What is happening right now?

Diana’s hand slid softly over Ian’s chest.

This was a development he hadn’t expected.

Ian’s gaze dropped to her red lips, only a hand’s width away. Diana, as if copying his own manner at the ball, lifted the corners of her mouth with a relaxed smile.

“This is fun. So, this is why you tried to…”

He was so focused on those pretty lips that he couldn’t really hear what she was saying.

“…You said you’d make me smile. Thanks to you, I did.”

The only part he caught was her saying she laughed because of him. With those words, she left Ian behind and walked away.

Staring blankly at the spot where she’d disappeared, he muttered,

“Liar… You didn’t even smile.”

***

The next day, Ian prepared to go to work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was a day like any other.

The commute wasn’t far, but the streets were crowded.

Horses and carriages mingled with heavy automobiles running on steam or gasoline, making the roads chaotic.

Dressed neatly in a suit, Ian mounted a tall bicycle.

Some believed that nobles should only ride bicycles for sports or outings, but for cutting through the traffic, this was better.

Since he’d started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this year on the dean’s recommendation, he’d always taken this route by bicycle. He’d done it many times before. There was no way he’d make a mistake.

Yet, he not only took the wrong road but nearly collided with a passing carriage. He barely managed to swerve out of the way, and the coachman, as an apology, tipped his hat and quickly disappeared from view.

“Ha… Where is my mind today?”

Ian sighed and ran a hand roughly through his hair.

Thankfully, he arrived on time. The Ministry’s office was in a building right next to the palace, in other words, one of the buildings within the palace grounds. This was to ensure close communication with the royal family.

“This is driving me crazy…”

Ian suddenly frowned. He’d been fine until he entered the palace, but as soon as he did, the events at the library came flooding back.

Diana, who had tormented him all night, had given no warning. In fact, the more time passed, the clearer her face became, to the point that he could hardly breathe.

Because of this, he didn’t want to run into her. His mind was so muddled that if he met her, he felt he’d make another mistake.

“Was it a dream like that?”

Suddenly, a scene flashed through his mind, and he stopped in the corridor.

He irritably rubbed his flushed neck.

“…What kind of dream is that, anyway.”

As if asking Diana, who kept appearing and teasing him, Ian muttered to himself.

Everything was incomprehensible. Especially those eyes, which, for some reason, seemed to hold resentment—he couldn’t understand them at all.

No matter how he thought about it, she seemed especially hostile toward him.

“Why does she hate me? I haven’t even done anything yet.”

Ian muttered this to himself.

“Who says she hates you?”

Just then, a deep voice sounded from behind.

“Minister.”

Ian greeted the middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared behind him.

“I don’t see Hopper around. Could you come to my office instead?”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs handed Ian a sealed letter once they were inside his office.

“Deliver this to Admiral Bliven.”

“May I ask what it is?”

“You know that the crown prince is currently in the Oron Republic, don’t you?”

Ian had never been to the Oron Republic, but he’d heard plenty about it.

Erden in the west, Kargen in the north, Oron in the east. People referred to these three countries together as the continent.

The Kingdom of Erden and the Republic of Oron were separated by sea but were quite friendly with each other.

Meanwhile, the Kargen Empire, located between Erden and Oron, had always been wary of the two countries’ cooperation.

Ian already knew that Crown Prince Louis was staying in Oron while the Kargen Emperor was bedridden.

“The Crown Prince has requested a fleet for diplomatic use. The Republic has agreed as well.”

A fleet. The crown prince was in Oron for communication and trade between the two countries. But it was unclear whether he really intended to use the fleet only for trade, or if he had other plans.

“Tell them to have preparations for departure completed within two days.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ian took the letter and left the minister’s office at once.

But just outside the door, he bumped into someone and dropped the letter.

“W-why are you coming out of the minister’s office?”

The person he’d bumped into shouted.

It was Hopper, the minister’s aide.

“The minister gave me a simple errand.”

Ian picked up the dropped envelope as he answered.

“Still, you should go through me! Have you forgotten that I’m your superior?”

“You weren’t at your desk.”

He was just stating the facts, but Hopper’s face turned red and blue as if he’d been personally insulted.

Ian let out a small sigh at Hopper’s expression, desperate to find fault with anything.

Once, Hopper had tried hard to curry favor with Ian, the young master of the Leheits family, but when Ian ignored him, Hopper suddenly started acting petulant.

“You… you rode that clunky pile of junk to work again, didn’t you?”

Hopper had a habit of stuttering when he got excited.

“It’s not junk. I bought it at a fair price from a shop by the Elten River earlier this year. And a lot of young people ride them.”

Ian replied coldly.

“You may not have graduated yet, but you’re still an official at the Ministry! You should maintain your dignity and come by horse or carriage! Your family is rich enough to own a car, too!”

“My government quarters are right nearby. It only takes ten minutes on foot. Why would I take a carriage for that? The roads are crowded enough without me adding to the mess.”

At those words, Hopper’s face turned even redder. He always insisted on taking a carriage to work.

“Otherwise, you’d have to go through the marketplace!”

“Isn’t that a great opportunity to see the people with your own eyes every day? As a palace official, I think there’s more to gain by crossing the market.”

“What could you possibly gain from that noisy, dirty market?”

“Are you aware that lately, more and more people resent the nobility? Not long ago, a commoner hit by a carriage was blamed for damaging the horse’s hoof. That’s all anyone talks about in the market.”

Ian looked down at Hopper with an annoyed expression.

“Also, more and more shops are catering only to noble tastes, selling expensive imported goods. Without regulation, the market is becoming more and more unbalanced. These are the kinds of real stories you can’t hear inside the palace.”

Hopper looked like he wanted to argue, but couldn’t come up with a reply. He just opened and closed his mouth, his face bright red.

“That’s enough bickering.”

At that moment, the Minister came out of his office.

“Minister!”

“Hopper. Where are the documents I asked for? I told you to have them ready by this morning.”

“I-I’ll bring them right away!”

Looking flustered, Hopper glanced at the minister and then hurried off.

“I’ll go see Admiral Bliven now,” Ian said.

The minister nodded with a satisfied look.

As far as Ian knew, the admiral was in the capital at the moment. Since he’d probably be meeting the Queen, if Ian crossed the central garden and headed straight for the palace, the timing should work out.

As planned, Ian was crossing the central garden when he saw someone running toward him, sweating.

The man waved when he spotted Ian.

“Lord Ian!”

“Sir Jerome. We meet often these days.”

Jerome grabbed Ian’s shoulder, panting for breath.

“Is something the matter? You’re sweating a lot.”

“Your Highness… Have you seen Princess Diana?”

“Has Her Highness disappeared again?”

“Yes… She’s become quite the expert at running away lately! She wasn’t this bad before… Really, it’s amazing… If I ever catch her…”

Jerome rambled on, his face an unreadable mix of laughter and tears.

“But she always shows up when it’s time, doesn’t she? I don’t think you need to worry too much. She’s keeping up with her schedule just fine.”

“Even if it’s inside the palace, she keeps wandering off alone. The other night she was in the stables… Oh, right, the stables! I’ll go check there first!”

Jerome hurried off toward the stables, and Ian slowly wiped the smile from his face.

Watching Jerome’s retreating figure grow smaller, Ian’s eyes were filled with caution.

***

Before he knew it, the sun had set and the city’s lights were going out one by one.

Except for the dim lamp on his desk, Ian’s room in the Foreign Ministry’s residence was shrouded in darkness.

Just as others finished their day by writing in their diaries, he too was organizing his day on paper.

But instead of a diary, he was writing a letter.

The young lion will soon board a small boat.

He sealed the letter, filled with cryptic phrases, so it looked like an ordinary letter.

A moment later, he spread out a new sheet of paper, intending to write another letter.

Unlike before, he spent a long time thinking before writing this one.

I’m doing well. It’s colder here than in the south, but not as cold as there.

Even at night, the palace lights never go out. When I look at the palace from the darkness, the whole castle looks like a blazing flame. Like a fire that could consume everything. At those times…

…I’m afraid that, in the end, I’ll fail.

He stared at that last line for a while, then scratched it out and tossed his pen aside.

Turning to the window, he could see the palace, its lights never extinguished, burning like a city that never sleeps.

Returning to his letter, Ian sighed.

“Why am I writing all of this to someone who never replies…”

He stuffed the unfinished letter into the drawer, where he found a crumpled scrap of newspaper in the corner.

The edges of the newspaper were worn from Ian’s handling. When he unfolded it, a faded photograph appeared in the article.

“The Young Princess of Erden Celebrates Her Tenth Birthday”

Beneath the front-page headline, the young Diana in the photo was staring at Ian.

She looked less like a child celebrating her birthday and more like a mourner at a funeral.

Ian gazed silently into Diana’s eyes for a long time.