Yuan blankly looked up at his eyes, undulating like waves.

… What sound did I just hear?

As she organized her confused thoughts, each word he chose and uttered was enough to make Yuan’s face turn red.

‘Are you really worried?’

Yuan tried to find sincerity in Clard’s eyes.

Is this the same man who coldly told her not to cross the line?

Going out of the mansion with the servants at will and burying his dog.

Even though she came to the bedroom later than their daily promised time, looking like a wet mouse.

‘Did you tell me to just go today because you were worried it would be hard if I slept with you? Is that why you’re angry now?’

Yuan stood there for a moment, feeling as if she had been hit on the back of the head.

As Yuan didn’t avoid his gaze, this time she could see Clard’s face turning red.

Her body was still shivering from the remaining cold, but her heart was filled with warm light.

Yuan grabbed Clard’s arm and led him to the mirror hidden behind a large flower pot.

During that time, she absorbed a great deal of the pain remaining on his face.

Though it was still patchy, his face was much cleaner than when Lancelot was surprised last time.

Yuan urged his gaze, looking down at the held arm, towards the mirror.

“Is it disgusting?”

He stared at Yuan instead of the mirror.

Yuan pulled his arm more and shook it.

“As much as Your Highness thinks. Is it that difficult to look at?”

Hesitating, Clard very slowly shifted his gaze towards the mirror.

The body that had been dragged without will suddenly tensed up.

Yuan looked at him in the mirror, suppressing the pain she had drawn from him.

This face was good enough to make an excuse that he had scars from an illness he suffered as a child.

If she took it a few more times, if not all the pain, at least the traces of pain on his face would be cleaned.

If this mark was the biggest reason for confining him, Yuan was willing to bear it.

Considering that he was almost pierced by arrows to the point of losing his limbs because of his involvement with Yuan, this was a pain she could sufficiently endure.

She could bury the pain and screams in her heart and take them out little by little when alone.

Lessening the guilt, and cleaning his face.

So if Clard could stand in the beautifully decorated garden, in the western annex that had been cleaned as much as the traces on his face had been erased, and smile at her just once.

If things could flow that way, even if he spoke any cold words.

Yuan thought she could live gratefully for the new family and home she had gained.

So that he wouldn’t constantly ask ‘why?’ as if it were natural for family.

“I wish Your Highness could live like other people.”

Yuan wanted to live like other people.

An imperfect family. Even a home that everyone points to as desolate.

She wanted to have it.

Yes, Yuan Peliesse wanted such things.

Not a place where she lived miserably, being exploited by strangers her uncle brought.

Even if it was painful, she wanted to have it here, where she chose for herself and felt proud if the other person was even a little happy.

“You said no one likes to be in pain.”

“……”

“You don’t like being in pain either, do you, Your Highness?”

She wished he would rely on her. Accept her kindness, share the pain, and accept her as family.

Not pushing her far away with just one word about not crossing the line, and being alone on a lonely island.

She wanted to be close, sharing warmth even if it hurt a little.

Not eating away at herself with foolish words like having a strong stomach or asking if she liked him.

She wished he would reveal his original beautiful face under the bright sun and smile at her without hesitation.

“It’s foolish not to rely on me when you can.”

“……”

“Ordinary people… others all live like that. Whether it’s a trivial medicine or an expensive one, they gladly take it if it can prevent pain. Even with any side effects.”

“Side effects.”

“For Your Highness, those side effects seem to manifest as words doubting that I’m still okay.”

“……”

“The night has grown too deep, Your Highness.”

For Clard not to doubt her ability, even though she had already taken more than today’s share of pain, the ritual of drinking tea and touching him was necessary.

“If Your Highness considers yourself ugly, how about we call it even since I didn’t wash up?”

It was an clumsy seduction.

Clard looked like he had a lot to say.

Yuan opened her mouth first to stop his.

“Let’s live like that.”

“……”

“Like ordinary, other people.”

Yuan handed Clard the medicine bottle in her arms.

Clard looked at that medicine bottle for a long time before swallowing it as if drinking poison.

Then he stood still, staring intently at her in the mirror. At her, looking like an unsightly wet mouse.

Yuan glanced at his lips, slightly stained with the brown medicine, then slowly hugged his back from behind.

By now, Yuan’s warmth, slightly dried and heated, enveloped his back.

Clard’s eyes blinked slowly.

Yuan, absorbing a bit more pain, watched until the end as his eyes, which he had strained not to fall asleep, slowly closed.

“Miss Regina. Is that?”

“Oh, my goodness, look at me forgetting to put it away.”

“Could that be… a personal letter from the First Prince?”

Regina secretly smiled while pretending to put away Boloniko’s letter of concern, which she had deliberately not hidden.

A small commotion arose among the young ladies who had just entered their 20s.

Regina was holding tea parties almost every day before the upcoming debutante ball at the Imperial Palace.

It was a time when rumors were slowly spreading that a young lady who hadn’t even officially debuted in society had caught the eye of First Prince Boloniko.

At first, it felt uncomfortable, as if she was lying on the back of the First Prince’s favor.

But as if to quell Regina’s anxiety, First Prince Boloniko was quite proactive.

“Is it true that His Highness bestowed not only the dress you’ll wear at the debutante ball, but also the shoes and all the hair ornaments, Miss Regina?”

“What I heard was a rumor that you two attend a music salon in the capital every week, but is there something more these days?”

Rumors spread quickly and widely.

First Prince Boloniko didn’t bother to deliver letters secretly, nor did he react to exaggerated or non-existent facts circulating.

Regina was the same.

“I’m embarrassed. All I can say is that when you exchange in good friendship and find like-mindedness, rumors different from reality can spread.”

The scandal with First Prince Boloniko was a boon for Regina.

Her mother, Priscilla, was originally the daughter of a merchant family, so she was subtly looked down upon in social circles.

But as soon as her daughter became involved with the First Prince, noble families that had been snobbish before sent successive invitations to tea parties, so she had been in high spirits lately.

Naturally, there were speculations that Regina Peliesse would be the most notable debutante at the upcoming Imperial Palace debut.

In short, Regina’s value was skyrocketing on the back of First Prince Boloniko.

Her father, Count Peliesse, was also managing to get through the difficult period caused by Yuan’s absence.

It was also thanks to Boloniko’s name value.

“I wonder if this might lead to Lady Ariesta being jilted.”

“Oh my, strictly speaking, it’s not a ‘jilting,’ is it? They haven’t even held an engagement ceremony, have they?”

“They say true love comes late. Maybe they’re not meant for each other.”

Regina, thinking she’d rather drink sweet juice than tasteless tea, tried hard to catch whatever she could hear.

‘Lady Ariesta, huh.’

When Igor Yufris became Emperor, the one who inherited the position of Northern Grand Duke that he had held was Count Drieuter, the current Grand Duke Drieuter.

Ariesta was the only daughter of Grand Duke Drieuter and the protagonist of a life reversal who went from being a count’s daughter to a grand duchess in an instant.

For a very brief moment, Regina thought with a chuckle that Ariesta’s situation was somewhat similar to her own.

After all, she too was a protagonist of life reversal, going from a commoner to a noble lady.

“From Lady Ariesta’s perspective, wouldn’t the First Prince have been the true love that came late? Originally, the Lady was−”

As soon as the story of the deposed prince came up, the atmosphere of the tea party became heavy.

Regina straightened her back, her eyes shining at the welcome topic.

“Was there something between Lady Ariesta and the deposed prince?”

“The two were originally engaged. From a very long time ago. They were on good terms too.”

“Then what’s the use? As soon as His Highness became like that, Lady Ariesta−”

The young lady who loved gossip lowered her voice even more and whispered.

“It’s a famous anecdote that she went to pay a sick visit, screamed, and ran away from that mansion.”

Pitiful sighs and giggling laughter. Regina was excited about the news she was hearing for the first time, but tried not to show it.

“And right away, rumors spread that the Grand Duchess became engaged to His Highness Boloniko, his cousin. But looking at the reality, it was all false. Perhaps the First Prince’s true love might be someone else−”

Selettina, the duke’s daughter who had been sitting primly as if she didn’t want to get involved in gossip, narrowed her eyes as if measuring Regina and opened her mouth.

“Regina, you said you first met ‘him’ at the wedding anniversary party at that black mansion, right? His Highness Boloniko.”

The suspicious wedding party held at the black mansion was a place only selected people could attend, so Regina held her head high.

The Selettina ducal family also attended as they were among the Emperor’s closest confidants, but she had heard that the duke didn’t want to take his daughter all the way to the harsh Rocksenhart.

“That’s right.”

“Is the deposed prince really that hideous? How about the deposed empress, your cousin?”

Regina put down the teacup she had been pretending to drink from and confidently opened her mouth.

“The deposed prince−”