In the midst of a long argument, Cal took off the bracelet from his wrist and tossed it. I caught it without thinking and then realized my mistake.

“Always keep it on your wrist. The purple jewel needs to be in contact with human body temperature. Otherwise, the color will fade.”

“Don’t say such nonsense. Where would such a jewel exist?”

“It’s enchanted with magic. Well, it doesn’t really matter if you take it off, but the jewel will lose its luster and value, so there won’t be any down payment or deposit.”

As soon as Cal finished speaking, I put the bracelet I was holding on my right wrist. The loose string tightened to fit my wrist, so it seemed to be no ordinary bracelet, just as he said. Damn it, why is he entrusting me with such a cumbersome thing?

But if I’m not careful, he might stretch out his hand saying he can’t repay the money, so for now, it seems I should at least keep this.

“What kind of magic is enchanted on it?”

I asked, feeling suspicious that there might be some strange spell on it, and the man smiled meaningfully.

“There’s nothing that will harm you, so don’t worry.”

How can I not worry when I’m forced to take on a bracelet with unknown magic enchanted on it, you unhelpful man!

Even as I glared at him, gritting my teeth, Cal just smiled.

Cahirun smiled brightly as he watched Reneola fiddle with the bracelet and grumble. No matter when he looked at her, she was a funny woman whose thoughts were fully exposed on her face. But,

‘It’s not my taste, is it?’

The flashy red dress and the dazzlingly sparkling accessories. Her hair, arranged in some incomprehensible way, was sloppy, and her makeup didn’t suit her, making it look like it was floating. Someone must have helped her dress up, but if it wasn’t to her taste, it seemed she was properly disliked.

‘It’s understandable.’

Currently, the most famous person in the world was Floria Violet’s elder sister. As much as everyone knew about the Violet family’s scandal, it was clear to see what kind of treatment she would be receiving in the Second Prince’s palace.

Cahirun lowered his gaze. He recalled the woman who would soon become his sister-in-law, paying her respects at the banquet hall. Her plain attire, in stark contrast to someone else, and her light makeup, painstakingly applied, made her look quite ‘innocent’. Cahirun chuckled as he traced his lips with his finger.

“So when is that ‘soon’ you mentioned? Don’t even think about quickly brushing it off after dumping something like this on me.”

Reneola asked, waving the hand with the bracelet. Cahirun made an aggrieved expression at her suspicious gaze.

“It’s too much to call it just something like this. That’s quite expensive.”

Not only was the bracelet itself valuable, but it also contained the energy of him, a Sword Master. Moreover, the spell to conceal it, as well as various high-level magics, were layered on top of it, making it a rare item that couldn’t be obtained even if one tried.

No matter how poor she was, she wouldn’t be able to purchase even half a jewel of that purple gem with the one hundred and ten gold she was anxiously worrying about not receiving.

But the woman, narrowing her eyes and suspiciously glaring at him, clearly wouldn’t believe him even if he told her.

‘I can’t tell her the truth either.’

Cahirun raised both hands with a sly smile.

“It’s scary how you’re glaring at me like that.”

As her gaze grew even fiercer, Cahirun stretched his lips.

“You don’t have to worry about the money. I’ll pay it back with interest once the job is done.”

“And when will that be?”

“Why are you so fixated on the date? Do you have somewhere you urgently need to spend money?”

“That’s because I don’t know when I’ll lea—”

Reneola reflexively answered but then covered her mouth with a gasp. However, the important word had already slipped out, and this time, Cahirun’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re thinking of leaving?”

“No, I was just saying what if such a situation arises. Because you never know what will happen in a person’s life. And why am I being interrogated when you’re the one who needs to repay the money?”

Cahirun tilted his head at an angle, staring intently at Reneola, who suddenly became even more brazen as if pretending to be drunk, knowing her well. Under his gaze, Reneola averted her eyes and habitually brushed her hair back.

“Ah!”

As luck would have it, the bracelet got tangled with her hair ornament. No matter how much she shook it, it was of no use, so she struggled to untangle the bracelet with her other hand. Reneola raised her eyes. Cahirun had turned his head to the side, covering his mouth with his fist.

“Don’t just laugh and help me.”

“…You’re quite earnest in asking for help.”

Cahirun playfully retorted and got up. He then approached Reneola from behind and started untangling the bracelet from her hair ornament. Reneola, who had been sitting up straight, soon relaxed and entrusted her hair to him, feeling his delicate touch that contrasted with his large physique.

“Do you like these kinds of accessories? They’re unique.”

“…Please respect my taste.”

“But how the hell do I untangle this?”

Despite his unexpectedly delicate touch, untangling the tangled hair ornament wasn’t easy.

Cahirun furrowed his brows and bent down to her waist, concentrating. After a few futile attempts, the hair finally began to loosen little by little. As he stretched his lips in satisfaction, he suddenly looked down at Reneola, noticing the scent emanating from her hair.

“Is it taking long?”

“It’s done.”

Cahirun slowly lifted his gaze and finished untangling her hair. The soft, light brown hair slipped through his fingers.

“Thank you.”

Reneola sighed and brushed her messy hair.

“You’re welcome.”

As Cahirun smiled brightly and stepped back, Reneola abruptly stood up.

“Anyway, I hope you return the money as soon as possible. Then I’ll take my leave first.”

As if worried he might say something more, Reneola quickly turned her back. She seemed to think she had shown an unsightly appearance again. Cahirun leisurely spoke to the back of the woman who was running away like a puppy with its tail between its legs.

“If you’re thinking of going back to the banquet hall, you’d better fix your hair first. It’s a complete mess.”

“Thanks for your concern!”

Reneola’s cheeks were red as she turned her head and shouted. Cahirun laughed in amusement.

“Did you pass on the bracelet, Your Highness Cahirun?”

Cahirun turned his head. His face was expressionless, as if the person who had just been smiling slyly was someone else. It was a cold gaze that would make others’ legs tremble, but it wasn’t strange to Machi, who had been serving him closely since before he became an adult.

“You seem to like that lady. It’s rare for Your Highness to have such a long conversation with a woman. I was surprised to see you even laughing.”

“It’s fun, isn’t it?”

It’s amusing how she jumps up and down when teased. Cahirun readily admitted.

“She’s different from other women. It’s as if she has eyes that seem to have come from another world.”

Cahirun chuckled, recalling Reneola, who had brazenly held out her hand, asking when he would return the money. She was a woman who was so bold, yet somehow had a detached gaze, as if she was unrelated to this place.

When he turned his head at the silence beside him, Machi had a disgusted expression on his face, as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

“I just remembered reading a romance novel that my sister liked. It was about twenty years ago.”

What do you mean by other women? After rolling around in war every day, where did you learn to spout such lines like a playboy? Machi rubbed his ears as if he wanted to wash them, shaking his head.

“Is it all right for you to give such a bracelet to a lady you have such a favorable impression of without saying a word?”

At his words, Cahirun’s lips pressed into a straight line. The bracelet he had forced upon Reneola had a so-called eavesdropping magic on it. To be precise, it was a magic that would transmit the conversation to Cahirun when it came into contact with a certain someone. That ‘certain someone’ was, of course, his sister-in-law.

“She’ll be very angry when she finds out later. No one likes having their conversations secretly overheard.”

“Do I have to think about that too?”

Cahirun twisted his lips. Machi, startled by his cold expression, lowered his head.

“I spoke out of turn.”

“Even if I give her a chance, she won’t tell me. She’ll spill it out honestly.”

Cahirun spat out and strode forward. Machi followed behind him and inwardly sighed, “Hoo.” What’s with that sulky tone?

‘Could it be that he’s really developing an interest in her?’

Whether to like this or not.

Among the knights, there were often jokes about the First Prince’s sexual orientation.

When rolling around on a battlefield teeming with men, it was natural to be filled with longing for one’s wife or lover. Especially the knights of a kingdom that valued family, they found it very difficult to be far away from their loved ones.

But Cahirun was as bland as if that desire had been completely cut off from him.

On the battlefield, he focused solely on the goal of winning, without any unnecessary emotions or concerns for anything else.

Even when the war ended and everyone rushed home, he was the kind of person who would sleep for three days straight to catch up on missed sleep. So it was perhaps natural for everyone to find him peculiar.

‘Still, of all people, Reneola Violet.’

It’s good that he’s finally showing interest in a lady, but of all people, she’s the daughter of a fallen noble who is hated by the entire kingdom and the elder sister of the Second Prince’s wife, who are pointing swords at each other behind their backs.

‘There’s nothing to gain in many ways.’

Surely not. If he was the cold-hearted First Prince that Machi knew, he would never choose Reneola Violet.

Just then, Cahirun, who had been striding ahead, stopped and turned to look at Machi.

“By the way, where do people usually run away to these days?”

“……”

…Surely not?