As soon as Kaiden lifted his lips, he slowly raised his head. His gaze was fixed directly on Dana Rowen.

His black hair was tousled from his careless sweep, yet even that looked intentionally stylish. His eyes resembled pure blue gemstones, complemented by a perfectly shaped nose and lips that had just brushed against the ring she wore. Her entire view was filled with this breathtakingly handsome man.

Unconsciously, Dana covered her heart with her free hand as she looked at Kaiden. Her heart raced, and she couldn’t quite determine the cause of her rapidly beating heart.

Was it relief that her plan, three years in the making, was finally nearing success? Was it satisfaction at acquiring a strong knight to protect Rowen, or perhaps… the allure of such a striking man?

While Dana was at a loss for words, Kaiden stood up. Without waiting for royal permission, he rose, lifting Dana’s hand along with his.

As she watched her hand rise close to her line of sight, Dana suddenly realized something. The aquamarine bracelet on her wrist and the aquamarine ring on her finger looked like a perfectly matched set.

She spoke in a tone of admiration without even realizing it.

“They seem like they were made to match. Don’t they?”

Dana shifted her gaze from the jewelry to Kaiden. He wasn’t looking at the bracelet or the ring; he was looking at her. He replied briefly.

“Yes.”

Nothing more was said. Dana awkwardly averted her gaze and then looked back at Kaiden.

“It would be good to go out and dance now.”

The plan had been for the princess, smitten by his appearance, to call him over, converse, and dance, eventually falling completely for him and wishing for marriage. Although the sequence was a bit off, it seemed better to show herself dancing with him at the banquet. Such rumors would be more effective when she sent a letter to Taras.

In response to her words, Kaiden asked with a slightly furrowed brow,

“Dance?”

Oh, perhaps…

Could he not dance? Dana suddenly entertained that thought.

Knowing that Kaiden wasn’t someone who typically attended banquets, it seemed possible. On second thought, it even seemed fitting for him not to know how to dance. She felt a wave of embarrassment for not realizing it sooner.

“Can you not dance?”

When Dana asked, Kaiden relaxed his expression and answered.

“No, I can dance.”

Huh?

Dana was surprised by his response. He could dance?

She looked at him in astonishment, and Kaiden seemed lost in thought, his gaze fixed somewhere on the floor. Standing there, his expression appeared hesitant, perhaps even nervous. It was quite astonishing.

Dana thought that even if he knew how to dance, he might be nervous since he had never danced at a banquet before.

“You don’t have to push yourself too hard.”

When Dana said that, Kaiden turned his gaze to her, as if making a decision.

“No, it’s fine.”

He didn’t look particularly fine, but since it was necessary to show them dancing, Dana suggested they should go out.

Kaiden turned his body while still supporting Dana’s hand, allowing them to stand side by side as they left the room holding hands. Dana was momentarily entranced by his graceful and light movements, almost as if he were already dancing, but she snapped back to reality when she caught his gaze.

Dana straightened her posture, and holding Kaiden’s hand, she left the dressing room.

As they passed through the open door, Hilda and Bitern, who were waiting in the anteroom, came into view. Since an unmarried princess couldn’t be seen alone with an unmarried stranger, this arrangement was meant to maintain appearances. To those in the banquet hall, it would appear that the princess was engaged in conversation with a knight she was interested in, accompanied by Bitern, a fellow knight she knew, and his fiancée, Hilda.

Dana’s eyes met Hilda’s, who looked at her with wide eyes. Hilda was visibly struggling to manage her expression, biting her lips, which almost made Dana laugh. Dana subtly waved at Hilda with a flick of her fingers from her lowered hand, then raised her head with a composed expression and walked toward the door of the anteroom.

As she walked, the anteroom felt overwhelmingly large. Dana wanted to turn her head to see the man beside her. She wanted to check his expression as he held her hand and walked alongside her.

But she couldn’t. All she could feel was his steady hand supporting hers. She knew that this hand had wielded a sword countless times, that it had protected Rowen in times of peril, and would continue to do so. For now, it was simply supporting her hand.

Dana tried her best to walk without faltering. Born into royalty, she had been trained from a young age to maintain poise in her walk, posture, and everything else, but at that moment, she felt a bit uneasy about her own demeanor. Being conscious of it made her movements feel awkwardly stiff.

She couldn’t pinpoint why. Was it because she needed to showcase a flawless dance with this picture-perfect man, or was it simply the fact that she was dancing with the most handsome man she had ever seen?

Dana tried to calm herself, lifting her chin as she walked. She crossed the seemingly endless anteroom, passed Hilda and Bitern, and finally reached the curtained entrance.

Kaiden drew back the curtain, and Dana stepped out with him. Behind them, Bitern and Hilda followed, hand in hand.

As she walked forward with Kaiden, she felt eyes gradually turning toward them.

In the center of the banquet hall stood the princess of the kingdom and the hero of the north. The princess, noble by birth, was the only one in royal history with a blemish, while the hero, despite his numerous accomplishments as a knight, hailed from humble origins.

The princess adorned her radiant blonde hair with pearls that resembled dewdrops and wore a dress that fluttered like the sky. The knight had his black hair stylishly swept back and stood with a heavy black cloak that matched his formidable presence.

The princess raised her hand to rest on the knight’s arm, and the knight wrapped his arm around the princess’s waist. The two, who seemed both fitting and unfitting together, began to dance.

Dana danced, completely reliant on Kaiden’s arm, which was much larger than hers. She had to become the princess who fell in love at first sight with this strikingly handsome knight, so she looked up at Kaiden with a smile, diligently focusing her gaze on him as if yearning for his attention throughout the dance. However, Kaiden appeared to keep his eyes lowered, as if not truly looking at her.

Though the princess’s affection was crucial for their marriage, Dana felt a bit deflated. But knowing he had no interest in women, she was fine with it. Moreover, considering the conditions she would have to negotiate regarding their future marriage, it might be better if he appeared indifferent to her, so she quickly regained her composure.

At the same time, she felt a strong grip in his hands supporting hers and around her waist, which made her think he might be nervous.

‘But it doesn’t seem like he can’t dance.’

True to that thought, he moved smoothly, leading her without any trouble.

Dana carefully observed the man she was dancing with again. His eyes were lowered, beneath which was a face as finely crafted as an ice sculpture, shoulders broad enough for her to sink into, and strong arms supporting her securely.

Kaiden maintained a certain distance, dancing with her while being cautious not to get too close. Yet, he held her hand and waist firmly, and the sight was quite impressive. She had danced with men before, but never had a partner made her feel breathless just by dancing.

Was the pounding of her heart and the shortness of breath due to dancing after such a long time, or was it because of her partner?

Kaiden didn’t seem out of breath from the dance, but he appeared tense, so Dana decided to try to ease his tension. She knew he wasn’t the type to initiate conversation easily.

“You’re a good dancer. Have you danced before?”

Knowing he didn’t usually attend banquets, she asked out of curiosity. As expected, Kaiden replied,

“No, I haven’t.”

“I know you don’t usually attend banquets.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“By the way, you’ve been practicing your dancing. That’s great.”

At Dana’s words, Kaiden looked at her, and their eyes met. Hoping to appear attractive, Dana smiled at him, but he once again lowered his gaze completely.

“It’s rewarding.”

Feeling the increased pressure in Kaiden’s fingers, which contrasted sharply with his subdued response, Dana found it puzzling. He had no interest in women, didn’t attend banquets, and wasn’t even married, yet he had learned to dance.

‘Did he truly have no thoughts of marriage, or had circumstances simply led him to this point?’

Then why hadn’t he become a son-in-law to the central nobility? As she pondered this, the dance came to an end.

Dana withdrew her hand and bowed to Kaiden. Straightening her back after the bow, she noticed Kaiden looking at her—the man who had agreed to marry her, as she had requested that night.

‘Ah. Right. I really did agree to marry that man.’

In that moment, her tension completely melted away. She realized that everything she had hoped to achieve through tonight’s birthday banquet had just come to a close. She felt the familiar bracelet she always wore on her left wrist as she gripped the hem of her dress. She also sensed the unfamiliar ring on that hand.

The fact that the two seemed like a pair, as if they had been meant to go together, was something she hadn’t anticipated or planned for. But it wasn’t bad or problematic at all. No, it felt more like a stroke of good fortune.

Just like the man standing right in front of her now.