1. She dared to steal the crown prince’s favor and run away…

Drip, drip.

Golden tea, perfectly steeped, was poured into a teacup engraved with the imperial emblem—a lily.

“Hm… It looks fine for now.”

The amount of tea leaves, the water temperature, the steeping time.

As a seasoned lady-in-waiting, Hailey was confident she had adhered perfectly to these three essential elements of tea brewing. However, her opponent was anything but easy to please.

The crown prince, Kincaid, whom Hailey served, was infamous for his fastidious and sensitive nature. If the temperature or strength of the tea was even slightly off, he would not hesitate to hurl the teacup across the room.

As a result, Hailey had endured quite the ordeal in her efforts to cater to the prince’s taste.

“Your Highness, I have prepared your tea.”

Carefully, she placed the teacup before Crown Prince Kincaid. Her movements, her gaze, the angle of her bow—she was certain everything was executed flawlessly. Yet, the prince did not even spare her a glance.

“Didn’t you say you were taking the week off due to a cold?”

At the indifferent question, Hailey offered a slight smile.

“Thanks to Your Highness’s concern, I recovered quickly. I apologize for causing you any worry.”

Though she had expressed her gratitude with the utmost politeness, the prince did not bother to reply. With an elegantly handsome face, he continued to glare at the stack of documents on his desk.

Kincaid Alencia Brillouen. 

The second son of the emperor and the crown prince of the empire. A man with hair so black it gleamed with a blue sheen, and skin as pale as marble. He had inherited the beauty of his mother, Empress Delphina, with delicate features more exquisite than any woman’s.

His deep red eyes held a captivating allure that drew others in.

However…

If there was a flaw, it was his sharp and irritable temperament, which did not suit his elegant appearance.

Even now, the way he glared at the towering pile of documents as if they were his lifelong enemy made Hailey shrug slightly.

‘He looks especially irritable today.’

Based on past experience, the best course of action in such situations was to stay as far away as possible from this exalted man.

There was no reason to take unnecessary risks by poking the beehive.

“In that case, I will take my leave. If you require anything, please summon me, Your Highness.”

Hailey, dressed in the navy uniform reserved for senior ladies-in-waiting, bowed politely and turned to leave.

However…

“Miss Hailey Brooke.”

The prince, who had been silently radiating displeasure, finally spoke.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Hailey responded with practiced politeness, though her heart pounded.

‘What fault is he going to find this time?’

Her entanglement with the crown prince had begun during her days as an apprentice lady-in-waiting and showed no signs of ending.

“You have the look of someone expecting me to nitpick.”

Hic!

Startled by the sharp remark, Hailey flinched.

“Oh my, that’s a misunderstanding, Your Highness. I would never think such a thing.”

She quickly mustered the practiced smile of a veteran lady-in-waiting.

“More importantly, is there something you wish to say?”

“Miss Brooke, have you heard the latest rumor circulating in the palace?”

“What rumor might you be referring to?”

Though she had a guess, Hailey feigned ignorance.

“The one about me spending the night with a certain young noblewoman at the Marion Trading Company’s ball.”

‘So it is that, after all.’

Inwardly, Hailey sighed.

“I apologize, Your Highness, but I have been quite occupied with my duties recently and have had no time to concern myself with such palace gossip.”

In other words, she was subtly emphasizing that she was too busy to pay attention to the prince’s flamboyant scandals.

However…

“So, you already know.”

‘He’s too sharp for his own good!’

Having been caught again, Hailey clenched her teeth.

“As a lady-in-waiting of the Crown Prince’s Palace, I have pledged to conduct myself with dignity in both actions and speech. Therefore, I would never—”

“She ran away.”

The prince cut her off coldly.

“When I opened my eyes, I was alone in bed.” 

“……”

“This is the first time I’ve ever suffered such humiliation in my life.”

His voice was as cold as a frostbitten winter’s day. At that moment, he looked more sensitive and irritable than ever. The wounded pride was evident in the sharp angles of his handsome face.

But Hailey was already used to this side of him.

“The woman in question…”

“?”

“Wouldn’t she have had a valid reason for acting that way?”

The cautious suggestion was met with nothing but cold silence.

Clink.

Crown Prince Kincaid reached for his teacup, now lukewarm. After taking a sip with his elegantly shaped lips, he spoke in a detached voice.

“Even if she had her reasons, why should I have to understand them?”

…Of course, the esteemed crown prince would think that way.

After another sip of tea, Kincaid lifted his gaze.

“The tea you made today is quite drinkable.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. This is the first compliment you’ve given me since I was assigned to the Crown Prince’s Palace.”

“Now that I think about it…”

“?”

“The woman I spent the night with also had red-blond hair. Just like you.”

“…….”

“And a slender frame, as delicate as a willow branch. Just like you, Miss Hailey Brooke.”

Before Hailey could come up with a rebuttal, the crown prince set down his teacup.

Clink.

The crisp sound of porcelain meeting porcelain faded almost instantly, and his deep red eyes locked onto Hailey’s face.

“In that case, do you have anything to say to me?”

The prince’s instinct was probably the sharpest in the empire. Once he set his sights on prey, he never let it escape.

‘It must have been a necessary trait for surviving the bloody war of succession.’

Had he been even slightly dull or weak-willed, Kincaid would have long been eliminated, reduced to dust in the imperial crypt like the other royal contenders for the throne.

But Hailey was not one to be underestimated either.

“The leaves are from Mount Tamara.”

“?”

“The tea I brewed for you today. If it pleases you, I will prepare all your future tea using the same leaves.”

With a bright smile, she delivered a seamless response.

Kincaid’s flawlessly sculpted brows furrowed slightly.

“And one more thing…”

“…….”

“Unfortunately, there are probably hundreds of women with auburn hair in the capital alone. This shade happened to be the trend in this year’s social season.”

Hailey gestured toward her tightly coiled hair.

“Of course, as a man, Your Highness likely wouldn’t be interested in such matters.”

She maintained the perfect composure of a trained lady-in-waiting, smiling politely.

Kincaid’s lips curled.

‘So that’s how you want to play it?’

The ominous glint in his crimson eyes seemed to say exactly that.

“Miss Hailey Brooke.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“As a lady-in-waiting of the Crown Prince’s Palace, you should be aware. The palace will be in turmoil for a while.”

“Yes.”

“The woman must be someone from the imperial palace. She knew too much about its inner workings. So no matter what it takes, I will find her.”

Hailey unconsciously swallowed hard.

“What will you do if you find that woman?”

She asked carefully.

“Well…”

Kincaid trailed off, his crimson eyes gleaming with an inscrutable light.

“She dared to steal my favor and run away—shouldn’t she pay the price?”

His unreadable gaze bore into Hailey.

However, she remained composed and answered calmly.

“I will keep Your Highness’s words in mind. I will also inform the other ladies-in-waiting of your intentions.”

“Good.”

“If there is nothing else you wish to command, I will take my leave.”

Kincaid turned back to his documents and gave a slight nod of approval.

Hailey curtsied properly, lifting the hem of her skirt, and exited the office.

After walking a few meters, she suddenly stopped in place.

“…I’m doomed.”

“She dared to steal my favor and run away—shouldn’t she pay the price?”

Recalling Kincaid’s chilling words, Hailey grimaced.

“He really is a tyrant in the making.”

The sheer menace in his ominous red eyes sent another shiver down her spine.

She had simply chosen a side to survive. So how had she ended up being mistaken as the woman who ‘stole the crown prince’s favor’?

‘Your lips… they taste so sweet.’

‘You really won’t tell me your name?’

‘No matter how much you beg, I can’t stop. Your body is already craving me…’

The blurry, flesh-colored memories of that night replayed in vivid high definition in her mind, and her face turned bright red.

After all, that night had been Hailey’s first experience as well.

“Of all people… why did it have to be that tyrant-in-the-making?”

This was not the perfect second life she had planned.

Her voice trailed off into a pitiful whimper.

I never wanted the crown prince’s favor!

Even if he offered it, I wouldn’t take it!