Throughout the meal, the turbulent romance stories of his grandparents troubled Crown Prince Adrian.

After finishing his meal, Adrian decided to take a walk in the garden to clear his mind.

Around this time, the garden of the Crown Prince’s palace was beginning to bloom with imported flowers and various spring plants, creating a picturesque scene.

Adrian, accompanied only by a few knights and his aide, Derek, started on the third walking path.

They walked in silence for a while.

When they reached the open section of the third path, Adrian gestured for the knights to keep their distance.

The area was filled with rare tulips in full bloom.

Derek had a feeling about what the Crown Prince was going to say.

“Derek.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Do you think Erica would like tulips?”

“Of course she would. They are tulips gifted by Your Highness, after all.”

“…”

Adrian stared at the tulips in silence for a while.

Derek cautiously asked something he had been curious about.

“Your Highness, why don’t you court the one you have feelings for?”

Adrian remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“I do not wish for that.”

“Pardon?”

“What I wish for is…”

Adrian rubbed his mouth with his hand.

This was a vague desire and direction that Adrian had only held in his heart, never defined in words.

He had an irrational premonition that putting these feelings into words would crystallize them irrevocably.

Carefully, Adrian chose his words.

“I must wait until Erica comes to me first. No, I hope that Erica will choose me. I want to be chosen by Erica.”

“Pardon? If Your Highness courts anyone, wouldn’t they accept immediately?”

Derek couldn’t understand what the Crown Prince was saying.

Adrian gazed into the distance as he replied.

“If I, as the Crown Prince, court Erica, it would be like an imperial command to the Marnel family.”

“That’s true, because you are the Crown Prince.”

“I have no intention of forcing a relationship, but would the Marnel family see it that way? And what about Erica, Count Marnel’s second daughter? She would be fearful and uncomfortable.”

Derek wanted to say that the Crown Prince was overthinking it but held back as a rational employee.

“Then… what if you court her privately?”

Adrian immediately countered Derek’s suggestion.

“That would be inappropriate.”

“Why?”

“Firstly, I am the only child of the Empress and the rightful Crown Prince of the empire. If I court someone secretly, it would seem like a clandestine affair, which is not proper.”

“…”

Derek showed a slightly exasperated expression, but the Crown Prince continued without noticing.

“I don’t want to turn Erica into my concubine, and there should be no reason to make Erica uneasy with such suspicions. I want to become Erica’s one and only lawful spouse through legitimate procedures.”

Despite not even having had a single date yet, it seemed like he had already planned out the wedding in his mind.

Derek sighed inwardly and asked, “What is the second reason?”

“Secondly, I am the one who pays Erica’s salary. I am like her superior at work. Even if I have no intention of wielding this authority, Erica would inevitably be affected by it. I don’t want to impose such tyranny on Erica.”

What on earth is he saying?

Before being a crown prince or a workplace superior, isn’t he simply saying he wants to be loved as just a man?

Derek felt so frustrated and pitiful for this overly scrupulous crown prince that he almost cried.

‘If things go on like this, our Highness will surely grow old and die as a bachelor!’

“That won’t do, Your Highness!”

Finally, Adrian turned to look at Derek.

“Do you have a good plan?”

Derek felt like the lunch he just had was about to come back up.

But to fulfill his duty as the sole aide to the Crown Prince, he closed his eyes tightly and offered his sincere advice.

“If you don’t want to approach her as the Crown Prince or as her superior, then what else is left?”

Adrian corrected him, “It’s not that I don’t want to approach her, it’s that I shouldn’t approach her that way.”

“That’s the same thing! It’s all the same!”

Derek, now exasperated, pounded his chest with his fist. Adrian was left speechless by Derek’s intense reaction.

Derek then began to spill out all the words he had wanted to say but couldn’t.

“Do you want to just stay still like a flower and wait for her to come and pick you?”

Adrian’s eyes lit up.

“Exactly, that’s it!”

“…”

This time, it was Derek who was at a loss for words.

A moment of silence passed.

This won’t do. The Crown Prince’s romance will be over before it even begins.

Finally making up his mind, Derek spoke with a resolute attitude.

“Your Highness.”

“I’m listening.”

“A flower doesn’t just stay still and do nothing. It must continually refine its charm to bloom into a fragrant blossom.”

“That makes sense. You’re absolutely right. So, what should I do from now on?”

Adrian marveled. Derek answered him.

“First, why not present yourself in a way that she sees you not as the Crown Prince of the Empire, but simply as a flower worthy of being picked?”

Adrian’s interest was piqued.

* * *

Our Crown Prince, who drinks tea four or five times a day.

The time for the tea-loving Crown Prince’s afternoon snack had arrived.

Normally, I would receive snacks from Chef Kelsey and bring them along with an appropriate tea to His Highness’s office, but today, I was instructed to take the refreshments elsewhere.

“Take the tea to the small study. It’s attached to His Highness’s bedroom.”

A servant who had come to the tea storage room informed me.

I pushed the tea trolley straight across the Crown Prince’s palace.

I now knew the layout of the Crown Prince’s palace by heart, so there was no worry about getting lost.

It didn’t take long to reach the small study from the tea storage room.

Perhaps because it was so close to His Highness’s bedroom, it felt oddly like I was invading someone’s personal space, making me feel quite awkward.

I lightly knocked on the door of the study.

“I’ve brought the tea and snacks, Your Highness.”

A guard who had been standing by the door opened it for me. I pushed the trolley into the study.

Unlike the office, the study looked very cozy.

Warmly colored wooden bookshelves lined three sides of the small study. In the center was a thick fabric sofa and a low table.

The Crown Prince was lounging on the sofa, reviewing documents. The warm afternoon sunlight cast a soft shadow along his face.

His Highness was dressed surprisingly casually.

Unlike the regal and splendid attire he wore during meals with Their Majesties, in this small study, he was simply dressed in a white shirt and trousers.

The sleeves of his shirt were loosely rolled up, revealing his arms below the elbows.

‘What whim is this now?’

I bent down to arrange the tea and snacks on the low table by the sofa.

Just then, His Highness looked up from his papers and our eyes met.

His beautiful face was so close that I felt as if I could touch it just by lowering my head.

I was so startled that I forgot to blink or breathe.

The sunlight flickered in his blue eyes.

‘I used to think I could never tell what he was thinking just by looking at his expression.’

Seeing him this close, I felt like I could see something.

After a moment of staring into his eyes, I realized I was having a staring contest with a royal and quickly lowered my gaze respectfully.

Through the loosely opened collar of his shirt, I could see a hint of his collarbone and the area below it.

‘This is much more provocative than just showing everything like last time!’

I swallowed hard and hurriedly raised my gaze again.

My eyes met His Highness’ again.

For some reason, my heart started to race, and I felt like I needed to say something quickly.

“Your Highness, um…”

Then the Crown Prince gently closed his eyes.

His silver eyelashes quietly lowered, as if to say he would accept whatever I said.

‘This can’t be His Highness… Am I dreaming?’

Regardless of his intentions, it was an incredibly seductive scene.

I did my best to pull myself together.

I already knew what I needed to say.

I stood up straight and began to speak.

“This is the first flush tea harvested this spring from the highlands of the Eastern Kingdom. It has a soft, refreshing taste with a delicate and subtle floral fragrance.”

His Highness opened his eyes upon hearing my voice and turned his gaze aside, fluttering his eyelashes as he blinked repeatedly.

‘Is he flustered?’

But that couldn’t be it. He’s like a firing machine, not even a drop of blood would come out if you pricked him.

I continued to introduce today’s snack.

“These are lemon cookies freshly baked by the chef. They pair well with the tea.”

I maintained a professional demeanor as I poured the tea. Then I stepped back into a corner and patiently waited, collecting the empty dishes and tea set before returning to the tea storage room.

Reflecting on what had just happened, I felt uneasy.

‘Why do I feel so unsettled?’