The transparent amber whiskey filled the short glass on the mahogany table. The aroma of ripe, rich fruit and a faint smokiness filled the reception room.

“Please drink.”

As Caeron handed the glass of whiskey to Rainien, he also raised his own glass. Seeing Caeron down his drink in one go, Rainien likewise lifted his glass and poured it into his mouth.

“Ugh……”

Rainien let out an involuntary low groan at the feeling of alcohol burning down his throat. Caeron’s lips curved crookedly at Rainien’s reaction.

“Oh my…… Are you alright? It’s quite strong, despite appearances.”

“……I’m fine.”

Though he said he was fine, for Rainien who didn’t usually drink, this was practically pure alcohol.

‘I let my guard down……’

Seeing its fragrant appearance and Caeron drinking it straight, he thought the alcohol content wouldn’t be high. As if mocking him, Caeron refilled his glass and drank again with an unfazed expression.

‘Get a grip. This is an opponent I can’t let my guard down against for even a moment.’

Moreover, the Grand Duke was famous for disliking unnecessary waste of time. Even during his last visit to the Lisandro Empire, many wanted to meet the Grand Duke separately, but no one could easily do so.

There must be a clear reason why such a Grand Duke had asked to meet with him first. And he had a guess as to why.

Rainien narrowed his eyes as if trying to focus. Caeron’s low voice reached his ears as he tried to concentrate.

“Actually, I’ve wanted to arrange a meeting like this for a while. Since I heard Prince Rainien was coming to study in Jupiter.”

“Is that so.”

“Of course, I didn’t expect the Grand Duchess would be between the Prince and myself like this at the time.”

As expected…… The reason for this conversation was the Grand Duchess, just as he had guessed.

Rainien responded to Caeron’s words with an even more serious look in his eyes.

“I also think it was an unexpected fortune. Meeting Aidel, that is.”

“An unexpected fortune…… So that’s what your relationship with the Grand Duchess means to you, Prince.”

“……That’s right. I think it’s a precious relationship that won’t come again.”

He met Aidel by chance and they became connected. And to Rainien, she was a precious existence he wanted to become his destiny.

Caeron’s cold voice cut through such feelings of his mercilessly.

“As a precious ‘friend’, you mean.”

“……”

Rainien’s jaw muscle twitched at Caeron’s emphasis on ‘friend’. It was because he had unknowingly gritted his molars.

He knew too. That he should acknowledge his relationship with Aidel. Yet his tightly closed lips wouldn’t open easily.

− Rainien and I are friends, right? Unchangingly so from now on.

− ……Of course. Naturally.

In front of Aidel, he had pretended to suppress his feelings to reassure her, but he didn’t want to do so in front of this man.

A faint crease appeared between Caeron’s brows as he looked at Rainien, who was unable to answer and filled with anguish. But soon he smiled faintly and composed his expression.

“Aidel said the same.”

Caeron deliberately called her Aidel instead of Grand Duchess. Interlocking his fingers, he leaned back leisurely against the sofa, exuding the composure of one who has everything.

Seeing his demeanor, Rainien felt somewhat indignant and clenched his fist slightly.

“What did Aidel say?”

“She said the Prince was an important person to her.”

“……!”

For a moment, Rainien’s hardened expression went blank. Hearing that Aidel had directly told Caeron he was important to her made his heart flutter. His mood, which had been down all along, seemed to lift again.

Watching Rainien, Caeron’s lips curved slightly. Not missing the momentary gap when Rainien lowered his guard, he continued in a monotone but forceful voice.

“As a ‘friend’ who understands each other, she said.”

Rainien’s expression went blank again, for a different reason. At the mention of ‘friend’, his heart that had swelled up in an instant sank to the bottom. Rainien barely managed to squeeze out a response in a voice as low as his mood.

“……I see.”

“To be honest, at first I was worried about and wary of the relationship between the Grand Duchess and the Prince.”

Rainien’s face showed faint puzzlement at Caeron’s words openly stating his true feelings. Soon, as if to resolve his doubt, Caeron continued speaking.

“But Aidel asked me to trust her. She said she would maintain a ‘friendship’ with the Prince going forward.”

“……!”

It was a merciless confirmation of his relationship with her. Rainien’s eyes shook violently in shock.

Hearing Aidel’s feelings again through Caeron’s mouth felt several times more painful than hearing it directly from her. It felt like his chest was burning even more fiercely than when he had downed the strong whiskey.

‘Do I really have to give up my feelings now……’

Rainien’s lake-colored eyes, which had lowered to the table, slowly clouded with sadness.

Meanwhile, Caeron frowned as he watched Rainien. As expected, he should have felt pleased seeing that expression, but it was the opposite.

‘……How strange.’

Caeron’s mood grew increasingly low as he watched Rainien transparently reveal his inner feelings regarding Aidel.

The reason Caeron had arranged this meeting with Rainien was clearly to define his relationship with Aidel. If he couldn’t cut off their bothersome relationship, there was a need to draw a clear line.

Rainien still didn’t know how to properly hide the emotions contained in his gaze when looking at Aidel. He wanted to warn him not to cross the line and make him give up his feelings.

He pressured and cornered Rainien as intended. Telling him Aidel’s words verbatim was effective as he had thought. And yet…….

‘Why do I feel so bad about this?’

Watching him shake helplessly because of Aidel, a strange sense of déjà vu crept up from his toes. As if looking at a reflection of himself in a mirror he didn’t want to face.

It was when Caeron reached for the glass on the table, trying to calm his unsettled mind.

“……There’s something I want to ask.”

Rainien slowly parted his lips, breaking the silence that had lasted for a while. With his head held high, he stared intently at Caeron.

“What is it?”

“Do you truly…… ‘love’ Aidel?”

“……!”

At Rainien’s unexpected question, Caeron’s hand froze as he was lifting the glass.

Rainien, who had been staring persistently at his face, didn’t miss the momentary bewilderment that flashed across Caeron’s eyes.

The question Rainien asked was a final confirmation. He thought that if the Grand Duke loved Aidel as much as himself, he could give up while wishing for her happiness.

But the Grand Duke was clearly hesitating to answer his question. Even though he was already married to Aidel and publicly expressing affection for the Grand Duchess……

‘What on earth is he hesitating for?’

Rainien couldn’t understand. If he were the Grand Duke, he would have said without hesitation that he loved her right away.

When he felt so sorrowful that he couldn’t say those words himself…… The man in the position he envied most in the world still couldn’t open his mouth.

‘Could it be…… Ophelia was right?’

Seeing Caeron’s expression tinged with anguish, Rainien suddenly recalled what his twin sister Ophelia had said in the past. What she had said, trembling at the news of the Grand Duke’s marriage.

− He’s a man who doesn’t know the emotion called love.

− Why on earth would such a woman marry someone like Grand Duke Ellios? If she lives with a man like that, her body and heart will freeze solid.

Women who had given affection to the Grand Duke, including Ophelia, were coldly rejected.

Of course, he knew well that the Grand Duke’s attitude towards those women was completely different from his attitude towards the current Grand Duchess.

Still, seeing the Grand Duke’s appearance as if he couldn’t be certain of love, Rainien felt strong doubt.

‘Was his behavior towards Aidel just outward courtesy towards the Grand Duchess?’

Rainien’s gaze deepened with concern.

‘If the Grand Duke’s feelings for Aidel aren’t true love……’

Clearly, the one who would end up hurt later would be Aidel.

− Your Highness has shown me more than enough affection. I want to repay that affection too.

The image of Aidel smiling shyly while choosing a cravat to gift the Grand Duke was still vivid. Even now, it made a corner of his heart ache.

He couldn’t bear to see her straightforward affection for the Grand Duke being broken.

‘Even if the Grand Duke just hasn’t realized his own feelings yet……’

He was worried about Aidel’s heart burning up over the Grand Duke’s hidden inner feelings.

‘I can’t just stand by and watch that happen.’

Having made his decision, Rainien clenched his fist tighter. He confessed his true feelings first, looking directly at the Grand Duke.

“I love Aidel.”

“……Prince Rainien!”

Surprised by Rainien’s sudden confession, Caeron frowned and glared at him sharply with a fierce look.

“Didn’t you already know, Grand Duke? That’s why you arranged this meeting, isn’t it?”

“You should know too, Prince. That those feelings can never be realized.”

To Caeron, who looked thoroughly angry, Rainien calmly retorted.

“Are you feeling anxious now? Afraid that I might show more than friendly feelings towards Aidel?”

“Ha……!”

Caeron let out a mirthless laugh at Rainien’s provocative words. The completely reversed situation was absurd and irritating. As if soothing Caeron, Rainien smiled gently.

“You don’t need to be so anxious. I will maintain a friendship with Aidel like now. However……!”

Rainien’s eyes suddenly sharpened as he added a condition.

“Only if you truly love Aidel, Grand Duke.”

“……!”

It was Rainien’s bold declaration of war, stating that he would reveal his hidden feelings if Caeron’s heart towards Aidel wasn’t sincere.