Kaiden was already in the banquet hall, dressed lightly without his armor. When she appeared, he jumped up from his chair. A screech echoed as the chair was pushed back.

Kaiden strode over to her with large steps. Dana grasped her skirt slightly and curtsied. Kaiden also bowed to her.

Dana couldn’t look at Kaiden’s face. However, she placed her hand on the hand he extended and headed to the table. Dana sat in the chair pulled out by a servant, and Kaiden walked to and sat in the chair on the opposite side.

Throughout this entire process, Dana simply couldn’t bring herself to look at Kaiden’s face. She couldn’t help but remember. All of that man’s actions and sensations from yesterday. Her cheeks felt hot. Thanks to this, an awkward atmosphere flowed.

A mannered gentleman would have changed the atmosphere by bringing up different topics, but such couldn’t be expected from Kaiden. Dana had known from the start that she would be the only one who could change this awkward situation and atmosphere.

‘Perhaps I’m the only one who even feels awkward?’

Since she couldn’t bring herself to look at Kaiden’s face, that question remained unresolved.

Fortunately, the servants first brought out the aperitif, followed immediately by soup and bread. A pretty orange-colored aperitif was placed down, followed by white bread alongside a soup generously filled with potato and crispy pork pieces, cheese and ham. As the appetizers were being set on the table, Dana contemplated how she could start a conversation with Kaiden as naturally as possible while maintaining the most serene expression.

After the servants withdrew, Dana first closed her eyes and said grace. She gave thanks for the brilliant light that grows the grain and all things, and for providing precious food. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if she was praying properly. Meanwhile, the dazed man, seeing her pray, also roughly closed and opened his eyes.

Finally making the sign of the cross and opening her eyes to raise her head, upon seeing Kaiden, Dana instinctively felt her throat go dry and took a sip of the aperitif. The aperitif that flowed between her lips and down her throat was cold and sweet. Completely different from what she felt when touching that man yesterday.

As soon as the servants withdrew, Dana raised her head. However, unable to look at Kaiden’s face, she picked up her spoon and stirred the soup as she spoke.

“The weather is nice today too. The air feels fresh since I woke up early.”

It was a very ordinary way to start a conversation. Though her voice didn’t shake, it felt a bit higher than usual. Fortunately, Kaiden responded.

“…Yes.”

His response was lower than usual. Naturally, there was no further response after that. She hadn’t expected any. Dana took a spoonful of soup and asked.

“What will you be doing this morning?”

Fortunately, Kaiden gave a slightly longer answer to this question.

“This morning I’ll be checking the areas where Huran will be placed in each territory and confirming the knights who will be stationed in each area. Count Vicar and the lords are expected to come.”

A normal nobleman would have asked about her morning plans too, but Kaiden didn’t. So Dana spoke on her own.

“I see. I have the territory administrators coming this morning. We’re going to have a final discussion about the taxes to be imposed on territory residents who couldn’t meet their Huran material quota. It seems there are more residents than expected who couldn’t meet the suddenly increased submission requirements. There have been many requests for adjustments.”

She had heard that since the required submission amount suddenly increased and would be a burden on the residents, they should somewhat ease the tax criteria imposed in lieu of meeting this year’s quota. Dana also thought it was a reasonable grievance, so she had been discussing it, and today she was scheduled to hear the final adjustment criteria set by the administrators.

At the same time, it contained a slight criticism of Kaiden who had troubled the residents by suddenly increasing the submission amount. Of course, the man was not in a state to understand such things.

Dana stopped her soup spoon and said to Kaiden.

“I talked to Monk Noah about you yesterday. Asked her to teach you poetry. Do you have time to meet Noah this afternoon?”

“It’s possible after lunch and before afternoon training.”

“Let Mrs. Moyer know the time.”

Then the head maid will relay it to Noah. Kaiden answered, “Yes.”

Still unable to look at Kaiden’s face, Dana smiled just with the corners of her lips. Then as she tried to focus on eating, she suddenly realized he hadn’t eaten any of his soup at all. He hadn’t even touched his aperitif and was just sitting still.

“Have you lost your appetite?”

Dana asked without thinking and looked at Kaiden. Then their eyes met as he was looking at her. And she saw his lips.

Dana lowered her gaze in surprise. And Kaiden, surprisingly, answered in an even lower voice than before.

“…No.”

Dana spoke while keeping her gaze fixed on the soup.

“When dining, it’s also necessary to match your eating pace while conversing with your companion. Since you might have many such formal dinners in the future, it would be good to get used to it.”

Kaiden stared intently at Dana as she spoke while sipping her soup. The princess quietly ate without looking at him. Kaiden watched as the princess used the lips he had touched and tasted yesterday to drink soup and dip pieces of bread in it. As if nothing had happened, her lips were focused only on the food as if nothing else had ever touched them.

On those lips that he didn’t want to touch with anything else because he was so afraid of forgetting yesterday’s sensation…

The entire time after escorting Dana back yesterday, he simply couldn’t forget everything he had felt when pressing his lips against hers. That sensation and fragrance and everything.

His head felt like it would burst from constantly recalling the moment he kissed the princess. His lips that had touched the princess, his heart, no, his entire body felt like it would burst. You madman. How could you do such a thing. Why did you do such a thing. It felt so good. With the princess again. Should never again. No, again.

Unable to calm down at all, he immediately threw himself into sparring upon reaching the training grounds. Ian and the other five knights who had been sparring according to Kaiden’s instructions ended up sparring with Kaiden. They had to face the rampaging sword of a genius knight gone mad with excitement all afternoon that day.

Usually confusion shows in the blade when excited, but this genius only got faster and more sensitive, not to mention sharper, the more heated he became. Even after sparring like mad until after sunset, Kaiden returned to Eluan Castle still unable to calm down, and agonized in a state where he simply couldn’t fall asleep.

The princess said they should have breakfast together from now on. When they dine together tomorrow. He thought the princess would reproach or blame him for yesterday’s events. He thought she might be scared of the rogue who had coveted her pure lips.

Then he would apologize, but say he didn’t regret it. However, it felt like he might end up pouring out his heart without even realizing it in the process. It felt like he might burst out with the feelings he had been harboring for the princess.

No, he rather hoped for such an opportunity. It felt like he would never get another chance if he missed this one.

However, the princess didn’t do that, and so yesterday’s events seemed like they had never happened. It seemed like that incident had disappeared from between them.

Though they were sitting face to face across the dining table actually having a meal together, the distance between them was too far. It was no different than eating separately while sitting in the same space. And Kaiden didn’t know how to reduce that distance and couldn’t dare to try.

As always, he was an incompetent failure before the princess.

Feeling his throat closing up, Kaiden finally drank the aperitif. The liquid flowing between his lips was cold, but unlike its sweet-looking color, he couldn’t taste any sweetness. No, he couldn’t taste anything at all. It felt like he wouldn’t be able to taste anything no matter what he ate.

If his companion hadn’t been the princess, he would have already finished eating silently and left this place. Or he would have gotten up without eating and grabbed whatever food he could find at the knights’ quarters.

However, because his companion was the princess, he remained seated and picked at his food. He quietly watched the princess who ate so prettily without looking at him, nibbling away.