“The Young Princess of Erden Celebrates Her Tenth Birthday”

Ian stared intently at the princess in the newspaper.

“Hm… did I see her in a dream? I don’t know!”

No matter how much he looked, he couldn’t remember where he might have seen her. He tossed the newspaper aside with a flick, intending to leave, but—

“……”

For some reason, she lingered in his thoughts. Luckily, the servant never noticed that the newspaper had mysteriously disappeared that very day.

A few months later, Ian left for Erden, following the crown prince. His official status was not as the son of Duke Promes but as a page serving the crown prince.

Upon arriving in the capital of Erden, Ian realized that everything the duke had said was a lie.

The duke had called the Erdenians a primitive people who waged wars over an invisible god, but Ian thought differently.

Erden was stunningly beautiful. The city was brimming with life, and the laughter of children filled every street corner. It felt like a place blessed by the unchanging goddess.

Just then, he heard the crown prince’s derisive snicker.

“Pathetic. They’re all giddy, not knowing what the future holds.”

The royal palace was hosting a grand banquet in celebration of Crown Prince Louis’s nineteenth birthday. The crown prince had come to Erden to attend this banquet.

At least, that was the official reason.

“You stay in this room and wait for your new master, Duke Leheits.”

When the crown prince left for the party, Ian was left alone in his room, trying to kill his boredom.

Then, just outside, he heard the sound of an argument. Unable to contain his curiosity, Ian peeked into the hallway through a crack in the door.

Two men were quarreling, voices raised, when the man with brown hair abruptly turned and stormed off.

“Jerome!”

The man who was left behind called after him, but the other didn’t return.

Ian thought the remaining man’s face looked strangely familiar.

‘Where have I seen him?’

As he was racking his brain, their eyes met. At that moment, Ian suddenly remembered the princess he had seen in last year’s newspaper.

“Wow, he looks exactly like her.”

Ian muttered to himself, forgetting that he should have gone back into the room.

“Hey, kid. Come here.”

The man, who looked just like the princess, called out to him.

“I’m talking to you. Who else would I be calling ‘kid’?”

When Ian glanced behind him, the man’s face twisted in annoyance.

Feeling insulted at being called a “kid,” Ian scowled openly. The man shot him a look as if to say, Well, aren’t you bold?

“What did you hear?”

“Huh?”

“Whatever you heard, keep your mouth shut. Got it, kid? I’ll remember your face.”

After his one-sided warning, the man called out to an elderly man passing by.

“Gilrod. Perfect timing. This child seems lost—take him to his parents. Let me know later which family he belongs to.”

Ian couldn’t tell if this man was cruel or kind. What he did know was that he absolutely shouldn’t run into anyone else.

He turned to the old man, about to explain that he wasn’t lost and had a room assigned nearby, when a sudden pain struck his chest. His legs gave out, and he collapsed, losing consciousness in an instant.

When he opened his eyes again, he realized—unsurprisingly—that this wasn’t his room.

‘I’m screwed.’

Ian felt the color drain from his face, just like the chill creeping into his hands and feet.

Then he heard a rustling sound nearby.

“Ah!”

He cried out, startled by the round, gleaming eyes staring straight at him.

“Your Highness, you mustn’t startle the patient.”

“I didn’t scare him!”

It was the princess. She pouted, as if indignant at the accusation.

Ian couldn’t take his eyes off Diana, the girl he had only ever seen in a photograph.

“Who are your parents? Judging by your clothes, you must be from one of the families attending tonight’s banquet.”

Gilrod, the elderly man, asked as he ground medicine into a fine powder and mixed it with water, making it easy for a child to drink.

Of course, Ian couldn’t answer.

“That’s not how you ask, Teacher!”

The princess interjected with a sulky tone.

“What room are you staying in? I’ll take you there.”

She seemed oddly excited as she led the way to escort him.

“I didn’t expect to see someone my age today. Louis told me I wasn’t allowed to come because the palace isn’t a playground for children. And he’s only just turned nineteen himself! Anyway, this is my house, so I know it best. Meeting me is your good luck, you know.”

Ian stared in wonder at the chattering Diana. He had thought she would look perpetually sad, but in person, she seemed much more cheerful. And yet…

“I think we already passed this hallway.”

Diana froze at his words.

“No way. How could I get lost in my own home?”

“……”

She turned her head awkwardly, a hint of embarrassment on her face.

“T-there are just too many rooms… I got a bit mixed up, that’s all!”

“Didn’t someone just say meeting her was my good luck?”

“……”

Diana suddenly leaned her face close to his, as if she had made up her mind about something.

“Phew. Fine! I wasn’t going to ask since you don’t seem to want to talk, but I need to know your parents’ names. I might get confused with room numbers, but I never forget faces and names. Let’s just go to the banquet hall together. Louis will scold me, but still…”

She ended her words with a faint murmur.

Ian hesitated. He couldn’t mention the crown prince’s name, and even less so the name of Duke Promes, who hadn’t been invited.

“…I need to meet someone from Leheits.”

He decided to take the risk. Anything was better than wandering the halls and being dragged into the banquet hall in the worst-case scenario.

“Leheits? You’re from Leheits? You don’t look like it at all. Hmm… besides, wasn’t the Leheits family unable to attend today?”

Seeing her puzzled look, Ian felt his throat go dry. He even started to worry that, at this rate, spilling too much information might get him killed by Duke Promes or the crown prince before anything else did.

“Oh! Look, there’s Duke Leheits!”

Suddenly, Diana pointed toward a man who had quickly passed by at the end of the hall and shouted. She turned to Ian with a radiant smile, as if she were even happier for him.

Seeing that, Ian let out a soft, helpless laugh. Looking at the princess, who seemed far more innocent than he had thought, he felt there was little to worry about.

“Then, I’m going.”

“Wait! What’s your name?”

Diana called out to him as Ian was about to run off, and he paused for a moment, thinking.

He knew he would meet her again someday. So perhaps there was no harm in telling her now—if only to make their reunion more dramatic.

“Ian. Farewell, Princess Diana.”

* * *

After returning from their vacation at the hotel, an unexpected incident was waiting for them.

To resolve the issue, Ian and Diana sat facing each other.

Ian avoided Diana’s gaze, which bore into him with no recognition of his past self.

“How are you going to take responsibility for this?”

She pointed furiously at the newspaper on the table.

“Who Is the Man in the Princess’s Bedroom? The Men Around Princess Diana”

Beneath the sensational headline was a large photograph of Ian’s back.

The photo had been taken the day Ian went up to her room at the Rovice Hotel.

“You can just tell them the truth—that I’m the man who entered your room.”

“Are you insane?”

Diana shouted, her face pale.

“Your Highness asked me to come in.”

Ian replied calmly.

“It was because the night breeze was cold! And you looked pitiful standing there half-n*ked!”

“I wasn’t half-n*ked. It seems Your Highness’s memory has been quite… embellished. I suppose you’ve imagined quite a few scenarios since then?”

“Do you think this is the time for jokes? Who was it that climbed the wall in the first place—!”

“…The wall?”

Jerome’s voice cut in, colder than ice.

“……”

Both of them immediately averted their eyes from Jerome’s glare.

“Unbelievable. With your outfits that night, I can’t even pass you off as staff to cover this up. And now climbing walls? You should be grateful they only reported you being in your nightclothes.”

“For the record, he didn’t enter my room. Lord Ian was just on the balcony!”

“That doesn’t matter. You know what the real problem is—the article mentions the crown prince.”

There had long been public sentiment that, for the sake of peace between the kingdom and the empire, Diana and the crown prince of Kargen should marry.

“It’s an outdated idea to limit a princess’s role to marriage, but we can’t ignore public opinion. If, instead of getting engaged to the crown prince, rumors like this article’s claim—‘that you’re toying around with another man’—gain traction, it will be extremely disadvantageous for Your Highness.”

Ian watched Diana’s expression darken by the moment.

“Should I take responsibility? In any way possible?”

Ian leaned back deeply into the sofa as he asked.

Diana’s eyebrow twitched at the sight of his smug grin.

“…Don’t you dare entertain that thought.”

“I think it’s a great idea.”

“No. It’s the worst idea. I’d rather claim you’re my aide.”

Ian protested with a look of disbelief.

“How could anyone believe that’s Jerome? Look at me—even my back is obviously handsome.”

Jerome, listening quietly beside them, forced a thin smile, but the vein bulging on his forehead betrayed his annoyance.

“I’m just speaking the truth.”

Ian muttered under his breath, then feigned innocence when Diana glared at him.

“But even your aide doesn’t seem happy with that arrangement, does he?”

Diana turned to Jerome at Ian’s remark.

Jerome avoided her eyes, his discomfort barely hidden.

“Because Louis would see it?”

“……”

Jerome held his tongue at her question.

“Just use me as your shield.”

Ian’s low voice broke the silence.

“Is there anyone better than me? In terms of family, reputation—there’s no one in this country above me. I am the man best suited to be entangled in your scandal.”

“……”

His confident words left both Diana and Jerome speechless.

The truth was, there was no real argument against Ian’s claim. He was the son of the prestigious Leheits family—nobility among nobles—and was set to graduate early from the royal university, a feat nearly impossible even for the wealthy.

At present, no one but Ian had the reputation to rival the crown prince’s. Moreover, he would serve as the perfect shield to delay the marriage talks with the crown prince.

Diana knew that, logically, accepting his proposal made sense. But still…

For a brief moment, Diana’s eyes wavered sharply, though her voice was calm when she finally spoke.

“…I refuse.”

Ian’s expression was hard to read. After a pause, he gave a small nod and rose from his seat.

“Then I have no further proposals to offer. I’ll just have to spin a story convincing enough that the owner of that broad back is definitely not me. Goodbye.”

After Ian left, silence lingered in the parlor for a long while.

“Your Highness. Just claim it was me. I don’t mind.”

Jerome broke the silence.

“You know that’s only a temporary fix.”

“But… Lord Ian is dangerous.”

“……”

There was no way Jerome hadn’t been watching Ian closely, especially since Ian had been circling around Diana.

From the moment Diana ordered a private investigation into Ian, Jerome must have realized she was wary of him.

“Wasn’t it you who reported that there was nothing suspicious about his reputation?”

“No one can uncover the truth when someone is determined to hide it.”

“……”

Jerome was right. Even knowing Ian might be a spy, catching him in the act had never been easy.

That was why both Diana and Jerome already knew: the only way to catch him was to set a trap—and wait.