Because her skirt, unable to resist gravity, had flowed down to around her thighs along her raised leg. At the same time, pale and delicate bare skin was exposed without reserve.

“……!”

Kaiel’s hand gripping her ankle tightened. How could it be that what showed under her skirt was bare skin rather than underpants.

“This…… No, they were uncomfortable and heavy so I didn’t wear……”

Delia urgently pulled her skirt up to her ankles and began struggling again.

“Let go! Kaiel!”

However, he lifted up even her other ankle with his remaining hand. Delia’s eyes filled with bewilderment at the unexpected situation.

“T-the wound is fine! Kaiel! Really!”

Delia barely held onto her dress with both hands. As a result, her body lost its support and tilted toward the ground.

Thump.

Finally Delia lay on the ground with both feet held. The occasional brush of Kaiel’s fingers against her soles made her feel goosebumps all over.

That’s when.

“They make such a good pair. Miss Bennett seems to have completely fallen for His Highness. If it weren’t for His Highness, I would have made a move myself.”

“You? You must be joking?”

Two or three men walked out toward the garden, laughing heartily.

Delia instantly let go of her dress and pulled on Kaiel’s collar.

“Shh!”

Fortunately, they weren’t noticed thanks to the shadows cast by the pillar in the corner. However, if Kaiel with his large build stood up, they would be discovered immediately.

Though they hadn’t done anything strange, being found alone together in the garden without companions could lead to who knows what kind of rumors.

“Stay still! Don’t move!”

Delia whispered in his ear.

Kaiel, whose face suddenly came very close to Delia’s, finally released her ankles.

“I quite like Miss Averbit. Honestly, I fell for her at first sight. Did you see earlier? It says everything that she could even move that Grand Duke. His Grace must surely have taken a liking to that woman.”

Delia flinched at the man’s voice.

“Did Kaiel fall for me too……”

At the mischievous question, Kaiel reprimanded in a low voice.

“Don’t joke around.”

The men’s voices gradually moved away toward the garden. Several more people passed through the garden after, and except for one person who seemed to be taking a solitary walk, most were absorbed in gossip. Streams of praise about Delia flowed out.

Focused on listening to those conversations, and distracted by the heartbeat heard nearby. The two didn’t notice someone staring intently at the space behind the pillar.

As the following group also disappeared toward the garden, the chattering finally quieted down. The last words they heard were also about Delia.

“She’s a lady who wouldn’t look out of place even alongside Her Highness the Princess and Miss Bennett. I should properly express my interest this social season.”

Delia, who had been listening silently, looked up at Kaiel and said.

“Did you hear?”

“Yes.”

“They say I wouldn’t look out of place even alongside Her Highness the Princess.”

“So they say.”

“Please allow it now. To be Her Highness’s substitute.”

“Not that.”

Kaiel glared at Delia’s dress and suddenly thrust his hand toward the strings on her back. A chilling sensation spread down to her waist along her spine.

“W-w-w-what are you doing!”

“Take it off.”

Delia’s eyes grew round.

“What did you say?”

“I said take it off.”

At the unbelievable words from Kaiel’s mouth, Delia gaped for a moment before shouting.

“No! We’re outside!”

“Is that so?”

Then Delia’s body floated up. She couldn’t even scream for fear of being heard by people in the garden. No matter how much Delia twisted her body, it wasn’t easy to escape his firm embrace.

Quickly and quietly.

In an instant, they left the main palace. Walking faster than usual, Kaiel headed straight to the auxiliary palace.

“My shoes……!”

“Throw them away.”

Kaiel only put Delia down on the floor when they reached his bedroom.

Another provocative command fell.

“Take it off, Delia.”

Looking at Kaiel with his brows furrowed, Delia examined her dress from various angles. No matter how she looked at it, it was just a beautiful dress. What was he dissatisfied with?

“But why do you want me to take it off? Isn’t it pretty?”

Seeing that Delia had no intention of taking it off, Kaiel let out a short sigh as if his patience had run out. His rough hands began to untie the strings constricting her waist as if he would tear them apart.

“Kaiel! What are you doing, Kaiel!?”

“Everyone was staring at you. I don’t like it.”

Delia went blank for a moment.

‘Is this…… jealousy?’

But while she should be happy about Kaiel’s jealousy, she felt somewhat ambiguous about it. When the dress gown was half removed, Delia stopped Kaiel’s hands.

“Is it the dress?”

Moving far away from him to stand, Delia faced him and asked again.

“Is it because of this dress that others were looking at me?”

Kaiel remained quiet. Whether he had nothing to say or was thinking of what to say. Just as he was about to open his mouth after a moment—

Delia suddenly tore off the butterfly pin in her hair and dropped it to the floor. Then she began taking off her dress herself. It didn’t take long to remove the dress gown that Kaiel had almost completely undone.

As her bare shoulders were revealed, Kaiel’s pupils contracted sharply.

While maintaining eye contact with him, Delia threw off all her clothes except for one thin layer of underwear.

“Delia, you……”

“Stay still. Just watch.”

Perhaps the shock was too great, as Kaiel froze like a statue. In contrast, his ears gradually reddened and his Adam’s apple bobbed. However, Delia didn’t notice his state.

“Now there’s no dress, Kaiel. No shoes, no hair ornaments. It’s just me. Do you still think it’s because of that dress?”

Unlike her bold actions, Delia’s voice was trembling softly.

‘If that’s the case, it’s too much.’

For nearly a week, she had put her heart and soul into gaining Kaiel’s approval. The process of grooming and refining everything from head to toe in such a short time was even desperate.

Thinking about it, it was strange. While staying by Kaiel’s side all this time, she had never wanted to please him this much before. It was enough to just like and follow him on her own, she never had any desire to demand Kaiel’s heart in return.

“You can’t do it.”

But those three words from Kaiel saying she couldn’t do it had ignited something in her heart.

Why couldn’t she ignore those words this time?

She should have been able to brush it off as usual, thinking that’s just how he is, but she couldn’t. Even though it wasn’t such a difficult thing.

Why am I so desperate? When she asked herself this question, there was only one answer.

Because she wanted to look good to Kaiel. Because Kaiel was her favorite, and she liked him.

But…

Was that really all?

Could one be this desperate just to look good to a character they like?

As thoughts tangled and mixed, making her head confused, her emotions became gradually clearer.

A week passed without finding an answer to these turbulent feelings.

Watching herself make every effort to polish and refine herself, Delia finally had to acknowledge it. Perhaps she had been deliberately ignoring it.

That at some point, something that went beyond simply ‘liking’ Kaiel as a favorite had taken its place.

Love.

‘I love Kaiel.’

Not as a fan liking him, but the person himself.

Of course, nothing changed even after realizing it.

She had to keep it buried because she knew what harsh and cruel ripples this love would cause.

Just as her thoughts reached this point, Kaiel’s voice cut in coldly.

“What are you doing.”

Coming to her senses at his low voice, suddenly the dress and ornaments scattered on the floor came clearly into view. As well as herself standing before him wearing only thin underwear. And Kaiel quietly staring at her.

“……!”

I’m crazy, crazy, crazy!

‘What am I doing right now?’

She had let herself be seduced as if falling for his provocation over nothing. Delia hurriedly picked up the fallen dress from the floor to cover her chest.

“W-well, these things happen. The dress was so pretty after all. I really did choose well, even though I picked it myself. Hahaha……”

Delia lowered her gaze to the floor and gathered up the ornaments while trying to cool her burning face.

That’s when a large black shoe appeared next to the butterfly pin. It seemed to be standing still, looking down at her.

“Why…… why?”

If only he would give some kind of answer. But Kaiel remained quietly silent. Had her bare shoulders ever felt this embarrassing before?

Just as shame for what she had just done began to pierce through Delia’s entire body.

A large hand suddenly gripped her chin and lifted it up.

Delia’s wavering eyes that had lost their place met Kaiel’s pupils. Her reddened cheeks. Her lips, even redder than that, moved slightly.

The face that had made someone’s heart drop with its enchanting expression since entering the banquet hall was now dyed a transparent peach color.

“……Delia.”