Side Story 3

Special training with Charlotte was nothing short of hell itself.

“That’s not it! The bouquet is visible from the side, isn’t it?”

“Which finger are you supposed to put the ring on? You’re late! The fourth finger!”

“Again, again! Honestly, this is a mess!”

She taught Noah everything.

How to lead his fiancée to the proposal spot without her noticing, how to hide the bouquet behind his back so it wouldn’t be seen, and even the perfect timing to take out the ring.

In truth, Noah wasn’t someone who struggled much with lessons.

He had never forgotten something he wanted to remember. But this time, it was different.

‘A proposal is truly monumental.’

A proposal required perfect preparation, precise timing, and a complete understanding of the other person’s heart. It was like executing a meticulous operation. He had never experienced anything like this before.

Still, he had to do it. To propose to Karina as successfully as possible. Gritting his teeth, Noah threw himself into the training. The result?

“…Perfect.”

Charlotte began clapping slowly. Soon, the room was filled with applause.

Noah, breathing heavily, straightened himself up.

“Captain, the others said they’re ready… What are you all doing?”

“Get up, Your Highness.”

Ignoring the bewildered Kaya, Charlotte extended her hand toward Noah.

The preparations were complete. It was time for the real deal.

“Let’s go, Kaya.”

After bowing respectfully to his teacher, Noah left the room with Kaya.

***

“Noah? What are you thinking about?”

Karina tilted her head to meet his gaze and asked. Noah leapt to his feet.

“The casual. I’m hungry.”

Reciting the prepared line, he saw Karina tilt her head in confusion.

It was a bit awkward, but it was good enough. The real part started now.

“I’ve made a reservation at a restaurant. Let’s go eat.”

“Huh? But we just had dinner.”

An unexpected response. Come to think of it, they had just finished dinner at the Duke’s residence.

It was a mistake to give in to hunger and sit at the dining table.

There was no choice. With determination, Noah spoke again.

“I’m still hungry.”

“Ah…”

Thankfully, Karina followed without further comment.

“You’re eating properly, right?”

It felt a bit like she was pitying him, but it was a satisfactory first step.

The two entered the restaurant. It was a place Charlotte had reserved.

She had requested a scenic brunch café to transform its interior into a romantic atmosphere.

Karina murmured as she noticed the empty space.

“It’s dinner time, but there’s no one here.”

The band in the hall exchanged a quick glance with Noah and started playing.

Noah guided Karina to a seat by the window.

“Please sit here. I’ll pull out a chair.”

Karina tilted her head at the unnecessary explanation.

“Hm…? Thank you.”

Successfully seating her naturally was another step complete.

As Noah raised his hand to order food, he heard stiff footsteps approaching from somewhere. A chef appeared, holding plates in both hands, and walked toward their table.

“Here is your course meal.”

He announced in a rigid voice as he placed the dishes on the table. Another chef hurriedly approached and whispered to him.

“It’s not time to serve this yet…”

Sending away his colleague, the second chef turned and smiled brightly.

“Apologies, dear guests. This is complimentary. I’ll take your order shortly.”

The steak, which looked far too expensive to be a complimentary dish, didn’t seem to catch Karina’s attention.

Following the plan, Noah completed the ordering process and delivered his next line.

“I’ll step out to the restroom for a moment.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

There were things he needed to prepare before the main course arrived.

Quickly leaving the hall, Noah entered a space hidden behind a curtain near the kitchen.

“Focus, everyone. A proposal is no joke.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Charlotte, who had been scolding the Imperial chefs, noticed Noah and stiffened her expression.

“Your Highness… What are you doing?”

“Pardon?”

“How could you have dinner at the Duke’s residence? Do you know how hard I worked to gather the best Imperial chefs? And saying, ‘I’m hungry’? Did you come here to eat? And another thing! I told you to pull out the chair, not to announce it out loud!”

Charlotte unleashed the maximum amount of nagging possible in such a short time.

He remembered her saying she’d keep a close watch to ensure nothing went wrong.

It wasn’t until Noah felt like his ears were about to bleed that he was able to escape her grasp.

After hastily completing the preparations, he headed back to the table, where Charlotte handed him the ring.

“You must succeed.”

“Teacher…”

“So that you can finally leave. Besides, His Highness the Crown Prince must have his own thoughts as your elder brother.”

Her encouragement didn’t feel particularly affectionate. Noah tucked the ring into his pocket and walked toward Karina.

Just as the food arrived, it was finally time for the nearly final stage.

‘We’ll eat first, then when dessert comes, I’ll present the ring…’

He was so focused on rehearsing the sequence that he couldn’t tell whether the food was going into his mouth or his nose.

“Cough, it’s stuck…”

“Noah!”

As expected, the food he had forced down got caught in his throat. Karina, startled, rushed over and handed him water.

“No matter how hungry you are, eat slowly. No one’s going to steal your food.”

He ended up looking like someone overeating out of greed during a meal with his fiancée. But Noah, with his cheeks puffed out, stared at Karina.

For some reason, she looked even more beautiful than usual as she handed him water with a concerned expression. Realizing why, Noah swallowed his food and opened his mouth.

“Miss Karina.”

“Yes?”

“Will you marry me?”

At the sudden proposal, Karina’s mouth fell open.

Those hiding and watching—Charlotte and the chefs—slapped their foreheads in unison.

They were certain it had gone terribly wrong. And they weren’t entirely wrong.

There were no fancy words or romantic atmosphere; he had skipped straight to the most important part.

However, Karina gave a small smile and nodded.

“Alright.”

Noah smiled back at her. It was the answer he had expected.

“What?”

Apparently, not everyone had expected it.

Charlotte, who had let out a sound without realizing it, covered her mouth and tried to stifle her reaction.

One final step remained. Noah took the ring from his pocket.

“The ring goes on the fourth finger. Right?”

Sliding the ring onto her finger, Karina looked at her hand with curiosity.

“For your information, it’s a diamond.”

“…Are you bragging?”

She let out a small laugh, and Noah handed her one more thing.

A bouquet of yellow freesias. There was no need to hide it behind his back.

Karina accepted the bouquet and hugged it to her chest. Then, smiling brighter than ever, she embraced Noah.

It was a perfect proposal.

***

“Pardon? To the North?”

Karina doubted her ears. She must have misheard something.

“Yes. The North.”

But Essis nodded, cutting off any further hope.

To live her married life in the North? It was such an absurd proposal that it was beyond belief.

“I’m not just telling you to go. I mentioned it before, didn’t I? About how Noah and Kaya lived in the North.”

“……”

“And you must have seen it yourself last winter.”

Listening further, it seemed there was indeed a reason behind it.

The North was a barren land where life struggled to survive. But it hadn’t always been that way. There used to be a Duke who managed the region, but he passed away due to health issues.

When the lord, who had cared for the people, disappeared, it was only natural for them to leave the cold, lifeless land behind.

However, news had spread that the weather there had become milder this year.

“Just a little.”

“Just a little?”

“What’s important is that the situation has improved.”

Essis shamelessly nodded. Somehow, it felt like she was being deceived. Regardless, he was now suggesting that Noah go down to the North with her and take on the position of lord there.

“I’m planning to bestow the title of Duke upon Noah. He didn’t have much to do here anyway, so it works out well.”

From Noah’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad offer either.

“It’s definitely not because I can’t stand watching you two being lovey-dovey.”

It seemed she really was being deceived. What was she supposed to make of this?

Karina fell into deep thought. It wasn’t a bad suggestion, but it was too sudden to decide easily.

Moreover, Karina wasn’t particularly strong against the cold. It was questionable whether she could adapt to the Northern weather overnight.

“Just wear thick clothes, thick everything.”

The Crown Prince’s teasing tone today tilted her feelings slightly toward the opposite direction. However, recalling Kaya’s past softened her heart again.

‘She said she had a younger sibling. There might still be children struggling to survive like that.’

Kaya’s younger sibling, who had gone to heaven after starving for days and being found by hunters.

If someone were to manage the land, perhaps the suffering could be reduced, even if just a little.

In the end, Karina accepted Essis’s proposal.

“You’ve made a wise decision. An excellent choice.”

“…Do you dislike seeing us that much?”

When she expressed her willingness to go, Essis’s face lit up with a benevolent smile.

“Let’s call Kaya and Noah right now and discuss it. We need to make plans too.”

“Yes, let’s… Ah.”

Karina, who had been fiddling with the ring on her finger, suddenly froze as a thought occurred to her. Essis, after summoning Noah and Kaya, asked why she seemed hesitant.

“Do you think… my parents will give their permission?”

Karina, unable to be certain, asked cautiously, and Essis’s expression gradually hardened.

Her father had made such a fuss on the day of the engagement ceremony.

Even putting that aside, who would readily agree to send their daughter to the North, a place so remote that even communication was difficult?

Karina recalled the vein that had bulged on her father’s forehead when the topic of the proposal had first come up.

“You called for us?”

“Is it true the lady decided to go? Wow, that’s great news.”

Noah and Kaya, who had entered the room after being summoned, reacted with nothing but excitement.

Kaya, chattering away, and Noah, smiling silently.

‘Is this really okay?’

Karina couldn’t bring herself to voice her concerns in front of them and simply smiled. Regardless, the decision had been made.