So today, I ended up coming to the garden with Reus.

Even though I came here every day, having one person change made the place feel a bit different. It seemed the same for the servants, as they all glanced at us at least once as they passed by.

It was really nice to spend such ordinary time sitting side by side like this.

‘But what should we talk about?’

A long time had passed since we sat down, but neither of us brought up anything substantial to say. Then, mustering up some courage, I opened my mouth first.

“By the way, have you been busy lately?”

“Why? Would you prefer if I left?”

“What? No…! I was just worried that I might be taking up your time when you’re busy.”

“It’s fine.”

It was an ambiguous answer, whether he meant it was okay to take up some of his time or that he wasn’t as busy as I thought. But since he didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving, I didn’t ask for more details.

‘Hmm. What would be good to ask?’

These days, Reus has been making time to have meals with me at least twice a day, and even when receiving guests, he stays by my side from beginning to end, so we’ve been spending much more time together.

But this was the first time we sat side by side like this without any particular reason.

I wanted to keep the conversation going as long as possible, not knowing when we would have this kind of time again, but I couldn’t think of anything to ask.

‘Most of the things I’m curious about could be sensitive questions.’

That’s when Reus asked me a question.

“By the way, what is your reason for wanting to go to Bellata? If you were going to leave, there would have been many better options.”

“Um… I didn’t have some grand reason…”

Even though I said that, Reus looked at me as if he was really curious about the reason and wanted me to tell him.

“When I was young… I went to the capital with my father once. At that time, I saw a cruise advertisement, and the scenery of Bellata in that ad looked so beautiful. So I thought I must go there if I ever left the empire.”

“You were already thinking of leaving from a young age?”

The reason for wanting to go to Bellata was ultimately to avoid the original storyline, the engagement with Reus.

But I thought it might seem a bit strange to Reus, who didn’t know that fact, for me to want to leave for another country from such a young age.

However, Reus’s reaction was unexpectedly understanding.

“Hmm… In a way, yes. But I didn’t initially plan to go to Bellata from the beginning. I originally intended to just move regions within the empire. I never thought about getting a new identity or anything like that.”

“Did you have someone helping you?”

“A close friend named Eni from Evelle asked me what I thought about buying a new identity and completely leaving the empire. Thankfully, I was introduced to Anas through that friend as well.”

I felt excited to be having such a personal, everyday conversation with Reus. So I looked at Reus with eyes that said I could talk about anything and that it was okay to ask more questions.

But the next question wasn’t something I particularly wanted to answer.

“But it must have required a lot of money to buy a new identity.”

“Hmm… That’s true.”

I tried to brush it off and play dumb, but Reus seemed like he would wait until I answered. Having no choice, I continued speaking.

“I sold gifts my father gave me to make money… and, well, this and that…”

I had pried off and sold decorations, stolen and sold candlesticks.

I couldn’t bring myself to explain in detail, so I vaguely summed it up. But Reus seemed to understand it well again.

His reaction was indifferent, but I felt awkward for no reason and quickly changed the subject.

“A-Anyway, you’re not going to have dessert, Reus?”

“No.”

His answer was very quick and concise, as if he had no intention of eating from the beginning.

The desserts prepared on the tea table looked like they were easily more than enough for two people, even at a glance.

‘He wants me to eat all this alone…?’

Is this why he didn’t nag me to eat more today at lunch? If I had known, I should have eaten less.

As I was seriously staring at the table, Reus spoke.

“I won’t make you eat it all. Just have as much as you want of what you like.”

Hearing that he had no intention of making me eat it all was a relief.

“But Reus, do you not really like sweets?”

“I don’t particularly have a preference for them.”

It was exactly the answer I expected, but it was a bit disappointing.

In Reus’s everyday life, there was really not a single bit of joy to be found.

He couldn’t even sleep well, only repeating work and training until he fell asleep with his eyes open, and he barely managed to eat. He didn’t have any favorite desserts or teas he enjoyed either.

“This one isn’t very sweet. Want to try it?”

I poked a piece of dark chocolate and held it out to Reus. His eyes looking at the chocolate were filled with reluctance.

“Just try one piece. It might be unexpectedly good, you know.”

“…”

“This one really isn’t very sweet… Please?”

In the past, he would have flatly refused. But these days, Reus never says such things.

Though it’s not like he readily agrees either.

“I’ll have it later.”

It wasn’t like Reus to refuse in a roundabout way, so I couldn’t help but laugh.

‘This makes me want to tease him.’

“If you really don’t want to, I’ll use a favor. Still no…?”

I thought the answer would be that he would refuse if I was going to use a favor for such a trivial thing. But Reus didn’t answer and slightly furrowed his brows.

Then, in that same posture with his arms crossed, he leaned his upper body slightly forward. Because of that, Reus’s face came a bit closer from the front.

Our gazes locked for a very brief moment with just a fork between us. I felt nervous for some reason and held my breath for a moment.

As I was just blinking like that, Reus, still with a displeased expression, slowly put the dark chocolate that had been on the fork into his mouth.

It seemed he really didn’t like the feeling of the chocolate melting in his mouth, as he slightly narrowed his eyes. Even after finishing the chocolate, it took some time before Reus opened his mouth again.

“You must be itching to lower the value of my life.”

“How did the conversation go there again…”

“Now you’re coming out with settling it by eating chocolate. What else am I supposed to think?”

Why does he have to go that far…

‘He jokes around just fine, but when I do it, he really goes off on me…’

Feeling a bit dejected that he seemed upset about being forced to eat the chocolate, I apologetically said, “It was a joke… I’m sorry.”

But then Reus suddenly put a piece of dark chocolate into my mouth.

“If you’re apologizing for making a personal request, I’ll gladly accept it.”

The surprise from his sudden action was brief. I realized he had played me again, seeing Reus’s somewhat playful expression.

* * *

These days, Dwin had been spending unprecedentedly leisurely days.

‘Where did His Highness go again today…?’

He started reducing his work little by little, and now he even disappeared in the middle of working.

After Shanette left, Reus went down to the dining hall without fail if there was nothing special going on.

From then on, his training and work began to gradually decrease, and after Feria’s visit, he tried to spend most of his time with Roel, except for when she was in the library.

Because of that, work had completely taken a back seat, and all external schedules had been canceled entirely a few weeks ago.

At this point, even Dwin, who had terribly poor intuition, began to sense that something was off.

Actually, this suspicion had started from the moment Reus headed to Count Pilaren’s estate himself.

There was a schedule set to go to the capital right after returning to the ducal castle. But as soon as he returned and dawn broke, he disappeared, leaving only a single memo telling him to cancel the schedule.

It was a bit strange because he never handled work that way usually, but at that time, it could be brushed off as him acting swiftly for the ducal family.

But these days, no matter how much he thought about it…

“Nah. There’s no way His Highness would do that. It doesn’t make sense.”

Even as he said that, Dwin’s serious eyes were fixed on Reus’s empty seat.

‘Could it really be…?’

Dwin abruptly stood up. Then he shook his head repeatedly, trying to shake off the strange thoughts. Whenever his thoughts became complicated, he recalled Reus, who would go to the window.

Thinking that maybe his thoughts would get sorted out if he also stood there and looked outside, he approached the window. But as soon as he stood in front of it, he witnessed an unbelievable sight.

It was Reus accepting and eating the dark chocolate Roel was holding. That alone was enough to make him lose his mind, but then His Highness put a piece of dark chocolate into Her Highness’s mouth.

‘What did I… What did I just see?’

Perhaps because he was so greatly shocked, Dwin froze in place like a stone, his mouth gaping open.

No matter how dense he was in this regard, he could tell that the way he looked at Her Highness was distinctly different from how he looked at others.

* * *

As a gentle breeze softly fluttered Roel’s platinum blonde hair, he had the illusion that those very strands were grazing his chest. Soon, an itchiness rose from within and that sensation gradually spread throughout his body.

“In Bellata, even in December it’s summer, so everyone gathers at the beach for a year-end celebration party. They have fireworks festivals in the evening, and although it may not be as grand as the festivals held in the empire, I think it will be really spectacular.”

Why was it so difficult to take his eyes off this woman today of all days?

Reus engraved in his eyes the sight of Roel, who spoke a bit excitedly about Christmas on a midsummer night.

Her fair complexion, upon which the lustrous sunlight rested, dyeing her cheeks a rosy color, couldn’t have looked more lovely.

And when his eyes met her blue eyes that held only him, the world’s colors began to grow vivid, starting with the woman.

Soon, his field of vision expanded from the woman to the world, and things he hadn’t noticed before began to come into view.

Things like the sea stretching out vastly ahead, the lively blue-green garden, the brilliance of the sunlight shining down upon it.

Yes. The world of early summer hidden in the depths of his memory seemed to have colors like this.

Seagulls flapping their wings over the sea that sparkled as if silver shards had been poured out. The fresh scent of grass. The gentle breeze of early summer. The overflowing vitality could be felt throughout his body, and his breath opened up.

Something surged greatly in his heart, and the sound of his heartbeat gradually quickened.

Now he understood why his eyes had always followed the woman.

He had been breathing through her.

He felt he would probably not forget this moment for a long time. Perhaps he would recall today even before he finished his revenge and became free.

When had the emotion that sprouted from a small curiosity become so vividly tangible?

It was the moment he realized that the woman who had come into his desolate life was his first love.