The moment I felt chilled by the cold northern air, Edan’s subordinate handed me a large hooded robe lined with fur. Edan swiftly swung it around and draped it over my back.

While he tied the thin cords of the robe, I glanced around left and right.

Though raucous music drifted toward us, I couldn’t see its source—burly knights encircled our carriage completely.

“Shall we go, Princess?”

Edan, brimming with mischief, tilted his chin upward and gave a playful nod.

At his single phrase, dozens of knights standing nearby simultaneously clashed their swords and saluted us.

Oh. This is bad. It seems these people genuinely believe I’m a real princess.

My conscience is pricking me sharply.

Having missed the moment to clarify, I grasped the large hand extended before me.

The marketplace held far more people and was much larger than I’d anticipated.

Wearing my hood pulled low alongside Edan, I quickly melted into the crowd, savoring the long-missed feeling of freedom.

“Edan, look at this! It’s so cute!”

Whether it was the parrot inside the large cage speaking with haughty dignity, or the endless rows of food stalls and vendors stretching beyond sight—

this was an entirely novel experience, unlike anything in the rural villages of the East.

I watched children darting through the crowd clutching balloons and sweets, and families enjoying outings together. It was nearly impossible to imagine that just beyond the nearby ice-capped mountains, brutal nightly battles against blood-soaked monsters raged.

Forget what I said earlier about having no spare energy for anything but searching for the Archmage’s secret chamber. I wandered through the market with more genuine enthusiasm than anyone else.

“You’re this excited?”

“Yes.”

“If you love crowded places so much, why’d you take a job at the fortress? Why not pick somewhere even livelier?”

“It’s precisely because this is occasional that it’s enjoyable. And if I had, would we have met?”

Edan seemed unable to comprehend what I found so delightful, yet he diligently followed behind me.

We strolled for quite a while, buying and eating candy, fruit, and barbecue skewers just like everyone else.

‘My legs hurt.’

It was nice to walk around so freely, but I hadn’t walked this long in ages—my feet were starting to ache.

Worse, my shoes were from the East, with thin soles.

Frowning slightly, I glanced surreptitiously at others’ footwear—everyone wore thick-soled boots or high heels.

Noticing my slowing pace, Edan led me to a quieter spot by the riverside and seated me on a bench.

As I tried to slip off my sneakers beneath my ankle-length skirt, Edan knelt on one knee before me.

“Let me see.”

Without warning, his hand slipped smoothly beneath my skirt hem and slowly lifted the fabric.

After gently massaging my ankles and insteps a few times, Edan neatly set my sneakers aside and gazed momentarily at the sky.

“We still have time. Let’s rest a bit.”

“Time for what?”

“When the moon halo thickens and dims the moonlight—that’s when we release the sky lanterns.”

Edan pointed skyward with his finger. Looking up, I saw indeed a hazy shadow gathering near the moon.

“Wait here.”

While I admired the moon’s ethereal halo encircling the full moon, Edan abruptly stood and disappeared somewhere.

Not long after, he returned, holding a pair of indoor slippers in his hand.

I didn’t know where he’d gotten them, but I could guess he’d prepared them for my sake.

I found myself staring blankly at Edan as he walked back through the vibrant northern marketplace.

I thought I’d grown somewhat accustomed to him, but seeing him from a slight distance like this, Edan was undeniably, breathtakingly handsome.

‘How is someone even shaped like that?’

I was astonished anew.

A night breeze swept toward Edan as he strode leisurely forward on his long legs.

His hood slipped off, and his neatly combed golden hair fluttered lightly.

His cool, sharp eyes and half-lidded crimson irises gleamed more brilliantly than any gemstone.

One hand held the slippers; the other was firmly tucked into his pocket—he was merely walking.

Yet his presence was so overwhelming, it felt as though a massive, languid predator was ambling toward me.

With that face, and being a prince too.

Even without his supernatural abilities, I somehow felt Edan would have escaped that confining castle in his youth and lived a supremely privileged life in some other way.

“Um, excuse me…!”

As I quietly waited for him to approach, a group of women—each identically braiding their hair into a single plait and covering it with a headscarf—called out to him, as if by prearranged signal. They exchanged glances, clearly debating what to say.

When Edan didn’t turn, the woman in the center mustered courage again.

“Excuse me!”

Only then did Edan slowly turn to face them.

What? What do they want? My curiosity piqued, I perked up my ears to hear what they’d say to Edan.

“We’d like to give this to you, Sir Knight.”

The woman held out a single white flower, its petals artfully fused together like painted leaves.

Had they seen him standing in the dead of night with a sword, they’d never have dared approach—but tonight, Edan’s demeanor seemed softer, leading them to speak without realizing who he truly was.

Understandable, since only the highest nobility had ever seen Edan.

Though I dislike women, I thought today’s Edan might actually accept the flower.

After all, he’d been exceptionally gentle with me.

But contrary to my expectation, Edan quietly whispered something to the woman, then turned away.

The women exchanged awkward glances and shook their heads.

They gave up trying to speak further, though they lingered wistfully, casting regretful looks at Edan’s retreating back.

When Edan reached me, he knelt again just as before, brushed off my feet, and slipped the slippers onto them.

“These were in the carriage. We use them occasionally during long journeys—brand new. They’re a bit big, but softer than your shoes.”

The women trailing Edan vanished the moment he knelt before me. Shaking their heads and murmuring to one another, they turned and left.

“What did you say to them?”

“What?”

“Just now, to that woman.”

“You saw?”

“Yes. Tell me what you said.”

“Curious?”

“Yes. Very.”

I genuinely wanted to know what he’d said to make them give up so quickly.

Edan smoothed down my skirt with a few brisk pats, then lifted his gaze to meet mine. A flicker of amusement danced in his clear eyes.

“I have a lover.”

Wow. Liar… He doesn’t have one.

I burst out laughing the moment I heard that.

“Is that supposed to be funny?”

Seriously, it’s ridiculous. “Lover”? He’s handsome, sure, but he looks so cold and composed—like not a drop of blood would stir if he kept his mouth shut—I never imagined he’d use that word.

Ah, so this is how Edan instantly shuts down approaching women.

“Ah!”

As Edan settled beside me on the bench, I stopped laughing and stared intently at him.

“I have something to say.”

“Go ahead.”

Normally I might shrink back, but at this moment, I crossed my arms defiantly inside my robe, determined not to appear the least bit intimidated. Edan smirked faintly, as if amused.

“Stop calling me ‘Princess’ in front of others.”

“You’re the one who asked me to call you that.”

“I didn’t mean that kind of princess!”

“Then what kind? You don’t actually want to be a princess?”

“….”

As if I would!

“It wasn’t about becoming a real princess or wanting everyone to call me that. It was meant as a nickname, that’s all.”

“I know that.”

“If you know, then please don’t call me that in front of others?”

“Ah, fine. It was pretty fun, though. Really was.”

Despite his nonchalant tone, Edan’s expression was unusually serious.

He even furrowed his brow, as if wrestling with some deep thought. Then, with an exaggerated sigh—as if granting a great favor—he gave a slight nod and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. Guess I’ll have to call off the war, then.”

“What war?”

“There’s a small kingdom along the route to the Northern Empire. Since you reacted so amusingly to being called ‘Princess,’ I thought I’d conquer it and make you a real princess.”

“…What?”

I was momentarily speechless. What on earth was he talking about?

“Put a sword to the king’s throat—he’ll make you a princess, no problem. Of course, Latieana, you wouldn’t actually live in that kingdom.”

“….”

He’s completely insane. Who becomes a princess like that? What did the king ever do to deserve this?

I gave up trying to understand his logic long ago, but seriously—this man has no sense.

“Ah, anyway, don’t do it! If you tease me like that in front of others even once more—”

Edan leaned one arm lazily against the bench’s backrest.

His fingertips brushed my shoulder—just a fleeting graze, yet my entire attention fixated there as I spoke.

“Tease you? And then what?”

Smirking, Edan gently gathered a handful of my hair in his hand.

“If you tease me….”

“So? What’ll happen if I tease you?”

“I’ll get extremely angry. And….”

I tried to continue, but Edan brought my hair to his face.

The moment his lips softly brushed against my hair, my heart began pounding as if it might burst.

“Latie.”

I whipped my head sharply to the side.

What? What was that? I’ve kissed Edan while fully sober before—why am I suddenly so embarrassed?

I always tried hard to avoid this feeling, but today was strange. My face flushed uncontrollably.

“What? Keep talking.”

At Edan’s calm voice, I clenched my lips tightly and glared at him.

“Don’t casually do things like that to someone’s hair. How about maintaining a bit of dignity, especially in public?”

I blurted out anything to mask the sound of my racing heartbeat.

Edan, who I expected to retort, simply released my hair the moment I finished speaking.

Then, in one swift motion, he reached out and pulled me tightly against his waist.

“Eep!”

When I opened my tightly shut eyes, I was lying on the bench, and Edan’s dark shadow loomed over me.