It was her first time feeling this way, but Charlotte wasn’t as oblivious as Patrick. So she noticed her own feelings a little sooner.

‘I don’t think Duke Bryan dislikes me…’

If anything, Patrick was very kind to Charlotte. Even considering that he was just a generally kind person, it was clear he felt at least some affection for her.

Still, Charlotte couldn’t bring herself to act on that. Because of her position.

Her efforts, combined with the support of Lucian and other nobles, had helped stabilize her claim to succession. But the fact remained that she had been named heir far too late.

[Her Highness is not foolish, but we can’t ignore the weight of all those years gone by.]

[The Emperor seems to have weakened considerably after what happened. Will he still be able to govern effectively…?]

They didn’t say it outright, but there was clear unrest beneath the surface—anxiety that lingered in hushed corridors.

To avoid giving them more fuel, Charlotte needed a spouse who lacked nothing—not in status, not in birth.

Patrick was the former Duke of Bryan. But after passing his title on to his younger brother Benjamin, he was now a baronet.

In other words, completely unfit to be the husband of the Crown Princess, future Emperor. A baronet wasn’t even fully considered nobility.

Charlotte was intelligent. She understood all of this in her head. But her heart refused to follow.

So she drew a line.

If—just if—Patrick were to confess his feelings to her…

Then, no matter the opposition, she would take his hand.

Charlotte assigned Patrick as her personal guard in hopes that by staying near him a little longer, she might win his heart.

But the more time passed, the more she felt herself falling apart.

“Why don’t you rest a little, too? Come, sit beside me.”

“I couldn’t possibly… Please forgive me. I’m more comfortable here.”

Even when she subtly invited him to sit beside her, Patrick would politely decline and stand behind her.

Even when the atmosphere between them grew oddly tense, he’d just smile innocently, never once touching her.

‘Was I mistaken about him liking me?’

That thought came too late and filled her with shame.

He was just naturally kind to everyone. She must’ve misunderstood.

“Your Highness. It’s time you found a husband.”

“…I understand. You may go.”

Time flew like water through fingers, and she could no longer delay marriage.

Trying to calm her unruly heart, Charlotte removed Patrick from his guard post and sent him back to the main palace.

Out of sight, out of mind—or so she hoped.

“There’s no need to report on Sir Bryan anymore.”

She had even stopped the secret updates on Patrick’s condition.

Which meant—she had no idea he was on medical leave.

Nor that it was because of her.

***

[Oh dear. I couldn’t even see you off properly. Thank you for coming. Travel safely.]

Charlotte’s story was cut off when an attendant came rushing in, urgently requesting her signature on some documents.

Clicking her tongue, she bid me farewell, and I left the Crown Princess’s quarters.

Later, I reunited with Lucian, who had just finished his work, and we returned home together.

“That’s what happened, then.”

“Yes.”

After returning to the ducal estate and washing up, I told Lucian about what had happened during the day. I continued as I gently wiped the moisture from my hair with a towel.

“To be honest, I think it’s for the best. If Her Highness the Crown Princess hadn’t made such a bold move, Sir Bryan might have truly spent his whole life believing it was enough just to watch from afar.”

My head shook side to side on its own.

When you come to love someone, it’s only natural to want to become special to them, to grow closer.

Patrick was endlessly generous toward others, but toward himself, he was subtly harsh. That part of him always seemed a little sad.

Meanwhile, Lucian—also freshly washed—walked over to the vanity and naturally took the towel from my hand. He then began to gently dry my hair with practiced hands.

It was something he did often, so I no longer found it surprising. I simply relaxed and let him care for me, and he smiled in satisfaction.

Then suddenly, a murmured comment brushed my ear.

“Sir Bryan seems a bit like you, my lady.”

“What?”

Startled by something I hadn’t expected, I looked at Lucian through the mirror.

Patrick and I? Similar? That made no sense to me.

Lucian gazed at me quietly for a moment, then began to speak in a calm tone.

“If you hadn’t come to understand your feelings because of Duchess Powell, wouldn’t you have left me behind?”

“I told you not to bring that up.”

My cheeks flushed red, and I let out a grumble. But he wasn’t wrong.

If I hadn’t felt that jealous sting when I saw Anais and Lucian tangled together in that accident, I might have never realized how I truly felt about him.

Lucian smiled as if he already knew that. I gave him a playful sideways glare.

“Anyway, since things have come to this, I’d really like it to work out for the best… Will you help?”

“That wouldn’t be difficult, but…”

Lucian trailed off as he set the towel aside. At some point, my hair had dried into silky strands. He placed the damp towel atop the vanity, and a sly smile curled on his lips.

“For free, you mean?”

“Pardon?”

I blinked in confusion, about to turn toward him—when he leaned down and pressed his lips to my shoulder.

Startled by the heat of his lips on my bare skin, I turned my head quickly—only to find that, at some point, the buttons of my nightgown had come undone and my shoulder was fully exposed. His long fingers slipped through the loose opening of my robe.

“Lucian, wait… Hngh.”

I tried to stop him, grabbing his wrist—but in that moment, his lips found mine.

Lucian’s kiss wasn’t rough, but there was something relentless about it. As always, just receiving what he gave me left me breathless.

Right before I completely ran out of air, his lips finally parted from mine. As I struggled to catch my breath, I glared up at him—just a little.

“Honestly…”

Unlike before, when his silver eyes had been hidden behind transparent lenses, now there was nothing obscuring them.

After taking revenge on the Empress, Lucian had no more reason to hide himself. He no longer needed the glasses that had served only as a disguise.

To be frank, I hadn’t believed a single pair of glasses could really dampen someone’s presence. But seeing Lucian without them had changed my mind.

‘I used to think he didn’t resemble Father at all.’

The old Lucian had looked like a scholar. But now, without concealing his sharp aura, he looked much more like Jack, the knight.

He had already been breathtaking with the glasses. Now, with his full presence on display, he was… almost too much. My heart, otherwise healthy and strong, kept skipping beats.

Feeling a strange sense of injustice, I offered a quiet suggestion.

“…Can’t you wear the glasses again?”

“My lady seems to prefer me like this.”

“It’s not like that…”

“For someone it’s ‘not like that’ for…”

His teasing voice cut off my words, and at the same time, his arms slipped beneath my back and knees, lifting me in one smooth motion.

“You’re much more tolerant of my misbehavior when I look like this, aren’t you?”

“Ah…”

I could feel my face heat up helplessly. So he’d noticed, after all.

Lucian’s smile deepened as he began walking toward the bed. In the end, I wrapped my arms around his neck in surrender.