I stood in front of the birdcage, drying my wet hair with a towel. The pigeons were perched on the stand, tilting their heads this way and that.

“Open this, will you?”

Shana said the pigeons could open and close the cage door by themselves.

I thought they would be capable of at least that much, given they were sent to monitor me. But seeing them only peck at the cage door without opening it, it seems I overestimated them.

‘Are they dumber than I thought?’

As I narrowed my eyes and looked down at them, the pigeons fluttered about more noisily. After a moment’s deliberation, I decided not to open the cage door.

I’ve been so good to these birds, worried they might badmouth me to Floria. Feeding them on time, bringing fresh water morning and evening, even placing them by the window so they wouldn’t get bored.

Despite all that effort, their gaze toward me was clearly disrespectful. It seemed like they would fly off gleefully and tattle made-up stories as soon as I opened the door.

As I withdrew my hand from the latch, the pigeons made a ruckus, thrashing about inside the cage. Ignoring their dissatisfied cries as if demanding why I wasn’t opening it right away, I turned my back without hesitation.

‘If I open the cage door right after hearing those words today, it will only make them more suspicious.’

I turned on the lamp on the bedside table and lay down on the bed. As I considered covering the cage with a blanket to muffle their relentless noise, I suddenly thought of Cahirun de Hilic.

The entire way back to the First Prince’s Palace, he subtly pressed me to confess something. It wasn’t just about digging up the ground at the annex; it felt as if he knew everything I was hiding.

‘Does he really know something?’

But I was too sleepy to think deeply about it. After running around meeting people all day and digging with a shovel at night, I was too exhausted to even lift a finger. Deciding to think about everything tomorrow, I closed my eyes for now.

Ding ding ding.

“Oh, damn it.”

Is there no life after work here?

Struggling to get up from bed, I put on a light coat and headed to Cahirun de Hilic’s room.

“What did you call me for, Your Highness?”

I asked, forcing myself to raise the corners of my trembling mouth. Cahirun de Hilic, who was sitting on the bed looking at documents as usual today, smiled faintly.

“Just because. I suddenly felt spiteful.”

…Should I hit him?

While the royal family usually dines separately in their own palaces, once a month they gather for a small banquet.

Today being that day, I was paying more attention than usual to Cahirun de Hilic’s attire. Though his personality was rough, he looked splendid in anything thanks to his perfect appearance.

“Do I look especially handsome today? You can’t take your eyes off me.”

If only he’d keep his mouth shut.

Well, he is handsome, that’s true. Seeing no reason to argue, I nodded obediently, and Cahirun de Hilic’s eyes widened slightly before narrowing gently.

Even among royalty, there were only Cahirun de Hilic, the King and Queen, and the Second Prince and his wife. So my seat was bound to stand out noticeably.

“Where is Eric?”

The King asked with a displeased expression, looking at the empty seat. Floria glanced at him nervously and answered in an awkward voice.

“He said he would be a little late due to an urgent matter that came up.”

“How will he handle important matters later if he can’t even keep a monthly appointment?”

“It’s not just anything, but work. Eric has always had an exceptional sense of responsibility since he was young.”

The Queen quickly stepped in to defend Eric, but the King’s mood didn’t seem to improve. As he opened his mouth to say something more, the King broke into a harsh cough.

“Are you alright, Your Majesty? The royal physician said you should rest. I fear your anger might lead to illness.”

The Queen seized the opportunity to calm him down. The King, whose cough had finally subsided, sighed with a pale face.

“It shows no signs of improvement and only gets worse. I fear I don’t have much time left.”

“Please don’t say such things. They say words become seeds. Only speak good words.”

The Queen, who would be most pleased if the King were to pass away right now, drooped her eyebrows pitifully.

The King turned his gaze to Cahirun de Hilic, who had been sitting silently until now.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face. I heard you were injured and thought you might have a big scar, but you look fine.”

Everyone in the dining room turned their attention to Cahirun de Hilic. Those who were seeing his face properly for the first time, due to his long time on the battlefield and notorious temperament, all looked surprised.

Well, unlike the rumors, he was far from hideous and had a rare beauty, so it was understandable. Even Floria couldn’t take her eyes off him. Amidst those gazes, Cahirun de Hilic calmly raised his glass.

“That’s good. Send a marriage proposal to Etra as soon as possible.”

Before the Queen could frown and object, Cahirun de Hilic cut in firmly.

“I have no intention of marrying the Princess of Etra.”

The King furrowed his brow.

“How old are you to keep putting off marriage? Didn’t you say with your own mouth that the Princess of Isola would be fine before?”

“That was because there was no one I liked then.”

“Are you saying there is someone now?”

The King asked, seemingly surprised. But I was even more surprised. Watching Cahirun de Hilic nod without hesitation, I barely managed to close my gaping mouth. I felt Floria glance at me.

‘No, who exactly do you have?’

Since becoming Cahirun de Hilic’s maid, I had been with him from morning to night every day, but I had never seen him meet anyone romantically. Not even sending a single letter, let alone meeting someone.

I thought he might be making excuses to avoid marriage with Isola, but hearing his next words, it seemed that wasn’t the case either.

“I will marry soon.”

“Whose daughter is she? Do I know her well?”

“I’ll tell you later at my leisure.”

Knowing Cahirun de Hilic’s nature of never going back on his word once spoken, the King didn’t ask further.

I racked my brain, avoiding Floria’s piercing gaze that I pretended not to notice.

But no matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind. With me in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening, if there really was someone he liked, how could I not know…

‘…Surely it’s not me?’

For a brief moment, I had such a ridiculous thought and inwardly burst into laughter. There’s no way he would tease someone he likes so casually.

I recalled the gift Cahirun de Hilic brought back from his inspection of Hambert territory a few days ago.

It was candy with a pretty color, but when I put it in my mouth without thinking, I had to spit it out immediately.

It was so spicy that my tongue stung. Though I hadn’t expected much, I made a dumbfounded expression, wondering how he could bring such a thing as a gift. Cahirun de Hilic smiled and said,

‘You seem to like it.’

If it had been Cal instead of Cahirun de Hilic, I would have grabbed him by the collar. With my weakness exposed, I could only fume inside. Cahirun de Hilic looked down at me with his arms crossed, wearing an expression that seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

Anyway, considering all the mischief Cahirun de Hilic had done so far, there was no way it could be me. It would be even stranger for him to like me when he knew exactly why I came to the First Prince’s Palace.

“Etra is a shame, but if it’s someone you’ve chosen, it must be from a proper family. So when do you plan to hold the wedding?”

“I don’t know.”

“What kind of irresponsible answer is that?”

“Because I haven’t received an answer yet.”

Cahirun de Hilic replied nonchalantly.

‘Wait, you said you’d marry without even getting the other person’s consent?’

I looked at Cahirun de Hilic’s back in disbelief.

“Are you saying someone actually put off a proposal from you, a prince?”

Not imagining his son would be rejected somewhere, the King looked quite shocked.

“Just which family’s lady dares to…”

“She doesn’t even know my feelings yet. She’s quite oblivious.”

Forget accepting a proposal, they weren’t even in a romantic relationship. It was baffling how Cahirun de Hilic was rushing ahead on his own. Whoever the other person is, they would be dumbfounded to hear this.

“How can someone who will become a member of the royal family be so oblivious?”

As the King narrowed his brows in displeasure, Cahirun de Hilic turned his head. Noticing his glass was empty, I quickly approached with a teapot. Cahirun de Hilic watched silently as his glass was filled and said,

“She’s sharp in other matters, but it seems she doesn’t see me as a man.”

Feeling a sudden gaze, I rolled my eyes and met Cahirun de Hilic’s violet eyes. His direct gaze made me strangely tense, and as I avoided it, Cahirun de Hilic smiled faintly.

“Where could there be a man like you? Rather than a woman with such poor judgment, wouldn’t it be better to reconsider the Princess of Isola?”

The King pushed for the royal marriage with the Princess of Isola again. Having filled the glass, I stepped back.

“I will marry. As soon as possible. I can’t wait any longer either.”

Cahirun de Hilic firmly cut off any possibility of marriage with Isola.

“Still, one more time…”

“Your Majesty, it’s the first time we’ve seen the First Prince speak like this. It seems he truly has a woman in his heart, so continuing to mention the Princess of Isola might be uncomfortable.”

The Queen, who didn’t want Cahirun de Hilic to marry the Princess of Isola and grow more powerful, restrained the King. She was struggling to hide her joyful expression. The King looked like he had much more to say, but eventually backed down.

“Then hurry. Remember that my health is not as good as you think.”