Alexander’s eyes narrowed.

“A good match?”

“The newspapers said His Majesty personally introduced the two of you, didn’t they? I heard she’s the daughter of the Winsley family. It’s an excellent family. I’m happy you’ve found such a suitable match.”

The look in Alexander’s eyes changed.

The trace of a smile slowly vanished from his face.

It was obvious that Helena’s words had struck a nerve.

“Do you mean that?”

Alexander pushed himself off the windowsill where he had been sitting.

“Are you truly happy that I’ve found a suitable match?”

“Well…”

Of course she wasn’t.

Even now, it felt as though her insides were being scorched alive.

But Helena nodded anyway.

“Of course I am. It’s good news.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Alexander replied.

“Liar.”

“…What?”

Helena stared at him in disbelief, wondering if she had heard him correctly.

Meeting her gaze, Alexander began walking toward her.

“Helena, do you know something?”

“What?”

“You are exceptionally bad at lying.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It shows.”

Helena’s brow twitched.

Her expression turned cold as she answered.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Your Grace.”

“Then stop calling me that.”

Emotion crept into Alexander’s voice.

“’Your Grace.’”

His eyes sharpened further.

“It doesn’t sound natural coming from you anyway.”

Helena couldn’t understand his sudden change in attitude.

The whole thing was utterly bewildering.

“I’m not sure why you’re angry.”

“I’m not angry—”

“You are angry.”

When Helena challenged him, Alexander pressed his lips together.

Resting a hand on his hip, he let out a long sigh before finally admitting it.

“Fine. I am angry.”

His gaze locked onto hers.

“To be honest, I’m angry because of you.”

‘What exactly did I do?’

A disbelieving laugh escaped Helena.

Looking thoroughly wronged, she met Alexander’s eyes.

“I was only being polite. Something good happened, so I congratulated you. That’s all.”

“Stop pretending you don’t know how I feel about you.”

Alexander’s voice grew sharper.

“Stop congratulating me. Stop telling me to be happy.”

He took another step closer.

“And stop saying things you don’t mean.”

At his words, the strength seemed to drain from Helena’s shoulders.

“…That’s all in the past.”

“It’s only been two months.”

Alexander’s reply was immediate.

“If my feelings were the kind that could disappear in such a short time, I never would have confessed them to you in the first place.”

Two months.

Fifty days, to be exact.

How was Helena supposed to feel when, only fifty days after a man had looked at her with such desperate affection and confessed his feelings, she read in the newspapers that he was preparing to marry someone else?

She had endured the shock.

The emptiness.

The disbelief.

Then she had reached out, hoping they could at least return to being on good terms.

And this was the response she received.

The warmth vanished from Helena’s eyes.

Her gaze turned icy.

“How impressive.”

The words dripped with sarcasm.

“You found a suitable match in only two months.”

Something flashed in Alexander’s eyes.

“Weren’t you just telling me how happy that made you?”

“How could I possibly be happy?”

Helena’s voice rose.

“How could I?”

The frustration she had been suppressing finally burst free.

“Fine. I’m not happy.”

She laughed bitterly.

“I’m a terrible liar. I admit it.”

Her eyes glistened as she stared at him.

“Are you satisfied now?”

And absurdly enough, the moment those words left her mouth, Alexander’s expression brightened.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Helena could hardly believe it.

Alexander nodded.

“Yes.”

The smile lingered.

“I am.”

Then he added,

“However, there is something I need to correct.”

Completely drained, Helena let out a weary breath.

“…Fine. Go ahead.”

Holding Helena’s gaze, Alexander spoke slowly and clearly.

“The article you read was false.”

His eyes never left hers.

“There is nothing between Lady Winsley and me.”

False?

Helena stared at him, her mind momentarily blank.

“W-What do you mean…?”

“What the newspapers reported about His Majesty introducing us is true.”

Alexander nodded.

“We met several times and had a few conversations.”

“……”

“But that’s all.”

His voice was calm and unwavering.

“There was never any special relationship between us.”

At Alexander’s firm declaration, all the strength seemed to drain from Helena’s body.

When she swayed, Alexander immediately caught her by the arm.

Helena quickly shook off his hand and forced herself upright. She composed her expression, pretending that his words had not affected her in the slightest.

But Alexander seemed to have already seen through her.

And Helena could feel it.

He was looking straight through every emotion she had tried so desperately to hide.

After a brief silence, Alexander waited for her breathing to steady before finally speaking.

“You know how I feel about you.”

“……”

“I believed it then, and I still believe it now.”

Tilting his head slightly, Alexander held her gaze.

The warm amber-brown of his eyes reflected only her.

“Am I wrong?”

Helena swallowed hard.

Her blue eyes trembled like a candle flame struggling against the wind.

Alexander took another step toward her.

“Do you truly feel nothing for me?”

“I…”

“Didn’t you miss me?”

His voice was quiet.

“Didn’t you long for me?”

He stopped when there was almost no space left between them.

Close enough that the tips of their shoes nearly touched.

To meet his gaze, Helena had to tilt her head back.

She knew all too well how handsome Alexander looked from this angle.

She knew how delicately the shadows rested beneath the strong line of his brow.

How high and sharply defined the bridge of his nose was.

And how impossible it was to look away from him.

“……”

And she knew how soft those lips were.

How impossibly warm they could be.

Helena’s lips parted slightly.

“I missed you.”

As though she already knew what was about to happen, she slowly closed her eyes.

“I missed you every day. Every moment.”

The instant the words left her lips, Alexander kissed her.

One hand cradling the back of her neck, he claimed her mouth with desperate urgency, slipping through her parted lips as though he could no longer restrain himself.

The kiss was as desperate as that of someone who had been drowning and had finally broken the surface for air.

Fierce.

Urgent.

Burning.

Their noses bumped.

Occasionally, their teeth brushed together.

Neither of them cared.

Like two people driven by the single desire to be as close to one another as possible, they held each other tightly.

A shaky breath escaped between them.

“Haah…”

Even the brief moments when they pulled apart to breathe felt like a waste.

Alexander brushed a hand through her hair.

His touch slid from her soft locks to her flushed cheek, then down to the slender curve of her neck.

When his fingers traced the line of her back, Helena’s head tipped back involuntarily.

“……”

With dazed, unfocused eyes, Helena looked up at him.

She knew exactly what was burning within those amber-brown eyes as they gazed down at her.

The emotion flickered there like fire.

Her fingers tightened around the front of Alexander’s shirt, wrinkling the fabric in her grasp.

Helena knew what would happen next.

If she intended to stop this, she had to push him away now.

The moment their lips met again, she was certain she would lose what little restraint she had left.

And yet—

‘I don’t want to push him away.’