“Does that mean there are things you can’t say?”

“I’m human too, after all.”

I see. The person before me seems so perfect that at times, he’s like a flawless creature meticulously crafted by God.

As we danced to the music, darkness gradually began to fall around us.

Then, as if on cue, lights turned on one by one, brightly illuminating the surroundings.

My gaze, which had been fixed on him, naturally shifted to the bright lights.

‘Come to think of it, there were quite a few people dancing near us. Where did they all go?’

Suddenly, we were the only ones dancing around the fountain. The music was still playing, so I wondered.

In an instant, a strong wind blew. The hat perched on my head flew off with the gust.

I instinctively reached out to grab it, but what I touched wasn’t the hat, but soft flower petals.

As if enchanted, I looked up to see beautiful flower petals raining down.

“Wow. Yezar, look at the sky. It’s so beautiful.”

I was gazing at the falling petals, forgetting even to dance.

This reminded me of when I was at the Count’s estate. During festivals or when the outside was lively, I would sit alone in my room, drinking expensive wine.

Then I would look up at the twinkling night sky.

While thinking it was incredibly beautiful, I tried not to dwell on the subtle loneliness creeping in.

The sparkling lights, people’s laughter, the joyful atmosphere. I thought I wanted to blend in and enjoy it all together.

I didn’t have anyone to go with anyway, and I thought I shouldn’t get involved with the main characters before the ending, but the nights of drinking alone were lonely. Maybe I couldn’t resist and headed to the tavern even before the ending, without realizing it.

‘I wonder what that foolish knight is doing now. I hope he meets a proper person and shares love.’

He looked so lonely too.

Most of the times we met, I was half-drunk, so his face is only a blur in my memory, but the impression of his handsomeness remains clear.

‘Why did he suddenly disappear? I was going to ask his name properly and try to become friends when the ending came.’

Whether something happened to him, he abruptly stopped his frequent visits. Even when I asked the tavern owner, he just shook his head saying he didn’t know, so there was no other way to find him.

If I happen to meet him by chance next time, I’d like to ask if he saw this beautiful scenery.

“It’s extremely beautiful. Just like you, my lady.”

At some point, Yezar’s hat must have flown off too, as his face was clearly visible. His eyes were fixed on me. Instead of the usual sea-blue color, brown-tinged eyes greeted me.

Why? The rippling brown eyes seemed somehow familiar.

As if I had met them somewhere before. For a moment, the blurry face of that knight flashed in my mind.

‘Huh…? Do they resemble each other somewhere?’

The moment I had that thought, water gushed out from the fountain, drenching us precisely.

“M-My lady!”

Yezar rushed towards me, but the water from the fountain had already soaked me completely.

I suddenly became a drenched mouse. Not just my clothes, but even my hair was soaked through, looking like seaweed.

Ah, so that’s why there was no one around us. They must have known this would happen and stayed away.

I could clearly imagine the maids’ faces falling. The makeup they had worked so hard on would surely be washed away.

“My lady, are you alright?”

Yezar, who came running over worriedly, was just as soaked as I was. Water was dripping from his hair. Strangely, that made me burst into laughter.

“Hahaha. We’re both soaked. It’s my first time. Getting drenched like this!”

Even though my clothes were heavy with water and my hair was damp, I laughed brightly. It was truly unexpected.

If I hadn’t met him, I surely wouldn’t have experienced something like this.

“Thinking that every moment with Yezar will be filled with such special and new experiences makes me very happy.”

While it might be an unpleasant mishap for some, to me it was a unique memory. I wanted to make more memories like this.

“Ah, I called you wrong again. I mean, Ern?”

Realizing my mistake, I called out to him. Was there a bright red light around? His face was like the sunset.

His tightly pressed lips seemed to be holding back words that were about to burst out.

‘Could it be, did I laugh too much? Or is he flustered because I look too unsightly right now?’

As I was checking my appearance, Yezar took out a handkerchief and started wiping my wet hair.

“…This is the second time I’ve seen you laugh like that.”

“Pardon?”

“I really like that laugh. It’s a mischievous smile different from your usual one.”

For a moment, I was flustered, thinking he was confessing to me. Even though that couldn’t be. My heart reacted on its own, pounding loudly. A handsome man soaked in water was indeed dangerous.

“I-Is that so?”

Thinking it was different from the smile Julieta would make, I had hidden it away and only shown it to him once. But it seems it came out again, unable to be contained.

“Yes. I like it very much. And I’m also happy thinking that every moment with Julieta will be this joyful.”

Why does this person always say such lovely things to me? This is why I feel fluttery.

I felt his hands carefully wiping my hair. It was so gentle that I felt like fragile glass that might break.

‘He doesn’t need to wipe so carefully. But why does my cheek feel tingly?’

As I turned my gaze for a moment, I was startled by the stares piercing us and quickly turned back to face forward.

“E-Ern. It seems like we’re the center of attention. Is it just my imagination?”

“I don’t think you need to call me Ern anymore.”

As soon as Yezar said that, his eyes and hair were returning to their original brilliant color.

“Ye-Yezar! Your hair and eyes!”

“Your hair and eye color have also returned to normal, my lady.”

I hurriedly tried to cover my face with my hat, only to realize that it had flown far away.

‘Oh no! Yezar’s hat flew away with mine when it went!’

“What should we do? Are we really okay?”

I hoped we were, but I could hear whispers calling us “Duke” and “Duchess” among the voices around us.

“Well. If the knights don’t show up, we might be alright.”

“Q-Quick, let’s run away!”

We had disguised ourselves precisely because we wanted to walk around quietly, so I didn’t want to draw attention. Besides, knights! I’ve never even been in the corner of a newspaper. This is why the life of high nobility is tiring!

I grabbed his hand and started running. He followed, laughing out loud.

“What are you laughing at! Everyone’s looking at us now!”

“Kuk. I’m sorry, my lady.”

It seemed I was the only one taking this seriously.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next day. I saw an article splashed across the front page of the Imperial newspaper.

[Exclusive! Duke and Duchess of Perhaem’s secret date scene witnessed!]

Below the attention-grabbing title was a description of us dancing and laughing by the fountain in the square, along with speculative articles about our dating days.

[The sudden marriage announcement of the Perhaem ducal family had many wondering if there was some kind of deal between the families. But today, the speculation that their marriage was a transaction has been proven false. We captured the natural dating scene of the ducal couple, who seem to have enjoyed dates disguised as commoners even during their courtship days. Now, we should wait without doubt for news of their heir…]

“H-Heir news!”

I crumpled the newspaper without realizing it. My face was burning hot.

How is this the most popular newspaper in the Empire? Do people really enjoy this kind of gossip? Though I suppose it’s fortunate that the doubts of those who were puzzled by the sudden marriage announcement have been dispelled.

‘I feel so sorry for Yezar.’

Not only did I spread rumors about Yezar being a insatiable beast, but now we’ve been caught disguised at the festival and it’s made the news.

This might become an obstacle when he tries to forget Bertisha and meet someone new someday.

‘I want to see Yezar smiling and happy, meeting someone to give and receive love with, without suffering from love anymore.’

Regardless of the fluttery feelings I felt for him, I didn’t want to be greedy and burden him.

“I shouldn’t have suggested dancing…”

“I enjoyed it. Did you dislike it, my lady?”

His voice sounded dejected as he asked. Startled, I stood up to find Yezar behind me.

“Ye-Yezar? When did you come?”

“Just now. I wondered what you were looking at. It seems the article really was published.”

“Yes… I was worrying about what to do now that the article is out.”

I’d like to retract it all if I could. It seems like it might interfere with Yezar’s rosy future in many ways.

“Do you want it retracted?”

“Well, you might not like it, Yezar.”

“It’s alright. It’s just a married couple on a date, isn’t it?”

Saying that made my insides tingle.

For now, I had told him to act like a normal married couple, but we were a couple with a predetermined end. I couldn’t just let this soft behavior continue.

“Don’t you remember? Because of me, rumors spread about you being an insatiable beast pouncing on your wife. I feel like I’ve added fuel to those rumors.”

“Well, what does it matter? Isn’t a close couple better than an estranged one?”

Yezar is too kind, just saying everything is fine. It seemed pointless to say more; I’d only end up hurting myself.

“Still, it was fun. So much that I want to go again.”

“Let’s go next time. We’ll be more thorough so we don’t get caught.”

“Yes, it’s a promise.”

I must be becoming more like him. There was a time when I would have cut things off sharply, but now I see how blurred the lines have become.