“See? Just as I said, there was a princess, wasn’t there?”
At Isaiah’s words, the Grand Duke nodded.
“Yes.”
“And what did you think of her?”
“What do you mean, what did I think.”
“Well, since you’re going to live in the human world anyway, getting married wouldn’t be so bad, right? Did you like the princess?”
“Hmm… it’s hard to say. She fainted the moment she saw me.”
The instant he heard that, Isaiah burst out laughing.
“Enough laughing. More importantly, Isaiah—there was someone else there besides the imperial family.”
After listening to the Grand Duke’s description of her appearance, Isaiah replied,
“That must be Anneliese Solarichen. Do you remember Annelarion, my lord? He had a younger sister. She’s his descendant.”
Anneliese Solarichen…
‘Long golden hair and pale violet eyes. Quite a beauty. It was amusing how she always wore a tired expression that didn’t match her appearance.’
If she were to smile brightly even once with that face, men would fall over themselves to give her everything they had.
Though it didn’t seem like she had met someone worthy of that yet.
And of all days, his lord had run into her today—what a remarkable coincidence.
Or perhaps it wasn’t coincidence, but fate.
Recalling his memory, Isaiah offered a brief remark.
“She was a pretty lady.”
“Pretty? Is that what humans consider pretty?”
The sharp reply came instantly.
That unnecessarily prickly tone was completely unlike how his lord usually regarded humans.
A man who had never cared about human beauty before…
Since when did he pay attention to such things?
Noticing this, Isaiah suppressed a smile.
“She is indeed. I imagine she’s received plenty of attention from men her age. She even has a nickname—the Lily of the Empire.”
“Hoh.”
The Grand Duke silently recalled the woman he had just seen, then spoke in a languid tone,
“I can’t understand human tastes.”
“Is that so? Then I suppose nothing about her stood out in particular?”
At Isaiah’s words, he fell into thought.
“There was something that bothered me the whole time I was there.”
“What was it?”
The Grand Duke’s gaze naturally shifted to the hand that had grasped Anneliese’s wrist.
He spread his fingers, narrowing his eyes as if measuring something.
“Her wrist was small and thin.”
Isaiah’s pupils widened briefly.
Leaning his shoulder against the carriage and folding his arms, he played along.
“Ah, I see.”
His voice brimmed with undisguised interest.
“So that small, delicate wrist dared to disturb my lord’s heart….”
At the meaningful tone, the Grand Duke narrowed his eyes.
“You seem overly entertained. I’m beginning to worry you might get carried away.”
“But in the hundreds of years I’ve served you, my lord, nothing this entertaining has ever happened.”
Before he could continue, a low voice cut sharply through the air.
“Isaiah.”
“Understood, my lord. Shall we return?”
If I push it any further, I might not survive this.
Coachman, guard knight, right-hand man—Isaiah held many titles, and today he was being thoroughly worked as usual.
Not that he minded. It was entertaining.
Nodding, he obediently climbed onto the driver’s seat and took the reins.
A few minutes passed.
As the carriage moved on in silence, the Grand Duke finally spoke again.
“Her skin was excessively pale. And she was wearing white clothes—it was hard to tell where the fabric ended and her skin began.”
Even as the long sentences poured out, his eyes remained as calm as ever.
Isaiah always found those empty eyes—so good at hiding his lord’s true feelings—amusing.
As if he’s uninterested. He can barely hold his tongue.
‘…Hah.’
Biting down, Isaiah held back his laughter.
“And her blonde hair—how it sparkled in the sunlight.”
With an attitude that suggested complete indifference, the Grand Duke began describing his first impression of Anneliese Solarichen.
Isaiah silently drove the carriage, reading the mood until the story would end.
“I’ve never seen such irritating blonde hair. And why was she so small? If I looked down, I could see the top of her head….”
His lord showed no sign of stopping.
One hour, two hours, three hours, four hours—
A total of five hours passed.
Isaiah had lost count of how many times they’d circled the same route.
He was starting to want to go home.
Unaware of that, his lord’s voice continued to fill his ears without pause.
Even Isaiah, who had been silently driving with a smile, finally had to speak.
“My lord, in case you haven’t noticed, it has been exactly five hours since you began speaking about that young lady.”
Honey-like golden hair.
Long eyelashes and large pale violet eyes.
A long, slender neck like a swan’s.
Just from the descriptions alone, Isaiah could now vividly picture Anneliese from head to toe in her dress.
That was how absurdly detailed the explanation had been.
The Grand Duke feigned ignorance.
“It’s simply that I’ve never met a human this irritating before.”
With a tone no different from usual, he summarized five full hours of rambling in a single sentence.
“Yes, yes. I’m sure that’s it.”
Isaiah nodded along.
That’s how it always starts.
Only after another hour did the carriage finally reach its original destination.
The Grand Duke of Aperhis’s temporary residence was a quiet estate located in the mountains near the capital.
Isaiah stopped the carriage at the main gate and opened the door.
The Grand Duke stepped down onto the ground.
Golden eyes turned toward Isaiah.
Brushing back his black hair, he asked,
“Isaiah. Do you know when Fornensha Hildegard’s banquet is?”
He hadn’t expected such a question from his lord of all people.
Isaiah didn’t bother hiding his surprise.
“If you mean the emperor’s banquet, it’s in a week. Are you thinking of attending? That’s unexpected. Didn’t you say you disliked crowded places full of humans?”
A brief silence passed between them.
The Grand Duke stared into the air, as if recalling someone.
Furrowing his thick brows, he replied,
“It’s not something I can’t tolerate.”
There was definitely something going on.
For him to willingly attend a banquet he usually detested—
Anneliese Solarichen must have said something to him.
Perhaps I should drop by when I’m bored and take a look myself.
“Shall I pass along a message about where to meet?”
Isaiah smiled as he waited for his lord’s answer.
This isn’t a dream, is it…?
To think she had agreed to meet the Grand Duke at the emperor’s birthday banquet.
Standing alone in an empty corridor, Anneliese looked down at her wrist.
A faint mark from where he had gripped it remained.
For someone so large, his hands are big too.
Rubbing her wrist with her thumb, she recalled what had just happened.
Still… I’ve never seen anyone that strange before.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her wrist, then suddenly told her to go get some sunlight.
Even treating her like a random stone on the street felt oddly refreshing.
His eyes were so utterly indifferent.
Every time she remembered the Grand Duke’s eyes, a strange warmth filled her chest.
A life without emotional labor, a clean relationship without clinginess…
An image of a gray but peaceful future with him naturally formed in her mind.
The holy relic of Aldeon should still be in the Solarichen estate warehouse, right? I should write Mother a letter.
She had been walking down the corridor to return to her residence.
As she neared the Crown Prince’s palace, a faint scent of roses tickled her nose.
Before she knew it, rose petals were scattered at her feet.
Roses, suddenly appearing in an empty corridor?
An ominous feeling crept over her.
Don’t tell me…
She didn’t want to look further down the hallway.
Through half-lidded eyes, she saw petals strewn everywhere—and a person.
The man lying there in broad daylight, without a shred of shame, was someone Anneliese knew all too well.
“…Ha.”
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Didn’t the princess faint? Shouldn’t someone be tending to her until she wakes up?
Why is this man here?
Should I turn back now?
She hesitated.
“My lovely Anneliese.”
It was a pointless thought.
Crown Prince Robert had already spotted her.
From the other end of the corridor, he began rolling toward her.
With a rose clenched between his teeth.
