They often played together when they were young, but after Aiden developed aphasia, their private interactions ceased. They only met occasionally when he visited the ducal family to see Aristie.

Recalling the bright and active Aiden of the past, Khalid suddenly looked up at Zephyros and made a joke.

“Be nervous, Zeph. You might lose your position to Aiden at this rate. That’s why I told you to focus on training instead of always hanging around women.”

Then his twin brother Rhion, who was beside him, joined in as if he had been waiting.

“Your Majesty is right. Brother needs to exercise some restraint. Look at the recent black widow incident. That was all because you gave them an opening.”

“What the hell?”

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, I often find myself in trouble because of you. The number of women who mistake me for you and cling to me just because we look identical isn’t small.”

Zephyros’s eyes narrowed at Rhion’s attitude, calling him ‘brother’ with his mouth while his eyes looked at him like an immature younger sibling.

‘These bastards…… I mean, this person and this brat!’

Unable to refer to the Emperor as ‘bastard,’ Zephyros raised the honorific and continued his report as if taking revenge.

“Finally, the one who defeated the young duke of Chelbon was Prince Icaryuel of the Ludrian Kingdom.”

Upset, aren’t you? Let’s see you suffer a bit.

“Icaryuel?”

Just as Zephyros expected, Khalid’s expression visibly soured. Conversely, Zephyros’s eyes curved with satisfaction.

He knew his lord harbored a strange sense of rivalry toward Prince Icaryuel. That’s why he spoke even more excitedly.

“They say his skills were absolutely fantastic. Lady Aristie, who watched from the side, was so captivated she could go crazy.”

Khalid’s expression soured even further. He glared at Zephyros as if telling him to shut up.

His flirtatious guard seemed to have become Aristie’s devoted fan after receiving her help during the recent trial.

‘Maybe I should have gone too. Even if I had to postpone my schedule to attend the party and join the duel……’

Khalid expressed regret while thinking thoughts that would have terrified Maxian and his followers.

Looking back, he hadn’t displayed his skills in front of Aristie since childhood.

Being someone who becomes thoroughly ruthless once engaged in battle, he had desperately tried to show only his gentle side in front of his fiancée.

Of course, he hadn’t always been like that. There was a reason he became that way.

‘That incident was the beginning……’

A memory from the past suddenly surfaced in Khalid’s mind. The incident that made him hide his true nature in front of Aristie.

When he was around eight years old…… He couldn’t remember the exact age, but he was very young. At that time, Aiden, who had come to the imperial palace with Aristie, boasted his sword skills in front of him, saying he had started learning swordsmanship in earnest.

Though at that age, “swordsmanship” merely meant swinging wooden swords.

— Crown Prince, would you like to have a match with me?

— Haha, sure. But don’t regret it, okay?

The two immature boys immediately faced each other with swords. Initially, Khalid had entered the duel thinking he would go easy on him.

However, when he saw Aristie watching them with sparkling eyes, a desire suddenly arose. Wanting to impress his cute little fiancée, he unconsciously displayed his full skills.

Khalid’s abilities were too outstanding to be dismissed as merely a young boy’s swordsmanship. Due to the overwhelming difference in skill, Aiden flew several meters and tumbled on the dirt ground.

Aristie’s eyes widened round as she witnessed the scene.

— Brother!

Aristie ran over with tears in her eyes and crouched over the injured Aiden. She seemed to be trying to protect her brother with her tiny body.

Then when the flustered Khalid approached, she sharply raised her head and shouted angrily.

— Why are you bullying my brother! Your Highness is mean!

Your Highness is mean……!

Your Highness is mean……!

‘I’m…… mean?’

Aristie’s cry echoed in Khalid’s ears. Khalid opened his eyes wide as if hit by a stone in his chest.

The sight of the girl with tears welling in her eyes greatly perplexed him at that time. The accusation of being mean was also a huge shock to him then.

From that day on, Khalid behaved like a panther without fangs in front of Aristie. He never wanted to see her doll-like pretty features distorted because of him again.

And not just fangs. He hid all his claws, wagged his tail, and even tied a ribbon around his neck—the image of a black panther. That was how Khalid appeared to Aristie these days.

‘Yet I still couldn’t prevent her from drifting away from me……’

The image of little Aristie tickling his memories gradually grew into the form of a beautiful woman as he traced his memories.

However, her recent demeanor brought pain rather than excitement.

The scene of her with Prince Icaryuel on the street, her coming to him to request breaking off the engagement, and the cold back she showed immediately after Zephyros’s trial ended……

‘She’s changed. She has. Our relationship too.’

Something had changed. It seemed like many things had happened to Aristie without his knowledge.

He thought he had been attentive despite his busy schedule, but there were many times he missed. And each time, her emotions stood out more prominently than ever before.

The strange thing was that the more the doll-like emotionless Aristie revealed her feelings, the more his long-abandoned affection for her surfaced surprisingly.

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all. It was clingy, irritating, unpleasant, and sometimes even infuriating.

Among them, the most difficult was the feeling of regret.

If he hadn’t given up and had continued to court her until the end. If he had waited not 17 years but 20 years, no, even 30 years.

If only he had never known Estelle.

If he could erase the “something that must be recovered” that Estelle showed him as if it had never existed.

If only Aristie would give him one sincere confession…… saying she loved him.

But reality was always the same. Aristie, who had never given her heart to anyone in her life, seemed to be openly pushing him away recently.

Why on earth……

Because of Estelle?

Because of Prince Icaryuel?

Or because I’m simply not attractive as a man?

‘……Right. That must be it. She has particularly hated me since long ago.’

His tangled thoughts abruptly reached a ridiculous conclusion. Khalid sighed heavily, sinking into self-deprecation alone.

‘I don’t understand. What exactly is a man’s charm? If being nice isn’t enough, what more should I do?’

Feeling frustrated, Khalid secretly grumbled to himself. He wished he could assign someone to follow Prince Icaryuel and receive a report analyzing his charm.

‘But I can’t do something so humiliating!’

Khalid dismissed Zephyros and Rhion, then began examining the documents piled on his desk.

However, his concentration lasted only briefly. Soon his mind habitually summoned Aristie, desperately caressing her image.

* * *

“You mean it wasn’t cured!”

Duke Yentrice, who had hurriedly sought out his son upon hearing rumors that Aiden’s stuttering had improved, cried out in dismay. Aiden nodded with his usual intimidated expression.

“Yes……I, I temporarily g-get better, then r-relapse, and so on.”

“But it is improving, right?”

The duke questioned him fiercely. Aiden, unable to lie, simply answered honestly.

“I’m not…… s-sure.”

The duke, glaring at his son with fierce eyes, made a decision.

“Don’t open your mouth outside the mansion for a while. Avoid meeting people if possible! You don’t need to worry about the delegation anymore. I’ll handle it.”

“F-Father……”

“Make sure you do this at least until Aristie’s wedding. Somehow make people believe the rumors that you’ve recovered! Understand!”

“……”

A hint of strength quietly appeared in Aiden’s eyes. He knew that following his father’s instructions would be good for himself, Aristie, and the entire family.

But he felt a strange rebelliousness. The wick of his heart, which had been slowly heating up since meeting Systea, seemed ready to burst into flames at any moment.

“……Yes.”

But ultimately, he obeyed his father. Like always.

“I-I’ll do as you s-say, F-Father.”

* * *

Several days had passed since the outdoor party with the delegation ended. Aristie was in the process of coordinating schedules to treat Ryuel to tea as promised.

That’s when the devastating news arrived. It was when the head maid burst into her room without knocking and shouted:

“Miss, Lady Roselina has……!”

It was tragic news.

That her one and only friend, Roselina, had died.