Chapter 1

"Kyaahhhhh—!"

The duke's daughter, upon seeing my face, suddenly let out a scream and collapsed.

She fell backward with a thud.

W-What’s going on—!?

"Miss—!"

Of course, the butler and the maids rushed over, causing quite a commotion.

I... should I help? I mean, she fainted because she saw my face, so I’m the cause, right? Is it okay for me to help her up?

But as a gentleman, it’s my duty. If a prince of a country were to leave a lady who fainted without helping, it would tarnish the royal family's reputation.

"Miss Seria? Miss Seria, are you okay?"

I rushed over and knelt beside the young lady.

The young lady, having hit her head on the ground, even though it was grass, was now rolling her eyes and drooling. Oh no.

She has long, black hair that reaches her waist, shiny and beautiful. Her face is well-featured and cute, but right now, she looks terrible.

The maid quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief to hide her terrible state.

"Master Shin... I apologize, Your Highness. Miss Seria isn’t feeling well today, so perhaps we should reschedule the tea party for another day..."

The butler, sweating profusely, tried to salvage the situation. That’s understandable.

I am the first prince and the heir of the Midland royal family, and the engagement talks with Miss Seria, the daughter of the Duke Collette, are currently underway. With my sister’s wedding to a neighboring country approaching, we decided to finalize the engagement. Today was our first meeting.

I was invited to a private tea party at the duke’s residence in the capital, with only one attendant accompanying me.

The young lady, carried by the butler, was taken into the mansion.

The maids followed in a panic.

And the Duke Collette, her father, was bowing profusely, sweating heavily, and apologizing to me.

"I am deeply sorry. This is the utmost disrespect, and I, Haas Collette, have no words to apologize..."

"Please stand up. Miss Seria is only ten years old. She might not feel well sometimes. We can reschedule for another day. I can even visit to check on her. Please don’t apologize so much; I’m not upset."

It’s not right for a grown man to bow to a ten-year-old prince, no matter who I am. Please stop. It makes me uncomfortable.

"Um, my daughter, Seria, doesn’t have any chronic illness or weakness. This has never happened before. She’s usually very energetic, but... this is the first time something like this has happened."

"I understand. I will take my leave for today. Please make sure Miss Seria rests and stays comfortable. Please tell her to take care and that I look forward to seeing her again. I will take my leave now."

With that, I left the scene. One of the duke’s maids hurriedly followed to guide me.

I called out to Shreikan, the royal guard waiting outside in the courtyard.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s go back."

Shreikan, who has a rough and intimidating face, has been my personal guard since this year. Despite his scary appearance, he’s a fun guy to talk to, and we often tease each other. If there were a demon, he’d probably look like Shreikan, but when we’re alone, I can forget that I’m a prince and feel at ease with him.

"What happened, Master Shin? You’re leaving so early."

"Hey, Shreikan, do I look that terrible?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? If I looked like you, I’d have a harem of all the beautiful women in the country and be living the high life. With your face, you could definitely be the country’s top womanizer, no doubt about it!"

"...Thanks for the not-so-flattering compliment, Shreikan. And there’s a lady present, so please watch your mouth."

"Ah, my apologies. I am Shreikan, the royal guard assigned to Master Shin. Nice to meet you."

Shreikan bowed to the maid with a smile that only I could recognize.

"I apologize for the inconvenience today. I am Bella, Miss Seria’s maid. Nice to meet you."

...This maid is unfazed. I’ve never seen a woman who isn’t scared by Shreikan’s smile.

"What happened?"

Bella, the maid, said, "Miss Seria suddenly fainted due to a sudden illness."

"That’s too bad. But for it to happen on this day and at this moment, what bad luck. If she wasn’t feeling well, she should have said so, and we could have rescheduled. Our prince wouldn’t be upset over something like that."

"Um, well..."

...I can’t say she fainted and screamed when she saw my face...

"Miss Seria screamed and fainted as soon as she saw the prince."

She said it! She actually said it! This maid is something else!

"Whoa..."

Shreikan, please don’t react like that in front of her.

"Once again, I apologize. As Miss Seria’s maid, I beg you not to abandon her, Your Highness."

"No, that’s... Of course, I won’t. We haven’t even spoken a word yet."

This maid is something else, saying things like abandoning or not abandoning without changing her expression.

"Maid, I mean, Bella, our prince doesn’t have a face that would make someone scream, right?"

Shreikan, don’t pile on. You can’t say that with that face.

"Yes, from my perspective, Master Shin is as cute as an angel. He will undoubtedly become a handsome young man who will make many women cry. If I were ten years younger, I would be honored to be part of his harem."

"Right...?"

...Why does everyone think I’ll have a harem? Do I look like that kind of person? How do I even look to people?

Forget it... Let’s just go back, Shreikan...

"Thank you for your hospitality. We will follow up on the visit later."

"Thank you for your visit today."

With that, Bella bowed deeply, and we left the duke’s residence.

"Shreikan, did you hear anything about Miss Seria?"

Today’s tea party was a private visit, so I came in a small two-seater carriage with Shreikan as the driver. It was just the two of us.

"I heard she’s a spoiled, pampered young lady, but I’ve never seen a noble lady who isn’t like that. I guess she’s just a normal young lady."

She lives in the duke’s territory and rarely comes to the capital, so this was my first time meeting her, and I had no information. I like Shreikan because he’s straightforward and honest, even if he’s scary-looking.

"Still, did you see her?!"

I saw her... She had beautiful black hair, but it was disrespectful to see her like that when she was unconscious.

"That maid wasn’t scared of me at all!"

That’s what you’re focusing on? That’s more important?

"Yeah, that was rare. I’ve never seen a woman who isn’t scared of Shreikan’s face."

She’s the young lady’s maid, so she might be composed. But I guess any young lady would want a composed maid.

"Does that mean there’s a chance?"

You’re something else. To think that just because she wasn’t scared of your face, there’s a chance. How optimistic are you?

"What are you thinking, Shreikan? I came to meet the person who will be my wife. I didn’t come to find a wife for you."

"I’m always on the lookout for a woman who will be my wife, 24/7."

Sure, sure. I won’t say how unattractive you are, or I might get thrown out of the carriage.

"You’ll come again, right, Master Shin?"

"Of course, I will. I made a promise."

What are you looking forward to? I’m a bit worried now. Will I have to visit multiple times?

: "2. Love and Marriage are Different"

The book has concluded, and the beautiful manga adaptation by Ootori-sama has also finished its serialization.

The third and final volume of the manga adaptation will be released on June 30th!

The third and final volume of the book will be released on September 2, 2021. Thank you for your support.