Chapter 21
“Because I like you!”
The words burst out of her. No, she didn’t just say them—she shouted them, gripping his hand tightly and staring straight into his eyes.
Haon’s sudden outcry rippled across the calm surface of the moment, enough to make even Prince Si—who rarely betrayed emotion—widen his eyes ever so slightly.
“…Ah, that’s right.”
Prince Si nodded slowly.
“It’s because of Prince V, isn’t it?”
He summed up the situation with chilling neatness. Haon’s determined heart faltered. Her hand slipped from his grasp.
“P–pardon…?”
She was the one who had confessed, and yet she was the one flustered, stammering in confusion.
“Why bring up Prince V all of a sudden—”
And then it hit her.
Right. My excuse. The whole ‘secret crush on Prince V’ thing…
Back when she had stumbled into Prince Si’s hidden chamber, she had thrown out that ridiculous lie to save her own life. A poor excuse, in hindsight.
And now it’s come back to bite me? I finally confess for real, and it just gets written off as part of that cover story?
Sweat prickled at the back of her neck.
While Haon was panicking, Prince Si—utterly unaware of the truth—simply sank into his own thoughts, watching her silently before exhaling a long, quiet sigh.
“Your devotion to Prince V must truly be genuine.”
“T-that’s, um… well…”
She couldn’t bring herself to confirm or deny it. Her hesitation only cemented his interpretation.
With a weary motion, Prince Si sat down on the grass.
“Sit.”
He patted the spot beside him. It wasn’t a silk cushion or a golden chair, just bare earth covered in trimmed grass—but to Haon, sitting next to him was priceless. She dropped down instantly, terrified that he might change his mind if she delayed.
He chuckled faintly at her lack of ceremony.
“As expected of a lowly maid. Unlike the ladies, you don’t mind getting dirty.”
“What do you mean?”
“You sat straight down without even laying out a handkerchief.”
“Grass isn’t dirty. Especially in a garden this well kept.”
Haon stretched her legs and tapped her heels idly. The soft greenery released a fresh, clean fragrance under the moonlight.
Above them, the sky was dusky, the moon glowing bright and round. A scattering of stars twinkled faintly where they weren’t drowned out by the silver light.
Sitting side by side in such a place, at such an hour…
Her heart felt ready to explode. She’d never even imagined a scene this romantic.
A midnight garden date…
Prince Si’s blue eyes shifted toward her, and her chest lurched. His gaze was clear and cold, like ice-flowers blooming in snow—so brilliant she momentarily forgot to breathe.
And when those lips of his parted, it was like watching a flower bud unfurl.
“Perhaps only you and I remain in this palace who still remember Prince V.”
Prince V? Again? Now?
Haon had been ready to cry tears of joy. Instead, tears of sheer frustration stung her eyes.
Idiot! All you ever talk about is Prince V!
Still, she forced herself to nod. Bonding requires common ground. If that ground is Prince V, so be it.
“You… you must miss him very much?” she asked softly.
Prince Si’s gaze lifted to the sky. His fist, resting on his knee, tightened.
“You asked why I don’t attend tea, didn’t you?”
She nodded.
“At tonight’s banquet, Prince Di sat in his place.”
Prince Di—second in line to the throne. With Prince V gone, it was only natural he would succeed his seat.
But for someone who admired Prince V, it must feel unbearable.
“Not that it’s his fault,” Si murmured, voice trailing as his hand trembled.
Haon, timid but resolute, laid her hand over his. His palm was large, cold, the knuckles jutting like stone. Was it the night air that chilled him, or the sorrow in his heart?
When he didn’t pull away, she clasped his hand more firmly, rubbing gently across the ridged knuckles.
“No one can ever replace the First Prince.”
“That’s just a wish.”
He shook his head.
“A year has already passed. It’s only natural for the Second Prince to become the First.”
“No.”
Her quick rebuttal made him glance at her, faintly amused.
“You dislike it as much as I do, but that’s the order of things.”
To him, her words were mere sentiment. But Haon knew the truth of the story—Prince Di would never shed his title as Second Prince.
Still, she swallowed the knowledge and changed the subject.
“So that’s why you avoid tea? Because you can’t bear to see it?”
“…Pathetic, isn’t it?”
His laugh was hollow. His gaze dropped.
“It’s not pathetic!”
The words burst from her lips before she could stop them.
“Everyone calls you cold, frightening—an ice wolf, a tyrant.”
Indeed, all respected him, but all feared him too.
“But I know better. You’re kind. Warmhearted.”
The contradiction was laughable, even to him. His expression wavered, his guard loosening more than she had ever seen.
She pressed on.
“Gentle. Compassionate. I know, because I’ve seen it.”
“…Nonsense.” His voice was stiff. Praise felt foreign to him, even unbearable. He turned his head away.
“You’re mistaken.”
“No, I’m not.”
She listed her reasons with stubborn conviction:
“You still remember Prince V, and search for the truth of his… disgraceful death. You even let me, a mere maid, sit at your side.”
“That hardly counts as generosity.”
“What other prince would sit on the grass with a lowly maid? If anything, you should’ve had me executed the first time I spoke out of turn.”
And indeed, the first time they had met, his blade had been at her throat. More than once.
Yet here she was, alive. Still unpunished.
Suddenly, he rose to his feet. Haon shrank back, fear prickling her spine.
Did I go too far? Did I offend him?
But instead of anger, his hand descended upon her head. Heavy, steady, his fingers brushed through her hair.
“Perhaps… with you, it might be different.”
His voice was softer than she had ever heard it.
Her face burned hot.
Was that… was that a sign?
“P-prince Si?” she whispered, trembling with both hope and dread.
He turned, serious, kneeling before her so their eyes met.
“Come to the Fifth Palace whenever you wish. Together… let us uncover the final truth for Prince V.”
“…What?”
He meant it. He was utterly, painfully sincere.
Haon could only croak out, “Of course.”
He nodded in satisfaction. To him, she was still nothing more than a loyal maid hopelessly in love with the late Prince V.
Dragging her feet, Haon trudged back into the palace.
“‘Be my comrade,’ he says…”
She groaned aloud.
“Maybe all my romance cells really did die off. Or maybe I never had any in the first place.”
The lone wolf of the military had no room for anything but his sword. What else could she expect?
Still, the sighs wouldn’t stop.
“This is supposed to be a romance novel. So why does it feel like I’m stuck in a crime investigation?”
The details of reality were far less dreamy than the scenes she remembered reading.
“I came here to support the heroine. How did I end up as a detective’s assistant instead?”
Frustration swirled. Every spoiler she thought she knew was proving useless.
But her exasperation was short-lived.
Not even finished sighing, she rounded a corner—only to freeze in horror.
“Damn it.”
The curse slipped out before she could stop it.
“Nope. I didn’t see anything. I saw nothing.”
She turned on her heel, desperate to ignore what she’d stumbled upon.
“Stop right there.”
A harsh voice lashed out, pinning her in place.
“You there. Aren’t you the Princess Fireone’s maid?”
They had recognized her. Exactly her.
Haon’s blood ran cold.
…Damn it all.
