I stared at Davian’s shaless face as he confidently announced that he had received news of my attendance at the tea party through Ocean.
This guy... had seriously picked up my lying skills—and now he was using them against .
"You see," he continued smoothly, "Master Ocean was quite worried when he learned that Princess Colette would also be at the tea party you decided to attend. So, he sent ." He wore that infuriatingly pleasant smile, eyes deliberately averted from mine like a child trying to hide mischief.
I let out a long sigh.
This little... He’d only managed to learn the most useless tricks on the battlefield—and from , no less.
"But Sir Lyall was already there," I pointed out, watching his eyes twitch slightly.
"He was," Davian admitted, licking his lips nervously before continuing, "But... well, you see... Master Ocean was still quite worried, so he asked to co too. Just to make sure everything went smoothly and that you wouldn’t be in any kind of trouble."
He looked so serious as he said it, but did he really think that lie was going to hold?
He was lying to —using my own na. And sohow, I didn’t feel angry. In fact, it was starting to feel more... comical.
"You’re saying that Marquis Ocean dispatched the future Grand Duke of this kingdom?" I asked, crossing my arms with a raised brow.
Davian tilted his head innocently. "Master doesn’t care about status, Princess. I respect his word—that’s why I ca when he told to. We’re friends, after all."
He said it with so much sincerity, I almost forgot he was completely making it up.
I watched him for a few seconds as he stared back at , unflinching—until, just a second later, a blush crept up his face. His ears turned pink, and he quickly turned his head away, trying to hide his embarrassnt.
How adorable.
[Goddess of Wisdom shares her popcorn with Defender of Divine Glory and Giver of Gifts.]
"You guys..." I muttered under my breath.
There was a brief silence before I finally spoke, my voice calm and asured.
"I heard you’re staying at Ryujin Mansion, Your Highness."
He flinched. "Ah... yes."
"You and Marquis Ocean seem really close." I comnted and he smiled.
"Yes, well... He had done a lot for ... And to be honest, the friend that I talked to you about is him." He admitted.
"Then, did you make up with him?"
"Yes, thanks to your advice I managed to talk to him and he really wasn’t angry." He chuckled sounding relieved.
"I’m glad to hear that... Ah...you’ll be going to Denril too, right? For the peace treaty ball?"
"Yes," he replied, his tone more subdued this ti.
I humd lightly, looking out the window. "My brother and father will also be heading there tomorrow."
Despite myself, a faint note of sadness laced my voice. I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but knowing they’d be gone while I remained behind tugged at sothing inside .
"You... won’t be going?" he asked, fiddling with his thumbs.
I smiled faintly. "I can’t travel far because of my health," I lied.
The truth was, I still had unfinished work—starting with the trial I had arranged for Marquis Glines. It was still a week away, but I needed to remain nearby to see it through and also dig deeper into the demon threat that had surfaced.
Davian lowered his gaze, and for a mont, I saw that flicker of heaviness behind his eyes.
"I believe you’ll be going with your father? The Grand Duke? Or perhaps Grand Duchess Dahlia?" I asked gently, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.
His fingers froze mid-fidget, clenching slightly. I blinked. Wait... did I just step on a landmine?
"Um... they’re busy," he said softly. "They won’t be coming with ."
A pause stretched between us.
"...Oh. I’m sorry."
I had always known the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess cared for Davian, deeply even—but perhaps love alone wasn’t always enough. It had been the sa during our first encounter... he had been alone then too, upset that his parents couldn’t be with him.
I wondered if that loneliness still clung to him.
Should I ask Father and Rune to look out for him at the ball? Maybe make sure he doesn’t feel too alone...?
"But I’ll be fine," Davian suddenly said, pulling from my thoughts.
I looked at him—and he was smiling.
"I do have soone who could go with , though," he added, voice light but eyes just a bit too evasive.
"Is that so? That’s a relief then," I said, returning the smile.
He turned to the window, avoiding my gaze, but I saw the faint flush on his ears.
And for so reason... I felt like I already knew who he ant.
I watched as the wind teased through his midnight-black bangs, dancing lightly over his pale forehead. Sunlight filtered in through the carriage window, casting a gentle glow over his features, making his athyst-like eyes shimr with a dreamy, faraway glint.
He looked deep in thought, calm and unbothered, almost like a portrait brought to life. Picture-perfect.
"He’s really handso..." I mumbled under my breath before realizing—I said that out loud.
His eyes turned toward , blinking in surprise. "What?"
I froze, staring at him with wide eyes as the silence thickened.
[Goddess of Wisdom predicts that you shall-]
"No, don’t you dare!" I hissed internally.
[Defender of Divine Glory asks you to not deny it.]
"Don’t fantasize stupid things!"
[Giver of Gifts-]
"You are banned from speaking about and Davian!"
anwhile, Davian was still looking at , his cheeks lightly flushed, eyes glimring with... anticipation? Nope, no. Abort mission.
If I gave even the slightest hint, he’d latch on to it faster than Kai pouncing on strawberry cakes.
"Ah... I an..." I coughed. "Master Ocean is really handso. And even Young Master Kai... is so cute."
I actually dragged Ocean’s na into my lie. Wow. I really had fallen.
Davian, thankfully—or maybe not—nodded with a pleased smile and turned his gaze back to the window. I followed suit, letting the silence settle again between us.
Still, there was a small, comforting warmth blooming in my chest.
It was a relief knowing he had soone to accompany him to Denril, soone he could rely on even if his parents wouldn’t be by his side. It was... oddly heartening. The sort of feeling a parent might get when they see their child grow a little stronger, take a step on their own.
[Goddess of Wisdom feels pity for you.]
"Huh?"
[Defender of Divine Glory feels pity for you.]
"You too!"
[Giver of Gifts feels pity for you.]
I clenched my teeth and kept my face stoically pointed toward the window.
I wasn’t going to yell. I wasn’t going to draw attention. I was going to get through this carriage ride without strangling any divine peanut gallery.
With that goal in mind, I sat in silence, riding back to Aurelius Mansion—cheeks slightly warm, thoughts a total ss.
It was a good thing that neither my brother nor my father were at ho at the ti—only Tobias and Penny were present when Davian escorted back.
"I’ll take my leave now," he said, extending his hand toward .
I hesitated, then placed mine in his. His hand was much larger and warr than mine—my cold, gloved fingers felt small and fragile in comparison. He held my hand gently, as though it were so delicate piece of art, before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to my knuckles.
My heart skipped a beat. My face flushed hot in response.
A loud gasp and a cough erupted behind —clearly from the two witnesses.
Davian straightened up with an impish smile. "Have a nice day, Princess," he said before turning and walking away... on foot.
I blinked.
Wait—he left on foot?!
I hadn’t even thought to offer him the carriage. It didn’t sit right with that the future Grand Duke was casually walking off like that, but by the ti my brain caught up, he was already gone.
I turned around slowly.
Tobias and Penny were both staring at . Tobias looked stoic, but I could sense the judgnt. Penny looked like she was bursting at the seams.
"Don’t let my father or brother know about this, please," I muttered, not even trying to hide my plea.
The two exchanged glances but said nothing.
Of course, Tobias couldn’t lie to the Duke even if he tried. And Penny? She would be itching to chew my ears off with questions the mont she got a chance.
But I couldn’t deal with that—not now.
So I did what I always did when emotions threatened to choke .
I ran to my safe place—behind my mask.
As soon as I changed, I teleported to Ryujin mansion and threw myself into work. Anything. Anything to distract myself from what just happened.
From the warm kiss on my hand... and the smile that lingered far longer in my mind than it should have.
I grabbed a piece of paper as soon as I sat down at my desk and began writing a ssage to Lord Devil regarding the inclusion of Earl Blois under the Oasis Foundation. The words flowed quickly—I had made up my mind.
Once done, I stood up, walked over to the perch, and gave a sharp whistle. A raven swooped down from its resting place above, landing neatly in front of . I secured the ssage in the small carrier pouch tied to its leg and sent it off with a flick of my fingers.
The bird took flight with practiced ease, disappearing beyond the high windows.
I returned to my seat and collapsed into the chair with a tired sigh.
"What’s wrong? You seem tired," Roan asked from across the room, glancing up from his papers.
I t his eyes, debating internally for a second.
"Did Lyall co here?" I asked instead, trying to keep my voice even.
Roan raised an eyebrow slightly, a thoughtful frown forming. "No. Wasn’t he at the Aurelius estate?"
I sighed again and ran my hand through my hair. I was tempted to vent—to let it all out—but I knew better. Roan would never let live it down. I just shook my head and left it at that.
"Nothing really. But we’ll be adding one more na to the Oasis Foundation," I said instead.
He leaned back slightly. "Hm? Who?"
"Earl Norton Blois."
He nodded, scribbling the na into his ledger without further question.
Silence settled over us again, broken only by the quiet scratching of our pens as we got to work.
"The trial against Marquis Glines is in a week," Roan mumbled, eyes scanning a long list of notes, "and after that, we’ve got the eting with the Underworld Lords."
I humd in agreent. "It’ll be a busy winter. We’ll have to wrap everything before Prince Eric returns to Sestia. After that, the focus shifts to the competition between the princes."
"It’s a fixed ga anyway," Roan muttered with a shrug.
"I know," I said, "but the audience shouldn’t feel that way. They need to believe their voices matter. That they’re the ones choosing who gets to rule them. This... is the first step toward that illusion becoming truth."
He blinked. "You talk like you’re making the people rule instead of the royals."
I smiled faintly. "It’s called democracy."
"Democracy? What’s that?" he asked, curiosity flickering in his tone.
"The future of this world," I said softly.
This world had potential. If the people started to understand what they were truly capable of, change would co faster than the nobles could control. The monarchy was deeply embedded in the bones of this world—but nothing lasted forever. Soday, the seeds I had planted would bloom. This world would be better. After we handled the demons. After we bought ourselves so peace.
Just as that hopeful thought settled into my chest—helping finally begin to forget my rather embarrassing afternoon—there ca a knock at the door.
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