Hello, Readers! I am celebrating my birthday with extra chapter updates, so please enjoy this special chapter release of 4 bonus chapters! 🥳

(Lurelia’s Birthday Bonus – Update 1/4 🎉)

♡ To all readers who purchased these chapters before my Birthday: I can’t express this enough – Thank you for your support. (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

Calix was deeply regretting his past choice.

‘Is this really okay?’

Beside him, Ruel stood with a sour face, poking the carpet with his sword.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in Miss Rose?”

At those words, Calix turned to him abruptly.

“When did I.”

“Didn’t you say you had no intention of making her the Crown Princess?”

As he gritted his teeth, the pen he was holding snapped.

He had been displeased with Ruel’s attitude lately, which seemed to grate on his nerves.

“Miss Rose made a choice for Your Highness’s sake, so there seems to be no need for such anger.”

“If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, get out!”

He finally had to stand up abruptly, veins popping in his neck.

It felt like his insides were boiling with a strange anger.

He should have just told her to rest in the palace.

This was absolutely not the result he wanted.

‘I even prepared a carriage because she said it was her parents’ death anniversary, and she runs off with that damn fool?’

Of course, he knew Rose was acting that way for his sake.

That’s why he was even more furious.

‘Moreover, that guy gives me a bad feeling.’

Calix sighed heavily and collapsed onto the couch, covering his eyes with the back of his hand.

‘That look in his eyes in the auditorium that day…’

He had secretly gone to see how the speech Rose had prepared would unfold.

And he had made eye contact with the problematic fool.

The guy had clearly seen Calix. That face smiling so disgustingly.

It was just for a moment, but there was a strange feeling as if his whole body had frozen.

“I need to look into Aaron Crimson.”

Calix ordered with his characteristic vicious smile.

“Put a shadow on him.”

At Calix’s words, Ruel looked at him with a slightly stiffened face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Won’t Miss Rose dislike it?”

Calix tapped the armrest of the couch with his finger.

“It doesn’t matter.”

He leaned back completely on the couch and tilted his head to look at the empty ceiling.

He was an unsettling guy. Moreover, the feeling he had when their eyes met at that time…

‘It definitely wasn’t human.’

Calix clenched his fist. It could have been a misconception.

After all, it was just a momentary sensation.

But he was confident that his intuitions were quite accurate.

“I’ll put a shadow on him today, Your Highness.”

“If the shadow is killed, report to me immediately.”

“…Killed?”

Ruel asked as if he didn’t understand, and Calix answered with an infinitely serious expression.

“Yes. Killed.”

***

“…Rose, why did you bring so many cushions?”

“Do you want to use one too?”

I said to Aaron, tossing a grape into my mouth.

“If you don’t use these, you’ll get bruises on your bottom.”

“…Rose, don’t you think you’ve brought too much luggage, humanly speaking?”

At Aaron’s words, I looked over the luggage I had brought.

Certainly, I had brought quite a lot of this and that.

“70% of it is all food. It’ll disappear quickly.”

Aaron looked at me, becoming a bit solemn.

I put the grape I was holding into Aaron’s mouth, giving him silent pressure to just shut up and go quietly.

Although it wasn’t as good as the carriage I used to ride with Calix, thanks to his consideration, I was able to ride in a relatively high-class carriage.

I was conflicted.

He’s treating me so well, is it really the right choice to run away as soon as he ascends to the throne?

The option of returning home had half disappeared…

“Sigh.”

I sighed, looking out the window.

“Oh, right. Rose, didn’t you say you had something to ask me before?”

I suddenly raised my head at Aaron’s words.

Right. I was going to ask something during Milla’s speech but forgot.

“Ah, I think I need to find someone.”

“Someone?”

Aaron asked with a bright smile.

“Could it be that Duke’s illegitimate child from before?”

“How did you know?”

As I stared at him with wide eyes, Aaron shrugged and answered.

“You asked my grandfather about it before, remember?”

I frowned.

What the hell? I thought it was supposed to be confidential, but he’s spilling it to his family?

My trust in him suddenly started plummeting.

“Of course, it wasn’t my grandfather who told me. I was curious about who Rose was looking for, so I secretly looked into it.”

Aaron said with a goofy grin as if it was something to be proud of.

If it weren’t for his handsome face, I would have punched him in the nose already.

I shook my head and looked out the window.

“By the way, it seems that illegitimate child has been called to the Duke’s mansion by Duke Tianel?”

“What?”

I hurriedly turned my eyes at his words.

The female lead is at the Duke’s mansion? Does that mean the original story is about to start soon?

“Rose. Don’t just hang out with His Highness the Crown Prince, pay attention to the rumors. These days, Duke Tianel’s illegitimate child is the hottest topic in the Imperial Palace.”

I flinched at Aaron’s words.

As he said, I had been with Calix almost 24/7, so I didn’t have any friends except for Aaron and Milla, whom I had become close to in the beginning.

‘Me, having no friends!’

Although it was a bit shocking, I didn’t particularly mind it.

My reputation in the Crown Prince’s Palace wasn’t that good anyway.

Rather than stirring up trouble unnecessarily, it was better to move quietly behind Milla or Aaron.

“But, Rose.”

Aaron said in his characteristic voice that sounded like cotton candy rolling.

My heart always flutters when he sets the mood like this.

“How did you know about the existence of the illegitimate child?”

“The grandson of an information broker doesn’t even know that? I thought you knew everything?”

I was quite flustered by Aaron’s sudden question, but I tried to respond nonchalantly.

Wait, why is he suddenly trying to probe me?

“Hmm. I could find out if I wanted to! Nobles are more careless than you think.”

“What does that mean?”

As I frowned slightly in confusion, he shrugged and smiled.

“It means I’m smarter than Rose thinks?”

At Aaron’s words, I sighed with a cold expression.

I didn’t want to admit it, but I had to.

Aaron was smart despite seeming foolish. That’s why he’s always slacking off.

It’s surprising that Teiron hasn’t kicked Aaron out of the kitchen yet.

“Ah, yes.”

“Why are you reacting like that, Rose?”

Dissatisfied with my lukewarm response, he pouted and crossed his arms, staring at me.

It was a bit funny seeing his huge frame of over 190 centimeters doing that.

“Yes, yes, genius Aaron Crimson. So, what are your plans for this sweet vacation you got thanks to me?”

At my question, Aaron seemed to have forgotten that he was upset earlier and started pondering seriously, holding his head.

Really, both Milla and him are top contenders for the most peculiar people in the country.

Of course, I’m the grand prize winner.

Milla has already declared several times that she would nominate me as the biggest weirdo in the Crown Prince’s Palace.

“Umm… Following Rose around?”

“No way. I’m busy.”

I flatly rejected Aaron’s plan.

I had to find the temple of the Goddess of Fate or whatever, as the diary had instructed.

It would be troublesome if Aaron came along, wouldn’t it?

“I’ll give you some pocket money, so just go and have fun on your own.”

“Huh? That’s too much, Rose! I came along thinking I’d be hanging out with you!”

I frowned hard.

That’s nonsense.

“What are you talking about? Everyone knows you just came along to slack off – Milla knows, Teiron knows, even the passing cockroach in the kitchen knows.”

“Tch…”

Dismissing his absurd opinion, I let my body relax in the swaying carriage.

No matter how luxurious, it inevitably swayed since it wasn’t a car, but thanks to the multiple cushions I brought, my bottom was somewhat comfortable.

“Mister! How many hours does it take to get to Prongsis?”

I stuck my head out of the carriage and asked the coachman that Calix had arranged.

“It’ll take about 8 hours! You’d better get some good sleep!”

“Thank you! Please take care of us~!”

Great. 8 hours was just right for a good rest. I stretched and made myself comfortable.

“Rose, are you going to sleep?”

“You know what, Aaron?”

Ignoring his question, I took out the pillow I had packed from my bag.

“I’m not originally a morning person.”

And I flopped down.

“Rose…”

“Wake me up when we arrive!”

Fortunately, as soon as my head hit the pillow, I started to feel drowsy and soon fell into a deep sleep.

But I should have remembered.

On the way to Desart, what happened when I fell asleep in the carriage with Calix.

“M-Monster! Aaaaah!”

I had no choice but to open my eyes wide at the coachman’s scream.

Damn it.