‘He won’t be more handsome than THOSE Blanchet brothers,’ Julie swallowed her thoughts and laughed lightly. The Blanchet brothers—especially the eldest, Edgar Blanchet—were the most beautiful men Julie had ever seen.

With his elegant physique, firm jawline, and gently curved eyes, he was certainly worthy of being Paratan’s number one bachelor.

“My beloved Vivi! Today, with your big brother, let’s go out together —”

“I hate it.”

Though he was seriously sister-obsessed.

Julie calmly watched as Violet rejected Edgar’s invitation to go out.

Despite Violet being just weeks away from adulthood, the Blanchet brothers treated her as if she might fly away if called or crumble if held. This was despite the fact that Violet herself found her brothers’ excessive attitude creepy.

“Anyway, Julie, shall we go watch together that day? He’ll have to pass by here anyway.”

“Sure, that sounds good. There will be a huge crowd out for the first time in ages.”

Julie and Violet continued their conversation, casually ignoring Edgar.

“Should I throw flowers too?”

“Is that really necessary? In this day and age?”

“Is it too old-fashioned? Hmm….. They’ll hold a party too, right?”

“I suppose so, wouldn’t they? After all, he is royalty, so they’ll probably host at least one.”

As the two girls speculated about the actions of a prince they had never seen, Edgar, who had been quietly listening, clapped his hands once to get their attention. Having graduated from the academy years ago, he still became quite childish when it came to his sister, Julie thought.

“Oh, Vivi, my beloved sister.”

“Ah, what is it now?”

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to see that… prin, ce.”

Edgar shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows as if he were the more disappointed one.

“Why? Why can’t I?”

“Because, Vivi, our lovely youngest….. Our youngest hasn’t had her coming-of-age ceremony yet. A lady who hasn’t had her coming-of-age ceremony shouldn’t eagerly go out to gawk at a strange man.”

Julie snorted quietly at Edgar’s theatrical tone. Coming-of-age ceremony? His dedication to digging up an outdated custom everyone had forgotten was impressive. Though it was merely jealousy that his sister showed interest in a man she hadn’t even seen, Edgar patted his sister’s shoulder as if truly regretful.

“It’s unfortunate that your birthday hasn’t passed yet, Vivi.”

※※※

On the historic day when the beautiful old mansion welcomed its owner, Violet Blanchet had to be confined to her room due to her two brothers’ interference.

Golden hair lay stretched out over the antique couch. The hair that precariously hung over the armrest looked just like golden threads passing through a goddess’s loom.

“This is really too much.”

“Indeed, it’s too much.”

“If Mother were here, she’d say why bother with such things!”

Ayla, the trading company owner, rarely stayed at the mansion due to her travels between regional trading posts. Moreover, since Viscount Blanchet accompanied her on this trip, Edgar was temporarily the guardian of his underage sister.

“I want to see him too……”

The streets were packed with people who had come to see the king’s son. Julie realized for the first time today just how many people lived in Paratan. The town had been in an uproar since morning, even though neither the prince nor his carriage was visible yet.

Had it been nighttime, they might have found a way to sneak out, but unfortunately, it was broad daylight, and both brothers were watching Violet with eagle eyes.

“Really, your young masters must have nothing better to do.”

“Right? Don’t you think so too? I don’t know why everyone’s making such a fuss. I just want to see what this prince looks like.”

Her plump lips were as red as if dipped in flower dye. Violet, who had been grumbling and skipping breakfast in protest, furrowed her brow sharply and sprang up, straightening her back. The sudden movement caused Julie, who was embroidering beside her, to miss with her needle.

“You can go instead!”

“Pardon?”

“You had your birthday recently, so it doesn’t matter for you. If I send you out on my orders, those two won’t have any reason to stop you. I was planning to go together, but…… Go see for me instead. And explain everything in detail. What the streets were like, what the prince looked like—everything!”

The Miss whose birthday hadn’t yet passed pushed the maid who had recently celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony toward the door. Outside the mansion, the fresh early summer air could be felt abundantly.

※※※

Just as Violet had guessed, it was incredibly easy for Julie to watch the procession. Although on her way out of the mansion, the Blanchet brothers had ordered that she “needn’t describe the prince’s appearance in too much detail” or that she “only needed to convey half of his actual grandeur”…… Julie didn’t particularly take their words to heart.

The person she served was Violet, and by extension Ayla, not those childish and handsome brothers.

“Oh my, isn’t that you, Julie? You came out to watch too?”

“Yes. There are already so many people.”

“Of course. They say he’ll arrive soon. But where is Miss Violet?”

“She’s at the mansion since she hasn’t had her coming-of-age ceremony yet.”

Julie made appropriate responses to people inquiring about Violet while making her way forward. Though the prince wasn’t even visible yet, people were already packed in tight rows on both sides.

The streets were cleaner than ever, and even delicate flower petals had been scattered about. Following Violet’s orders, Julie focused all her attention to not miss a single well-maintained brick or sound.

Thanks to this, Julie noticed the prince’s arrival a beat before everyone else.

The whinnying sound of horses, the clatter of horseshoes against polished cobblestones, and then……

“My goodness.”

Julie’s green eyes widened to the size of lanterns. Having spent half her life beside Violet, the maid possessed a steadfast eye that wasn’t easily impressed by mere good looks.

But the prince was beautiful enough to effortlessly crumble such a stone heart. His silver hair gleamed white in the pale sunlight, and his blue eyes were as clear as an ocean she had never seen. His hands calming the horse were as fair as white snow, and the way he made eye contact with each citizen appeared not just noble but almost sacred.

“My goodness……”

Behind the prince was quite a large entourage, and citizens threw roses and exclamations of admiration until the entire group disappeared from sight.

Julie, who had been blankly witnessing this scene, only came to her senses when someone pushed her shoulder, then hurried back to the mansion.

Her trudging steps soon turned into a sprint. As Violet’s maid and confidant, Julie had a duty to vividly convey this commotion.

※※※

“People really threw roses, Miss.”

“See! What did I tell you? I said they’d throw flowers, didn’t I?”

Strictly speaking, it had been more of a question—”Shouldn’t I throw flowers too?”—but instead of contradicting her, Julie continued her explanation.

The girl who had celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony a few weeks ago and the girl approaching hers sat chattering on the bed. Through the wide-open window wafted the scent of cool leaves.

“Anyway, it seemed like everyone in town had come out. Getting to the front was so difficult, I nearly fell over from being squeezed between people.”

“And then, and then?”

Violet twisted her side-locks while pressing her maid for details. Julie’s eyes were directed far away, as if recalling that brilliant scene. Growing more impatient at this sight, the Miss tugged at Julie’s wrist and moved her lips anxiously.

“So, what happened next? What happened after that?”

“After that, well…… hmm, what was it like.”

“Oh, hurry up!”

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing. That person, that prince—”

“The prince?”

“He was incredibly handsome.”

“Incredibly?”

“Incredibly. The most handsome person I’ve ever seen.”

Julie emphasized the prince’s beauty by repeating “the most” twice. At Julie’s generous assessment, Violet asked again with an even brighter expression than before.

“How handsome? Tell me in detail.”

“Well…… His skin was whiter than the whitest linen, and his hair gleamed like silver. No, perhaps more like platinum? His eyes were upturned like this, so delicately formed…… The color of his eyes was clearer and colder than the stream halfway up the mountain. His features were distinct, yet somehow the lines seemed refined. Oh, and his clothes! They weren’t even that elaborate, you know? At most, they were plainer than the uniform your second brother wore for his academy graduation, but he looked so dashing, probably because of his face. Since he was on horseback, I couldn’t tell his exact height, but judging by his legs hanging below the saddle, they seemed quite long.”

The maid’s description continued without pause. How lustrous the mane of the prince’s horse was, how beautiful the prince’s neatly swept forehead was, how elegant his grip on the reins was, how skillfully he waved to the people.