Having accepted his proposal, I excused myself from the crowd and headed towards the less crowded sponsorship area.

“By this time, all the roses in the kingdom would have shed their petals, but the flowers here at Rose Palace, fitting the name, are overflowing with vitality. It’s a truly beautiful sight.”

As Cain sighed softly while gazing at the blooming roses in the garden, I responded casually, as if it were nothing special.
“Sione mentioned that all the flowers here have been enhanced with magic. It was Father’s request to plant flowers that he could see all year round.”

“Lord’s romantic command is quite surprising, to be honest. It seems he had a deep affection for the former queen during his lifetime.”

“To be honest, I can’t believe it. If you see him now, he seems like a person with absolutely no affection. It wasn’t like that in the past.”

Feeling inexplicably disappointed, I kicked a pebble rolling on the ground with my foot. If only Father could treat me with even a fraction of the affection he had for the former queen. I was reaching the point of jealousy toward a mother whose face I didn’t even know, having been neglected for too long.

“I’ve heard stories from the adults, but it’s hard to believe that Father is a romantic. He wasn’t like that before, right?”

“To vampires, the presence of a mate is absolute. Losing a mate is like permanently losing a part of oneself. I dare say, Lord hasn’t recovered from that shock yet. With time, Lady Bella, you will likely open his heart.”

As Cain comforted me, patting my shoulder, I felt a tingling sensation in my nose. It had been a delicate topic, and I hadn’t had a chance to talk openly with Sione about it.

Even though I pretended not to need Father’s attention for so long, I couldn’t help feeling emotional, wondering if I longed for the affection of a parent.

“The concept of a mate is quite fascinating. Our kind is known for enjoying free and youthful romance, but once a mate appears, others don’t even catch our eye.”

“Suddenly one day, it happens like that? I’m curious about how it feels.”

“That’s why I’m trying to welcome my mate as soon as possible. Technically, it’s possible only after reaching adulthood, but I’m not interested in meeting various people. The precious person won’t change so easily.”

Although I was somewhat nervous, thinking he might be setting the stage for a marriage proposal, Cain walked silently with an indifferent expression.

It was just my speculation, but it seemed that Cain brought up the mate story not to pressure me into an engagement but rather to honestly explain his feelings.

“Just in case, I’ll let you know; I’m not interested in things like marriage. Us being engaged is the same. Don’t burden me with that. I don’t want to force myself into anything like that.”

“Of course. I’ll follow Lady Bella’s wishes in everything, so please don’t worry.”

“Don’t complain about the engagement in front of others. Got it? Last time, you suddenly told Raven about it, and how surprised he was…”

At that moment, I literally froze in place.
In the distance, a scene caught my eye of someone swinging a sword.

“Oh, what impeccable timing. It’s as if they knew we were talking about my story.”

While Cain was glancing in the direction where Raven was, I grinned.

‘It’s strange. Raven used to train somewhere else. Did he move his training spot in the meantime?’

I deliberately turned away to avoid a chance encounter, fearing that we might exchange unpleasant words like the last time. It felt a bit frustrating, unsure whether I should continue pretending not to see him or acknowledge his presence.

‘Well, I don’t know. Let’s just avoid him for now.’

Fortunately, Raven, deeply focused on sword practice, seemed not to have noticed our presence yet.

Just as I was about to suggest moving to another place by poking Cain’s side discreetly, he suddenly raised his hand and vigorously waved it towards Raven.

“Hey, Raven! Long time no see. Can we come over for a moment?”

…Oh, right.

This guy was like that.

I had momentarily forgotten in the attempt to create a serious atmosphere, but Cain had never moved as I predicted from the very beginning.

Sighing deeply, feeling somewhat resigned, Raven, who was far away, approached us step by step with a sword in hand, coming to a stop right in front of Cain.

“That guy I saw last time. Bella, did you invite him here?”

“Oh, my name is not ‘that guy.’ It’s Cain. I mentioned it last time as well.”

“I don’t have a good memory. Since I might forget again the next time we meet, keep that in mind.”

Hmm, the air suddenly felt heavy and something seemed off.

Caught between Cain, who was smiling so happily, and Raven, who had an incredibly cold expression, I broke into a cold sweat.

Trying to figure out how to handle this atmosphere, I rolled my eyes around. Suddenly, Cain brought up a random topic.

“Your sword skills are quite excellent. Seeing your movements without any extra details, it seems you have an excellent teacher.”

“Fair enough.”

“But it seems you lack experience in actual combat. When you stopped the sword earlier, it would have been better if you had not attacked but instead retreated a step. Defense can sometimes be the best offense.”

Perhaps sensing something in the remarks, Raven narrowed his eyes but didn’t respond. It seemed like it was a story that only made sense among people who handled swords.

“You seem to know how to handle a sword too. You’re right. I’ve never had proper training. Even if the teacher, who is supposed to be a master, finds it bothersome and rarely spars with me.”

“Oh, that’s regrettable. After all, in real combat, the importance of a sword is undeniable. There are certainly limitations to fighting by imagining the enemy in your head, like you do.”

As Cain sighed deeply while speaking, Raven’s face twisted even more intensely.
From Raven’s perspective, Cain’s straightforward manner of speaking seemed somewhat disdainful.

‘I can’t let it go like this.’

Feeling like the atmosphere might turn hostile like last time, I tried to intervene, but Raven, without giving me a chance, approached Cain closely and raised his eyebrows.

“How about you become my sparring partner? You seem like quite a precious young master from a noble family. I’ll make sure not to hurt you too much.”

“Haha, I’m always welcome. Since we’re talking about it, how about trying it right now?”

For a moment, it felt like unseen flames were flickering between the two.

Looking at the two boys, who might seem quite different on the surface but, in simple terms, were not much different, I silently prayed.

…Oh, Almighty.

Please, intervene with these naive kids.