Kyle seemed to have received a little more of the genes of the Crown Princess Consort, who was a princess from another country.

Unlike Theon, who had dark hair resembling Grand Duke Todd Ermedi, who was the Crown Prince of the Stellen Kingdom, Kyle’s black hair was mixed with a little bit of indigo blue and looked mysterious.

She didn’t know if it was because he had been on the battlefield without taking a break, but it was certain that he had a darker skin tone than Theon.

He had the same gray eyes as Theon, but his were a little deeper and darker with a mix of dark brown.

His deep eyes, which always looked fierce, had faint double eyelids like Theon.

Unlike Theon’s, who seemed to have been sharply cut, Kyle’s slightly angled chin gave him a manly appearance.

Perhaps having a good physical was a specialty of the sons of the royal palace; Kyle’s body, which was surrounded by muscles from the long battlefield life, and his wide shoulders were revealed even through his thick clothes.

“You seem to be interested in me.”

“What?”

Ayla, who had been looking at every part of Kyle, feigned innocence at his words.

Then, she looked at the dark eyes that were directed towards her, as if asking what he was talking about.

Contrary to his stubborn appearance, Ayla could feel that he, who looked at her for a while, was a little hesitant.

“I heard that the Princess has a lover.”

At Kyle’s words, Ayla looked at Orhan as if asking what he meant, and saw him forming the words, ‘Make something up.’, in his mouth.

She turned her head to the side and turned her gaze to Eden, who was standing behind Kyle, but he also had a similar reaction to Orhan.

‘A lover? Did I have a lover? Please tell me in advance. What do they mean by a lover, all of a sudden?’

Orhan moved hurriedly towards her, who kept her silence, while forming the words, ‘Quick, quick.’, in his mouth.

Ayla rolled her blue eyes, trying to figure out the situation.

Then, the answer came out unconsciously.

“Yes. I have someone I promised to marry back in Ruit.”

“I was expecting it. It would be weirder if you didn’t have a lover, seeing that you’re so beautiful.”

Kyle, who had cut the thick tenderloin steak served as the main dish with a knife, spoke as he placed the cut meat in front of Ayla. Then, he took a small box out of his pocket and pushed it slowly in front of Ayla. As the box got closer, Ayla’s expression began to harden.

It was undoubtedly a ring.

The size and packaging, everything that made up the box was saying, ‘This is a ring!’

Even though she clearly said that she had a lover, the man in front of her completely ignored her situation.

Ayla let out a small snort, as if Kyle’s attitude was absurd, and sighed.

Orhan and Eden’s expressions, who were quietly listening to their conversation, looked no different from hers.

“What is this?”

“What else? This is the ring we will use at our wedding.”

“Ugh… I have a lover. You have been saying strange things since the last time, and I’m very uncomfortable. I think Grand Duke Ermedi is a good person. However, I have no intention of marrying the royal grandson of the Stellen Kingdom on those feelings alone.”

Although she was speaking to Kyle in a resolute tone, her heart was pounding as if it were about to jump out.

Ayla put down her spoon and clasped her trembling hands under the table. There was an awkward atmosphere between the two of them for a while, as they faced each other, and Kyle broke the silence with a calm voice.

“I don’t know if you know, but I’ve lost so much over the years. My precious Mother, the position as the Crown Prince, and the countless soldiers who died while following me to the battlefield.”

“What is the reason for telling me this?”

“Because this is why the Princess and I have to get married.”

“…”

Ayla kept her cold gaze while keeping silent at Kyle’s unknown words.

There was a cold atmosphere between the two of them.

A heavy silence flowed for a while, and this time too, it was Kyle who broke it.

“I have lost a lot of things, but among them, do you know what hurt the most?”

“… I’m not sure.”

Ayla gave a brief reply at Kyle’s serious talk and then raised her head to look at him.

Obviously, it seemed that the two brothers shared a common trait to talk about sad things as if it were nothing.

Although he was speaking in a hard tone, his deep, dark eyes looked particularly lonely and sad.

She was familiar with the rumors of him acting like a crazy person after Delia’s death, even in Fencers.

Smashing everything that came into his sight, including his residence, was only the beginning.

On days when those working in the palace made a mistake, they were thrown into an underground palace and imprisoned under the pretext that they were being educated.

Among all that, what was considered the scariest thing was that he gathered all the maids that were responsible for spreading the rumors about Delia and whipped them personally, and it is said that Rose was barely able to save their lives.