly busy she was.

‘She’s a superhuman.’

Her office was a constant flurry of people coming and going. I was watching her work during one of the rare quiet moments when her hands weren’t full.

“They’ve raised the tolls in Parmian.”

“How long has it been since they lined their pockets, and now this again? What’s the status of the ship?”

“They say it’s nearly complete, but they can’t shorten the schedule any further.”

“Fine. Rushing it now could mean losing both cargo and crew. We’ll just have to negotiate one more time. But this is the last.”

Endless issues and instructions were exchanged in rapid succession.

‘How did she even have time to fall in love, working like that?’

I miss Esadien so much…!

“You can go after this.”

At some point, the guild members had left, and my sister sat beside me.

“Huh?”

“You miss the Prince, don’t you?”

“Gasp, did I say that out loud just now?”

She chuckled and tugged on my cheek. She seemed to have developed a fondness for that after last time.

“Seriously. You’re completely gone for him.”

“Ugh! Stop it!”

She usually wouldn’t let go after just one protest, but I was lucky today.

“Young Lady, a guest has arrived. They said it’s the one Lord Faroi mentioned.”

A knock came, followed by a voice saying the long-awaited guest had arrived. Sister Juela instantly shifted from playful to commanding.

“Very well. Tell them they may come up.”

Today’s visitor was the adopted daughter of a maternal relative of my future brother-in-law, Gideon Faroi. She had supposedly come to assist sister with her duties as a way to take both society and bridal lessons.

“I still don’t get what she plans to learn when you’re more focused on the merchant guild than on society.”

“Well, with our family and my status, the people I meet are all heavyweights. She’s probably hoping to make a good impression and land a good match if she’s lucky.”

“Oh… I see. Will I need to do something like that one day?”

“You?”

My sister snorted as if the idea was absurd.

“Whose shadow would you crawl under? It’s not like there’s a royal princess around.”

“Hmm… True.”

As I absentmindedly curled a lock of my wavy hair around my finger, my sister gave my head a gentle pat.

“Minuelle, you don’t need to suck up to anyone while memorizing faces. If you meet someone a hundred times and don’t remember them, then they should introduce themselves a hundred times. That’s how it ought to be.”

“Still, that seems a bit much…”

“That’s what power is. Got it?”

Her crimson eyes met mine with a mix of warmth and chilly firmness.

‘So this is what a born ruler is like.’

I nodded, cowed by her aura, though it still felt unfamiliar. I had the memories of a past life, and in the temple, no one really cared much about status.

As we spoke, there was another knock and the door opened. A stunning beauty with voluminous crimson curls and golden eyes entered, curtsied gracefully, and introduced herself.

“It is an honor to meet you. My name is Lapheche Celeste.”

Thunk.

The quill in my hand slipped and fell just as her eyes met mine directly.

“Oh my, are you alright?”

She quickly bent down to pick up the quill and handed it to me—a gesture not very noble-like at all.

‘Why are you… showing up here?’

Lapheche Celeste.  

Thus began the arrival of the female lead.

* * *

Ever since that first encounter, I did my best to avoid Lapheche.

Because of the wedding preparations, we spent most daylight hours together, but I tried to keep our conversations strictly about work and nothing more.

‘This is exhausting. I miss Esadien…’

Is it because she’s the female lead? Of course, that’s part of it—but there was another reason, too:

“Miss Minuelle, would you like some of this? It’s my favorite caramel…”  

“Miss Minuelle, light colors suit you so well! I bet it’d be lovely if we added lots of lace to this!”

“Miss Minuelle.”  

“Miss Minuelle!”

Everything she laid her eyes on turned into “Miss Minuelle this, Miss Minuelle that.”  

She acted less like my sister’s guest and more like my handmaid, and it was honestly suffocating.

“…What is with her, seriously?”

From what I remembered, the original Lapheche didn’t particularly like Minuelle.  

She used to live near the desert until she met Theodore, so the fact that she’d suddenly come up to the capital was strange in and of itself…

“Ugh, I don’t know.”

It wasn’t like we’d had any significant interaction before, so it wasn’t likely that I had changed the storyline.  

In any case, she was just… exhausting to think about.

“Haaah. No one’s here, right?”

I had just escaped to the garden under the excuse of some errand, mainly to avoid being alone with her again.

Lapheche’s preferences clashed completely with mine, making things even more frustrating.  

Considering she was related to my future brother-in-law, I couldn’t just snap at her either—it was enough to drive someone mad.

Maybe it was the stress, but I felt a little dizzy.  

While I was steadying myself against the rough bark of a tree and taking a deep breath, someone tapped my shoulder.

“What are you doing out here, Minuelle?”

It was a familiar voice.

The moment I realized it belonged to Ramande, a violent coughing fit erupted from my throat.  

I must’ve been so startled I’d forgotten to breathe.

“Cough, cough! Hack—cough!”

“…Honestly, I can’t take my eyes off you for a second.”

With a familiar sigh, Ramande patted my back.  

The divine energy that flowed into me with every touch was deeply comforting.

“Ugh… I seriously thought I was going to die…”

“I told you not to say things like that.”

“Ah… sorry.”

His scolding was perfectly priest-like, but his hands were gentle as they fixed up my disheveled self with meticulous care.

He patted my cheek, still hot from the coughing.  

He tucked my hair behind my ears, retied the ribbon that had come slightly loose.

Today, Ra-Cheomji was the same as ever.

“So, what is it?”

“Well…”

Lapheche’s not here, right? I glanced around once more just to be sure, then continued.

“It’s about Lady Celeste…”

But what in the world kind of divine timing was this? The moment I mentioned her name, a flash of red hair peeked into my line of sight.

“Did you call for me?”

Aaaaugh!

I shuddered and clutched my heart. Whether she noticed or not, Lapheche simply gave me a sweet smile.

“I’ve been looking all over for you, Miss Minuelle.”

H-Help me, Ra-Cheomji.

Meeting my desperate gaze, Ramande let out a subtle sigh.

“Minuelle and I were just out for a walk. Her health’s rather delicate, so I have to make sure she gets regular exercise.”

…Could you not phrase it like I’m a puppy on a leash?

“I see. I’d heard there was a priest stationed at the ducal estate, but this is the first time I’ve met you.”

“I heard someone would be coming here to learn the ropes, but this is my first time meeting you as well.”

Both of them were smiling politely, yet it somehow felt like sparks were flying between them. I started sweating nervously, stuck right in the middle of it all.

“Hoho… I suppose that’s true. This is my first time in Roquate. I’m Lapheche Celeste—please treat me kindly.”

“I’m Ramande Plendena. I grew up in the temple with Minuelle—we’re childhood friends.”

“You grew up in the temple, Miss Minuelle?”

Lapheche tilted her head, as though it were the first she’d heard of it. The gesture was charming, but for some reason, I felt a chill run down my spine.

‘She… she wouldn’t have done a background check on me, right?’

The thought flashed through my mind.

But no, of course not. We first met after she came to the estate.  

Besides, if she had done her homework, there’s no way she’d be so clueless about my preferences.

“So that’s why you two seem so close,”  

Lapheche said, curling her golden eyes into a gentle smile.

“But what a shame for you, Sir Priest.”

“What do you—?”

Ramande’s brows knitted together, and he opened his mouth to respond—

“A-Ah, my Lady. There you are!”

A butler briskly approached our little cluster in the garden.

“There’s someone here from the Faroi family.”

“Oh, is it that time already?”

I’d been so focused on escaping from Lapheche, I hadn’t even checked the time.

As I hurried to head inside, Ramande asked, “Shall I go with you?”

“Why even ask?”

Just the thought that Lapheche might hold back if Ramande were nearby made me eager to pull him along.

“I want to hold Miss Minuelle’s hand, too…”

I thought I heard something ominous behind me, but I pretended not to notice and kept walking.