As soon as I felt cold in the chilly northern air, Edan’s subordinate handed me a large robe with a fur-lined hood. Edan swiftly wrapped the robe around my back.

While he was tying the thin strings of the robe, I looked around.

Although I could hear the noisy music, burly knights surrounded the carriage, blocking the view.

“Shall we go, Princess?”

Edan, full of mischief, slightly raised his chin and nodded.

With that single word, dozens of knights standing around simultaneously clashed their swords and saluted us.

Oh no. It seems these people are mistaking me for a real princess.

My conscience is pricking me.

Without finding the right moment to explain, I grasped the large hand extended before me.

The market was much larger and more crowded than I expected.

Pulling our hoods down low, Edan and I entered the crowd, and I quickly melted into the free atmosphere I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Edan, look at this! It’s so cute!”

From the haughty talking parrot in a large cage to the stalls with food and various items stretching as far as the eye could see.

It was a new experience I couldn’t have in the rural villages of the East.

I watched children running with balloons or sweets in their hands, and families out for a stroll. It was hard to imagine that every night, a brutal, bloody war with monsters was taking place in the not-so-distant Ice Mountains.

I take back what I said about not having the energy to focus on anything else while searching for the archmage’s secret space. I explored the market more enthusiastically than anyone else.

“Are you that excited?”

“Yes.”

“If you like crowded places this much, why work at a castle? You could have chosen a more bustling place.”

“This is nice because it’s occasional. Besides, would we have met if I had?”

Edan didn’t seem to understand what was so enjoyable, but he diligently followed behind me.

We wandered the streets for a long time, buying and eating candy, fruit, and barbecue skewers like everyone else.

‘My legs hurt.’

It was nice to walk around a lot, but my feet started to ache as I hadn’t walked for this long in a while.

Moreover, my shoes were from the East, so the soles were thin.

I squinted and glanced at other people’s shoes, noticing they all wore boots with thick soles or high heels.

Noticing my slowing pace, Edan led me to a quieter area by the river and sat me on a bench.

As I tried to hide my feet under my ankle-length skirt and remove my flats, Edan knelt in front of me on one knee.

“Let me see.”

Without warning, his hand slipped between my ankles and slowly lifted the long skirt.

After massaging my ankles and insteps a few times, Edan gently set aside my flats and looked up at the sky for a moment.

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

“Time?”

“When the moon halo thickens and the moonlight weakens, that’s when they release the sky lanterns.”

Edan pointed to the sky with his finger. Looking up, I could see a hazy shadow forming around the moon.

“Wait here.”

While I was gazing at the mysterious light of the halo surrounding the full moon, Edan suddenly stood up and went somewhere.

Not long after, he returned with indoor slippers in his hand.

I wasn’t sure where they came from, but I could guess he had prepared them for my feet.

I found myself absentmindedly staring at Edan as he walked through the bustling northern market street.

Just when I thought I was getting used to it, seeing him from a distance reminded me that Edan was indeed strikingly handsome.

‘How can someone look like that?’

I was amazed once again.

As Edan approached with his long legs, the night wind struck him.

His hood came off, and his neatly arranged golden hair was lightly disheveled.

His cool, sharp eyes and half-lidded red pupils were more brilliant than any jewel.

He was simply walking towards me, holding the slippers in one hand and the other hand stuffed in his pocket.

Yet his presence was so overwhelming, it was like watching a huge, languid predator sauntering closer.

That appearance and a prince to boot.

Even if he hadn’t used his ability, I thought Edan would have somehow escaped the castle he was confined in as a child and lived the best life in a different sense. For some reason, I felt he would have.

“Ex-Excuse me…!”

As I waited quietly for him to arrive, a group of women with their hair braided into one and wearing headscarves approached him as if on cue. They exchanged glances, seemingly deciding what to say.

When Edan didn’t turn around, the woman in the middle gathered her courage once more.

“Excuse me!”

Finally, Edan slowly turned to face them.

What’s this? What is it! My curiosity piqued, and I perked up my ears to hear what they would say to Edan.

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

What the woman held out was a single white flower with several large leaves uniquely attached like a painting.

If they had seen this man standing with a sword in the middle of the night, they probably wouldn’t have dared to speak to him. But today, Edan seemed to have a softer aura, so they easily approached without knowing his identity.

It made sense, as no one but the highest-ranking nobles had seen Edan.

Although he disliked women, I thought the current Edan might accept the flower. I couldn’t help but think that.

After all, Edan had been very kind to me.

However, contrary to my expectations, Edan quietly whispered something to the woman and then turned away.

The women looked at each other and shook their heads awkwardly.

They didn’t try to speak to him again. Nevertheless, they seemed to have lingering feelings as they cast longing glances at Edan’s back.

Edan came to me and, just like before, knelt down, dusted off my feet, and put the slippers on me.

“These were in the carriage. We sometimes use them for long trips, but they’re new. They might be a bit big, but they’re soft and better than your shoes.”

The gaze of the women following Edan disappeared the moment he knelt before me. They said something to each other, shaking their heads as they left.

“What did you say?”

“About what?”

“To that woman just now.”

“You saw?”

“Yes. Tell me what you said.”

“Are you curious?”

“Yes. Very much so.”

I was really curious about what he had said to make them give up so quickly.

Edan smoothed down my skirt, tapping it lightly, then raised his gaze to look at me. His clear eyes sparkled with mischief.

“I have a lover.”

Wow. That’s a lie… He doesn’t have a lover.

I burst out laughing as soon as I heard those words.

“You find this funny?”

Well, it’s a bit amusing, isn’t it? A lover? I never expected such a cold-looking man, handsome but seemingly emotionless when silent, to use such a word.

I see. So this is how Edan immediately dismisses approaching women.

“Ah!”

As Edan sat down beside me, I stopped laughing and stared at him intently.

“I have something to say.”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

Usually timid, I crossed my arms ostentatiously under my robe, trying my best not to appear weak to him in this moment. Edan raised the corner of his mouth slightly, as if finding it amusing.

“Please don’t call me princess in front of others.”

“But you asked to be called that.”

“The princess I mentioned wasn’t like that.”

“Then what was it? Didn’t you want to be a princess?”

“…”

How could that be!

“I didn’t say it because I wanted to become a real princess or have everyone call me princess. It was just like a nickname.”

“I know that.”

“If you know, could you please not call me that in front of others?”

“Ah, alright. It was quite fun though. But still.”

Despite his indifferent response, Edan’s expression was unusually serious.

He seemed to be pondering something, furrowing his brow. Then, as if he had made a great concession, he slightly nodded and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, then I’ll have to give up on the war.”

“What war?”

“There’s a small kingdom on the way to the Northern Empire. You seemed to enjoy being called princess so much. I thought I might sweep through that country and make you a real princess.”

“…What?”

I was momentarily at a loss for words. What is he talking about?

“If I hold a sword to the king’s neck, they’d probably make you a princess. Of course, you wouldn’t live in that country, Lati.”

“…”

He’s really crazy. Is that how one becomes a princess? What did the king do wrong!

I’ve long given up trying to understand his thoughts, but he’s truly a man without answers.

“A-Anyway, don’t do it! If you tease me in front of others one more time…”

Edan leaned back on the bench, resting one arm on the backrest.

His fingertips barely touched my shoulder. Though it was just a light touch, all my attention was focused there as I spoke.

“What if I tease you?”

Edan chuckled and gently grasped a handful of my hair.

“If you tease me…”

“So, what if I tease you?”

“I’ll get really angry. And…”

I tried to continue speaking. But Edan brought my hair to his face.

The moment his lips lightly kissed my hair, my heart started pounding as if it would burst.

“Lati.”

I quickly turned my head to the opposite side.

What’s this? What is it? I’ve even kissed Edan while sober before. So why am I suddenly feeling so shy?

I always tried to avoid it, but this was strange. Today, my face was burning up uncontrollably.

“What is it? Continue what you were saying.”

At Edan’s nonchalant voice, I bit my lips tightly and looked at him, almost glaring.

“Don’t do that to other people’s hair so casually. How about showing some decorum in public?”

I blurted out anything to avoid him hearing my pounding heart.

Edan, who I thought would say something, put down my hair as soon as I finished speaking.

Then he stretched out his arm and swiftly pulled me by the waist.

“Uh!”

When I opened my eyes, which I had squeezed shut, I found myself lying on the bench with Edan’s dark shadow looming over me.