Chapter 3

‘…Who was the one who made that vow, again?’

Yeah. That was me.

But that vow was shattered—by the most unexpected person, in the most unimaginable way.

“I am Esadien Roquate.”

The moment I first laid eyes on the Prince, every sound around me faded into another dimension.

I’d grown up in the Temple of Plende, the god of love and beauty. I’d seen all kinds of beautiful men and women.

But compared to them, Esadien’s beauty was so overwhelming that those people now felt like cheap lightbulbs in the presence of the sun.

‘Wait—this isn’t even my type!’

My usual taste was brown hair, foxy eyes, and ideally a little tear mole for extra charm.

But forget that. From today onward, my type is Esadien Roquate.

Eyes like the sea under gentle sunlight. Golden blond hair that sparkled with a jewel-toned brilliance—an unmistakable trait of the Roquate Imperial line. Everything about him was dazzling, yet nothing could outshine his face.

“He’s… beautiful.”

It felt like if Plende himself manifested as a man, this is what he’d look like.

They say you can’t live off a pretty face, but honestly? With that face, I’d be fine living on plain rice and soy sauce for the rest of my life.

“Young Lady?”

Esadien called out to me, puzzled by my frozen state. Only then did I finally remember to breathe—and let out a stunned whisper.

“Wow…”

I could even feel the heat flooding into my cheeks.

‘Is… is this what falling in love at first sight feels like?’

I pressed a hand against my wildly beating chest and murmured, almost dreamily:

“Your Highness… you’re ridiculously handsome.”

His attire was so modest and neat, it bordered on austere.

Even in this summer heat, his clothes covered everything but his face and hands—yet his frame was unmistakably strong.  

If someone couldn’t sense the sculpted lines of muscle beneath those clothes, Plende himself would cry out in shame.

‘No way I’m missing that. Never.’

Broad shoulders, big hands, long legs under a tailored coat. A cream-flavored face with a spicy-marinated body.  

How could anyone not fall for that?

In the end, I couldn’t help but cover my mouth and mutter:

“I can’t believe someone like this is my fiancé. I’m so glad I’m alive…”

For a brief moment, Esadien’s lips tightened. I blinked in confusion, but he’d already returned to his usual calm expression.

“Young Lady Karnian.”

He held out his hand. Though covered in a glove, his broad palm and long, elegant fingers were unmistakable—and for some reason, that reminded me of Ramande.

‘Maybe… a bit bigger than Ramande’s?’

At the same time, Ramande’s voice from just before I left came back to me:

‘Just because he’s handsome doesn’t mean you can throw yourself at him.’

‘I won’t!’

‘Be polite.’

’Am I a child?’

Ugh.  

That’s when I finally realized—I hadn’t introduced myself yet.

No matter how much we might already know about each other beforehand, exchanging names at a first meeting was a matter of proper etiquette.

“I’m Minuelle Karnian. I apologize for the late introduction.”

“It’s fine.”

Esadien replied curtly, then immediately turned his gaze forward.

His eyes were beautiful, yet carried the heavy stillness of a deep sea. That made me feel a bit sorry, somehow.

‘What would he look like if those eyes sparkled with life? If those soft lips curved into a warm smile?’

“Your Highness.”

Esadien’s eyes turned to me again.

His expression was devoid of emotion.

In that moment, I found myself with a new goal:  

‘I want to make him smile.’

So I gave him the brightest smile I could and said, “Please, call me Minuelle!”

Along with a silent wish—  that my smile might reach him.

* * *

After falling for Esadien at first sight, I started visiting the Prince’s palace so often it was as if I wore down the Imperial gates with my footsteps.  

For over a month, I went there every day like clockwork—so much so that the attendants at the palace now felt more familiar than my own maids.

“The two of you seem quite close. It pleases me,” the Emperor said with a smile.  

“I think so too,” the Crown Princess added. “I’m simply grateful to Minuelle for liking a taciturn fellow like Esadien.”

“You speak the truth,” the Emperor agreed.

The Emperor and the Crown Princess both liked me very much. They even allowed me to join their family-only tea time.  

Especially the Crown Princess—perhaps because he was close friends with my eldest sister—praised me so excessively that I could feel the awkward tension radiating from Esadien.

“W-Well, His Highness is actually very kind,” I offered carefully.

The Emperor’s eyes widened a little. Esadien, who hadn’t said a single word and had only been sipping his tea, turned to look at me.  

The Crown Princess, forgetting all decorum, gaped. Sweeping back his shimmering hair, he asked in disbelief: “Him?”

“Yes. I visit every day, and he’s never once told me to stop. He’s always welcomed me.”

Esadien, who had frozen for a moment, quietly set down his teacup and said, “I merely had no reason to turn you away.”

“Hehe, even so,” I said with a smile.

I looked at him sweetly, but he didn’t return the smile—his gaze simply drifted away again.  

Even after all this time, even after all these meetings, he still felt distant.

“Hmmm.” The Crown Princess hummed, amused.

“No wonder Elga dotes on her youngest sister so much. You really are adorable.”

Well, my eldest sister is ten years older than me—it’s only natural.  

The Crown Princess, who was the same age as my sister, chuckled and gave me a command:

“Now, come on—call me ‘sister,’ too.”

“That would be improper…”

“It’s fine.”

“Even so…”

As the Crown Princess urged me and I tried to dodge the request, the Emperor stepped in, clearly entertained.

“I grant you permission, so don’t hold back. Go ahead and say it.”

“But…”

“Would you feel better if I issued a written decree?”

Ugh… seriously?

Unable to withstand their gazes, I finally gave in, slightly shrinking my shoulders as I timidly opened my mouth.

“S-Sister Lumière?”

For a moment, the Crown Princess looked dazed. Then, clutching her chest, she bent forward with a soft groan.

“Haah…”

“Your Highness?” Esadien asked in alarm, rising slightly from his seat.

But I just casually sipped my tea. My sisters did that kind of thing all the time.  

‘Phew, yet another poor lamb has fallen for me…’

Sure enough, once she’d composed herself, the Crown Princess called Esadien with her usual stern tone.

“Eddie.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“You do know Minuelle hasn’t had her coming-of-age ceremony yet, right? If you so much as lay a finger on this precious girl, I won’t let it slide.”

Uh… was that really necessary?

Yes, my ceremony would be held on the day of the Festival of Plendena, but legally I was already an adult.  

Even Esadien looked a bit dumbfounded. After a moment of silence, he finally responded: “…Understood.”

“S-Sister, it’s fine.”

This prince already had walls thicker than the palace itself!

Trying to soothe the situation, I quickly interjected, taking Esadien’s hand in mine and giving him a bright smile. He flinched slightly—but didn’t pull away.

“As long as I behave, it’s fine, isn’t it?”

Whenever it was just the two of us, I’d silently admire Esadien’s stunning face, whispering internally, “I’m just a humble beast in the presence of this divine beauty.”

He’d always pretend not to notice, his nose buried in a book.  

We barely spoke, but I was perfectly content just looking at him.

“It’s already getting late,” Esadien said after a glance at the clock. “I fear this may interfere with your duties, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave.”

I instantly chimed in. Being around other people made it hard to freely admire Esadien’s face.

“Ah, yes. May we be excused, Your Majesty?”

“Hoho. But there’s still more I wish to say,” the Emperor chuckled, clearly reluctant to let us go.

“Lady Karnian.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“No, no. From now on, you shall call me Father.”

“…Pardon?”

“Why so surprised? We’ll be family soon enough.”

Seeing my flustered expression, the Emperor let out a hearty laugh again.

‘He looks just like the friendly greengrocer from my neighborhood…’

I had heard tales of his terrifying reputation from his conquests during his Crown Prince days, so I had been a little scared. But in the end, he seemed very pleased to hear me call him “Father” and generously granted me access to a place where only the Emperor was allowed: the Forbidden Garden.

“There’s a decent lake there. Go and take a boat ride with him.”

“Waa, thank you so much!”

It was my first time going boating, and my heart pounded with excitement. But honestly, it wasn’t the boat ride itself that thrilled me — it was my impure motives.

‘Muscles! Tendons!’

To row a boat, one must use oars! No matter how composed Esadien usually was, he’d have to roll up his sleeves then.

‘And then, finally… I can witness the glorious twitch of Esadien’s forearms… fufufu…’

Esadien looked at me with slight confusion, perhaps wondering why I was smiling so brightly today. Of course, he had no idea what devious thoughts were swirling in my head.

Just imagining it made me so happy that, upon returning home, I scrubbed the statue of Plendena (the deity) until it gleamed and sang a little tune.

“Thank you, Lord Plendena. Please, make the weather clear tomorrow. No — every day! I’ll go boating every single day!”

Despite my sincere prayers before bed, it started raining the very next day.

“….”

And the day after that.

“Lord Plendena…”

And the day after that.

“Please, just once. Clear skies are so beautiful, aren’t they?”

And still.

“So even You can’t control the weather, huh?”

I thought I heard someone clicking their tongue, but maybe I imagined it.

Still, no matter how much the boating was postponed, or how much it rained or the wind blew, nothing could stop me from going to see Esadien.

“I’m heading out!”

As I headed out all dressed up, I ran into Ramande and greeted him. He set down the letter he was reading with a clack and asked,

“It’s raining hard. Are you really going again today? You hate getting rain on you.”

“It’s fine! I won’t get wet before I reach the Prince’s palace.”

Grinning as I answered, my eyes happened to catch the crest of Plendena on the letter.

“Wow. A letter from the temple? How’s the High Priest? And everyone else?”

Overcome with nostalgia, I canceled my departure and sat beside Ramande.

“It’s not from Sermender — it’s a divine communiqué.”

“Oh… really? What does it say?”

It was disappointing to hear it wasn’t from the temple in Sermender, where we had both grown up.

But a divine communiqué! Those were official announcements sent by the temple to priests outside using divine power. Receiving one made me realize all over again that I had truly left the temple.

“Hmm, it’s not the kind of news you’d be happy about.”

“What is it?”

“Seems a group called the ‘Cult of Fire’ has appeared in the southern empire.”

“Fire?”

My forehead wrinkled reflexively. As Ramande guessed, it was not a subject I liked.

Fire. Essential to human life, but to me, it was only a source of fear.

‘That’s because I… died in a fire in my previous life.’

“Told you. You hate it.”

“…I’m fine.”

I shook my head at Ramande’s concerned eyes and let out a deep sigh.

‘It’s been ten years, and it’s still vivid.’

When will I be able to forget? The suffocating heat that made breathing feel like torture.

In that panic, I couldn’t recall any fire survival tips — like covering your mouth with a wet towel or staying low to the ground. All I could do was desperately grab at a round doorknob, only to find it searingly hot, too hot even to scream.

‘It was locked anyway… so in the end…’

While frantically turning the knob, I blacked out. When I opened my eyes, I was in Minuelle’s body. And what shocked me more than anything was…

‘That even this body had a burn scar on the palm.’

‘No matter how I think about it, this is just too strange.’

For ten years, I’ve been bathing in divine power, practically soaking in it — and the scar still hasn’t gone away.

‘And this bizarre energy, too…’

I gently laid my hand over the heat that seemed knotted in my chest.