Seyad’s eyes, asking that question, were not particularly cold, sharp, or irritated.

They were just ordinary. In a way, his attitude seemed genuinely curious.

“That’s…”

Kisa doubted if she had just said something strange, as Seyad asked so casually.

“Um, because Gabriel was in trouble…?”

Was it so strange to want to save someone in trouble, someone unilaterally exposed to violence?

“If there’s someone in trouble and I have the power to help, wouldn’t it be better to help if possible?”

“Is that really all?”

Seyad’s face, sitting next to her on the sofa, drew closer little by little.

“Is that really the only reason you want to save Gabriel?”

“Pardon?”

“Are you trying to save him simply because he’s a person in trouble? If so, would you have tried to help if it were someone else in the same situation?”

Kisa tried to lean back, but was blocked by the hard wooden armrest.

“Seyad, what are you saying? Of course, I would have wanted to help even if it was someone else in trouble. Unless that person was some terrible villain or something like that.”

As she blurted out words in sudden haste, Seyad’s eyes narrowed.

“Kisa, rather, I want to ask. Why were you there?”

The hand holding Kisa’s fingertips moved up, passing her palm and reaching her wrist.

“What was the reason you were in a deserted annex when you should have been in the banquet hall?”

He gently traced the diamond bracelet he had given her with his finger.

“The same goes for you, Seyad.”

Kisa retorted defensively, thinking he was reproaching her for not staying in the banquet hall.

But come to think of it, it was indeed questionable how he suddenly appeared there.

While eavesdropping behind the annex, Kisa naturally learned the truth that Gabriel’s appointment in the garden was with the princess.

Then, there should be no reason for Seyad to be there.

“I was concerned about the princess’s whereabouts and was looking for her.”

He explained why he came to the annex without taking his eyes off Kisa.

“The princess seemed uneasy from the moment she arrived here today. Then, when she suddenly left the banquet hall alone, I thought I should check on her myself. Sending servants wouldn’t do if something unexpected happened, as they couldn’t stop the princess.”

It was an understandable reason. If anyone, let alone a princess of a country, got involved in an unsavory incident, the person who would be most troubled would be Seyad, the owner of the mansion.

“But although I saw her going this way, I didn’t know exactly where she was, so I got a bit lost while coming. I didn’t expect her to be meeting Gabriel in an empty annex. Moreover, you were there too.”

He reached out and tucked a stray strand of Kisa’s hair behind her ear.

“How did you end up here?”

However, unlike his gentle action, there was a persistent edge to his question.

He seemed determined to find out exactly why Kisa had come to the annex.

“I, I…”

Kisa couldn’t say she followed the princess like Seyad did. It didn’t make sense that she could have followed properly when even he, who left the banquet hall before her, had lost track of the princess midway.

“Actually, I happened to see it when I was on the terrace. I saw them making an appointment to meet behind the annex an hour later.”

She reluctantly revealed a piece of the truth, but Seyad didn’t look satisfied.

“So you came? Honestly, it’s hard to believe. The you I know isn’t someone with a hobby of peeking at others’ secret meetings. Moreover, leaving the banquet hall without even me there.”

His long fingers, which had been fiddling with the bracelet, wrapped around Kisa’s wrist. Like a new bracelet.

“Isn’t there some other reason? I’d appreciate it if you’d be honest with me.”

Kisa couldn’t understand how the situation had come to this.

Clearly, until just a moment ago, she was the one asking questions, but now it was the opposite, and on top of that, she felt like a cornered mouse.

Seyad didn’t glare like Count von Spelt or speak in a stern voice. He was just persistently questioning.

But he possessed a power that was difficult to resist, in some ways even more so than the count.

Kisa opened her mouth, trying hard to avoid his gaze.

“Alright. I’ll tell you. Honestly, I was worried Gabriel might be treated badly.”

There was a brief silence before Seyad responded to those words.

“Why are you concerned about him?”

It was a voice without inflection.

Somehow, Kisa felt as if the grip restraining her wrist was getting stronger.

“Were you and Gabriel such close friends? When did that happen without my knowledge?”

Now it really felt impossible.

She didn’t want to say it. But she was in a situation where she had no choice but to speak.

Biting her lip, Kisa bowed her head and confessed the truth.

“I was worried that he might develop bad feelings after being rejected by you.”

This time, a longer silence followed than before.

“…Pardon?”

A somewhat dumbfounded voice came from the man whose expression she couldn’t see due to her bowed head.

“Me?”

Kisa felt like her face was going to burst from shame.

“Actually, until just now, I was under a huge misunderstanding. I thought the person Gabriel was in love with was you.”

However, having already spoken, she spilled everything in a state of desperation.

“I thought the person Gabriel had arranged to meet on the terrace was you too. Because I could only hear Gabriel’s voice, and the princess was behind a tree, so I couldn’t see her.”

“…”

“I thought Gabriel was forced to confess because of my slip of the tongue, so I couldn’t just sit still. If something went wrong with him, it would partly be my fault, right? So I rushed here, but for some reason, the princess was here—”

“Kisa, I understand, so calm down.”

He patted Kisa’s shoulders with both hands as she was speaking frantically.

His right hand, which had been wrapped around Kisa’s wrist, had come off at some point.

“Now, look at me.”

He gently lifted her chin with that right hand, aligning their gazes.

“Oh my, you’ve turned red.”

He said, stroking her soft cheek with his thumb.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. I have no intention of laughing at you or blaming you.”

“…Really?”

“Of course.”

“Even though I harbored such an absurd delusion?”

“Misunderstandings happen to everyone. We all think we’re looking at the same thing, but the image in each person’s eyes is slightly different.”

Strangely, Kisa’s shame, which had been running wild until just now, calmed down a bit.

“I’m just quite curious about why you came to such a misunderstanding. As much as we’re bound to see things differently, it’s good to bridge that gap through sufficient conversation.”

It was truly an embarrassing story, but when Seyad said that, Kisa felt like speaking on her own.

He would surely listen seriously.

“Um, remember when we were walking together in the garden here before, and you left for the palace when you were summoned by His Majesty the King? At that time…”

Kisa stammered out the beginning of her misunderstanding.

A moment later, the two sat side by side on the sofa, exchanging words in low voices.

“Thinking about it now, that was the look of someone seeing a rival in love, not a loved one.”

“Well, until quite recently, I was considered almost as good as the princess’s fiancé. From Gabriel’s perspective, he must have had mixed feelings.”

“I never imagined you two had such a relationship. I thought the princess…”

“Genuinely loved my brother, her fiancé?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Just in case, there’s no need to pity my brother. He probably wasn’t sincere about the princess either.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I can tell because we’re twins. Princess Arta isn’t the type of person Bishek would like.”

Come to think of it, Kisa remembered hearing a saying that twins have some sort of spiritual connection.

She wondered if Seyad was like that too, but refrained from asking too much about his deceased family as it wouldn’t be appropriate.

Instead, Kisa decided to ask something else.

“Um, by the way, Seyad. Can I ask you something?”

“Yes, as you wish.”

“It’s what I asked earlier.”

Kisa carefully looked into his reddish-brown eyes.

“Why didn’t you save Gabriel?”

Although the conversation had veered off course in the middle, she was still curious about that.

“Is there some reason I haven’t guessed?”

Based on what she had seen of Seyad so far, she thought he surely must have a valid reason.

“…”

Looking steadily at Kisa, he moved his lips with surprising lack of hesitation.

“Because it’s ultimately a relationship he himself must break off.”

Kisa listened silently to his words.

“I could use my power to help him avoid the situation for now. I could send him to study abroad or help him escape to a place beyond the princess’s reach. But that would be meaningless unless Gabriel decides on his own will to break free from the princess.”

His gaze shifted slightly away from Kisa, now towards the window that had grown dark.

“The only one who can completely sever a relationship of oppression and submission is the person himself.”

“…But Gabriel has already decided to leave the princess’s side.”

“No, he’s still bound. Even when I suggested studying abroad, he ultimately agreed but hesitated considerably.”

Hearing this, Kisa realized that just earlier, she had felt that Gabriel seemed tied to the princess even as he spoke of leaving her.

“I see. I hadn’t thought that far.”

“Has your curiosity been satisfied?”

“Oh, wait a moment. I have one more question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Did you know about their relationship?”

Arta was convinced that he had deliberately brought in Gabriel to turn her inside out.

But Seyad shook his head.

“I didn’t know. I found out for the first time today.”