Kate’s lips trembled before she turned away abruptly. Aidan watched her retreating figure as she ran across the garden with both hands covering her face, and only after she completely disappeared from view did he let out a long breath.

“Living as a prince makes me experience all sorts of things.”

As he muttered to himself, he felt movement from within his arms. Come to think of it, he was still holding Karina.

“Let go of me.”

Karina slightly pushed against his chest. Aidan obediently released her and stepped back.

“Just now…”

He was about to explain that showing was the surest way to make Kate Spencer give up, but the words died in his throat when he saw Karina’s face. He finally understood the expression ‘so red it might burst if touched.’ Looking at Karina, who was truly red up to her ears, he didn’t know what to say.

Even if she was just twenty, wasn’t she too innocent? Were all people in this world like Karina? No, even compared to Kate Spencer just now, Karina was excessively innocent. She’s usually so decisive about everything, yet her face turned bright red from just a kiss — the gap made it feel even more pronounced.

“Sorry…”

The apology came out before he knew it.

“It’s fine. I know why you did it.”

She tried to act composed as if nothing had happened, but her red earlobes still hadn’t returned to their original color. Finding it uncomfortable to maintain eye contact, Karina turned away first.

“Let’s go back inside. You said not to strain your wound.”

Karina had apparently heard from Kai as she took the lead to return. Aidan glanced toward the gazebo, chuckled, and followed behind her. He wanted to appreciate the beautiful garden with her under the quiet night sky, but it seemed impossible today.

If not today, there would be many opportunities. They would be spending half a year together anyway.

“We need to strengthen the palace security.”

Aidan spoke to Kai who was following behind. It was problematic that Kate Spencer had entered freely into the garden within his palace.

“She said she had an appointment with Your Highness.”

Kai explained.

“Me? I never made such an appointment.”

“But why were you here, Your Highness… When I came out with the princess, I was surprised not to see you.”

At Kai’s words, Aidan made a long humming sound. He had clearly followed a knight who said Kai had told him to wait here.

“I thought it was suspicious.”

Kai asked what he meant when he muttered to himself. Aidan didn’t mention that some knight had told him Kai wanted him to wait here. He thought there was no need to show that he didn’t even properly know the faces of the knights belonging to this palace.

“Gather all the knights belonging to this palace early tomorrow morning. Without exception.”

Rather, it would be better to familiarize himself with all the knights’ faces to prevent incidents like today from recurring.

“Ah, and all the servants working in this palace too.”

“Why suddenly…”

“Think of it as a general assembly.”

“A general assembly?”

There seemed to be no such custom in this palace. Well, what prince would pay attention to each person working in their palace?

“There’s something I need to check.”

He gave Kai a brief excuse without lengthy explanation. Whatever the original prince was like, if one’s life was being threatened, it was better to properly recognize the people around oneself. Of course, there might already be traitors hidden among them.

Upon leaving the garden, Karina and her attendants were waiting for Aidan in the corridor, having arrived first.

“I’ll return to my palace now.”

Karina seemed to have cooled down from her earlier flush, appearing as composed as ever. The fact that he found this disappointing suggested he had quite a mischievous personality.

“You don’t have to go.”

When he smiled and said this, her head tilted slightly as if she didn’t understand.

“You can sleep in my bedroom.”

He meant it as a casual joke, but Karina’s face instantly turned red again. She seemed to be remembering the kiss in the garden.

“You must be tired, please rest well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Before Aidan could respond, she bowed and left with her servants without looking back.

“Why did she come all the way here anyway.”

It felt disappointing that she left without hesitation after coming all the way to his palace.

“When Your Highness couldn’t be seen after leaving the banquet hall, the princess turned pale with worry.”

Aidan smirked at Kai’s additional comment. While Kai probably thought Karina had worried as a wife, the reality was quite different. She was probably worried that he, a stranger with a switched soul still unfamiliar with the imperial palace, might cause trouble somewhere.

Whatever the case, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling that Karina’s attention was completely focused on him.

“More importantly, what happened with what I ordered?”

He casually asked as they walked toward the bedroom, and Kai had the servants follow about ten steps behind.

“We found the person the princess identified, but she was already deceased.”

The day after Kai provided the list of people who knew about Aidan’s secret meetings, Karina had pointed out just one person. It was a servant who had been cleaning the bedroom. They immediately went to find her, but she had been missing for two days. Sensing something wasn’t right, Kai led the knights to track her whereabouts. However, when they found her, she was already dead.

“But we confirmed her lover was a knight of Prince Lloyd, and we’re tracking him now.”

“Too obvious.”

While he had suspected Lloyd and the Empress most, having it narrow down to Lloyd so obviously made it uninteresting.

“It would be better to find him quickly. The servant’s death means they’ve started erasing traces. Even though he’s Lloyd’s subordinate, that lover might be in danger too.”

Kai frowned at his suggestion that they might try to kill even their own subordinate. As a knight loyal to someone, he seemed unable to comprehend the idea of trying to kill a subordinate who had acted on one’s behalf. But reality was always cruel.

“Find him before he dies. He might be our only witness.”

Kai nodded at Aidan’s instruction.

“Ah, don’t report the servant’s death to Karina. It’s not something she needs to hear.”

“She might ask about it first.”

“Just tell her the servant ran away.”

“…May I ask why?”

Until now, Aidan had consulted with Karina on even minor matters. It was hard to understand why he suddenly wanted to keep this from her.

“Because I want her to stay pure.”

“The princess is not as fragile as she appears.”

“I know she’s a strong woman. But separately from that, I want to preserve her untainted parts.”

Especially if she was thinking of leaving the palace someday.

Swallowing the last part, he just smiled and entered the bedroom. He knew Kai didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. That was purely his personal sentiment.

Karina Hewitt was unlike anyone Park Jin-hoo had met in his life. Someone who appeared strong enough to break yet flinched at a touch and turned bright red from just a kiss… She was the most innocent person he knew.

It would have been better if she had only shown her strong side.

He caught himself chuckling as his lips kept curling up whenever he thought of her.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have offered divorce.”

He muttered to himself and chuckled again. To think he’d become greedy for someone… Clearly, this prince’s life was more leisurely than Park Jin-hoo’s. At least so far.

*

When she laid down to sleep, Karina tossed and turned, first to her right, then to her left. Sleep wouldn’t come at all. She lay on her back, blinking up at the ceiling. Unconsciously, she raised her hand to touch her lips.

Thinking the sensation of her finger brushing against them felt similar to when Aidan’s lips had touched them, she wondered what she was doing having such thoughts. She tried lying on her side again to sleep but ended up sitting bolt upright.

She had managed to stay composed about the kiss at the banquet. Although she had been quite shocked that it was her first kiss, she had consoled herself that it wasn’t something to make a fuss about since Aidan was her ‘husband’ after all.

But the kiss in the garden… Unlike the light touch of their lips meeting and parting, the hot sensation that invaded her mouth had made her mind go blank. To think that was what a kiss was… It was so different from what she had imagined. No, she had never properly imagined it at all.

As the sensation came back to her, she felt heat rising inside. Finding it unbearable, she went to the window and threw it wide open. Only when the cool breeze rushed in did her flushed face seem to cool down.

‘If I had to choose based on my type, it would be you.’

‘The only one I’m passionate about right now is you, Karina.’

She might start misunderstanding. That Aidan truly liked her. But that couldn’t be. He just needed her to adapt to his outer appearance as a prince, to establish his place in the imperial palace, and was merely keeping his promise to be faithful to the role of ‘husband’ for half a year.

Despite knowing his situation better than anyone, why did her heart keep fluttering? Why did her heart seem to drop at his words?

Was it because his features were too handsome? No, she had seen that face for over three years already. While he was certainly good-looking, there was no reason to suddenly find his appearance attractive.

‘You should close your eyes at times like this, Karina.’

His voice seemed to whisper in her ear, making her shoulders unconsciously hunch.

‘Let’s say I was momentarily enchanted because my consort is too beautiful.’

Now his smiling face flickered in her mind too.

Ughh. Karina swallowed a groan and shook her head.

He must be a playboy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t say such bewitching things.

Though she resolved not to be swayed by him, her fluttering heart wouldn’t easily calm down.

*