Chapter 39

Finding Hid in the lounge came as a genuine shock.

“How are you here?”

“Well……”

Hid rose from his seat and walked toward me. He reached out and shut the door with a firm click.

Before I knew it, I was backed against the door with Hid’s arms on either side of me. He looked at me and continued.

“Because I just spotted my dear Rafi walking this way all alone, looking a little forlorn.”

“……!”

Of all things, for Hid to have seen that. I had tried so hard not to be caught!

But the moment I found him here, the honest truth was that relief came first. I had been a little sad at the thought of killing time alone in a lounge on such a lovely evening.

And when I heard how he had come to find me, I nearly teared up on the spot.

“I just knew the moment I saw your message. Something’s happened with Rafi.”

“What? How on earth did you figure that out?!”

“Because if you were really having fun with the ladies, you wouldn’t have replied to me that quickly.”

You would have been too busy to even think about opening DibsTalk, Hid added with a laugh.

Ugh, thinking about how I normally was, he wasn’t wrong, which made it a little embarrassing.

“B, but I might have heard the DibsTalk alert and replied right away.”

“Rafi, I can tell your mood just from your messages.”

That can’t be right. I pulled out my DibsTalk and checked what I had sent earlier.

[Rafi: Still talking with people. It’s nice seeing peers I haven’t seen in a while.]

What exactly was strange about that sentence. Unable to figure it out, I frowned, and Hid laughed.

“Your message didn’t have your usual energy.”

“I send energetic messages……?”

“You do. Any other time, you would have sent something like ‘It’s SO much fun!’ or left out every single space.”

“Ugh……”

I had nothing left to say. Hid knew me better than I had realized. Down to the small habits I had when sending messages.

“Don’t try to fool me, Rafi.”

Right, indeed. I had no idea you knew me this well……

I sat down on the sofa beside Hid. He rubbed my hand and asked.

“What happened that you were trying to be alone without telling me?”

“……It’s nothing, the other ladies were just being a little cold toward me. Probably because I’m not a noble.”

Hid let out a small laugh. What, I just told him I got snubbed and he was laughing……?

“But Rafi, you don’t care about that sort of thing at all.”

How did he know that? Hid added.

“You’re someone who holds onto the values you believe in, no matter what others say.”

Aaah, I was mortified. It was absolutely not for such a grand and admirable reason.

I had just wanted to watch a bit of drama unfold for the first time in a while!

But, ahem, since Hid was giving me such a generous assessment, there was no need to correct him.

Then he looked at my expression and let out a small sigh.

“So that really wasn’t the reason.”

That put me in a slightly awkward position. Telling the truth would only end up burdening Hid unnecessarily.

“What could possibly make my Rafi this tongue-tied. Don’t tell me it’s something to do with me.”

“N, no, of course not.”

“……Wait. You weren’t trying to give me time with the Alastair nobles, were you.”

My eyes slowly drifted to the side.

“That’s it.”

He exhaled deeply and said with conviction.

“I’ve told you again and again, Rafi. The time I spend with you is what matters most to me.”

“……But it’s true that dating me has taken a lot of time away from your work.”

“That’s my problem to deal with, not yours to worry about.”

How is it not my concern, I’m your fiancée! …… The words rose to the tip of my tongue and then subsided.

Because I was still only half a fiancée to Hid.

A fiancée who could break off the engagement at any time, and who had even boldly turned down his proposal not long ago.

And here I was daring to worry about the affairs of Shtandes. There was no greater hypocrisy.

But what he said next gave me at least a small measure of relief.

“You saw earlier, didn’t you. Plenty of investors came. And I’ve been invited to the Crown Prince of Alastair’s palace as well. So things will work out from here.”

“Mm.”

Hid quietly pulled me into his arms.

“I’m glad you were thinking of me, but please don’t do that again.”

“……All right.”

Then, from outside, a beautiful melody began to drift in. The moment I had been waiting for most had finally arrived.

It was time to dance!

We looked at each other at the same time. A smile spread across my face, and Hid smiled back.

He held out his hand to me with a gracious bow.

“My dear Rafi, would you grant me the honor of this dance?”

I placed my hand in his with equal elegance.

“With pleasure.”

❀❀❀

As the second piece began, we made our way together to the center of the hall.

Hid held me close and firm. We flowed together like music.

Dancing in a beautifully decorated ballroom, in a lovely dress, with a perfect partner. Every romantic fantasy I had ever had was coming true.

Lost in a dreamy happiness, I couldn’t hold back the smile breaking across my face. Hid tilted his head slightly and asked.

“What has our Rafi so pleased.”

“Just that dancing with such a wonderful prince feels like a dream.”

Hid laughed at that.

“See, I knew it. You like me more because I’m a prince.”

“That’s not it.”

Hid dipped me back slightly.

“I don’t mind if it is. If it makes you happy, I’ll be anything you want, not just a prince.”

Then he drew me back up lightly. Our faces came close enough to kiss for just a moment.

My face burned. Hid, on the other hand, simply led the dance with perfect composure.

I wasn’t about to lose. I pressed a little closer to him. This time, Hid was the one who flinched.

“Hid, can you really be anything for me?”

“……But of course, my dear ‘prince enthusiast.’ And what role would you have me play next?”

Prince enthusiast! That got to me, and I bristled. Hid burst out laughing, unable to hold it back.

Right, I lost this round too. Even through all of that, the fact that Hid never lost his footing in the dance was genuinely impressive.

‘But what is it that I actually want from Hid……’

He was always the man who showed me only his most perfect self. But sometimes that ironclad composure cracked.

It was a strange thing to say, but while I loved the magnificent Hid, I loved him just a little more in the moments when he let his guard down in front of me.

Because those moments were mine alone. I was the only one in this world who knew his true self.

In that instant, I understood. What I truly wanted from Hid.

There was no better moment to say it than this. Decision made, I opened my mouth carefully.

“Actually, there is one thing I want you to be for me.”

Something lit up in his eyes. His expression said he had been waiting for exactly those words.

“What is it? Tell me quickly. No, wait, I think I know. A king is better than a prince after all, isn’t it.”

In that case I’ll return to Shtandes right away…… I grabbed Hid before he could finish.

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

“Not a king?”

What could possibly be better than that, Hid tilted his head.

I took one deep breath. Hid, what I want is.

‘I want to know every side of you that I don’t know yet.’

And for that, there was only one way.

It was finally time to say it. I looked straight into Hid’s eyes and spoke from the heart.

“Hid, be my husband.”

“Yes, of course. My wi……”

In that moment, Hid, who had not once broken his stride through the entire dance, stopped dead in his tracks.

With the most wonderfully dumbstruck expression on his face.

Ah, I truly, truly loved this flustered version of Hid more than anything.

So without thinking, I rose onto my toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Then, a beat later, I came back to my senses.

‘Oh no, we were in the middle of the ballroom……!’

But it was already far too late to fix anything. Hid had pulled me by the waist and kissed me back, deep and unhurried.

❀❀❀

The noise around them grew louder and louder, but Hijef showed no sign of pulling away from Raphindel.

Raphindel, who had startled and squirmed at first, ended up wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning deeper into him.

Because of that, neither of them noticed.

In one corner of the ballroom, Crown Prince Diestran was watching them with cold, unreadable eyes.