Roa didn’t look like she believed him at all. Yvaine instinctively realized his excuse wouldn’t work with her and sighed.

“Think whatever you want. Your face says you won’t believe me no matter what I say.”

“It would be better if you didn’t do this in the future. I may not have feelings for Your Highness the Crown Prince, but other noble ladies might misunderstand.”

Roa spoke coldly and took a step back. At this, the corner of Yvaine’s mouth twitched.

He already knew from Roan that she hated him, but he never imagined she would so openly avoid him like this.

Of course, many people hated him. But his status was that of crown prince.

Someone as honest with their feelings as Roa was a first for him.

Yvaine noticed the sincerity hidden in her candid advice. His hidden possessiveness stirred slightly.

“What if it’s not a misunderstanding?”

“Pardon?”

Roa responded to Yvaine’s words with unclear intent. Suddenly recalling Yvel’s words was puzzling even to Roa herself.

As Roa stepped back, Yvaine followed her.

“I asked if it would be alright if I patted your head because it was you.”

Roa couldn’t hide her bewilderment at Yvaine’s sudden acceleration. Roa stretched her gift-holding hands forward.

Yvaine clicked his tongue at the forcibly increased distance from Roa.

“It’s not alright! Stay away.”

“My, even if I’m called a demon, I still get hurt.”

“What are you saying? A demon?”

Seeing Yvaine act as if he had entered her heart, Roa stumbled over her words.

Although she had thought of him as a demon, it was unexpected for him to acknowledge it.

“Isn’t that why you gave me salt as a gift? Roan was trying to throw it at me.”

“……”

Roa couldn’t answer, feeling caught by his words. Seeing him drawing an arc with his mouth, Roa made a tearful face.

“That’s not it. Salt is said to purify impure things.”

“Oh? So you were worried about me?”

Roa avoided his gaze. With some conscience left, she couldn’t meet his eyes as she answered.

“Just a wish that Your Highness the Crown Prince would stay healthy…… something like that?”

‘What health.’

Roa let out a hollow laugh at her own words. She realized something was off even to herself.

Yvaine burst into laughter at her nonsensical excuse.

Roa was extremely embarrassed right now. She thought she shouldn’t have come to the imperial palace.

“I’ll try to believe you. But salt doesn’t work on me, so prepare something else next time.”

Yvaine placed salt identical to what Roa had gifted Roan on top of her gift box. Roa’s ears turned red.

She thought escaping from this place was the answer.

“I have someone waiting, so I’ll be going now. May fortune be with your future.”

Roa quickly turned around and tried to leave the place. But that effort ended in failure.

Yvaine grabbed Roa’s shoulder as she tried to escape and wouldn’t let go. Roa’s face contorted miserably.

‘Why won’t you let me go home, you demon!’

Roa suppressed the rising words and held them in.

“Do you have some business with me?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because Your Highness is currently holding my shoulder and getting in my way.”

Roa tried to speak gently. He truly was a person who made one want to call him a demon even if one didn’t want to.

Moreover, he kept smiling, making it difficult to figure out what Yvaine was thinking.

Roa glared at him smiling in front of her.

“Not at all. You may go.”

“Then Your Highness. Would you please let go of my hand so I can go home?”

‘Let go of my hand while I’m asking nicely.’

Roa’s patience was short. There was a limit to speaking nicely to the crown prince who kept bothering her.

Behind Roa’s fierce expression, with Korean blood flowing within, a cat with bared teeth hissed.

She thought she might commit the crime of disrespect if he held her any longer.

Yvaine flinched and released his hand from Roa’s shoulder.

“Don’t look at me like that. I came here because I had business.”

Yvaine told himself he wasn’t revealing his main point because he was scared of Roa, and cleared his throat with a “ahem.”

Not knowing that she was the subject of that business, Roa thought Yvaine was Yvel’s next appointment and stepped back to make way.

“Yes. I seem to have blocked Your Highness the Crown Prince’s path. Please go ahead.”

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but I came to see you.”

“Me? Why of all people?”

Roa was so surprised by Yvaine’s words that she couldn’t hide her inner thoughts and blurted them out.

Having momentarily uttered the phrase “of all people,” Roa couldn’t hide her embarrassment and broke out in a cold sweat.

‘Damn it.’

Yvaine, who had never heard such a phrase from anyone else, found this situation absurd.

Roa regretted the word that had slipped out without her knowing.

“I apologize. It just came out.”

“No. That must be your true feelings.”

Yvaine openly showed his disappointment. Roa, not realizing Yvaine was deliberately acting, made a tearful face.

“I was just too tired. It wasn’t my true feelings at all.”

“You don’t need to make excuses. I understand everything.”

‘What do you understand!’

Roa gritted her teeth in frustration at Yvaine’s nonchalance as he patted her shoulder. She felt completely drained in that short time.

Yvaine noticed from Roa’s expression that she was tired and decided to stop teasing her.

“Actually, I came to apologize.”

“Pardon?”

Roa tilted her head at the apology that had no context.

There were too many things the crown prince should apologize for, so she couldn’t tell which offense he was seeking forgiveness for.

Yvaine looked directly at Roa staring at him and said:

“I heard you cried because of me.”

At Yvaine’s words, Roa’s face turned red with embarrassment.

It seemed the utterly unhelpful Roan was reporting even minor personal matters to the crown prince.

Roa felt her pride wounded at being found out that she had cried because of the crown prince. It felt like she had lost to him.

“Nothing like that happened.”

Roa firmly answered, deciding to boldly delete from her mind the memory of her crying in the past.

But one word couldn’t control the memories remaining in someone else’s mind. To Roa’s statement, Yvaine said:

“Is that so? An aide who went berserk over his sister’s tears demanded compensation for damages, but was he trying to commit insubordination with a non-existent fact?”

“……”

“I should discuss how to punish this crime. How dare he try to deceive the crown prince with lies.”

Power was a thug that could create crimes that didn’t exist.

Roa was left speechless at Yvaine’s words, who stood at the top of the power structure.

In his ability to seize opportunities and exploit the opponent’s weaknesses, one could see the qualities of a leader.

Roa ultimately had no choice but to acknowledge her dark history with her own mouth.

“Ha.ha.ha. I cried a lot. I cried because I was upset. Yes, I cried.”

“Indeed. I almost misunderstood the aide because of your words, didn’t I?”

“Yes. I almost put my brother in jail because of my mistake. My own brother with these hands.”

A small grinding sound was heard from Roa who had lowered her head. The crown prince heard the sound of anger but covered his ears and pretended not to know.

Yvaine thought he might be too annoying, but he couldn’t hide his instinct to play pranks.

Roa, looking at such an Yvaine, deliberately exaggerated.

“Now that I realize my actions threatened my brother, I’m shocked. May I go now?”

Though she thought it was a poor excuse, Roa wanted to go home quickly. The more they talked, the more drained she felt.

The items in her hands grew increasingly heavy.

Fortunately, the perceptive Yvaine stopped teasing her and took Roa’s gift almost forcefully to carry it for her.

“You look very tired, so I’ll carry it for you. You look like you might collapse any moment.”

“It’s not that bad, but I gratefully accept your kindness.”

Seeing Roa’s docile response, Yvaine felt sorry.

Her sharp reactions had dulled, making him feel he had been too harsh with someone who was unwell.

Roa walked alongside Yvaine with a more comfortable expression now that the gift was gone.

“I teased you because your reactions were fresh, but I was sincere about coming to apologize.”

“There’s no need for you to be so sorry.”

By then, most of the emotions from that day had already faded. Above all, Roa wasn’t so young that she couldn’t understand him.

“I know that the nation runs well when Your Highness the Crown Prince is careful with his duties.”

From Roa’s perspective, constantly losing Roan, the crown prince was a disaster or an axis of evil.

However, to others, he embodied the qualities of the next leader who would succeed the emperor and dedicate himself to the country.

Her resentment was just a small tantrum for going out.

“My brother is Your Highness’s aide. Your Highness has done nothing wrong.”

“Thank you for thinking that way.”

Roa shrugged her shoulders in response to his words. Yvaine, looking at such a Roa, opened his mouth.

“I’ll try my best.”

“Try what?”

“I’ll try not to call him during vacations as much as possible.”

Roa was dumbfounded by Yvaine’s declaration of effort. If it was a problem that could be solved with effort, he was truly a bad person.

It sounded like he had been deliberately tormenting someone who was disappointed right in front of him. Roa shook her head from side to side.

“That’s fine. It would be faster if I get healthy enough to go out alone.”

“You don’t trust me.”

‘He speaks well despite never having given any reason for trusting him.’

Roa, who had never received any trust from Yvaine, clicked her tongue inwardly and kept her mouth firmly shut.

She had abandoned the option of honestly expressing her true feelings and arguing with him. Yvaine became awkward at Roa’s silence.

“I see your carriage.”

“So it is.”

The servant waiting in the carriage was startled to see Roa with the crown prince, rushed over, and received the gift from the crown prince’s hands.

Yvaine, now with free hands, scratched his face and looked down at Roa who was bowing her head.

“Next time, talk with me too, not just Yvel.”

“As long as Your Highness the Crown Prince doesn’t tease me.”

“I promise.”

Yvaine took Roa’s hand and kissed the back of it. Roa opened her eyes wide in surprise at this greeting she had only seen in movies.

Her heart sank as she saw Yvaine smiling while bending at the waist and kissing the back of her hand.

The emotion she felt when she first saw him captured her. Startled, she quickly pulled her hand away.

“Thank you for escorting me this far. I’ll be going now.”

“Take care.”

Yvaine turned around and entered the imperial palace.

Roa watched his back as he returned to the palace, then moved toward the carriage to go home.

But she stopped before getting into the carriage. Roa silently blinked at the different appearance inside the carriage compared to a few hours ago.

“Is something wrong, Miss?”

When Roa stopped without entering the carriage, the knight came and asked her. Roa shook her head and closed the carriage door.

She acted like someone desperately trying to hide something. With her back to the carriage door, she said to the knight:

“Could you step back a few paces for a moment?”

The knight retreated at Roa’s incomprehensible command, then Roa slightly opened the door and entered the carriage.

The knight, seeing Roa only poking her head out and not showing the inside, had a face full of questions.

“Is there something inside? Is it something dangerous?”

“No!! There’s nothing dangerous. So absolutely don’t come in.”

“But Miss.”

“Tsk. Tell the coachman to depart quickly.”

Roa gestured for him not to worry as she climbed into the carriage and quickly closed the door. The knight couldn’t enter the carriage due to Roa’s stubbornness.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Roa took a deep breath in and out. Her trembling heart wouldn’t calm down.

Roa made eye contact with a teddy bear proudly occupying one of the seats facing each other.

On the giant teddy bear’s lap was a bouquet with a note that read ⟨Please forgive my sin. —Levian Khan Yvaine⟩.

“When did this get in here.”

Roa sat next to the teddy bear and read the note while examining the bouquet. She thought Yvaine might have some cute aspects after all.

‘He could have just given it directly. What a tsundere.’

Roa pressed her finger firmly into the teddy bear’s belly. It was very soft.

Chapter 2. The Red Thread Disguised as an Ill-Fated Relationship

“Miss, where are you going?”

Albert asked upon discovering Roa wandering alone along the corridor.

Roa, who had been walking alone without her maids, turned her head at the sound of Albert calling her.

“The library. There’s a book I wanted to read.”

“Isn’t the library in the opposite direction?”

Albert tilted his head and pointed in the direction opposite to where Roa had been walking. Roa smiled at Albert’s words.

“My brother’s personal study.”

Albert finally understood why she was heading in that direction after hearing Roa’s explanation. Roan’s personal study was right next to his bedroom.

Roan’s study, where he occasionally brought documents from the imperial palace that he couldn’t process there, had many books that weren’t in the mansion’s library.

Roa was on her way to borrow a book she hadn’t finished reading yesterday. Albert approached Roa and said,

“I’ll escort you, Miss.”

“No need. Albert, you’re busy.”

“Your matters are my highest priority, Miss.”

Roa was happy at Albert’s words. But she had no intention of interfering with his work for something she could do alone.

Roa pushed Albert’s back with both hands.

“I can go alone, Albert. Don’t worry about me and go do your work.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Come on. That short distance is no problem.”

“Please call if anything happens.”

Albert moved his reluctant feet away from Roa at her urging.

A moment later, Roa opened the door to Roan’s study. True to his neat character, the inside of the study was well-organized.

Roa walked directly to the bookshelf facing her as if familiar with it and pulled out a book titled ⟨Ancient Demons⟩.

This legendary book recorded the famous demons of the Levia Empire. This time, she absolutely had to find a way to defeat demons.

“It’s harmful to my heart.”

Roa blushed as she recalled yesterday’s events with Yvaine. God gave him looks instead of personality.

God couldn’t help but be fair.

Roa lost track of time as she devoured the book.

When Roa looked up, the cuckoo clock was announcing exactly ten o’clock.

Roa stretched her arms toward the ceiling to relieve her stiff body.

As she was also rotating her neck, Roa saw something on Roan’s desk that she shouldn’t have seen.

“Huh?”

Roa stared at the desk in that neck-turning position. She thought she might be seeing wrong because she was tired from going to bed late yesterday.

But the object that didn’t disappear even after rubbing her eyes wasn’t an illusion or a misconception.

Roa put the book she had been reading back on the shelf and picked up the document on the desk.

“Why is this here?”

The document was undoubtedly what Roan had been writing all night for today’s meeting.

Roa, who had been reading in Roan’s study until just before midnight, recognized it at a glance.

“This is going to be a problem.”

Having seen Roan rush out after oversleeping this morning, Roa guessed he had left it behind in his hurry.

Roa’s eyes lit up at Roan’s mistake.

“Ooh~ What an opportunity!”

Roa couldn’t help but hum. She was delighted by this rare mistake from Roan, who usually never made such errors.

Roa gathered Roan’s documents and went outside.

Of course, she could have ordered a servant to deliver them to Roan instead, but Roa didn’t miss this opportunity to go out.

Roa immediately ran to Albert, the head butler of the Grand Duke’s household.

“Albert!”

“Haven’t I repeatedly told you that running is harmful to your health, Miss?”

The professional head butler of the Grand Duke’s household immediately stopped Roa’s potentially harmful action.

Frowning eyes, rising eyebrows, twitching mouth. Roa knew what these signs meant.

Noticing that Albert was about to lecture her for her running, Roa gradually slowed to a stop and gave him a bright smile.

Albert realized what Roa’s action meant as she tilted her head slightly to the side and smiled.

“I’ll let it slide just this once, Miss.”

“Hehe. That’s my Albert. You always get it.”

“More importantly, is there some urgent matter? Is there a problem with the young master’s study?”

At Albert’s question, Roa held out the documents she had brought from the study in front of Albert’s eyes.

Albert immediately understood Roa’s business when he saw the documents from Roan’s office and Roa’s excited face.

Albert reached for the documents with his white-gloved hand. Roa quickly pulled the documents back, avoiding Albert’s reach.

“Oh no. This goes against business ethics, Albert. I found these.”

“That won’t do, Miss.”

“Shouldn’t you listen to what someone has to say until the end?”

This is why perceptive people are exhausting. Roa pouted at Albert’s firm words as he narrowed his eyes.

Although he felt sorry for her with her drooping shoulders, Albert, who prioritized Roa’s health above all, gave her no room for negotiation.

“Of course, I always take your words to heart. Except when it comes to going out.”

“It’s not an outing, it’s an errand!”

“Leave such errands to us. It’s not something you should do personally, Miss.”

Albert extended his hand, signaling to Roa.

Unable to win against the fox-like Albert with words, Roa hugged the documents to her chest as if they were treasure and took a step back.

She knew well that Albert couldn’t forcibly take them from her.

“If you insist on being stubborn, it will cause trouble for the young master. You know very well what kind of documents those are.”

“If you just turn a blind eye this once, no trouble will arise.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Why!”

Despite Roa’s outcry, Albert didn’t even blink.

“If you collapse, the master and mistress will worry greatly. And as the head butler, your health is my top priority.”

Roa seriously considered how to overcome this crisis. In this case, even her own orders were useless.

Regarding going out, Albert’s authority was stronger than Roa’s. Roa hugged the documents and thought deeply.

Albert thought that was enough as he watched Roa with her mouth shut. However, there was a Roa who could outfly the jumping Albert.

“There’s another reason I must go besides the documents.”

Albert hesitated at Roa’s words.

He had thought she had no trump card, but Roa’s confident attitude made him uneasy.

“The princess said she wanted me to come to the imperial palace. I forgot I had an appointment.”

“Miss.”

Albert called Roa in a low voice at her words that seemed like an obvious lie. Roa raised her chin.

“Are you going to disobey an imperial command? Albert.”

When the term “imperial command” came up, a sigh escaped from Albert’s mouth.

Becoming friends with the princess was an honor, but this was a troublesome situation.

Albert resented Roan for arranging the meeting with the princess.

Of course, Roan never thought Roa would use the imperial command here.

Albert pushed up his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose with his finger.

“You’re wise, Miss.”

A powerful means of coercion that Albert couldn’t refuse had emerged. Roa smiled triumphantly. She was pleased with the excuse she had blurted out in haste.