“You didn’t mention she was this young.”

Rohana whispered cautiously, watching Heath laugh silently.

The princess, who barely reached Kaiden’s chest, was eagerly chatting away to him. Despite his expression not being particularly soft, Kaiden was listening attentively, making eye contact with the princess.

Her voice was still youthful, and her face was cute. Was she even ten years old? Her beautiful, flowing crimson hair shimmered over her shoulders.

“Well, I need to go have a word with Lord Arthur…”

The older man standing beside them nodded. Kaiden’s gaze met Rohana’s, and she instinctively smiled and nodded in greeting.

The princess, a bit displeased, turned her gem-like green eyes to Rohana, then looked back up at Kaiden.

“You’ll still be around for dinner, right?”

“Of course.”

The princess watched Kaiden and Count Arthur head towards the conference room for a moment longer, then sharply turned her head.

Her green eyes met Rohana’s violet ones. Her steps were small but firm.

“So, you’re Rohana Hanover, the Duchess of Delcliff?”

“Yes, I am.”

Rohana couldn’t help but keep smiling, now understanding why the two had looked so uncomfortable yesterday.

“Hmm…”

The princess’s sparkling green eyes studied Rohana.

“I heard you were quite distressed over your maid and stayed in bed for a long time.”

At the princess’s abrupt comment, Rohana’s expression immediately stiffened.

“Princess! You mustn’t say such things! I apologize, Duchess. Our princess is still very young…”

The escort and guard standing behind her, Austin, quickly spoke up, clearly startled.

With hazel eyes and golden hair, Austin towered over the princess, possibly twice—no, three times—her size with his large frame.

“I’m really sorry.”

Rohana looked at the small princess for a moment. Her serious eyes and firmly set lips gave her a dignified and composed air, even for her young age, befitting a royal princess.

“Thank you.”

Rohana gently closed and opened her eyes in a gesture of acknowledgment. The princess’s tense face relaxed, and a smile curved on her lips.

“You’re quite impressive for an Arin.”

“Princess!”

The young knight was stunned. Rohana, too, was caught off guard. It had been a while since she’d encountered such innocent yet audacious bluntness.

“So, can I just call you ‘sister’ then?”

The knight, too shocked to respond, only opened and closed his mouth silently. The pure, mischievous sincerity in the princess’s eyes as she looked up at Rohana was evident.

“Alright.”

At Rohana’s response, the knight began waving his hands and bowing his head.

“Duchess, you really don’t have to…”

“Oh, what does it matter? We’re just talking between ourselves.”

Rohana shrugged her shoulders, and Serin clapped her hands together in delight.

“Sister, I want to explore Nopthal’s town again. Let’s go together.”

Come to think of it, Rohana also wanted to go out. She hadn’t had the chance to explore the town yet.

“Princess, the queen only gave you permission to greet the Duke of Delcliff…”

“Be quiet.”

Serin silenced Austin’s protest with a wave of her hand, her gaze fixed on Rohana with excitement.

“There shouldn’t be any danger, right?”

Heath raised an eyebrow, giving Rohana a look as if to say, “You too?” Rohana nodded.

“Hurry up and prepare the carriage, Austin.”

Seeing Heath’s nod, Austin sighed in resignation.

“Yay!”

Princess Serin immediately hooked her arm through Rohana’s, letting out a gleeful noise. She was still so small that Rohana, who was relatively tall for a woman, had to adjust her pace slightly to match the princess’s.

“Sister, just as I expected, you’re really cool.”

Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Rohana.

“The Duke was originally supposed to marry me, you know… but I know that wasn’t going to happen. After hearing about you, I think you might actually be a decent person. Even my mother said so.”

“She’s grown up a bit since then.”

Austin whispered to Heath, while Serin glared at him with a side-eye.

“Hurry up! Get everything ready!”

Her lively voice echoed through the mansion, bringing a rare burst of energy to the Duke’s residence.

***

“Wow… this place is amazing.”

Serin’s green eyes gleamed with curiosity. Wearing a black cloak, just like Kaiden’s, she clung to Rohana, dragging her along as she explored.

The streets, lined with shops, were clean and bustling. The steady clacking of the princess’s shoes echoed off the solid black stone pavement.

The street was mostly filled with stores run by long-standing artisans, giving it a unique atmosphere. Snow was piled beautifully on the red rooftops.

“This square is truly magnificent. The fountain is gorgeous. I wonder if it’s running in winter…”

“There’s a fountain?”

“What did you say?”

Serin looked at Rohana in disbelief.

“Oh my goodness, we must go there immediately!”

The princess suddenly sped up, nearly breaking into a run, causing Austin to scramble to keep up.

“Princess—no, my lady! You’ll fall. Please, slow down.”

Heath, following behind the group at a steady pace, furrowed his brow as he sensed something unusual. It wasn’t just the usual crowd. Something was off. His instincts kicked in.

The moment they reached the square, a rough male voice cut through the air.

“Revenge on the Arin!”

Serin, who had been running, and Rohana, who had been walking with her, both froze in place.

A group of people were reaching their hands towards a man standing on top of the fountain, chanting in unison with his cries.

“Revenge!”

Signs with Jody’s name scrawled across them were scattered everywhere. The fleeting peace Rohana had felt came crashing down into the pit of her stomach.

“My lady, shall we return now?”

Heath whispered into Rohana’s ear from behind.

Austin tried to pick up the princess, but Serin resisted stubbornly.

“Why are you making such a fuss over this?” her voice rang out.

Rohana didn’t panic. In fact, she felt it was good to witness it firsthand. She smiled faintly as if to reassure him, but something caught her attention.

A voice. Someone was singing. The sound was hauntingly beautiful, sending chills down her spine.

Rohana hurriedly looked around, but apart from the murmuring of the angry crowd, there was no special sound to be heard.

“Heath, what is that sound?”

“Don’t mind it.”

Just then, the sound echoed in her ears again.

It was beautiful and pure, yet terrifying, like a haunting song.

Rohana gasped. She had definitely heard it before. She tilted her head back and looked up at the sky. Although it was distant, there was something up there. A chill ran down her spine.

‘A white bird?’

She remembered the bombardment on the western coast and the look in Kaiden’s eyes as he hurriedly closed the carriage door.

“Heath, look at that!”

Rohana urgently grabbed Heath’s arm and pointed at the sky. But when she refocused her gaze, the bird was already gone.

Her heart was pounding.

“My Lady, what’s wrong?”

There was definitely something there.

“Sister, let’s head back. It’ll take us at least a day to tour the duke’s estate anyway.”

Princess Serin looped her arm through Rohana’s again, her expression showing a hint of concern, perhaps worried that Rohana had been upset.

Rohana smiled warmly, touched by her thoughtfulness.

“Yes, let’s do that.”

She glanced up again, but the clear blue sky showed nothing.

***

Kaiden approached them.

“You returned early.”

Serin, still hooked to Rohana’s arm, looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Princess Serin too.”

With a slightly annoyed expression, Serin squinted her eyes as if saying, “Stop treating me like a child,” and then quickly disappeared, leaving Rohana behind.

“Nothing happened?”

“I wanted to look around more, but there was a protest at the square, so we came back for now. Just as I’d heard, there’s a lot of discontent.”

“As you’d heard?”

“Heath told me.”

Kaiden raised an eyebrow.

Rohana hesitated for a moment, debating whether to talk about the ‘sound.’ That strange and beautiful, chilling song. But this wasn’t the right place to discuss it, not with so many people around.

“Kaiden, can we talk later tonight?”

Kaiden’s dark gaze flickered for a moment.

Whether he had his silver hair tied up or letting it fall over his forehead, he always exuded a dangerous aura. Today, his hair was tied up, as befitting the occasion with guests.

Rohana momentarily lost herself in thought, until Kaiden’s brows furrowed. His large hand gently wrapped around her waist, pulling her behind a column.

Making sure they weren’t seen by others, he positioned her in front of the column.

“It’s cold against the pillar.”

Rohana was taken aback but didn’t resist. For now, she just wanted to let things flow as they were.

“Rohana.”

Sensing her oddly avoiding his gaze, Kaiden immediately called her name again. Her violet eyes met his once more.

“What’s going on?”

Several thoughts raced through her mind, but Rohana remained silent. Kaiden’s brow furrowed again.

She had been about to talk about the strange sound and the white bird-like figure, but what came out of her mouth was something entirely different.

“What are we even doing?”

It was the same question she had asked tearfully that morning at dawn. Kaiden’s eyebrow lifted slightly before settling back down.

“Us?”

“Yes, us. Beyond the contract.”

Kaiden’s eyes slowly regained their usual intensity. His gaze, sharp and unwavering, seemed to dig deeper as if trying to understand more by staring harder.

His grip around her waist tightened, pulling her closer until their bodies were pressed against each other.

Then, he smiled—a smile she had never seen before. As he leaned in slowly, a cool forest scent filled the air.

Kaiden’s large hand brushed against Rohana’s ear, and his lips gently touched her skin. His low voice whispered, and his breath, deep and almost animalistic, tickled her ear.

“Let’s talk tonight.”

Even without words, she understood what kind of conversation it would be. Heat rushed up from her toes to her cheeks in an instant.

“Dukeeee!”

Suddenly, Princess Serin’s voice echoed loudly from behind the pillar.

Kaiden froze in place, then buried his face in Rohana’s neck with a sigh. As Rohana chuckled, Kaiden reluctantly lifted his head.

“I’m here.”

Still holding Rohana hidden behind the pillar, Kaiden stepped out first. Rohana let out a slow, controlled breath, her neck still warm from where his breath had touched her.

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