Cahillen, who didn’t care how the two were looking at him, playfully stared at Renaula, who was stubbornly holding her ground. Suddenly, he lowered his upper body.

As the distance narrowed unexpectedly, Renaula hesitated and stepped back, but he grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him.
“How long are you going to keep me tied up?”

“Ah.”

Renaula blinked abruptly and quickly moved her hands. Cahillen, with his lips slightly parted, looked down at her.

Seeing the accumulating dissatisfaction in her eyes, he thought it was time to give her candy rather than expressing affection.

“I’ve heard that it’s been raining incessantly for a month in the Hambert region. Due to the flooding of the river, the damage is considerable, and continuous evacuations are occurring. It seems the lord alone cannot handle the situation.”

Cahillen stamped the document while listening to Machi’s report.

Originally, matters like this should have been handled by the king, but due to recent worsening of the king’s illness, a considerable amount of work was pushed onto him. Cahillen had no time to spare, constantly digesting work instead of his morning hobbies.

Waking up in the morning was the only thing he could do, but it was better than watching riding, walking, and training half-awake.

‘No, no, it’s better not to wake up in the morning!’

I was amazed at myself for being satisfied with just this, having become accustomed to Cahillen’s mischief. To wake me up, I lightly tapped my forehead with my fist to come to my senses. Then, as I unconsciously turned my head, I met Cahillen’s eyes.

‘What, why are you looking at me like that.’

You should be dealing with documents or something.

However, he couldn’t say that, so he smiled and made a short sound of laughter. At that moment, when I frowned as if I had been teased, someone knocked on the door.

“Your Highness, Princess Isolra requests an audience.”

Turning my head sharply towards the door, I sighed lightly. Cahillen, who looked dissatisfied, clicked his tongue, making a face as if saying, ‘Why does that unwelcome person look like she came.’

I guess it’s because it’s bothersome to write a mask again.

Cahillen tried to send Isolra away. In Machi’s persuasion to keep proper courtesy for the envoy, I nodded inwardly.

Eventually, while stepping back, Cahillen remained displeased until the end. He greeted Isolra with an unpleasant expression on his face. Contrary to expectations, Isolra met him without a mask on.

“Finally, I get to see Your Highness’s face.”

Isolra, who was scanning Cahillen across the tea table, smiled slyly.

“I was worried since Your Highness has been wearing a mask all this time. I’m relieved to see you before returning to Etra. Now I can feel at ease.”

Isolra scolded Cahillen, who had not taken off his mask. Cahillen, who could not understand her, sat silently with his arms crossed as if bored.
“However, as I’ve heard, Your Highness is quite cold-hearted. As a frail person, I’m afraid to look at your face for too long.”

Isolra sadly lowered her eyebrows and covered her lips with a handkerchief.

“If Your Highness has also given up, let me quickly explain the reason for my visit.”

Isolra turned her head towards me.

“My first friend in the unfamiliar Hillek suddenly disappeared one day. Upon inquiring, I heard that she became Your Highness’s maid. That’s why I came to find her. I wanted to properly greet her before returning to Etra.”

Since I was confined in the underground star chamber and barely freed the next day, there was no opportunity to greet Isolra separately when I came to the 1st Prince’s palace.

Seeing her, who had taken a liking to me enough to suggest going back to Etra together, I looked at her with a apologetic expression. Isolra, as if understanding everything, smiled with a kind expression.

“If Your Highness permits, I would like to keep Reneolla by my side until the remaining days before returning to Etra.”

“I disallow it.”

Before Isolra’s words could finish, Cahillen swiftly cut in. Isolra, who was momentarily speechless with a bewildered look, belatedly responded.

“Pardon?”

“If you permit, that is. I mean, I won’t permit it.”

Cahillen rejected her once again in a decisive manner. Isolra suppressed a bitter laugh. A strange tension seemed to pass between the two as they stared at each other in silence.

I could not understand Cahillen at all.

‘Are you not going to get married?’