Drying wet hair with a towel, I stood in front of the cage. Pigeons were perched on the roost, twisting their heads in all directions.

“Open this for me, please.”

Shanna had mentioned that the pigeons could open and close the cage door on their own.

Considering they were sent to monitor my actions, I thought I could handle that much. However, it seemed I had overestimated my abilities when I couldn’t open the cage door with just my beak.

‘Am I dumber than I thought?’

I squinted my eyes and looked down, and the pigeons quacked even louder. After a brief hesitation, I made up my mind not to open the cage.

‘If I open it right away after hearing them, they’ll probably be even more suspicious.’

I turned off the light on the bedside table and lay down on the bed. While contemplating whether to cover the cage with a blanket due to the incessant noise, Cahillen suddenly came to mind.

Throughout my return to the 1st Prince’s Palace, he subtly pressed me to reveal something. It wasn’t just about digging up the land in the annex; there was a feeling that he knew everything I was hiding.

‘What does he really know?’

But it was too tiring to think deeply about it. After spending the whole day meeting people and even messing around at night, I was too exhausted to lift a finger. I decided to think about everything tomorrow and closed my eyes.

Ding, ding, ding.

“Oh, darn it.”

Is there no time for post-work life here?

I struggled a bit before finally getting up from bed. Wearing a light coat, I headed to Cahillen’s room.

“Why did you summon me, Your Highness?”

With a forced smile, I asked as Cahillen, who was sitting on the bed looking at documents as usual, grinned.

“Just. Suddenly felt annoyed.”

… Should I hit him?

Usually, the royals have their meals separately in their own palaces, but once a month, they all gather for a small banquet.

Today was that day, and I paid more attention to Cahillen’s appearance than usual. His personality, like his appearance, was perfect. He looked handsome no matter what he wore.

“Do I look handsome today? Can’t seem to take my eyes off.”

It would be great if he could keep his mouth shut.

Well, he is handsome. There’s no need to argue. Since there’s no reason to deny it, I nodded obediently, and Cahillen’s eyes slightly widened, then softened.

Although they were called royals, there were only Cahillen, the royal couple, and the second prince couple. Hence, it was impossible for me not to stand out.
“Why isn’t Eric here?”

The king, looking at the empty seat, asked with a displeased expression. Floria, glancing at him, responded in an awkward voice.

“He said he had something urgent to attend to, so he might be a little late.”

“If you can’t even keep a monthly appointment, how can you handle bigger matters later?”

“It’s because of work, isn’t it? Eric has been responsible since he was young.”

The queen quickly stepped forward to defend Eric, but the king’s mood seemed unimproved. About to say one more thing, the king coughed roughly.

“Are you okay, Your Majesty? You were advised to relax for the stability of the palace. You should ease your mind; I fear anger might lead to illness.”

The queen quickly intervened to calm him down. The king, having stopped coughing, sighed with a pale face.

“I see no sign of improvement and only feel worse. It seems I don’t have much time left.”

“Please don’t say that. Words have power. Speak only good words.”

Now, if the king were to pass away, the queen, who would have been delighted, raised her eyebrows pitifully.

The king turned his gaze to Cahillen, who had been silent since earlier.

“It’s been a while. I thought you had a big scar or something from what they said, but you look perfectly fine.”

Everyone in the dining room turned their attention to Cahillen. Those who had only heard rumors and had never seen his face properly were all surprised.

It was understandable since, contrary to rumors, he not only didn’t look brutal but had a rare appearance. Ironically, even Floria couldn’t look away. Among those gazes, Cahillen casually tilted his glass.

“It’s all right now. Submit the request to Etra soon.”

The queen wrinkled her forehead but before she could object, Cahillen decisively spoke.

“I have no intention of marrying Princess Etra.”

The king chuckled with delight.

“How old are you? How long do you plan to delay marriage? You even said Princess Etila was acceptable before.”

“I didn’t have someone I liked back then.”

“Are you saying you have someone you like now?”

The king questioned in surprise. But I was more surprised than him. Trying to close my gaping mouth, I barely managed to nod. I felt Floria glance at me briefly.

‘Wait, who is it that you like?’

After becoming Cahillen’s maid, I had been with him from morning to night every day, but I had never seen him meeting someone of the opposite sex. I hadn’t even seen him send a single letter.

I thought he might be making excuses to avoid marriage with Etila, but hearing his continued words, it seemed not.

“I will get married soon.”