“Huh? He’ll be a rookie until the next rookie comes in.”

“Then the title of rookie will last at least a year.”

“…….”

Why ask the obvious?

“I thought I was quite close to my junior, but I guess not.”

I tilted my head, feeling a strange discomfort in Ian’s words.

Wait a minute?

“So you’re asking me to call you something other than rookie in such a roundabout way?”

Ian’s eyes vibrated briefly.

“I just felt uncomfortable being treated the same as other rookies.”

Seeing his ear turn slightly red as he composed his voice, I swallowed my laughter.

Come to think of it, I called Simon by his name, but I only ever called Ian a rookie.

Of course, it wasn’t intentional.

Because the name Ian is much more familiar to me.

I simply called him a rookie to avoid accidentally saying Ian when I should call him Klein…

“It’s true I was careless, since we’re dueling together. What should I call you then?”

“You don’t mean to ask me to call you something else…”

“Klein?”

As I mentioned that name, Ian closed his lips, looking startled.

He has a subtly cute side.

“So I should call you Klein from now on, Klein?”

Seeing Ian flinch at the word Klein, laughter naturally escaped from me.

“See you tomorrow, Klein.”

“Your Highness, I think we need to call the doctor.”

“Why the doctor?”

“You’ve been putting your hand on your chest again.”

“It’s nothing.”

Nayson sighed deeply. He had lost count of how many times this conversation had happened in the past few days.

“If you don’t want to show it to the doctor, at least tell me your symptoms.”

Ian hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“It just feels like something is weighing on my chest lately. It feels nauseous too.”

“Is it happening all the time?”

“Rather than that…”

‘See you tomorrow, Klein.’

Ian’s chest ached again as Rosebelia’s face, smiling as she called him Klein, came to mind.

But what was even more stifling was when Rosebelia was close to someone else.

Whether it was Simon or Edwin, or even that tangled girl, it didn’t feel right.

“It annoys me when someone else is close to someone. It also feels like my stomach is turning.”

Nayson’s eyes widened as he listened to Ian’s words. The symptoms described by the prince he served seemed similar to the feelings one might have towards a onesided love.

‘The person the prince is talking about is surely Commander Gabriel, isn’t he jealous of her neglecting him and taking care of someone else?’

Nayson quickly reached a conclusion and provided a clear solution.

“You must really want to get close to her. That’s why you don’t like seeing her close to someone else.”

Could all this discomfort be caused by a mere desire to get closer?

‘Why do I want to get close to her in the first place?’

Ian couldn’t even clearly understand the reason.

‘At first, I thought she was a rather blunt and cold person…’

Rosebelia, seen up close, was someone who easily smiled at small things, got flustered at times, and even laughed brightly.

She also seemed to draw a line between us by calling me a rookie, yet unexpectedly crossed that line at unexpected moments, and when she did…

Ian unbuttoned his shirt collar as if feeling a tightness around his neck, exhaling a pentup breath.

Her real character was not what the members described as expressionless and stubborn, and it was different from the image he had hastily judged at the feast.

At first, it was merely intriguing, but at some point, whenever he was in the knights’ division, his eyes naturally sought her out.

Whether the other members noticed or not, or whether he was particularly good at noticing, it was fun to observe the changes in her expression on her face.

If he was going to continue dueling with her, it was important to understand her emotions well.
‘Yes, at first, it was certainly a feeling that light…’

Longing, was it?

‘Because the person I admire, I want to get close, and feel the desire to become closer.’

Ian, recalling Jayce’s words, unknowingly tilted his head slightly.

‘Then I should be reminded of his appearance with a sword, but why…’

His gaze, brushing his hair with a confused expression, suddenly fell on Neison’s hand.

“Neison, what are you holding in your hand?”

“Ah, there’s a party at the Winters’ house in a few days.”

He was about to add that he would, as usual, convey his intention not to attend, but Ian snapped his fingers at Neison.

“Bring it here.”

“Excuse me? Why?”

“I feel like going.”

Ian, who almost snatched the invitation from Neison’s hand, looked down at it intently.

“Excuse me? Your Highness, you’re going personally? You know the Winters family. It’s where Olivia Winters, the Empress’s younger cousin, is. Although not shown on the surface, it is a wellknown fact that the Winters family is friendly to the Empress and the second prince.”

“The second part is a masquerade. Is it not okay if I wear a mask?”

Neison’s mouth gaped open. Ian was more sincere than ever.