When Cynthia opened her eyes, she was inside a carriage. 

A carriage? 

Startled, Cynthia tried to bolt upright from her seat. No, more precisely, she tried to bolt upright, but her waist and other unspeakable places hurt so much that she had to lie back down immediately. When Cynthia groaned while holding her waist, she felt someone patting her back.

“Cynthia, it’s only been a few days since you overexerted your body – you can’t strain yourself like this.”

“…Your Holiness?”

“Not Your Holiness, but Ezekiel.”

“No, what is this situation right now…”

Ezekiel, who had been nuzzling his face against Cynthia’s right palm, lifted his head. He was smiling brightly with his eyes curved. Cynthia found it difficult to look directly at Ezekiel’s face because of her complicated emotions.

It was true that she had become accustomed to physical contact with Ezekiel during the past few days they spent together. And she had come to understand to some degree that Ezekiel’s feelings were sincere. But that didn’t mean she was ready to accept Ezekiel’s heart right away.

Cynthia turned her gaze toward the window. The green mountains and fields helped calm her mind. When Cynthia fixed her gaze beyond the window, she soon heard a whining voice. It was so cunning that it was hard to imagine it was Ezekiel.

“Are you already tired of looking at my face?”

“…What?”

When she turned her head to refute such nonsense, Ezekiel’s face was right in front of her nose. His eyes drooped as he craved Cynthia’s attention. 

Facing such a gorgeous and beautiful face right after waking up was nothing short of t*rture. Cynthia forced herself to finish her words and turned her gaze back to appreciate nature.

“You’re saying ridiculous things…”

“And you’re not curious about where we’re heading.”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t heard an explanation for why I’m riding in a carriage either.”

Ezekiel kept pressing his body close to her like he wanted her to look at him. Sitting next to him was already burdensome, but when he pressed his body against her too, her face seemed to heat up. 

When she forcibly fixed her gaze outside the window, something tickling touched her face. When she glanced over, it seemed to be Ezekiel’s hair. Ezekiel was tilting his head toward Cynthia and continuously kissing places like her cheek and neck.

“We’re currently heading toward the Capital.”

“…The Capital?”

“Of course, for our wedding.”

“…Wedding?”

“Yes. That damned Crown Prince finally passed the law.”

When startled Cynthia turned her face toward Ezekiel, a face blooming with smiles was right in front of her. His already bright face had become even brighter. She could dare say it was brighter than the sun.

But Cynthia didn’t want to just agree with everything. Somewhere in her heart felt like it was boiling.

“But I… already have someone I’m supposed to marry?”

“…”

“And I never answered that I would marry Your Holiness either.”

At those words, Ezekiel’s bright complexion darkened in an instant. Silence enveloped the carriage. The cheerful conversation from moments before became quiet like a lie. 

Though she had said it herself, Cynthia also felt somewhat awkward and turned her head back toward the window. She didn’t want to see what kind of expression Ezekiel was making.

“Someone to marry…”

“Yes, we already finished discussing getting married in three months.”

“Three months…”

“The discussion with my parents is already completely settled too.”

The more the conversation continued, the atmosphere began to stiffen uncontrollably. Winter had surely come to the empire. Otherwise, the atmosphere couldn’t possibly be this cold. 

But Cynthia didn’t want to take back the words she had just spoken. Cynthia had only spoken the truth.

“But, but Cynthia…”

“Why does Your Holiness decide everything on your own? I never gave you an answer.”

Actually, she was fine with weddings and all that. How could anyone not be happy to learn that ten years of one-sided love wasn’t one-sided but mutual? It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand Ezekiel’s explanations over the past few days either.

However, hadn’t she alone suffered too much? She had cried and wailed for the past three months and even nearly died. How worried her parents had been. Could things really flow by this easily like water? Would accepting Ezekiel’s heart solve all the past events?

Once she had that thought, her words kept coming out sharp. It was a natural bodily reaction completely different from her own thoughts. 

Even when she thought she should speak warmly, sharp words full of resentment automatically burst out in front of Ezekiel. It was beyond Cynthia’s control. ‘She didn’t know anything anymore.’ Cynthia decided to act according to her heart’s desires.

“Cynthia… I, I was wrong. So please don’t say such things…”

“First, please take me home. I need to think about this.”

And this became the starting point of Ezekiel’s tearful visits.

* * *

“Lady Cynthia, it’s been so long!”

“That’s right. You haven’t attended mass or shown up at any parties… Everyone was so worried.”

The social circle Cynthia returned to after several months remained unchanged. The young ladies were busy laughing together, while the young lords kept stealing glances at them. 

Among the crowd, the young ladies gathered around Cynthia had sparkling eyes and cheeks tinged with pink. It was clear they had a story they were eager to hear.

The problem was that Cynthia already knew exactly what they wanted to talk about. She had been bombarded with similar questions at countless tea parties she’d attended recently. 

By now, the story she had told had likely spread far beyond the social circle and into the marketplace. Yet, it seemed these young ladies weren’t content to leave it as mere hearsay.

When Cynthia blinked and tilted her head slightly, pretending not to understand what they were hinting at, the youngest-looking lady in the group couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up.

“There’s a story that’s been causing quite a stir in the Capital lately.”

With that, the other ladies, who had been trying to restrain themselves, began eagerly chiming in, each one vying to share the details.

“The story that His Holiness the Pope, who vowed to devote himself to Goddess Lena, is courting Lady Cynthia!”

“I heard he visits the Dernier Count house every single day without fail.”

“Many people have even confirmed seeing His Holiness the Pope there.”

After the decree allowing the Pope to marry was announced, the social circle was thrown into complete chaos. His Holiness the Pope had always been one of the most desirable grooms, hindered only by the fact that he couldn’t marry. 

His looks and height were too remarkable to ignore, he had never been involved in a single scandal, and his character was so upright that he devoted himself entirely to religion. Even when marriage was off the table, young ladies still lined up to follow him. Now that his only flaw had disappeared, his popularity soared to unimaginable heights.

But the day after the decree was announced, the social circle was shaken once again—this time for an entirely different reason. It wasn’t just chaos anymore; it was on the verge of exploding. 

Rumors began to spread that His Holiness the Pope had been visiting the Dernier Count house for courtship.

At first, many dismissed it as nothing more than idle gossip. But as time passed, even the skeptics couldn’t ignore the evidence. 

His Holiness the Pope was indeed visiting the Dernier Count house every single day. On top of that, the rumor gained even more traction with the claim that the courtship was one-sided on the Pope’s part.

Speculations quickly ran wild. Stories emerged that His Holiness had fallen in love and tried to step down from his position as Pope, that the imperial palace had permitted marriage solely to stop him, or that he had tearfully pleaded with the Emperor after learning of Lady Cynthia’s supposed engagement. These were absurd tales with no credible sources, but that didn’t stop the nobles from spreading them.

Nobles, particularly those obsessed with romantic gossip, couldn’t get enough of the rumors. The young ladies were especially captivated by the Pope’s supposed love story. 

Groups of them would squeal, letting out delighted cries of “Kyaaa!” as they gushed over what they saw as a grand, passionate romance.

Even adults couldn’t hide their curiosity, often lingering nearby to eavesdrop on conversations. 

Nobles had always been fascinated by the Pope’s love life—just look at how the previous Pope’s affairs were still a common topic of discussion. Naturally, that same interest extended to Ezekiel’s rumored courtship.

Cynthia, however, felt differently. She deflected their questions with vague answers like, “Well…”, “He does visit, but…”, and “I can’t share every detail since it involves His Holiness’s private matters…” 

Yet even those noncommittal responses were enough to send the young ladies into fits of excitement. Their imaginations ran wild as they clasped Cynthia’s hands and cheered, “We support this love!”

Barely managing to excuse herself, Cynthia finally left the party and climbed into her carriage. As soon as the door shut behind her, she leaned back against the sofa with a heavy sigh. 

It had already been two and a half months since Ezekiel began visiting her house every single day without fail. Her parents, who had initially been shocked and flustered by his persistent presence, now treated him like a permanent fixture in front of their home.

The marriage naturally fell through. Since the two parties had never even met in person and had only discussed the arrangement verbally, it was easy to call it off. 

The other side didn’t seem particularly invested in the marriage either. Of course, this was a secret known only to Cynthia and her parents.

When Cynthia told Ezekiel that she needed time to think, he began showing up in front of her house every single day without fail—always bringing something he knew she liked. 

These were things she had mentioned to him during their ten years of post-mass conversations: how she preferred lilies to roses, thought amethyst suited her more than peridot, and found sky blue more soothing than orange.

One day, Ezekiel arrived with a hundred lilies. Another day, he brought a necklace adorned with amethysts. On yet another, he came with a shawl made of sky-blue silk. Each day brought a new gift, and even Cynthia was amazed at how perfectly he remembered every little detail.

Yet, no matter how many times she ignored him, Ezekiel never once showed anger. Some days she would step outside to see him, while on others, she wouldn’t even let him catch a glimpse of her. But every time she did go out, the sight of his face lighting up with joy melted away her lingering resentment.

“Maybe it’s time to forgive him. I should go out today and tell him I’ll accept the marriage,” she thought to herself each morning as she saw Ezekiel standing outside her door. But when the moment came and she stood before him, her sharp words would spill out instead. It was driving her mad. She couldn’t understand why she kept acting this way.

And so, time passed. As the rumors reached their peak and a little over three months had gone by since Ezekiel began his daily visits, a letter arrived. It was an invitation from the Crown Prince.