Chapter 4

Aini's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Latil to offer a handshake. But soon, she smiled with her eyes curved and took his hand. Aini's hand was even soft and tender. It was different from Latil's rough hand, full of calluses from handling a sword since childhood. Her smile was beautiful too. Though she didn't know his intentions for coming, his first impression was incredibly charming. Latil couldn't help but look down at Aini's hand, lost in thought.

"Herself, I was surprised when Her Highness the Princess suddenly offered a handshake. Aini Tur Lada, I greet Her Highness the Princess."

Even after letting go of her hand, she bowed formally again, and Latil felt even more uncomfortable. After finishing her greeting, Aini stared at Latil for a moment, and Latil also silently looked back at her. An awkward silence passed between them. After about two minutes, Aini, who had been staring at Latil with a straight gaze, spoke first.

"Actually, Her Highness. I came to speak about the conversation between Your Highness and His Majesty Haysinth a few hours ago."

A few hours ago was when Latil had reunited with Haysinth. Latil, about to say "it's fine" without thinking, noticed something strange and frowned. At that time, only Latil and Haysinth were in the room. How could this person talk about that conversation? Haysinth couldn't have told her, right?

'Haysinth said that the Duke of Lada has been watching me with a fiery gaze. It seems to be true.'

"Since Her Highness and His Majesty Haysinth have different thoughts, I wanted to speak honestly."

While analyzing the power structure between the Duke of Lada and Haysinth in her mind, Latil maintained a kind smile and encouraged her.

"Go on."

"I will never divorce His Majesty, even after five years."

Latil raised an eyebrow and looked down at Aini, who was 20 cm shorter than herself. Aini looked up at Latil with a determined gaze.

"You don't need to tell me your marital plans."

As Latil muttered, Aini shook her head quickly.

"It's not because I love His Majesty Haysinth. It's because I don't want to do what he wants."

"!"

"I thought my heart was burning when I heard that conversation. No one wants to live with a man who marries to abandon them. Out of pride, I even considered breaking the marriage myself. I thought about it many times."

Aini's firm eyes wavered for a moment. Latil, who had been annoyed by how this person had overheard their conversation, pushed that feeling aside. Yes, regardless of the process, it must have been a truly terrifying conversation from Aini's perspective.

"But I decided not to. The most hurtful thing to His Majesty Haysinth is not for me to step down voluntarily."

"Yes... I'm sorry."

"No, I'm grateful. At first, I was only hurt by my pride. But when I thought about it, I felt grateful to Her Highness. Even though you must be very angry, you still said it for me."

"..."

"And this. I thought you might need it. It's my regular friend."

After a nod, Aini handed over what she had brought and nodded again before leaving. Latil blinked and then opened the box Aini had given her, placing it on the table. It was a famous strong drink. Feeling absurd, Latil let out a hollow laugh, then a chuckle, and shook her head.

* * *

That night, Latil sipped the drink Aini had given her, trying to clear her troubled mind. A regular friend, indeed. It was certainly an effective drink. The first sip made her feel bitter, the second made her stomach warm, and the third made her thoughts about Haysinth fly away. After a while, she just kept tilting the glass absentmindedly.

"So... is a man just one person? No. There are many. So many."

Latil mumbled, drunk, and kept sipping from the bottle.

"I need a handsome man. A very, very, very handsome man to make me forget him."

Later, her memory became hazy. As she kept muttering about handsome men, she thought she saw a very handsome man in front of her, as if in a dream. It must be a dream, with an unrealistic face that couldn't exist in reality, Latil thought, drunk. If it's a dream, I should catch it. Latil grabbed the man and said something, and the man laughed. Was she half delirious? She couldn't hear what she or the man was saying. She was already half unconscious. That was the last thing she remembered. When she opened her eyes, Latil was hugging a man she had never seen before, lying in the garden. Latil was completely frozen. The man she was hugging was so beautiful that it was hard to believe he was real. His features were perfectly balanced, and the lines of his nose and chin were attractive. His hair was a clean silver, and even his eyelashes were silver. The silver hair and eyelashes contrasted with his slightly dark skin, making him look like a mesmerizing elf. But the problem wasn't the man's handsome face.

'Damn. How strong was that drink?'

Latil cursed inwardly. Fortunately, they were both wearing multiple layers of clothes, so it didn't seem like a 'big accident' had happened, but it was still a big problem for the Princess, who had come as the head of the delegation, to be found drunk and sleeping with an unknown man in the garden. Had they drunk together? The man also smelled strongly of alcohol. At that moment, the man's eyelids twitched. He seemed about to open his eyes.

'No!'

Latil quickly left the spot. * * *

Back in her room, Latil's head was a mess. Does this man know I'm the Princess? How did he end up lying next to me? Was he also drunk? Then he might not remember either. Moreover, unlike her, the man hadn't seen Latil when he woke up. He might not remember her at all.

'That would be good. Damn. Who is this man? What does he do?'

If the man worked in the palace, he would keep quiet even if he remembered Latil. There was a good chance he didn't know who she was. But if he was a noble...

'I might meet him at Haysinth's wedding.'

Latil tried to recall the man's attire. His clothes would give a rough idea of his status. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what the man had been wearing just a few minutes ago. His face was so striking that she hadn't noticed his clothes.

'He must have been wearing something...'

After much deliberation, Latil decided that if she met the man again, she would pretend not to know him. If it was a spectacle, it wasn't just hers. The man had also been part of it. For the sake of dignity, it would be better to pretend not to know each other.

'Good.'

With that conclusion, Latil quickly took off her clothes and went into the bathroom. * * *

However, the encounter with the man turned out to be more serious and worse than Latil had expected.

'Oh... damn. I'm going crazy.'

She had been forced to go to the grand hall for Haysinth's wedding. There, in one of the most prestigious seats, was the man. From his position, Latil could tell he was a royal, and likely a royal of Carisen. That meant he was probably a relative of Haysinth. Moreover, since her assigned seat was close to his, he wasn't a distant relative. Was it an illusion? The man seemed to keep looking at her.

"Princess, do you know him? He keeps looking at you."

It wasn't an illusion.

"I don't know him."

Latil lied bluntly. I must be so great that he's looking at me. That must be it. Fortunately, as she kept ignoring him, the man turned his head but didn't acknowledge her.

"Princess, your eyes are slits. You might as well turn your head."

Latil glared at the knight captain who had been nagging her and closed her eyes.

'Relax. He's not acknowledging me either. Either he's unsure, doesn't know me, or decided to pretend not to know me. One of the three.'

* * *

"Latrasil Valentine Tarium. The Princess of Tarium."

As the subordinate reported without moving his lips, Klein's lips curled up.

"So she's the Princess, huh?"

A grinding sound came from Klein's neatly aligned teeth. The woman, who was clearly looking at him, kept avoiding his gaze. Her head was so stiff, it was unnatural, as if she was sending a clear signal: 'I'm ignoring you.'

The night before, Klein had found a knight crying and drinking. She was in uniform, holding a bottle and sobbing pitifully. He admitted it wasn't with good intentions; he wanted to chase her away because she was noisy. But the woman was strong. She wouldn't budge. In the end, Klein decided to make her drink more to get her to sleep quietly. He was also curious about her story, as she kept muttering about handsome men.

"Who is this handsome man you're crying about?"

"It's you."

To his surprise, the woman said she was crying because of him. She even grabbed his collar and sobbed pitifully.

"Hay... sith. I like you so much, but you... Hoooh. Who are you? Did you come from heaven to comfort my wounds? Hoooh!"

Klein wasn't unpopular. He wasn't a prince by birth, but he was still a prince and had a reputation for his beauty. Being unpopular would have been harder. But due to his terrible personality, no women had openly pursued him since he was 15. It was the first time a woman had clung to him so desperately. She clung to his side and sniffled. Klein awkwardly hugged her back. Through the smell of alcohol, he could smell the familiar scent of earth and grass. He realized there was a woman who liked him so much that she was in pain. Feeling a strange sense of fulfillment, he patted her back. But as a prince, he couldn't marry just anyone.

"I'm going crazy. Do you like me that much?"

"Are you going to leave? Are you going to leave me too?"

"Well, I..."

"Hoooh... Hoooh! I'll lock you up! I'll tie you up so you can't leave!"

"Hey, lady. That's a crime."

Shaking his head at the drunk woman, Klein took the drink from her