The golden eyes held sincerity.

Without the slightest wavering.

As if he had no pride, he volunteered to be a slave.

The noble man bent his knee without hesitation at any time or place.

“You’ll wake Monette. Let go.”

Eve pushed away Victor’s hands that were holding her skirt hem.

Victor obediently removed his arms.

Or so it seemed. Suddenly, he gently grabbed Eve’s wrist.

With his other hand, he took out a small pouch from inside his garment and removed something from it.

“What are you doing—?”

As Eve opened her mouth, trying to pull her hand away, Victor slipped a ruby-like red berry into her mouth with his finger.

“It’s a mountain berry good for recovering from fatigue. Chew it while you work.”

Sour and sweet juice burst in her mouth.

Eve couldn’t say anything and just looked at Victor while chewing and swallowing the fruit.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It’s especially effective for restoring energy. Doing mercenary work has given me all sorts of random knowledge.”

He placed the pouch containing the red berries in Eve’s hand.

Her astonished gaze fell on it before returning to Victor’s face.

“I’ll be waiting outside your office.”

With a wink, the man quietly backed out of the room.

Eve remained seated without responding, watching his retreating figure, then looked at the small pouch in her palm. Through the loosened string opening, plump red berries were visible.

She was familiar with these berries.

“Cordis berries.”

The reddish berries were called that because they looked just like hearts.

They were known to purify blood and were excellent for fatigue recovery, but they were difficult to obtain.

This was because they could only be harvested from cliff edges in rugged mountains, places even hunters avoided.

Eve tied the pouch closed with the string.

She was about to throw it away but tucked it into her sleeve instead.

Then she left the baby’s room and headed to her office.

Perhaps because of eating the Cordis berry, her frozen heart felt a little warmer than before.

* * *

“Your Highness, here is the final list of attendees for the grand banquet. Please sign it.”

Joan, who had arrived early in the morning, entered the office with documents.

“Thank you.”

“By the way, Your Highness, did Sir Victor come to work with you?”

“Yes, he’s standing outside the office door now. Did you see him?”

“Yes.”

Eve couldn’t mention that Victor had come to Monette’s room even before being assigned his own room.

‘It was good that I didn’t let Victor into the office and kept him in the corridor.’

After what happened in Monette’s room, she encountered Victor again in the office corridor.

He was still a man who smiled brightly at her, something she wasn’t used to.

She awkwardly met his eyes and quickly entered her office.

“Don’t hold back, eat them all. I’ll pick more mountain berries for you!”

Victor’s voice calling after her was bright and resonant.

‘Where does he think he can pick more? He must be crazy.’

While Eve was thinking this, Joan said:

“He was here until just now, but the head chamberlain called him away briefly.”

The head chamberlain probably called him about room assignment.

Eve dismissed thoughts of him and turned her attention to the list of grand banquet attendees.

Nobles and royals from various countries had expressed their intention to attend Hessen’s grand banquet.

The same was true for Aria’s major nobles and royal family.

Eve quickly spotted familiar names on the list.

“Abigail… Lord Alberto.”

And

“Countess Zinnia is here too.”

“Yes. They all replied immediately. They’re coming.”

“They must hate me now and not want to see me.”

“Don’t say that. Princess Abigail and Countess Zinnia are coming because they’re worried about Your Highness the Princess.”

“Yes. I hope so.”

Then, seeing the name written at the very end of the list, Eve shuddered.

Lyudmila Lurie.

‘I knew she would accept.’

Eve looked at that name with determined eyes.

Then she quickly signed and handed it back to Joan.

“Also, Your Highness, the professor in charge of the banquet hall stage has sent word asking for your final review.”

“I understand. I’ll go right away.”

* * *

The large hall of Hessen Castle where the grand banquet would be held was bustling with final inspections of the stage and stage equipment.

This was because there would be a celebratory play honoring Her Highness the Princess and Her Highness the Royal Granddaughter at tomorrow’s grand banquet.

‘Of course, that’s just the official reason. It’s all just a ruse to catch Lyudmila.’

Eve entered the large hall with sparkling eyes. Of course, Victor was following by her side.

“Your Highness, you’ve arrived?”

The person in charge of stage equipment, who recognized Eve, rushed over.

She was Marina Homer, a professor of stage design art at Hessen Art University.

She was also the wife of Professor Coby Homer.

“Professor Marina, I heard the construction is complete.”

Marina was also an outsider who had signed a confidentiality agreement.

Among outsiders, only the Homer professor couple had signed that contract.

Marina had signed without complaint after hearing Eve’s offer to donate a large sum for theater and stage production.

She was someone who knew to keep quiet.

“Yes. Your Highness just needs to inspect it.”

Behind Professor Marina, students were busily moving about, cleaning up after the construction.

They simply believed they were setting up the stage as part of their practical training.

“I understand.”

Marina glanced at Victor and tilted her head in confusion but soon led Eve forward.

“This way, Your Highness.”

Eve began touring the large hall and stage equipment with the professor.

From a slight distance, Victor followed Eve with his eyes while remaining vigilant of the surroundings.

‘There are more people than I expected. Are they all students?’

And a student who came for practical training to help Professor Marina also noticed Victor.

“Oh my, who is that? Why is he so handsome?”

“Is he from the drama department?”

“Hey. He’s wearing a knight’s uniform. Even if he’s a student, that doesn’t make sense.”

“Why not?”

“Because there’s no one like that among my drama department classmates or seniors.”

“Ah, I see. I find it more surprising that you’re in the drama department.”

“What?”

Regardless of gender, students gradually gathered around Victor who had suddenly appeared.

“Look at his height. His hair is like ebony.”

“Is he royalty? I heard the royal family of Aria has golden eyes.”

“Hey. Would royalty serve as a guard?”

“That’s true.”

A bold female student gathered courage and approached Victor.

“Um… what’s your name?”

“…”

But Victor only moved his eyes.

“Are you a guard knight?”

She was a popular figure who had been crowned queen at last year’s Hessen Art University festival.

With the encouraging looks from the students, the female student waited for Victor to speak.

Victor slowly opened his mouth.

“…Do you know Her Highness?”

“Her Highness?”

The female student glanced at the Princess who was with the professor behind Victor.

She had been coming daily to check on the construction progress.

“How would I know Her Highness? What’s your name?”

She blinked her eyes rapidly and puffed her cheeks.

It was her own version of a killer move.

‘I guess not.’

“I attend the Art University—”

The students who had been watching the two with interest suddenly fell silent.

The golden-eyed knight turned away from the female student and rushed toward the Princess.

“Have you finished looking around?”

“I’m about to leave.”

“Yes.”

As the Princess walked ahead, the handsome man began to follow closely behind her.

The female student who had been about to introduce herself stood there blankly, watching them.

Only after the two had disappeared from the banquet hall did the students there, including the brave female student, cry out:

“What, what was that?”

* * *

“Monse, this time it has to be perfect.”

“Marchioness Lurie, don’t worry, you’re as beautiful as always.”

Prima’s head designer Monse said with a bow.

Lyudmila, who had been turning this way and that in front of the mirror, grinned.

“Be honest, Monse. I’m better than Eve, that woman, right?”

“Ah? Yes. Of course. You’re certainly better than a commoner who lied about her status.”

“Right. Of course. But you know.”

The wide smile suddenly disappeared.

“How can such a woman be the Princess of the Kingdom of Hessen? Does that make sense?”

“Pardon?”

Monse froze, unable to respond, his legs weak.

A face completely different from the reputation he had heard.

A frighteningly cold and heartless face.

But it was quickly hidden behind a brilliant smile.

“Monse, what are you doing? Pack everything up for me.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you.”

Lyudmila left Prima only at closing time, receiving farewells from the employees.

Behind her, servants carrying shopping bags and boxes followed in a line.

She sent them off in the Lurie ducal family’s carriage and then boarded a black carriage that came after.

It was the carriage she always used when meeting with her mercenary guards.

“A play at the grand banquet? How vulgar.”

Lyudmila’s red lips curled upward.

“Not content with taking the position of Duchess Mikhail with her lowly body, now she wants to be the Princess of Hessen?”

Lyudmila was genuinely angry.

She had not been able to become the Duchess Mikhail that she so desired.

She hated Victor for not wanting her.

She had sent the Black Bulks to major cities where he might be, but they couldn’t find him. In the end, all her hatred was directed toward Eve.

Lyudmila couldn’t bear the fact that Eve, a commoner, had not only become a duchess but also the Princess of Hessen.

‘She thinks she can become a princess and look down on me? Don’t make me laugh.’

‘I won’t let that happen. I’ll turn everything upside down.’

Finally, the day of the grand banquet dawned.