“I came to apologize. And if I’m to be honest, I wanted to see her in person too. I traveled along with the group that descended on the capital, so I never crossed paths with her. Then, as soon as negotiations were complete, I headed straight to Voltern to pick up Your Highness and was swamped with the preparations to return home,” Wellen whined, as he contorted his body and begged.

“Why would you need to see her? Just hand over what you have in your hands and scram. As for the apology, put in a formal request and do it properly.”

“Sheesh! Your Highness is so mean. Anyhow, this is the second reminder sent by Her Majesty, the empress. I’ve replied to her that you found a good person—”

“Have you lost your marbles?”

“Rumors have already spread—she’s bound to find out sooner or later.”

“I recall that I clearly stated that what happened last night was a misunderstanding. Forget it, just leave. And don’t ever tell Her Majesty about her. Leaving it as a rumor is much better.”

“Yes, yes. I’m taking my leave as you ordered. But before that, please let me leave you one piece of advice—please act as you are. You can simply act according to your natural self.”

Kael fell silent after hearing Wellen’s advice. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he asked, “What?”

“You know what I mean…”

Although Kael appeared rough and cold on the outside, that was only when he was working. Having affectionate parents, Kael was raised in a loving environment. Heavily influenced by his parents from childhood, Kael was immeasurably kind and compassionate towards those he recognized as his people, and he didn’t hesitate in giving them everything they wanted. As a child, he would openly express his feelings in a direct manner, having never learned any other way. However, as heir to the empire, he soon learned that he couldn’t survive if he displayed his true self. Through years of training, Kael learned to reign in his emotions. Eventually, it became such an ingrained part of his daily routine that he began to have difficulty expressing his emotions except towards those who were already close to him.

“Just as I am…”

“Yes, just as you are, Your Highness. Now, I’ll take my leave.”

‘Hmm… If I were to express all of my feelings for her, there wouldn’t be enough time even if I followed her around for the rest of my life.’ To others, his worries would seem unfounded, but to Kael, it was an unavoidable concern. He’d denied all the women who approached him with an unwavering heart up until now. However, now he’d met Irene, a breathtaking and heartbreaking woman, he wanted to offer her the heart that he’d kept so well in its entirety.

“Your Highness, Lady Irene has arrived,” an attendant announced.

“Let her in,” Kael answered, as he stood up from his seat. When the door opened, Irene appeared in an ivory dress embellished with a blue ribbon waistband. The sight of her took Kael’s breath away and his head felt dizzy for a moment. Secretly catching his breath, he said, “Welcome.”

“Thank you for the invitation,” Irene greeted, as she lifted her dress and bent her knees with awkward gestures.

“Please, come this way.” After skillfully responding to Irene, Kael approached her with the intent of fulfilling his gentlemanly duties to escort her to the table. He gestured towards the table and waited. However, things did not proceed as he expected. ‘Why isn’t she moving?’

Both of them blankly stared at each other as the same question simultaneously popped into their heads. Silence descended between them as they both waited for the other to move, until they both opened their mouths and spoke at the same time.

“Go.”

“Please go.”