“Young lady!”

Mary was at the entrance when I returned from the imperial palace.

“Lady Blanche! There are some leaves on your body… Did you roll somewhere?”

“Hehe, just a little. I rolled around.”

Mary’s startled gaze turned to me with concern.

“Young lady, are you feeling unwell?”

“I have a bit of a headache.”

“If your headache is severe, please rest. I’ll help Lady Blanche wash up.”

“Thank you, Mary.”

Mary took Blanche’s hand and went upstairs.

‘It’s stuffy. I need some fresh air.’

I went out to the rear garden and walked along the path.

I sighed deeply as the tightness in my chest wouldn’t ease.

Large, quick footsteps followed from behind.

‘Who could it be?’

My body tensed slightly in fear. Then I paused for a moment to think.

‘Wait, this is…’

It sounded similar to Jade’s distinctive footsteps.

“…Jade?”

“How did you know without looking?”

When I called his name, Jade spoke in an impressed voice.

‘As expected. It was Jade after all.’

I continued walking forward without turning around.

“Jade. Why are you here? Weren’t you with the Emperor?”

“I left the palace and came right away. I was going to enter through the balcony, but I saw you in the rear garden.”

“Ah. You must have left at the same time. We should have waited and come together.”

“Larien, did something happen?”

“…What do you mean?”

“You always come out and walk when you’re not feeling well.”

He really knows everything, doesn’t he.

Taking another deep breath, I confided my worries.

“It’s because of the engagement proposed by the Emperor. We avoided it today thanks to you coming, but I’m worried about next time. He’ll surely summon me again soon.”

It was just a one-time thing that Jade came and interfered like today.

We couldn’t avoid it like this every time.

“The Emperor should die soon.”

I turned around in surprise at the brutal content spoken in a low tone.

“Jade! What if someone hears you!”

“There’s only you and me here. And this isn’t the imperial palace.”

Jade shrugged nonchalantly.

‘That’s true, but you’re really fearless.’

What if you get arrested for insulting the royal family?

“Larien, what did you do until you left the palace?”

“The Emperor had the imperial grandson serve me tea, so I went to Sol Palace. I spent time there meeting the imperial grandson’s birth mother.”

“The imperial grandson’s birth mother… You mean Crown Prince Oscar’s concubine?”

Jade referred to Erna as ‘the Crown Prince’s concubine,’ seeming uninterested.

It was strange, considering he would do anything for Erna before.

‘In the original story, the brooch’s jewel was even rose quartz, the color of Erna’s eyes.’

Many things had changed since I possessed Larien. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was now a completely different world from the original.

The sapphire embedded in Jade’s brooch shimmered with a violet hue.

‘They said it’s the same color as his companion’s eyes.’

The first day I learned this fact, I avoided it due to feeling embarrassed.

This time, I moved closer to Jade to examine the sapphire closely.

‘This scent is…’

An unfamiliar fragrance wafted from him instead of his usual citrus scent.

“…Rose?”

It was a bergamot scent mixed with rose. It seemed more like a perfume women usually wear than him changing his scent.

Moreover, it was particularly strong on his neck. As if someone had hugged his neck, leaving the scent behind.

‘Who was he embracing…?’

I brushed off the chilling feeling.

‘…That can’t be. Jade hates even touching other people. Maybe it just rubbed off briefly.’

The habit of getting ahead of myself with my thoughts still hadn’t been fixed.

“Larien, what’s wrong?”

I hid the growing anxiety. I didn’t want to mention my needless suspicion.

“It’s nothing. Just felt a bit dizzy for a moment. More importantly, Jade. How did you manage to drag it out until sunset?”

I stepped back one step, bothered by the rose scent tickling my nose.

“It wasn’t me who dragged out the time, but the Emperor.”

“The Emperor?”

“The Emperor summoned Princess Cassandra, and we ended up having dinner at the princess’s suggestion.”

“Princess Cassandra…?”

Countess Escalif, who had received the Emperor’s order, had rushed off somewhere.

‘So the person she was going to bring after mentioning Jade was there was Princess Cassandra.’

She had been sent with the intention of having Jade and Princess Cassandra meet.

‘Brother wanted to break off the engagement right away, but the Emperor wanted to marry him to Princess Cassandra, so he maintained it.’

Ayla had told me that they tried to arrange a marriage between Princess Cassandra and Jade.

‘Now that Jade has broken off his engagement with Sharlin, is he trying to bring it up again? Even while wanting Blanche and Serendio’s engagement.’

I felt irritated by the Emperor’s greed and became sensitive.

Is this unfamiliar rose scent also Princess Cassandra’s?

“What kind of person is Princess Cassandra?”

“…I haven’t… really thought about it.”

Jade’s answer to the question about Princess Cassandra was extremely delayed.

His answer that he hadn’t really thought about it was suspicious.

‘But his response was delayed. It’s strange to question it too…’

I had no right to do so. Jade and I were just friends to begin with.

The only connection between us was that we unexpectedly became Blanche’s parents.

“But… why does the Emperor want you to marry Princess Cassandra? You’re even different species?”

Suppressing the numerous emotions rising from questions I wanted to ask, I posed a different question.

All of Langrangsha’s royal family were eagle shapeshifters.

The Emperor’s desire for Jade and Princess Cassandra’s marriage didn’t make sense.

“He probably thinks of making me a relative of the imperial family through Princess Cassandra. The Emperor wants to keep the Rowe family close.”

It was because of his obsession to have the Rowe family in his grasp.

A chill ran through my body, making me shiver.

‘So he’s trying to engage Blanche because of the flower girl role at Ayla’s wedding.’

Otherwise, there’s no reason he would show interest in Boston, which had no connection to the imperial family.

“Still, the Emperor only suggests marriage, he doesn’t force it. Princess Cassandra can’t continue the Rowe lineage.”

Jade took off his jacket and wrapped it around me.

‘If different species can’t have children, how was Blanche born?’

It was a question I’d had consistently since learning of Blanche’s existence.

‘Is it because I’m Jade’s companion?’

What exactly is a companion?

Companions were determined by the color of jewels they produced even before meeting.

‘Being companions doesn’t mean we have a special relationship.’

It wasn’t a relationship formed by any accumulated emotions.

Rather, I disliked how it seemed to predetermine that we must fall in love.

“Larien.”

“What?”

“Will you marry me?”

“…What?”

Jade’s red eyes were fixed solely on me.

“I said, let’s get married.”

There was no trace of playfulness to be found.

Jade didn’t add that it was a joke, and just waited.

‘Why is he suddenly proposing marriage?’

Could it be that he loves me…

“Larien. If I marry you and make Blanche my heir, the council of elders won’t tell me to get married and have children.”

…The hope that had swelled in my chest cooled down.

So, right now.

He proposed to avoid troublesome matters by making Blanche his heir.

‘Of course. How silly to think of love from someone who only sees me as a friend.’

“Since you’ve also shapeshifted into a wolf, it won’t be difficult to get approval from the council of elders, Larien.”

Jade explained how he would handle things that would arise after marriage.

“…Jade.”

“I can abolish the custom of having to go to the snowy mountains to gain succession rights.”

Even the succession rights issue, everything.

‘Just participating as a flower girl at the wedding made the Emperor propose an engagement, and now making Blanche the Rowe heir.’

It was absolutely unacceptable. The Emperor would be even more reluctant to give up on making Blanche Serendio’s fiancée.

‘Why did I hide having Blanche and run away in the first place?’

The rejection Blanche, who isn’t pure-blooded, would face.

The constant strange looks she would receive for having me, of a different species, as her mother.

“Jade. I don’t intend to keep you from meeting Blanche. I won’t stop you from coming to the Boston estate. Blanche is your daughter after all.”

I appreciated Jade’s desire to acknowledge his responsibility as Blanche’s father.

“However, you and I don’t have an obligation to marry because of Blanche.”

I didn’t want to burden Jade.

It was uncomfortable to become an existence that’s difficult for others to handle.

It was quite strange. While I certainly wanted Blanche to have a complete and normal family, the idea of marriage itself felt burdensome.

“I don’t want Blanche to become the Rowe heir.”

“…Larien.”

But using that as an excuse to marry without love would only lead to an unhappy ending.

It would be better to see Blanche frequently than to part ways badly and never meet again.

‘I don’t want to take away Blanche’s father twice.’

The temperature between Jade and me was just right as it is now.

Neither too cold nor too hot, with no emotions to exchange.

A lukewarm state where we don’t even get hurt.

“I hope you won’t do this anymore in the future.”

“…You mean you’re refusing?”

“Yes. We don’t need to go as far as marriage. Just continue to be kind to Blanche like you are now.”

He just needs to be a father to Blanche. Nothing more was necessary.