“……!”

Linus, unable to do anything with Shailyn in his arms, momentarily lost strength in his hand and dropped the wooden sword.

Thud, roll.

The rolling wooden sword hit Dain’s feet.

Dain slowly bent down, picked up the wooden sword, and declared.

“With 30 seconds remaining, Linus dropped the wooden sword, so the winner of this sparring is—my cousin.”

“…Ha, this can’t be.”

“Wow!”

Linus closed his eyes tightly. Shailyn, delighted, sat down on the ground.

Having completely exhausted her stamina, she couldn’t muster any strength in her body.

A dark shadow loomed over her head.

“Well done.”

“…Ah, Carl. Help me up.”

Shailyn extended her hand. Carl obediently lifted her up.

He then meticulously checked her wrists and ankles for any injuries.

Noticing his gaze, Shailyn casually showed her hand, which had a slight cut, and said nonchalantly.

“Except for some scrapes, I’m fine.”

“…You’re a master who requires a lot of attention.”

Carl sighed, murmuring as he wrapped a handkerchief around her hand.

Dain approached them.

“You did well today. You were really impressive earlier.”

“Oh, thank you.”

He hesitated, then carefully asked.

“But, um, was your name Sailyn…? Sorry, I’m really bad at remembering names. Could you tell me again?”

Shailyn, thinking it might be the last time, spoke clearly.

“My name is Shailyn Sharofe.”

“Thank you, Shailyn. And congratulations.”

For the first time, Dain accurately called her name and smiled.

From now on, he wouldn’t confuse her name. Her presence was clearly imprinted on him today.

“Now you can confidently use the training ground.”

With a somewhat friendly attitude, Shailyn pondered for a moment before speaking.

“I actually have something to say about that. I won’t be using the training ground.”

“What? Why?”

“Honestly, what His Highness said was right. I lied about being interested in swords.”

Both Dain and Linus were taken aback by the sudden confession.

Why would she do that after winning the sparring…?

Shailyn continued calmly.

“And the reason I told such a lie was because I had a purpose.”

“…You.”

Dain touched her shoulder with a complicated expression.

“Did you really—”

“That purpose is you!”

Shailyn shouted abruptly.

Oh dear, you should listen until the end in Korean.

While preparing for the sparring, she had pondered many things.

Although she was still upset that Dain and Linus labeled her as greedy…

On the other hand, she realized that it was true that she was approaching with impure intentions to find the male lead, and if they sensed that, they might have been displeased.

‘Since the Crown Prince is the male lead, and there might be more male leads among Dain’s friends, it’s better to clear up misunderstandings.’

Shailyn decided to reveal part of the truth.

“I lied because I wanted to get closer to you. I’m sorry.”

Realizing that she was referring to him, Dain blankly asked again.

“Why did you want to get close to me…?”

“Because you were the only one who was kind to me in this house. It’s not bad to want to make a friend, is it?”

Dain couldn’t deny it.

Especially knowing that his father and younger siblings didn’t welcome Shailyn, he could guess the subtle sense of alienation and loneliness she might feel.

“But I swear, it’s not because I covet the Duke’s wealth or power. I have no intention of seeking help when I get married.”

There was truly no greed on Shailyn’s face as she said this.

Both Dain and Linus felt strangely affected by it.

“So, I hope you can clear up any unpleasant misunderstandings about me. Just because someone has nothing doesn’t mean they always covet others’ things.”

“……!”

Recalling the conversation he had with Linus in the parlor, Dain flinched.

Her words struck right at their arrogant prejudice.

‘…Was I too narrow-minded in my thinking? She doesn’t seem to fit the type I thought she was.’

Her effort to win through hard work, rather than trying to please them, appeared differently.

Realizing he had judged his cousin too hastily, Dain admitted his mistake and spoke.

“Alright. I’ll apologize for speaking without knowing better. I’m sorry, Shailyn.”

He bowed his head respectfully. It was an uncommon gesture for someone born as the eldest son of a great noble family.

Looking at her cousin, who now correctly called her name, Shailyn smiled with satisfaction.

‘It was worth the effort.’

At the same time, she felt a slight urge for revenge, so she pretended to make a similar mistake.

“It’s okay, Daniel.”

“Huh? I’m Dain, Shailyn.”

Dain, with wide eyes, laughed heartily and patted her shoulder.

“You’re bad at remembering names too? We might become good friends.”

Finding his response somewhat innocent, Shailyn simply laughed it off.

He didn’t seem like a fundamentally bad person.

“Oh, if you’re genuinely interested in swords after this, come to me. I’ll show you Sir Belsk’s sword.”

“Alright. If I have questions about swords, I’ll come to you.”

“Good.”

Watching the two grow friendlier, Carl wore a subtle expression.

He was the one who taught her about swords, so he wondered if there was any need to go to Dain.

‘I’m here…’

While he was chewing over this childish thought internally,

In Shailyn’s view, she suddenly noticed Linus standing back, observing the situation.

“Excuse me.”

She asked Dain for a moment and confidently approached Linus.

‘Can’t leave him out.’

After all, he was the one who misunderstood her and caused the trouble.

“Your Highness.”

At her gentle call, Linus, who was standing crookedly with his hands in his pockets, flinched.

For the first time, he avoided Shailyn’s gaze.

He realized his mistake but hadn’t fully acknowledged it yet.

She knew exactly what to do in such situations.

“I apologize for causing trouble to Your Highness in my desire to get close to my cousin.”

“……!”

When Shailyn bowed her head and apologized politely, Linus’s eyes wavered greatly.

The reason she apologized, even though there was nothing to apologize for, was simple.

To prick his conscience a little.

To make his conscience hurt more than his pride.

For someone as proud as Linus, it was more effective to make him feel unbearable guilt than to list his wrongs.

“Surely, Your Highness didn’t make such an assumption just by looking at my family, so it must all be my fault, right?”

Shailyn deliberately repeated self-deprecating words.

How does that feel? Pricked? Doesn’t it?

Witnessing Linus’s expression cloud over, she suppressed a smile.

“So, I want to apologize.”

“…No, I’m sorry for misunderstanding.”

Linus, who had been clearing his throat with an uncomfortable face, eventually apologized softly.

Of course, Shailyn, not entirely satisfied with the apology, widened her eyes and tilted her head.

“Pardon? What did you say?”

“……”

“I couldn’t hear you because my ears aren’t good.”

His thick eyebrows twitched noticeably.

Linus, even more than Dain, was not accustomed to bowing his head.

The firstborn son of the Emperor, the legitimate heir of the Empress, he had been the Crown Prince since birth.

He had never had to apologize sincerely or admit his mistakes to anyone.

However…

‘This time, it’s clearly my fault.’

For today, Linus felt that Shailyn was genuinely honest without a trace of deceit.

Moreover, it was true that he had made various assumptions based solely on her background.

Eventually, Linus let out a deep sigh and slowly spoke.

“I’m sorry for misunderstanding that you were trying to manipulate me. I caused trouble by jumping to conclusions.”

Finally receiving a sincere apology, Shailyn smiled brightly.

“It’s okay. And it’s true that I was captivated by Your Highness’s hair.”

“…What?”

“I couldn’t take my eyes off it because it was as beautiful as the sunset when the sunlight hit it. I apologize if it was rude.”

Shailyn bowed her head again. Linus, who had stiffened at the unexpected remark, belatedly waved his hand.

Though he seemed indifferent, internally, it wasn’t the case.

‘My hair… is beautiful?’

No one had ever complimented his hair before.

Usually, people praised his face, body, or abilities first, so it was refreshing, in a way.

Glancing sideways at Shailyn, who was chatting with Dain again, he quietly thought.

‘What an unusual woman.’

Despite being from a provincial noble family, she didn’t recognize him initially and charged at him to win the sparring.

Her actions, which a typical noble lady would hesitate to take, were bold.

Even during the sparring, she rolled on the ground several times without caring.

‘She said she came to the capital to find a husband…’

Linus watched Shailyn, who was smiling brightly despite being a bit disheveled.

He found himself a little, just a little, curious about who such a woman would end up marrying.

At the same time.

【Male lead ‘Linus’ favorability increased by 10♥】

A system notification, which Shailyn didn’t see, quickly appeared and disappeared.