Kaiden watched as Bitern Vicar came to a halt. Beyond him, he noticed the curtains swaying and shimmering. Vicar stepped aside, and two women emerged from behind the curtain. One was the brown-haired woman who had entered earlier, and the other was Countess Vicar.

Vicar extended his hand to the woman who followed the countess. The brown-haired woman took his hand. Kaiden realized she was the maid who had accompanied the princess behind the curtain earlier. Following her, other women filed out.

Those who had been standing in front of the curtain stepped aside. Kaiden saw Countess Vicar gesture toward the inside of the curtain.

With slow steps, Kaiden opened the curtain that the countess indicated. He saw his own rough hand parting the smooth fabric. The noblewoman who had entered earlier would never have opened this curtain with her own hands.

Yet, as the fabric slid over the back of his hand, his heart trembled. It wasn’t even the touch of that lady, but somehow, he felt parched. His mouth went dry.

With a trembling gaze, Kaiden parted the curtain and stepped inside. Beyond the curtain, where the ladies were meant to rest, lay a chaotic array of flowers and ornate furniture. An unfamiliar, sharp scent filled the air. And there was no one there.

“Go further inside.”

The voice of Countess Vicar came from behind him. Kaiden turned his gaze to see a door halfway open on the opposite side of the room.

He walked across the room, step by step, toward that door. Behind him, Vicar and the woman holding his hand entered. But they remained in the anteroom, while only Kaiden moved toward the dressing room further inside.

Though it wasn’t far, the distance felt excruciatingly long. His clothes felt suffocating. Yet, he couldn’t afford to appear disheveled. He didn’t want to present himself in a flawed manner.

His own footsteps felt strange. Although it was something that should never happen to a knight like him, he felt as if he were awkwardly walking with someone else’s legs.

With every breath, the scent felt like it was numbing his mind. The sweet and confusing floral aromas filling the room made it hard for him to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.

Finally, Kaiden reached the door in that state. He extended his hand toward the half-open door. Amusingly, he realized his hand was trembling. Just before he touched it, he caught a glimpse of platinum light through the crack in the door.

‘Ah…’

Thump. His heart dropped.

He looked through the crack in the door, as if peering into a forbidden space he dared not cross. He saw the brilliant colors beyond the open door, like a blind man seeing for the first time.

Creak. The sound of the door opening seemed excessively loud, perhaps because his fingers shook. To Kaiden, the speed at which the door opened felt agonizingly slow.

Beyond the open door stood a breathtaking figure, looking out the window. Platinum hair cascaded in curls, and beneath it, a sky-blue skirt flowed. He couldn’t comprehend how a person could stand in such a form or move with such grace.

The princess, the embodiment of all impossibilities, slowly turned her body.

To Kaiden, the speed at which she turned felt as distant as searching for an invisible star in a cloudy sky. He longed to find and pursue her immediately, yet it all felt impossibly far away. At the end of that slow, yet not slow, movement, the princess finally turned to face him.

‘Ah.’

Kaiden saw the princess’s sky-colored eyes looking directly at him. He noticed the prominent nose below them and the small, petal-colored lips positioned even lower. He saw the delicate body standing before him, radiant as if surrounded by light, blinding him with her presence.

The princess stood so close. She was at a distance where he could reach her with a single step, looking straight at him.

Long ago, he had wondered what kind of gaze the princess would have if she ever looked at him. If she spoke to him, what voice would she use? As he yearned for her, he had imagined countless times what her gaze and voice might be like.

The princess, standing more radiant than any of his imaginings, opened her small lips and spoke in a clear voice that resonated in his mind.

“Sir Leonas.”

Did the princess know of his existence? Did she know of the man who couldn’t even approach her side? The name of the man who couldn’t stand by her or protect her. If she knew, how would she know?

He had wondered and imagined tens, no, truly hundreds of thousands of times. When he finally made his first greeting to the princess, he wondered if his name would linger in her mind. He wondered if his existence would be remembered.

He imagined what he would say if he were granted the honor of a first conversation with her, beyond the greetings shared with everyone else. What words he would use to greet her, how he would capture her interest, and how he would secure his place by her side.

“Propose to me.”

Yet, in all those dreams and imaginings, never once had he envisioned a situation like this.

Kaiden found himself unable to breathe or speak, frozen in place. With a single word, the princess poured a warm and dazzling light into the impenetrable darkness. The starlight-like glow she cast shattered the icy, dark blue window of his heart in an instant.

“Marry me.”

Amid a scene and circumstances he couldn’t have imagined, the princess spoke once more.

* * *

Before Kaiden Leonas was escorted by Bitern Vicar to meet the princess.

Dana, having danced with Count Vicar to divert the nobles’ attention, retreated to a dressing room set further inside than the waiting room. She sat in a chair and refused the honeyed wine offered by a maid. She wasn’t in the right state of mind to swallow anything.

“It’s fine. You may leave.”

Dana said, and Hilda and Countess Vicar nodded. Hilda silently mouthed, “I can do it.” Dana turned her head away, ignoring Hilda.

Countess Vicar, Hilda, and the maids left. Dana sat alone in the dressing room. Earlier, she had instructed Bitern to bring Baron Leonas at her command. Even if not everyone in the banquet hall noticed, she thought at least someone busy rolling their eyes would see.

She had a task to accomplish at this banquet today. Having heard much about Kaiden Leonas’s handsome appearance and knowing she would receive his greeting, she planned to become the princess who fell for the charming knight attending her birthday celebration.

‘First, promise to marry Kaiden Leonas.’

After that, she intended to write a letter to her brother, Taras. She would tell him that she had fallen for a handsome knight from the north at first sight, that his status didn’t matter, and that she wanted to marry him. She also planned to act like a naive sister, pleading to elevate Kaiden to the rank of Duke of Khalid to match her social standing.

Though Taras might not approve of her marrying Kaiden, she believed he would ultimately accept it, knowing she was a royal who hadn’t contracted with a divine beast and couldn’t expect a significantly advantageous marriage.

For the king, who had to constantly avoid the southern nobles’ scrutiny while ignoring the knight’s achievements, his sister’s infatuation with a knight’s appearance would serve as a convenient excuse in many ways.

‘I just need to talk to Sir Leonas. Once we discuss the title, the conversation will end quickly.’

That was her thought.

‘Baron of Leonas, Kaiden Leonas.’

Amid the tedious and monotonous greetings, when his name was finally called, Dana realized she wouldn’t need to pretend to be the princess who had fallen for the charming knight attending her birthday celebration.

Among the nobles waiting to greet her, there stood a man. He had the presence of a sword that could never be light, regardless of its form. His name, his abilities, and his loyalty had led Dana to seek him out, but even without those, she might have sought him out. Even if she hadn’t traveled back in time, she would have noticed this man.

Dana instantly understood why so many people praised his appearance and spoke his name. His features were crafted in a way that no amount of hearing or imagining could truly capture. He was someone whose presence could not be ignored by anyone capable of distinguishing beauty from ugliness. To any woman aware of the differences between genders, he was a man who naturally made hearts flutter.

His eyes, set beneath black hair, appeared as deep and endless as a blue night. His straight nose and firmly closed lips added to his striking appearance. The smooth black cloak draped over his broad shoulders testified to his prowess as a knight, and his tall, commanding physique made him stand out among the surrounding nobles.

Looking at him, Dana realized that beauty could be rugged. It could appear delicate yet strong. Amazingly, the man walking toward her embodied just that. He approached her with a weight that seemed to press down on time, air, and space. With a raw intensity that couldn’t be honed through refined methods, he slowly drew near.

As his unhurried steps came closer, Dana’s heart raced. She couldn’t tell if it was because he was important to her or due to his stunning appearance and presence. As his approaching steps felt increasingly slow, the man greeted her.

“Congratulations on reaching adulthood.”

Ah.

Dana heard the man’s smooth, deep voice resonate softly. The conventional and expected greeting felt thrilling. She tried her best to respond without appearing awkward. And that was all.