Chapter 4

Lucien’s face, shocked by Serenia’s sudden change of heart—a betrayal with no explanation—was still vivid in her memory. Lucien, just barely an adult and looking younger than now. Sometimes, when that wounded face appeared in her dreams, Serenia wanted to justify her choice, which she couldn’t help but make. But whether in dreams or reality, Serenia couldn’t say a word.

“…….”

“Mother and the others didn’t want you to go somewhere dangerous, so it couldn’t be helped. Geez, when I said I’d go, they told me maybe I’d finally grow up if I did. They really are too much.”

When Serenia kept her lips tightly shut, Lucien grumbled lightly to ease the mood. Maybe that little betrayal was just an old story to him now, something he could easily brush off.

So he wasn’t still angry about that.

She felt relieved, but strangely, a little disappointed. It was as if she was gradually shrinking in his eyes. Shaking her head at her own contradictory feelings, she tried to clear her thoughts and smiled lightly, grateful for his understanding.

“Tomorrow, my brother will enter the Imperial City, so what do you plan to do?”

“Hm?”

“You’ve been handling the mansion’s security, but your main job was guarding Serion, right?”

Ah. Serenia gave a bitter smile and nodded. It was something she’d been agonizing over lately. Her main duty, as Lucien said, was to escort Serion, the eldest son of Delaroz. Serion rarely left the house except for important conferences, so “escort” was mostly in name only. But now, even that nominal job was gone, leaving Serenia practically unemployed.

“So now you’ll be in charge of guarding Mother or Kyle at the mansion?”

“For now, Serion said he’d ask Princess Erisa for a favor, but I…”

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re thinking of following him to the Imperial City?”

Before Serenia could say she was thinking of becoming independent, Lucien’s voice cut her off, noticeably colder. Just moments ago, he’d been kind, as if they’d returned to their old days, but now his attitude changed abruptly. His smile was the same, but somehow twisted, openly displaying his displeasure.

“This is why I can’t just pretend not to notice.”

Lucien clicked his tongue and leaned in. He rested one hand on the back of the sofa where Serenia sat, casting a large shadow over her.

At the sudden closeness, Serenia was newly aware of the difference in their sizes. Lucien could no longer be called a boy. His fully grown masculine presence, with eyes laced in a faint sneer, scanned Serenia’s face.

“Up until now, pretending not to know while staying close was fine, but now he’s getting married—don’t you think it’s too much?”

The veins stood out on the back of Lucien’s hand gripping the sofa. Heat rushed to his head, maybe from the alcohol. He’d deliberately created a relaxed atmosphere to make her lower her guard. He’d waited for the high walls she’d built to slowly crumble, and then asked the question he’d dreaded, hoping she wouldn’t give the answer he feared.

“No matter how much you like my brother, following him to the Imperial Family is too deceitful.”

“…What?”

“Or do you still think you have a chance? That if you keep waiting by his side, there’ll be a moment when your feelings are returned?”

Serenia had always endured even the hardest training with stubborn persistence. Maybe for her, suffering through a one-sided love was something she could easily bear. Lucien pictured her endlessly gazing at Serion’s back, and his mood soured even further.

He was angry at Serenia for not giving up on a man about to be married, and annoyed at his brother for being oblivious. Actually, maybe the latter annoyed him even more. Why did Serion have to be so needlessly kind to everyone?

Lucien ignored his own bias and looked down at Serenia, who could only open and close her mouth soundlessly. Her expression, mottled with complex emotions, soon turned pale. Serenia glared at Lucien, biting her lip through a deep sigh.

“So you’re saying… Ha, you’re worried I’ll shamelessly follow Serion to the Imperial Palace just because I like him?”

“Are you going to deny it?”

“Of course not! No, why would I ever—”

“Straight black hair, fair skin. Tall, slender build, long fingers, a handsome man with a beautiful smile.”

“…!”

“What else did you say? That he’s kind, and being with him gives you strength?”

“You—you didn’t…”

“It’s too specific to be just a vague ideal type, isn’t it? Someone said if you’re that specific, it means you already have someone in mind.”

Lucien hadn’t tried to remember, but Serenia’s words, spoken softly while looking down at her toes, were still engraved in his mind. From the moment he realized she could blush and act shy over someone, every detail of that day became unforgettable for Lucien.

“Nia, did you really think I wouldn’t know who was always by your side? I knew right away who you meant.”

As if to send Serenia back to that moment, Lucien used the childhood nickname ‘Nia,’ gently tucking her hair behind her ear. Her pale face now turned as red as a ripe apple. Her trembling eyes couldn’t hide her embarrassment.

Anyone could see she’d been caught. Lucien gave a small, bitter smile. Even though he’d succeeded in trapping her, he felt nothing but bitterness.

“Until now, I thought you’d work it out on your own, but not anymore.”

“……”

“My brother is one thing, but his bride is Princess Erisa. No matter how long you wait, there’s no way he’ll love you instead of her.”

“…I know that. I know I can’t compare to Princess Erisa.”

“My brother is one thing, but what if Erisa finds out? They just got married—they should be happy. Don’t ruin it with your selfishness. Stop now.”

Of course, there was no comparison. Serenia was far too innocent to handle someone like Erisa. The moment Erisa decided to have Serion, his feelings didn’t matter anymore. If he’d loved someone else, it would have ended in disaster. Luckily, Serion loved Erisa, and everything turned out for the best.

If Erisa ever found out someone was in love with her husband, that witch would explode—and Lucien didn’t even want to imagine it. Honestly, he didn’t care if Erisa got angry, but if Serenia was the target, that was different.

No matter how distant they’d grown, Lucien still had enough loyalty not to throw Serenia into the fire. Yes, ‘loyalty.’

He figured she’d understood. Lucien was about to soften his tone and coax her again when, suddenly, his center of gravity shifted and he was pulled in, helplessly drawn closer. The small distance between them vanished, leaving only a hand’s breadth. His heart thudded and his breath stopped. Every muscle tensed, and Lucien froze, feeling like a broken wooden puppet, unable to move.