CFT 87

Chapter 87

The adjective that slipped out without him even realizing made him momentarily dumbfounded.
…Truly, I’ve gone mad.

Ianharte let out a hollow laugh at himself.

Just then, deciding they had walked far enough, Liana stopped and turned around.

“…You said you wouldn’t come today.”

Ianharte, who had been quietly mulling over his strange state of mind these past few days, paused at her curt tone.

What she said was true.

He had thought it best not to show his face during the process of her recruiting knights, since his interference would only complicate matters.

He had even told her that two days ago.
And until this morning, he had managed to keep that promise fairly well. Well, at least until the morning.

“That’s why I came after it was over.”

“No, but… people still saw you. You’re the one who said you hate rumors.”

Liana stammered briefly, then threw his own words back at him with a hint of reproach. Ianharte fell silent for a moment.

And then, he dropped a single phrase.

“…What can I do if I keep thinking about you?”

The words he spoke were understood by both him and Liana only a beat later.

“What…?”

Liana’s bewildered voice trailed off.

The subtle weight of his words caught even Ianharte off guard.

He had been unable to stop thinking about her since yesterday.

Because of that, he had lost sleep, endured Bernian’s constant nagging all morning, and yet still, thoughts of her never left his mind.

What kind of nonsense was this? Was he some lovestruck fifteen-year-old boy, unable to sleep or focus on work just because of some trivial contact?

And yet, Ianharte had come here in the end, just to see her.

Ridiculous as it was, he couldn’t deny that the sight of Liana widening her eyes in surprise at his sudden appearance had instantly lifted his mood.

‘…Unbelievable.’

But he couldn’t bring himself to say all that, so he turned his back to the wind and faced her.

“…Don’t read too much into it. As your guard is under my responsibility, it’s only natural that I think of you. I know you’ve spent much time with the knights, but this is your first time with Imperial ones, isn’t it?”

His explanation ended up longer than intended.

“…”

“What are you looking at me like that for?”

Liana simply stared at him in silence, blinking. Annoyed, he furrowed his brows and asked, only for her to suddenly burst into laughter.

“Pfft.”

Her clear laugh rang out, her eyes curving into crescents. Whatever she found so amusing, she couldn’t seem to stop laughing.

And yet, facing her laughter directly, Ianharte couldn’t bring himself to scold her for it.

His gaze was caught, fixed on her face as she laughed brightly before him.

The setting sun’s crimson glow wrapped her silver hair in warmth, and the breeze carried strands of it into the air.

Among it all, only her radiant, smiling face filled his vision.

And in that moment, Ianharte finally began to faintly grasp the true nature of the emotions that had been throwing him into disarray.

The image was still blurred, but if he blinked a few more times, he would surely see it clearly.

But, lost in his daze, that blink never came.

Oblivious to his absentminded state, Liana dabbed at the tears forming in her eyes from laughing too much and lightly tapped his arm.

“When that happens, you should just say you came because you were worried.”

“…”

“Ah, I must’ve laughed too much. My stomach hurts. Or… maybe I’m just hungry.”

Shivering a little in the cool breeze, she slid her arms into the jacket he had draped over her earlier and muttered.

Seeing her in his clothes, with that gentle smile, Ianharte felt a tightness in his chest. Unconsciously, he reached out a hand.

“…What is it?”

Sensing the movement, Liana turned to him. He paused briefly before his hand landed on the collar of the jacket.

“…It was a bit crooked.”

In truth, it wasn’t crooked at all, but he slowly straightened it anyway, before withdrawing his hand.

Though his vision was still hazy, the image forming in his heart was not hard to guess.

And instinct told him that the day this blur cleared was not far off.

When that day came, and he finally saw clearly, Ianharte knew he would accept it without hesitation.

“…Would you join me for dinner?”

He was not the kind of man to let something in his sight slip away.

“…Did I just see what I think I saw?”

“Wow…”

The ones most shocked by Ianharte’s appearance were the knights who had just been accepted into Liana’s personal guard today.

“Hey, this is only the second time I’ve ever seen His Majesty this close, even after being in the palace.”

“When was the first?”

“Last year, when he happened to pass by while I was on watch.”

“…You’ve got to be kidding.”

Within the palace, Ianharte’s movements were not wide-ranging. Even knights stationed there rarely had the chance to meet him face-to-face.

And now, seeing the Emperor up close like this, they couldn’t help but recall who their new mistress was fated to become—the future Empress.

The very same woman who had, just moments ago, wielded her sword against them with overwhelming, awe-inspiring strength.

The realization that this fearsome knight was also the Emperor’s lover made their expressions complicated.

The expressions of Liana’s original guards weren’t much different, though their reasons were.

“…Hey, am I the only one seeing our lord looking kind of… angry? His face is red—feels like a fight’s about to break out.”

“Huh? Doesn’t look angry to me…”

“What are you talking about? Don’t you know him at all?”

“Oh, come on. Can’t you see? He looks embarrassed.”

“Our lord doesn’t get embarrassed.”

“What nonsense. You think he’s made of stone or something?”

Their murmurs grew louder.

“…Ahem. Since we’ve got new members joining, wouldn’t it be proper to introduce ourselves?”

Ail stepped forward, staff in hand, deliberately raising his voice.

About ten minutes later, after the introductions were done, the guards and new knights decided to bond over dinner in the city.

Thanks to that, Liana was able to accept Ianharte’s invitation with a lighter heart.

“…The greenhouse?”

“They said all the flowers are in bloom. …Or do you not want to?”

Ianharte, having nodded absently at first, asked softly after a brief silence. His voice carried both gentleness and the faintest edge of worry—likely because he feared she might dislike the idea.

“If you’d rather not, I’ll have them prepare somewhere else.”

He gave her another option, just in case.

Liana blinked a few times, then smiled faintly and shook her head.

“No, let’s go to the greenhouse. I like flowers quite a lot, actually.”

At that, his eyes softened.

After setting the time and place, he escorted her back to the Emerald Palace—and even returned an hour later to fetch her once more.

“…I told you that wasn’t necessary.”

Despite her words, there he was, waiting outside, this time in a more polished outfit. Liana could only shake her head in disbelief.

And then, Ianharte smiled languidly as he approached.

“That dress suits you well.”

Liana was wearing a soft rose-colored silk dress, one of the gowns that had been prepared for her since she first came to the Emerald Palace.

“Ahem, thank you. …And, well, you look very handsome too, Your Majesty.”

She added the compliment belatedly, feeling oddly embarrassed. Ianharte chuckled as though her words amused him.

Then, with elegant grace, he extended a hand toward her.

“Then, may I have the honor of escorting my beautiful lady?”

His golden hair gleamed like threads spun from light, and his gently curved eyes held both warmth and mischief.

Something about him seemed different from usual, and the unfamiliarity made Liana hesitate.

It wasn’t until he softly called, “Princess?” that she came back to her senses.

“…Why are you saying things like that?”

“I’m only speaking the truth.”

As he whispered, she slowly placed her hand in his.

“…Good grief.”

She glanced around. The palace attendants were far away, and there was no one else nearby.

This was not the kind of place where one needed to say such embarrassing things.

Seriously, what was wrong with him today?

He seemed so different, it made her wonder if he had eaten something strange.