Once more, her eyes met Cajetan’s. His piercing gaze, as if he had been waiting for her to turn to him, was uncomfortably blunt and sent a shiver down her spine. There was something unnervingly predatory about it. Grace looked away quickly, an inexplicable fear creeping over her, as if she had seen something she should never have.

“Velenus, may I take Grace with me now?” the queen asked, smiling.

Velenus grinned mischievously.

“And where would you like to take my bride?”

“To have some time just for women, of course.”

“Even on our wedding day?”

The queen laughed at her son’s playful complaint.

“The day is far from over, Velenus.”

Grace smiled and patted Velenus gently on the arm.

“I wanted to spend some time with Mother as well.”

“Grace, are you on my mother’s side already?”

Velenus asked, feigning offence.

“Yes, I am. Why? Isn’t that allowed?”

“Why not?”

The queen interjected, feigning slight offence as she muttered under her breath.

Velenus shrugged dramatically.

“Well, if you both insist, I suppose I have no choice. Just don’t let me down completely, Grace.”

“You two seem to be getting along quite well already,” the queen remarked with a smile.

Grace slipped her arm through the queen’s in an affectionate gesture.

“I’ll see you later, Velenus.”

“Have a good time,” he said, waving his hand casually.

“Mother, where are we going?”

“Although you’ve already met the nobles, the women are gathering separately for another meeting. I thought it would be good for you to join us.”

“Thank you for being so considerate.”

“We are family, after all.”

The Queen replied warmly as they walked down the quiet corridor.

Grace hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully.

“Mother, about Cajetan…”

“Hm? What about him? Has he done anything wrong?”

“Oh, no. I was just curious what kind of person he is.”

The queen chuckled slightly.

“It seems you’re more curious about my younger son than your husband.”

“Well, I’ll have plenty of time to get to know Velenus.”

The Queen laughed at this.

“That’s true. Getting to know your husband bit by bit can be more fun than you’d think. It’s a common story, really – I had an arranged marriage too, you know.”

“Really? I never would have guessed. You and the King seem so close.”

“When I first met him, hmm… He just seemed easy-going.”

“Easy?”

“Eleuterio’s men are all like that – quiet and steady. You’ll see in time. Velenus is a fine husband, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my son.”

“Yes.”

She’d been curious about Cajetan, but all she’d learned was that Eleuterio’s men were supposed to be calm and easygoing. Grace smiled faintly, swallowing the words that had almost escaped her.

‘Cajetan… he doesn’t seem the least bit calm to me.’

How could she describe the unsettling sensation of his piercing blue eyes? The memory of the shuddering fear that had gripped her returned vividly.

“Isn’t Cajetan married yet?”

“No, not yet,” the queen replied. “We had planned to arrange a match with a suitable noblewoman, but he refused, saying it made no sense for him to marry before his older brother. And at the time, Velenus had not yet married.”

“I see…”

“Now that Velenus has found such a lovely bride, I suppose it’s time to find one for Cajetan as well.”

“Yes.”

“He may seem a little cold at times, but he’s not a bad child,” the queen added. “He just doesn’t take much interest in things, that’s all.”

“Not interested?”

“Yes, he’s not particularly ambitious or emotional. He’s more… indifferent, I suppose. Sometimes I wonder how such an aloof boy could have come from this family.”

The Queen laughed out loud.

‘Indifferent?’ Grace thought.

Could someone so indifferent really send such a look? The look she had felt from Cajetan was anything but calm – it was intense, raw and primal. Like the eyes of a beast, fierce and relentless.

“So there’s no need to worry too much. Even though he looks intimidating, he’s just a quiet child.”

“Yes…”

Everyone described Cajetan as someone not worth worrying about, someone ‘indifferent’ and ‘unremarkable’. But Grace couldn’t shake the feeling that she alone had seen something else in him.

‘Why?’

Why was he looking at her like that? Why was she the only one to receive such a piercing, intense gaze? No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find an answer.

Suddenly a shiver ran down her spine. Startled, Grace whipped her head around, but no one was there.

“What is it?”

The queen asked, noticing her sudden reaction.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Grace stammered, trying to sound natural.

But she was sure – it had been Cajetan’s look. She could swear to it. The feeling of being watched just moments ago – it had been him. She was sure of it.

Everything was fine. Not bad at all. The marriage, her husband, the king and queen – they were all acceptable. But one thing, just one thing, made her nervous from the moment she was introduced to him: Cajetan.

“Come, let’s go in.”

The queen said with a bright smile as she opened the door. Inside, the women greeted her warmly, their greetings lively and enthusiastic.

“I am Grace Donato. Please look after me.”

Grace said with a polite smile, trying hard to push thoughts of him aside.

The room filled with cheerful conversation, everyone expressing their pleasure at meeting her and promising to get along. As Grace glanced towards the narrowing gap of the closing door, she thought she caught a glimpse of Cajetan’s piercing blue eyes.

‘Was that just my imagination?’

Shaking off the thought, Grace concentrated on mingling with the women. But no matter how hard she tried, a lingering unease gnawed at her.

‘I’m probably just being overly sensitive.’

She tried to tell herself. It had to be nothing – just her mind worrying about meaningless things. And yet Cajetan’s face refused to fade from her memory.

***

“Hmm.”

Grace frowned slightly and ran her fingers through her hair as the unsettling thought continued to linger.

It was late at night. The nobles had returned home and the women’s meeting had ended some time ago. Now Grace sat waiting for her husband, freshly bathed and with her hair already dried.

‘Surely, he won’t just not come, right?’

Not that she was looking forward to the wedding night or anything. But at least she knew that it would be extremely rude to leave your bride alone on her first night. Even though this was the first time she had met Velenus, she could tell that he wasn’t the type of person to behave in such a thoughtless manner.

‘What’s going on?’