“It’s Count Ikael Tyr.”

Helia’s gaze turned sharp.

“Who did you say?”

Helia’s voice was tinged with irritation as she asked again.

The maid, still shaking, responded as loudly as she could. Her voice cracked slightly at the end.

“Count Ikael Tyr.”

Helia gave the maid a suspicious look. She hadn’t misheard—this was a name she’d never encountered.

A stranger showing up uninvited to request a meeting? Helia was both annoyed and faintly curious about his audacity.

But she wouldn’t waste her valuable time on mere curiosity. Other foolish nobles might soon line up outside the estate if she granted this meeting. She dismissed the matter at once.

“Send him away.”

“Uh, but…”

The maid hesitated, unable to follow Helia’s command right away, and Helia was about to glare at her when she noticed a tall figure behind the anxious maid.

The man, with dark blue hair and matching eyes, looked at her with a warm smile.

“I am honored to meet the Rose of Bailey, Princess Helia Bailey.”

Helia immediately recognized him as Ikael Tyr. She made no effort to hide her irritation.

“I didn’t give you permission to greet me.”

Though she knew he was a noble, Helia addressed him bluntly, not intending to respect someone who had intruded on her space. Usually, she might have accepted his greeting and then made her disdain clear, but she wasn’t feeling generous. She refused even to acknowledge his greeting, and as she ignored him, a hint of amusement sparkled in Ikael’s dark blue eyes.

Without the slightest sign of being daunted, Ikael continued with his introduction.

“I am Ikael Tyr.”

Helia was about to turn her head toward Lina, indicating she was done dealing with Ikael’s audacious persistence, when he continued speaking despite her apparent dismissal.

“I’m an old friend of Duke Effenberg.”

Helia, who had intended to have Lina escort him out, paused at Ikael’s final words.

*Bingo.*

Ikael had anticipated that bringing up Ruben’s name would elicit a reaction from Helia, and while he was pleased his prediction was accurate, he also felt an unpleasant twinge.

Helia slowly turned back to look at him. But her gaze was entirely cold. This was an outcome Ikael hadn’t foreseen.

“So?”

Her voice was slightly softer as if she was humoring him enough to listen to whatever he had to say next.

“Just because you’re a friend of my fiancé, you didn’t think I’d tolerate such rudeness, did you?”

Helia’s sharp retort was like the raised quills of a porcupine, Ikael thought. It wasn’t the reaction he expected, but neither was it frightening or threatening. Having received countless disdainful glances from Ruben in the past, Ikael continued in his characteristic flippant tone.

“Of course not. I stopped by on business with the Duke, but I thought it only courteous to greet you as well.”

“I see it’s well-known that the Duke of Effenberg keeps uncouth people in his circle.”

Helia’s scorn was undisguised, and she added a look of distaste as she glanced down at him.

But Helia wasn’t really in a position to mock Ikael. In a way, he was simply here to witness the plight of a poor woman rejected by her fiancé. Yet Helia, oblivious to her situation, remained haughty, which Ikael found amusingly foolish.

“Then again, you didn’t need to go to the trouble of coming all this way to tell me that.”

She dismissed him again.

Lina had already started to move before the command was entirely given, but then Ikael spoke in a low, almost conspiratorial voice, like an ancient sorcerer revealing a hidden truth.

“Aren’t there things you’d like to know about Duke Effenberg?”

Helia’s gaze fixed sharply on Ikael. Her deep golden eyes grew piercingly cold as if they absorbed all light. The atmosphere around her changed in that instant, becoming dense and suffocating, like waterlogged cotton pressing down on his shoulders.

Ikael had the sudden, absurd sensation that he was committing a terrible offense.

“Are you qualified to answer?”

The biting mockery in her tone made Ikael swallow without thinking.

This was nothing like the contempt Ruben occasionally directed at him. This woman wore her authority like a dress of elegance, making him feel as if he should kneel and confess his faults. Ikael concluded she must have inherited her tyrannical nature from her terrifying father.

Forcing a broader smile to conceal his tension, Ikael replied, “After all, I’ve been the closest to him since we were young.”

“Does Duke Effenberg know that his so-called friend is revealing his information to others?”

“To others? No, but to his fiancée.”

Ikael placed a deliberate emphasis on “fiancée.” His indigo gaze held no warmth as he looked down at her, though Helia didn’t meet his eyes to perceive his expression.

“‘Information’ is a bit grandiose. I wanted to share some stories about the Duke you may not know.

Helia fell silent, and Ikael took her silence as a tacit acceptance. Of course, she was just another woman fixated on the only man she couldn’t have. Satisfied, Ikael eagerly began sharing the anecdotes he’d prepared.

“He was quite the sight at his coming-of-age ceremony. Young ladies were lined up outside the hall, hoping to have the first dance with Duke Effenberg…”

“Enough.”

Ikael stopped, startled by the quiet command.

“Did I give you permission to speak?”

Helia’s voice was chillingly calm, flowing with an icy tranquility. Her golden eyes glared at him as she held her chin high. Ikael felt unable to move, overwhelmed by a sense of judgment as if he stood before a goddess of justice. He could scarcely believe he was being intimidated by such a petite woman.

The air between them grew colder and heavier as if it carried the weight of death itself. The sly smile vanished from Ikael’s, and he lowered his head. It wasn’t a conscious decision; it simply happened.

“Please, forgive my rudeness.”

Finally, Helia diverted her gaze from him as if he were no longer worth her time. Her once vibrant golden eyes resumed their usual, unreadable calm.

She slowly picked up the pile of letters and tossed them into the fireplace, one by one. Helia acted as though Ikael wasn’t even there. Quietly, he endured the long moments with his head bowed.

She did not tell him to lift his head even after casting all the letters into the fire. Instead, Helia moved to the sofa, picked up a book from the table, and began reading as if he were completely invisible.

A while passed in silence once more. Finally, it was Ikael who expressed his intent to withdraw.

“Then, I shall take my leave…”

“Permission,” Helia interrupted, cutting off his words. She still did not look at him.

“I have not granted it.”

“…”

The only sound in the reception room was the flutter of pages turning. It was a deathly silence.

With a look of detached indifference, Lina gestured for Ikael to exit, handling the task of escorting him out of the room. By the time he regained his senses, the door to the reception room was already closed behind him.

Ikael stared at the firmly shut door, feeling like he had been turned away at the gates of paradise.

“Not an easy opponent at all,” he muttered inwardly. Today’s encounter with the princess was nothing like the rumors he had heard—a girl spoiled by luxury, an insatiable woman, a cold-hearted and arrogant princess. None of these traits had been evident.

Rather than a haughty princess, she seemed more like a reigning monarch.

The words Ikael had once told Ruben—about befriending her to extract information—now felt woefully inadequate. To get close to such a woman? He couldn’t understand how Ruben could stay so composed around her. What could she mean to him, and he to her?

Whatever their feelings, Helia was, in the end, the enemy. Ikael felt an ominous sense that she would be a much harder adversary than he had anticipated. His priorities shifted; Helia Bailey had become someone he had to deal with sooner rather than later. After one last glance at the closed door, Ikael moved on, the judgment made. Now was the time to figure out how.

—

Ruben moved swiftly across the estate grounds. He pushed open the main door before anyone could greet him, startling Della, who rushed over, surprised to see him after such a long time.

“You’re here, Your Grace.”

“Where’s the princess? Is she inside?”

Ruben continued walking without slowing his pace. Della hurried to keep up.

“She just retired to her chambers.”

“Then I’ll wait in the reception room.”

“As you wish.”

Della moved quickly to inform Helia while Ruben entered the reception room.

The waiting felt like an eternity. Ruben stood before a large window, looking out over the garden, illuminated softly by the early moonlight.

He could vaguely remember running through this garden as a child, the sensation of grass underfoot, the scent of the earth. He remembered practicing swordsmanship with a wooden blade and even the moments he had spent rehearsing vows meant for Helia.

At that thought, Ruben’s expression grew dark. He’d believed this place was a haven, untouched by memories of Helia, but even that was untrue. Whether Helia was by his side or not, his childhood had always been filled with her, much to his displeasure.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”