“I’m sorry I got angry and said I couldn’t go to the jousting tournament.”

Irina apologized. Looking back now, she couldn’t understand why she had acted so emotionally. She had been genuinely angry at the time.

Maverick gazed steadily at Irina as she watched him nervously. Today, Irina looked incredibly cute and seemed generous enough that he felt he could be a little greedy.

“Then kiss me as an apology.”

Maverick closed his eyes. Irina hesitated before carefully approaching him. She could see his lips quivering with anticipation.

As Irina gently cupped his face, Maverick took a deep breath through his nose. He held his breath until Irina’s lips made contact.

After hesitating, she pressed her lips against his forehead with a quick peck. She knew he wanted her to kiss him on the lips, but she suddenly felt like teasing him.

“I asked for a kiss and you’re playing games with me?”

Maverick opened his eyes and glared at Irina.

“Is this how you’re going to act?”

D*mn, she’s adorable.

Though he complained, the corners of his mouth lifted into a wide smile.

“Then at least give me a handkerchief. And don’t say you don’t have one.”

“I really don’t have one.”

Irina lied. It wasn’t that she was still angry with him. She just felt embarrassed to give him the worn handkerchief she currently had.

Maverick’s brow furrowed as he saw through her lie. He glared at her before taking out his own handkerchief and handing it to her.

“Here, I’ll give you this.”

Irina blinked and accepted what he called a gift. As soon as she took the handkerchief, Maverick extended his hand again.

“Now that you have a handkerchief, you can lend me one.”

Irina was dumbfounded.

“What’s the point of giving it to me just to take it back?”

“You’re being so stubborn about not giving me one, I have no choice.”

Don’t you feel sorry for me, trying this hard just to get a handkerchief from my fiancée? That’s what his expression seemed to say. Just give me the handkerchief now.

“I’ll return it after the tournament.”

Maverick’s pressure was intense.

“Without embroidery?”

“If I let you take it to embroider something, I don’t think you’ll ever lend it to me. You’ll just make excuses again that you haven’t finished it yet or that you left it at home.”

Maverick emphasized the word “again.” Irina told him to wait a moment as he wiggled his fingers impatiently.

When she was young, Irina had once seen a memorable couple while watching a jousting tournament.

A woman gave her lover, who was participating in the tournament, a handkerchief—a plain white one without any embroidery. Instead of embroidering it, she kissed the handkerchief in front of her lover before handing it to him.

That image had stayed with Irina ever since. She had wanted to do the same if she ever had a man she wanted to give a handkerchief to.

He might not be a man she loved, but Maverick was her fiancé after all.

Irina pressed her lips firmly against the neatly folded handkerchief. Her heart fluttered strangely. When she removed her lips and handed the handkerchief to him, Maverick frowned.

I thought he’d like it, but maybe he didn’t.

As Irina pulled back her hand in embarrassment, Maverick grabbed her wrist. He let out a long sigh and stepped closer to her.

Participate in the jousting tournament. Show Irina his best side. Win. Receive the flower crown and give it to Irina.

That perfect plan had been ruined by her anger, yet she was being so adorable that he could forgive her.

“Why are you being so cute today?”

Maverick embraced Irina and groaned as if in agony. Irina felt proud that he liked it and curled her lips inward.

“I want to hold you. Let me hold you.”

“No.”

“D*mn it. Then at least let me kiss you.”

This time, Irina didn’t say no.

⁕⁕⁕

The entire palace was in a festive mood for the jousting tournament held after four years. Irina guarded the empty infirmary and then returned home.

“F*ck, I swear, because of you!”

For some reason, Bill, who had returned from the tournament, lost his temper as soon as he saw Irina’s face.

“If you’re going to date, do it properly and don’t drag me into it!”

The situation was this: As everyone had predicted, Maverick won the jousting tournament without any surprises.

The problem was the flower crown. Everyone expected him to give it to his fiancée, but Irina wasn’t there.

Some said he would give the crown to the Queen, his sister, since his fiancée was absent. Others speculated that her absence proved their relationship was strained, and he would give it to another woman.

Maverick’s choice was neither.

“Why did he give the flower crown to me!”

He had handed the crown to Bill, telling him to take it to his sister.

“Do you know how much my colleagues are teasing me now?”

“That sounds nice. In a way, your dream has come true.”

“What?”

“You’ve always sung about wanting a ‘strong and cool older brother’ since you were little. Isn’t that what you’ve got now? A ‘brother’?”

When Irina snickered, saying he must have been happy to receive a flower crown from the older brother he admired, Bill’s face flushed with anger.

“Who’s my brother!”

“Isn’t he? You’re the one who hastily signed the agreement.”

Mrs. Russ came running to stop the siblings as they raised their voices in argument. Bill retreated, still fuming, and Irina gave him a snort before heading up to her room.

Irina placed the flower crown on her vanity and burst into laughter. Most men would have given it to someone present, but he was truly a principled man.

It wasn’t bad at all. It felt like Maverick was proudly declaring that he loved her even if it killed him. It really didn’t feel bad.

Thanks to this, Irina went to work the next day in high spirits. But Maverick was standing at the palace gate.

The commander of the Royal Guard wouldn’t personally guard such a place. If he was briefly inspecting the gate guards, he wouldn’t look like he was waiting for someone.

Irina was certain he was waiting for her. As she happily approached him…

“Sir Maverick.”

Maverick’s face crumpled when he saw her.

Is he angry because I didn’t attend the tournament? Irina became nervous seeing his angry expression.

“Irina, why aren’t you wearing the flower crown?”

But his words were unexpected.

“I had it delivered to your brother. Don’t tell me you didn’t receive it?”

He seemed to have thought Irina would appear wearing the crown. Irina was dumbfounded. Today wasn’t even the day of the tournament. The date had already changed—how could she parade around wearing it?

“Don’t leave after work today. Wait for me.”

Without explaining why she should wait, Maverick left abruptly.

Following his instructions, Irina didn’t leave the palace when her shift ended but waited for him. Maverick arrived with the same disgruntled expression he’d had that morning.

“Where are we going?”

Irina asked as she followed Maverick, who was walking ahead in silence.

“Your house.”

“Why are we going to my house?”

Irina asked in surprise, wondering if they had an appointment.

“Because the flower crown is there.”

Maverick, though not typically talkative, usually became quite conversational around Irina. But now he was being short and stiff, apparently quite angry.

Is he going to take back the crown because I didn’t wear it to work?

Irina kept quiet, not wanting to further upset him. When they arrived at the Russ residence, Maverick stopped at the entrance.

“Bring it.”

Irina felt slightly offended by his commanding tone, as if he were ordering a subordinate. He had given her a handkerchief as a “gift” only to take it back immediately and hadn’t returned it.

Is taking back gifts his specialty? Irina harbored her complaints silently.

“Here.”

Though she had felt quite good looking at the flower crown the night before, Irina returned it to Maverick with a curt tone.

Maverick took the crown, inhaled deeply, and exhaled.

“Irina, bow your head slightly.”

When Irina glared at him, wondering why he was ordering her around again, he urged her to hurry. Irina bowed her head with a sullen face. Maverick placed the flower crown on her head.

“Good. This is what I wanted to see.”

Maverick said in a softened voice. Irina raised her head and studied his face.

He smiled broadly at her. His eyes dripped with honey. When their eyes met, Irina felt her face suddenly flush.

“Perhaps it’s fortunate I didn’t give it to you there. It would have been disastrous.”

“Disastrous?”

“All the men present would have fallen for you if they’d seen you like this.”

Irina’s lips parted in surprise. Maverick, with a satisfied expression, bid her goodnight and left without lingering.

She had expected him to be clingy and demand physical affection, but when he left without hesitation, Irina felt somewhat disappointed.

Why am I feeling disappointed? Did I want him to kiss me? Really?

Having realized her feelings, her cheeks burned even hotter.

⁕⁕⁕

After recognizing her feelings, Irina honestly found herself in an awkward position—her face would flush whenever she stood before him.

“Your face looks a bit red today, doesn’t it?”

Though she wanted to hide it as much as possible, Maverick was a man who constantly stared at Irina’s face. Of course he noticed.

“I think I have a slight fever.”

Irina avoided Maverick’s gaze as she made her excuse.

“If you have a fever, take some time off work. And don’t do so many night shifts.”

Maverick asked with suspicious eyes. He wondered why she was working so hard to earn money.

“You said before that your family was struggling and you needed to save money, but the Russ viscounty isn’t that bad off, is it?”

While having money would be nice, she wasn’t in such dire straits that she needed to harm her health.

“Is there some reason you need to save money so desperately?”

When he asked if there were circumstances he didn’t know about, Irina shook her head.