The interior wasn’t very spacious, which was even better. I passed through the living room with a fireplace and a sofa and looked around the kitchen.

The first thing that caught my eye was a wide window, and what came into my view next was a tablecloth embroidered in orange on a white background.

While thinking that it seemed like a mansion where an ordinary couple might have lived, I briefly placed my hand on the tablecloth on the dining table. In the moment I did, feeling a gaze stubbornly sticking to my cheek, I suddenly lifted my head.

“…Why do you keep looking at me?”

“It’s fascinating.”

Fascinating?

When I tilted my head in curiosity, Ian chuckled softly and explained.
“Since my mother found the palace suffocating, she often visited this mansion with me when I was young. Whenever that happened, the Empress would always visit to check on me. It’s a place full of such memories for me, but with you here…”

So, is it like bringing a girlfriend to the family home filled with childhood memories?

“Rose.”

“Yeah?”

“There’s something I want to show you.”

Ian, holding my hand tightly, headed towards a room at the end of the corridor. He stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath, and then swung the door wide open.

Inside the room, numerous paintings were hung. From Violet’s portrait to a painting of Ian as a child and pictures depicting the harmonious appearance of the three families.

“They really resemble you two.”

Empress Violet had mysterious eyes that sometimes looked like a mix of gray and blue on her black hair, similar to Ian’s, while Emperor Callisto had bluish eyes resembling Ian’s on his hair, which was closer to blond.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Anyone can tell you’re the son of the Empress and Empress Violet.”

“…If my mother were alive, she would have liked you.”

“Why do you think that way?”

“My mother used to love it when I held a sword. If she were alive, she would probably have heard about your achievements a long time ago and would have been curious, blinking her eyes.”

I turned around to look at Ian. His face, which hadn’t completely erased the sad expression despite the laughter-filled voice of his younger days, was gently covered by my hands.

“Just like you more, and it’s enough.”

“That’s obvious, Rose.”

Ian tilted his head, and his lips met my palm. As his lips slid down, they soon touched the inside of my wrist.

In the brief moment, our eyes met. His passionate eyes looked as if they were exploring my face. He seemed to exhale lightly, then pressed his lips down firmly.

Although it was just the touching of lips, his gaze became even more intense. For some reason, a strange sensation surged, and just as my hand involuntarily rose, a distant sound of a door opening was heard.

“I, I guess they’re here already.”

“I’ll go outside.”

As Ian’s footsteps moved away, the breath that had been held in my chest poured out. Breathing deeply, I followed him out of the room.

In front of the half-open door stood a woman. With neatly tied-up hair, the middle-aged woman was looking at Ian with eyes that seemed like she could burst into tears at any moment.

“Melissa, how have you been?”

“Your Highness, why did you come after such a long time?”

“I couldn’t come often, but at least once or twice a year. It’s just that I haven’t run into Melissa frequently.”

Oh, she’s the one managing this house.

Melissa lowered her head, and tears seemed to well up. Approaching her cautiously, I handed her a handkerchief.

“Wipe with this.”

At that moment, Melissa looked up with a brightened face.

“Oh my, are you the companion of His Highness?”

“Hello, I’m Rosebelia Winters.”
“Rose, this is Melissa, the caretaker of this mansion and my mother’s close maid from her family.”

Melissa, whose eyes alternated between Ian and me, widened her eyes. By the time Ian finished speaking, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes disappeared, leaving only a faint smile.

“You don’t need to be formal with me. Just call me Melissa comfortably.”

“…Alright.”

“Your Highness, if you brought a guest, you should have visited the guesthouse first. I’ll prepare tea right away.”

Ian sighed as if he hadn’t thought of that yet. As Melissa disappeared into the kitchen, he grabbed my hand and led me towards the living room sofa.

“Rose, please have a seat for a moment.”

“No, it’s better for Your Highness to sit.”

I urgently held onto Ian’s clothes and said. As if he hadn’t thought of that, Ian looked at me with bewildered eyes.

“Rose?”

“Yes?”

As I asked, he gasped and took a breath. He looked at me with an expression as if he were shocked.

“Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Calling me ‘Your Highness.’ I don’t like it when you call me that.”

“But Melissa is here, and I can’t call you Ian.”

Melissa, who quickly brought the tea and appeared in the living room, smiled and spoke.

“Don’t worry about me. You can think of me as if I don’t exist.”

“Rose, we don’t need to care about others. In front of you, I’m just your Ian.”

At that moment, a sound of something dropping to the floor was heard. Ian, who hadn’t taken his eyes off me, opened his mouth.

“What’s going on, Melissa?”

Turning her eyes, she saw a book that had fallen to the floor. Melissa, who was about to place the tea cup on the table, seemed to have accidentally dropped the book.

Melissa, who was clearing her throat, answered with a chuckle.

“I’m sorry; it’s nothing. Would you like some tea now?”

“Thanks, Melissa.”

I smiled and grabbed the handle of the tea cup. I surely applied force to lift it, but the cup fell to the floor lifelessly.