Chapter 7

“……”

Esadien sat back down without realizing it.

“Your Highness!”

Moments later, the drawing room door burst open with a familiar voice. The frown that had stiffened Esadien’s brow finally eased—though he didn’t even notice.

“My Lady.”

“Your Highness!”

Minuelle didn’t even wait for the door to fully open before leaning through the half-open space, beaming brightly.

Even someone as insensitive as Esadien could tell—Minuelle had lost weight over the past few days.  

She wasn’t wearing one of the voluminous dresses with puffed shoulders she usually wore when seeing him, but rather simple loungewear, which made it even more obvious.

‘I need to be careful…’

How had someone with a body like that managed to throw herself in front of an assassin?

Even watching her run toward him made him uneasy—so much so that he nearly stood up. But he caught himself just in time and sank back into his seat.

He thought she hadn’t noticed.

But Minuelle had already caught the discomfort in his expression and slowed her steps.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence fell between them.  

Just like that day at the Imperial garden.  

Every time Minuelle grew cautious around him, Esadien was thrown off.

‘Don’t be like that. I’m not someone worth you acting that way for.’

He wanted to say those words to soothe her—but feared that doing so might give her false hope.

As he hesitated, his eyes fell on her hands as she quietly took a seat across from him.

‘Gloves?’

Wearing gloves wasn’t unusual—but that was for going outside. No one wore gloves inside the house.

“Um…”

Minuelle’s cautious voice brought Esadien back to his senses.

“Ah.”

She was thinner than before, but her face had a faint flush of color.

Seeing that difference from the pale image burned into his memory brought a rush of relief.  

Then, realizing the gift beside him, Esadien quickly shoved the bouquet and a box toward her.

“I know it’s late… but thank you.”

“Huh?”

Minuelle blinked, startled.  

She wasn’t used to receiving things from someone she liked.  

As she stared blankly at the flowers, Esadien began to feel awkward.  

Ironically, his discomfort only made his expression grow colder.

In short, they were both hopeless at romance.

“For saving me, I mean.”

“Ah…”

Finally, a smile spread across Minuelle’s face again.  

She hugged the bouquet tightly and buried her face in the flowers.

“Oh, I was just happy you weren’t hurt. You didn’t have to get me anything…”

“……”

“Oh! I mean, I do love the gift! What’s in the box? Can I open it?”

Esadien gave a quiet nod.

Even without her saying so, her face—buried in the flowers—practically had the word “delight” written across it.

“Macarons! They’re so pretty…”

‘Macarons?’

Apparently, the box his attendant had brought also held pastries.

“Shall I have some tea brought out with these?”

Minuelle, now fully back to her cheerful self, asked brightly.  

Esadien nodded again.

After she gave a few instructions to a servant and silence returned, Esadien finally opened his mouth.

“Originally…”

“Yes?”

“Originally… has your body always been this frail?”

He hadn’t meant to sound displeased, but the tone came out wrong anyway.

Startled by his own words, and startled by hearing them, both of them flinched.

But Minuelle was used to such questions from a young age, so she brushed it off with ease.

“The Karnian family isn’t exactly known for their robust health.”

She gently petted the soft flower petals for a moment, then met Esadien’s eyes with a bright smile.

“Thank you for worrying about me. I didn’t expect you to come.”

What Esadien felt in that moment was—complex.

His chest stirred once more, and then bitterness rose—his mother had never once said thank you to him.

On top of that came guilt.  

He hadn’t come on his own will, after all. He’d only been pushed into it by others.

‘Ugh.’

His throat moved as if trying to swallow something.  

This swirl of emotions was exactly what he loathed most.

“My lady… then, I will…”

He was just about to excuse himself—now that he’d confirmed she was doing better—when a knock came at the drawing room door.

“Excuse me.”

It wasn’t a servant who entered but a man in priestly robes, pushing a tea cart, a pleasant smile on his face.

‘Even for a powerful ducal household…’  

In the Imperial Palace, priests did not serve tea.

Puzzled, Esadien looked at Minuelle, but she seemed equally surprised—her eyes wide.

“Why are you…? Ah—Your Highness, this is my childhood friend, Priest Ramande Plendena.”

“It’s an honor to meet the ‘Little Light’ of the Empire. I’ve heard much about you.”

Bowing formally to Esadien, Ramande moved straight to Minuelle’s side and set down a glass of water and a medicine pouch.

“You dashed out earlier before I could give you this. The Young Duchess was worried.”

“Come on, I could’ve taken it later… must you really—cough—in front of a guest…”

As Minuelle tried to protest while glancing nervously at Esadien, a small cough escaped her lips.  

Though subtle, both men’s faces hardened at once.

“Do you want the Young Duchess to scold me? The little Lady was worried too.”

Ramande spoke in a coaxing tone. Esadien added in a calm voice,

“Don’t mind me. Go ahead and take it. Priest, would you bestow her with some divine power?”

“There you have it. Even His Highness is saying so.”

With another soft coaxing tone, Ramande gave Esadien a respectful nod.

“Tsk…”

Minuelle made a show of frowning, but obediently took the medicine and accepted Ramande’s blessing.

Her complexion visibly improved, her cheeks blooming with a soft rose hue compared to earlier.

Esadien’s expression began to soften just a little—until Ramande casually asked, almost offhandedly:

“By the way, what prompted you to bring macarons? You never even touch sweets.”

‘So that’s why she said, “They’re so pretty,” not “They look delicious.”’

Come to think of it, Minuelle had been learning more and more about Esadien through her visits to the palace—but he hadn’t made any effort to learn her preferences.

‘That was… a mistake.’

“W-What are you talking about! That’s not true, Your Highness—please don’t mind him!”

Minuelle, ever the honest type, clearly had no talent for lying.  

Her face turned bright red.

Next to her, the violet eyes of the priest named Ramande rolled slowly, meeting Esadien’s gaze.  

There was a flicker of something unreadable in them.

Just as Esadien lifted an eyebrow, Ramande’s priestly smile returned as if nothing had happened, and he rose to his feet.

“Well then, may you enjoy the rest of your time together in peace.”

* * *

Watching the quietly closing drawing room door, I ground my teeth in frustration.

‘That Ramande—he came all this way just to say something unnecessary!’

I can’t stand it. My sisters are the same. It’s not like I drank poison—what difference would a bit of medicine a little later have made?

Sending Ramande into the room at that moment was basically their passive-aggressive way of expressing their disapproval of Esadien.

‘Especially Juela!’

She’s sulking. Sulking because I ran off to see Esadien without looking back.

“I apologize. I didn’t realize your preferences.”

Somehow, Esadien’s voice seemed lower than usual. I quickly waved my hands.

“N-no, it’s okay! Ramande was just mistaken. And besides, they’re from the Imperial patissier, right? There’s no way they’re not delicious!”

To prove it, I immediately bit into one of the macarons. Well, just a quarter of it—but the sweetness overwhelmed my mouth in seconds.

‘Ugh.’

Even a royal patissier couldn’t make sweets that weren’t sweet. A macaron that isn’t sugary isn’t a macaron—it’s made of sugar, egg whites, almond powder, jam, and ganache.

I tried to wash the sweetness down with tea while keeping a smile on my face, but Esadien let out a sigh.

“There’s no need to force yourself.”

“I-it’s not forced!”

“…”

Those piercing blue eyes stared at me in silence.

“It’s really not…”

“Lady Karnian, even if love cannot be expected between us, I believe there must at least be honesty and trust.”

“…”

My lips clamped shut.

From the very beginning, Esadien had made it clear that he rejected the idea of love.

‘So this is the kind of man who eventually falls in love with the heroine, huh.’

The bitter thought came unbidden, making my tongue taste sour again.

When even the tea wouldn’t cleanse the taste, I reached for another macaron—only for a large hand to snatch the plate away.

“Which is why… I would like you to be honest with me about yourself.”

‘My Lady, His Highness is simply terrible at expressing himself. He truly has a warm heart underneath it all.’

Theo’s words suddenly echoed in my mind.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Anything?”

Esadien nodded silently, full of conviction.

In that case…

“It’s been months, and you still haven’t called me by my name. I’m really, really, really sad.”

“That’s…”

“I asked you to call me Minuelle the first time we met.”

“…”

The look on Esadien’s usually unreadable face now clearly said, ‘I asked for your information, not for you to interrogate me.’

But right now, he owed me his life—and probably felt a good bit of guilt, too. So I leaned into that and went for the big one.

“Esadien.”

His broad shoulders tensed. I looked directly into his wide blue eyes and pressed again.

“Come on.”

“That…”

Though hesitant, he didn’t get angry at me for speaking his royal name.

So I watched his mouth open and close several times, mildly amused.

And finally—

“…Minuelle.”

The way he said my name was sweeter than any macaron.  

But it wasn’t the taste of sugar—it was the taste of happiness.  

The bitter taste in my mouth had disappeared without a trace.

Alright, now for the double or nothing.

Smiling like the bouquet he gave me, I stepped forward again.

“Esadien, shall we go on a date?”

“D-date—cough—a date?”

“Yes. I want to go on a date.”

He was so flustered, he choked on his tea. But I was undeterred.

‘Just the two of us! Intimately! A boat ride!’

“There’s a lake just a couple of hours away that’s perfect for a boat ride. Let’s wear disguises and go—yes?”

‘This time for sure! The forearm!’

Far from being discouraged, my eyes burned with renewed passion.  

Seeing that, Esadien made a reluctant expression.

“Mm… Let’s discuss it again once your condition is fully stable…”

“That’s so mean. I don’t want to hear something like that from someone I like.”

“Ah—sorry about earlier. But… must it be a boat?”

Yes! Absolutely!

But instead of shouting it, I lowered my gaze.