From the moment Klaus yelled at Muzel and left the greenhouse, he immediately regretted it.

‘Again, this situation.’

It was always the same. He would get angry at Muzel without thinking and regret it as soon as he turned away.

Although he vowed never to do it again, strangely, he lost his usual composure in front of Muzel.

“Pitiful.”

Klaus sighed as if the ground was about to collapse.

That afternoon, while Muzel was meeting with Mrs. Ferner, the Empress came and asked Klaus to be Elfrid’s partner for the party.

Frankly, Klaus accepted without much concern.

In this empire without a princess, the lady was the highest-ranking unmarried noble.

Therefore, there was no problem with the Crown Prince being her partner. He had even been Elfrid’s partner several times before.

However, when Klaus learned that Muzel would also attend the same party, everything became bleak.

‘In front of him and Elfrid…!’

There was almost an instinctive aversion.

He could not help but feel a strange reluctance.

Unconsciously, Klaus realized his own feelings as he left Muzel behind and came out of the greenhouse.

“Muzel…”

He didn’t want to show himself holding hands with another woman in front of him.

He couldn’t maintain his usual composure in front of him.

He hoped that he would think of him as much as he thought of him throughout the day.

“Hu…”

Klaus calmed his turbulent emotions.

He wasn’t a fool.

No matter how naive he might appear, he couldn’t help but notice the series of changes happening to him lately.

‘He likes him.’

It was not just as a subordinate or a friend; it was the first time he felt romantic feelings.

If he didn’t know that Muzel was a woman, he might have thought it was just a deep friendship.

However, after learning that he was a woman and keeping him in his sight, he unknowingly crossed the line from friendship to something more.

He should have realized it when he stole his lips.

He should have noticed it when he distanced himself from other noble ladies but sought more from Muzel.

“Damn…”

Although he felt sorry for getting angry at Muzel, it was too late to go back now.

He couldn’t just spill his unorganized emotions as they were.

Whether he confessed or did something else, he needed to be prepared to talk calmly first.

He couldn’t just burst into anger and turn around, saying, “Actually, I like you.”

An inexperienced Crown Prince acting capriciously toward a loyal subordinate wouldn’t be taken seriously.

‘Alright, let’s think about it properly from now on.’

Klaus began contemplating how to confess to Muzel.

He was determined not to return to his office until he was fully prepared to face him.

Before he knew it, it was evening. Klaus ultimately did not return to his office.

“I can’t avoid seeing him forever…”
He paced nervously outside the bedroom. Since he realized his emotions, concealing them perfectly was still an impossible task for Klaus, who considered himself inexperienced in such matters. However, he was afraid to confess openly, fearing that Muzel might find it burdensome and resign. The best-case scenario would be her willingly accepting his confession. Although there were various practical and realistic issues to resolve between them, it seemed that with the person he loved, nothing would be difficult. “Alright, let’s go!” Klaus made a difficult decision after several hours. As he stepped out of the bedroom, the chamberlain and guard knights naturally followed him. Klaus stopped them, saying, “Wait, don’t follow me. I won’t leave the palace grounds.” If he stayed within the Crown Prince’s residence, having guards was acceptable. The chamberlain and guard knights reluctantly stepped back. Klaus, filled with tension, headed towards Muzel’s room.
“Hoo….”

The servant quarters were located in a separate building connected by a corridor without windows. It was obvious, but Muzel also resided on the same floor as the male servants. Klaus finding Muzel’s room himself was a first. Even though he knew the location through the servant registry, for Klaus, who had never entered the servant quarters, it was a kind of adventure.

He became sharply nervous.

“Darn it, why are there so many entrances.”

The main residence where he lived had only the front and back gates at most. Having many entrances made security difficult, and it was a rule for servants not to use the entrances where nobles passed through casually.

So, even if it was cumbersome, they usually used the entrances on the side connected to the separate building to move between the main and annex.

On the other hand, the annex had a complex structure with too many entrances, and without knowing the way well, it could be confusing.

It was designed that way to prevent external intruders.

Klaus was now the one who became such an ‘intruder.’

“Ha….”

Perhaps due to tension, the remembered geography of the annex became so confusing that when he passed what seemed like an entrance for the umpteenth time.

“We’re almost there. Thank you for walking with me, Muzel.”