Cheston was busy preparing in various ways to announce his engagement to Whitney on Debutante Day. The day before, he received a contact from an informant and sent Aaron to where Whitney was living.

And not long after, a bird flew in and delivered an urgent note to Cheston, and he immediately came to the mansion where Whitney was living.

Masked individuals were entangled with the knights of House Rubeness at the mansion, though it was unclear how many had been sent. Cheston immediately went up to the second floor where Whitney was, and when he saw her falling to the floor, an urgent cry escaped his lips.

“You went too far.”

“It’s not too much. I didn’t know she was living so dangerously.”

“This time you crossed a line, but it seems to be the first time.”

“Look into it thoroughly.”

Cheston looked at Whitney lying on the bed. She couldn’t open her eyes, likely due to the great shock from earlier.

“Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be anything unusual. I heard Lady has requested to come to the capital upon hearing the news from His Majesty the King.”

“Father will probably allow it, so tell her not to worry and come.”

Sonia nodded and immediately sent a telegram. The reason they didn’t kill those they captured was to not reveal whether Whitney was alive or dead.

“To think they did this just to prevent her from attending the debutante. That’s just the external reason, there must be another reason.”

“Your Highness. There are families that have been in talks with the Duke’s residence. They say there have been marriage discussions…”

At Aaron’s words, Cheston laughed bitterly. She clearly intended to sell off the adult Whitney to another place. There was more than one family that had been in talks.

‘All of them are positions as second wives or wives of frontier nobles.’

Cheston ran his hand through his hair as he scanned the documents. Even just from what was on the desk, one could tell how many problems there were with the Duke’s family.

“As soon as the debutante is over, have the princess stay at the palace instead of returning to the Duke’s residence.”

“…Pardon?”

Aaron’s eyes widened.

“I can’t send my fiancée to a dangerous place.”

“But if that happens, there will be a lot of talk.”

He didn’t think about anything else. It was dangerous for Whitney to be here, and he wanted to get her out of this dangerous place.

“Pack her things and go to the palace.”

“Right now?”

“Tell Lady Rubeness that we’ve moved to the palace, and tell the Duke’s residence not to make a fuss about it.”

“Understood.”

Cheston picked up Whitney in his arms and said to Aaron.

“Make sure to silence them.”

Cecilia anxiously waited for a letter. How much money had she spent on the mansion to request this job, yet there was still no response.

She paced back and forth, biting her lip. It was already night, but she was still anxious as there had been no contact.

“What on earth are they doing? After spending so much money. Surely they haven’t failed?”

Cecilia looked at the door several times. Finally, with a knock, a maid entered.

“My lady! They say they’ve succeeded!”

“Really? Then where do they say that Whitney is?”

“They said they couldn’t tell us until the balance was paid, and just told us to come to the agreed place as soon as the job was done before disappearing.”

“Ha! Such vulgar fellows, only caring about money. But they did succeed, right?”

Cecilia joyfully informed Melissa of this fact. Only then did Melissa’s hardened face break into a bright smile. Cecilia had been beside herself with worry as her daughter had been on a hunger strike, refusing to eat.

Seeing her daughter finally eating, Cecilia felt relieved.

“Come here before you go. Don’t you need to make an even better impression on others tomorrow? You’ll be the brightest star at the banquet.”

Cecilia called Melissa into the room and took out some dye. She mixed a color like rose and applied it to Melissa’s hair.

Melissa’s hair, which had lost some of its red tint, soon regained its luscious rose color. The hair color, redder than the sunset and more enchanting than cherries, made her fair face stand out even more.

“You must become queen no matter what. Melissa, captivate the prince. That’s the only way for us to survive.”

“Don’t worry. How could I have come this far? I won’t disappoint you.”

Melissa smiled brightly as she stared intently at her reflection in the mirror.

“If Whitney can’t come, you need to capture the queen’s heart. I hear the princess of Petontria will also be there. Captivating a man’s heart should be your priority. If others just witness it, it’s a battle you win. The princess has too much pride, so the moment there’s a scandal with someone else, the prince will lose interest in her.”

“Yes, I’ll seduce His Highness Karl at the banquet no matter what.”

“Make him desperate. Pretend to be uninterested, don’t make eye contact, and dance with others.”

Cecilia gripped her daughter’s shoulders tightly before releasing them and lightly kissing her cheek.

Whitney felt a pain in her head. As she slowly opened her eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling came into view. When she turned her head, she saw blue eyes.

“…What happened?”

“It seemed dangerous for you to stay there, so I moved you to the palace for now.”

Her eyes suddenly widened. The palace?

As she sat up, she felt a dull pain in her body. Whitney groaned, holding her head in her hands. Cheston immediately got up and handed her some warm water.

“Your body hasn’t recovered yet, so you should lie down a bit more.”

“Is it alright for me to be here?”

“The King has given permission, so rest easy. I’ve arranged to go with you to the debutante tomorrow.”

“…Were they sent by the Duke’s residence?”

Cheston’s blue eyes blinked slowly. He didn’t answer, but Whitney was certain it was her mother’s doing.

“Louise Anne. That woman thinks everything has gone according to plan. She probably intended to come out with her daughter when you were called and tell lies to the queen.”

“I didn’t know she would go that far.”

Whitney clutched the blanket. Just how low did a person have to sink before they would stop? She felt suffocated and lifted her head to stare at the ceiling.

“I thought this was the end, but even worse things happened. It feels like I’m barely clinging to life on a bottomless cliff.”

“…You’re right. As Your Highness said, there’s no end in sight.”

“Yes, perhaps it will only stop when someone’s life is cut short. I hope that someone isn’t you.”

Cheston stood up and laid Whitney back down on the bed.

“Rest well. Tomorrow morning will be hectic.”

He gently stroked Whitney’s hair. Then he brushed it to the side and gave a faint smile.

“This place will be safer than anywhere else, so don’t worry.”

“…Thank you.”

“I should have come sooner. I’m sorry for leaving you in such a situation. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Cheston sat in a chair and opened a book. At this action, Whitney turned her body to the side, which had been facing forward, and met Cheston’s gaze.

“…Aren’t you going to leave, Your Highness?”

She pulled the blanket up, peeking out with just her eyes.

‘How am I supposed to sleep? I can’t sleep because I’m too conscious of him.’

Whitney rolled her eyes to the side before looking at Cheston again. Though he didn’t take his eyes off the book, he seemed to sense that she was looking at him and spoke.

“Am I making you uncomfortable? I thought you might have trouble sleeping if you were alone because you’d be anxious.”

Whitney blinked. He sat in the chair, leaning back deeply and crossing his legs. The flickering candlelight created and erased shadows on Cheston’s face repeatedly. Each time, he wore a languid smile.

His downcast eyes slowly lifted. Meeting the gaze of her who had been staring at him, he spoke in a gentle voice.

“I’ll leave when you fall asleep, so don’t worry.”

Cheston tilted his head at Whitney’s lack of response. Then he rested his chin on his hand, dangling the book from his fingertips, and smiled broadly.

“Or does my wicked bride wish for me to be here even when she opens her eyes?”

Whitney felt her face heat up. She pulled up the blanket that she had been curled up in facing him to cover her face. Even under the blanket, she felt his gaze and her heart beat rapidly.

‘I won’t be able to sleep at all.’

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to fall asleep. Soon after, a languid yet sweet voice slowly came to her ears.

“Think of it as a lullaby. Didn’t your parents sing to you when you were young?”

“Have you ever heard lullabies, Your Highness?”

“I haven’t, but I thought you might have. Instead, I grew up hearing many other kinds of sounds.”

Cheston didn’t continue. However, she could guess what he left unsaid. Whitney lowered the blanket and gazed for a moment at him reading the book.

Even in the darkness, his perfect face was dazzling.

“No need to look at me like that. If lullabies were to echo in this place, that too would be a strange thing.”

“Your life doesn’t seem much different from mine.”

“From what I can see, you seem to have lived an even harsher life than me.”

Whitney couldn’t agree. To say she had lived a harsher life when he had faced countless life-threatening situations since childhood. She laughed at those words.

“Are you trying to comfort me?”

“Well, I suppose so. Why don’t you stop talking and go to sleep? Or do you plan to stare at my face all night? If so, I’ll stop reading.”

She shook her head vigorously. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and got into a comfortable position. He was silent for a moment before resuming his reading.

She didn’t know if he was reading a history book about Reowen, but Whitney felt drowsiness washing over her. In the soft blanket, she gradually fell asleep listening to the sound of her own breathing.