“Whew, so you were here! Your Highness, it’s time to go. You have an appointment with Lady Greuga, remember?”

Hearing his subordinate’s exaggerated sigh of relief as he wiped away nonexistent sweat, Aiger checked the time before rising from his seat.

Some problems were too complicated to resolve immediately, but with time, they might naturally find their answer.

“Where was I supposed to meet her?”

“The greenhouse, not far from here.”

First the café, now a greenhouse…

It seemed like a rather decent place to clear one’s mind.

“Make sure the bodies are handled properly and laid to rest with due respect. I’ll decide after I return.”

With a short order, Aiger set off toward the greenhouse where Raylin awaited.

***

As his subordinate had said, it didn’t take long to reach the meeting place.

The only delay came from brushing away an unwelcome intruder—a butterfly.

Without a sound, it collapsed onto the ground, ceasing to breathe. Aiger gazed down at the lifeless butterflies dispassionately before giving his bloodstained sword a flick and sheathing it.

He discarded his robe entirely and was about to throw away the handkerchief he used to wipe the blood from his cheek when he hesitated.

“Your earrings are unusual. A gemstone that doesn’t shine… that’s rare.”

Raylin’s sudden remark came to mind, bringing a smirk to Aiger’s lips as he rubbed his earlobe with the handkerchief.

She saw the bloodstain and thought of earrings?

Back then, and even now, she was truly an unpredictable woman.

Thinking of Raylin strangely dispelled the discomfort he felt from the early-arriving butterflies.

It wasn’t as though he had ever particularly enjoyed or been thrilled by their meetings, and yet, the more they occurred, the more he found himself looking forward to them.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been sleeping.”

She had suddenly made a ridiculous suggestion, her expression filled with resolve as if to say, “This time, for sure!”

“A hugging pillow, really?”

If he hadn’t been under the influence of that unknown drug at the time, he likely would have scolded her, demanding what on earth she was thinking.

But in the end…

After that night, when he had sunk into a truly restful sleep, he had found himself reaching for her again and again, completely entranced by the newfound slumber she granted him.

She had, quite literally, fulfilled her role as a “hugging pillow.”

“Raylin. Raylin Greuga.”

Since that night when, half-drugged and unaware, he had spoken her name aloud, he had never said it again.

Raylin. Raylin.

He rolled her name on his tongue several times, then suddenly felt a dull ache in his chest, rubbing the spot over his heart.

Startled by the unexpected pain, Aiger briefly wondered if the butterflies had somehow released poison into the air and surveyed his surroundings once more.

It was then—

“There was a strange sound from over there! And those men were armed—!”

It seemed someone had spotted the butterflies.

“They were pathetic this time.”

Muttering his blunt assessment toward the lifeless intruders who could no longer hear him, Aiger shook his head to rid himself of idle thoughts and swiftly left the area.

He soon arrived at the greenhouse.

Slipping in through the entrance used by the staff rather than the main door, he made his way toward the inner section of the greenhouse—a secluded tea room, its view blocked by cascading vines.

There, he spotted Raylin, gazing up at the glass ceiling.

As Aiger stepped into the tea room, Raylin blinked several times against the sunlight before slowly lowering her head.

She brushed back her golden hair, which had been tickling her cheek, and then, upon noticing him, her eyes curved into a bright smile.

“Your Highness!”

She raised her hand high and waved it enthusiastically.

“Over here!”

Even the way she bounced slightly on her toes made it clear—she was genuinely happy to see him.

Aiger stopped in his tracks, suddenly realizing something.

How beautiful she was.

And that he was in love with Raylin.

“Love, you see, hits you all at once, in a flash!”

“What nonsense. That’s just being attracted to someone’s face.”

“No! Ugh, you’re so frustrating. You’ve never been in love before, have you?”

“What? That’s ridicu—”

“Listen, listen. When I said ‘bam!’—of course, love at first sight is included, but more than that, it’s about not realizing your feelings until suddenly—bam!—it hits you. Ah, you wouldn’t understand unless you’ve experienced it.”

Never had Aiger expected to so vividly relate to the unnecessarily serious conversation his subordinates had once exchanged.

Unconsciously, he took a step forward, then another, his face softening as he moved toward her.

That was when he finally understood. Why he was only ever soft with her. Why her simple bedroom had seemed so perfectly complete. It was because Raylin was perfect for him. With such a flawless existence before his eyes, how could anything else possibly catch his attention?

Gazing at Raylin, dazzling as if sculpted from sunlight itself, Aiger rubbed at his chest again. 

Thump. Thump. Then thump-thump-thump-thump. 

The pain he’d felt in his heart earlier—it wasn’t pain at all. If he had to name it, it would be ‘excitement’ or perhaps ‘anticipation.’

As Raylin stepped closer, one by one, colors seeped into the ashen world surrounding Aiger. Along with the symphony of colors, a tingling sensation spread to his fingertips—a feeling he had never once experienced before. 

Ever since mastering the sword, his overly sharpened senses had tormented him for years. Not only did he hear words he never wanted to hear, but also the beating of human hearts—at times, even the twisting of muscles.

And it wasn’t just his hearing. He suffered from scents no one else could detect and was forced to see things he never wished to witness.

His heightened senses, surpassing those of any normal human, were nothing more than a painful side effect of his strength.

Yet now, for the first time, those very senses brought him immense satisfaction.

His vision, which took in her beauty that deepened with every blink. His hearing, which captured her voice—clear, neither too high nor too low. His sense of smell, which detected the faint osmanthus fragrance that only lingered when she was close. His touch, which knew that her skin, if stroked, would feel as soft as silk.

Unconsciously, Aiger swept his tongue across the inside of his mouth. Saliva had pooled unknowingly, sliding down his throat.

And in the moment when Raylin stood just before him, Aiger finally felt it. The world—previously incomplete without his knowing—was now whole. A missing piece within him had fallen into place, and before he realized it, his hand was reaching out.

Raylin, suddenly pulled into his embrace, blinked rapidly. But she neither pushed him away nor struggled to escape. After serving as his human pillow so many times before, his arms had become too familiar a place. 

So familiar, in fact, that they were comfortable—so comfortable she’d even dozed off and slept soundly when he left.

Slowly loosening her arms, which had instinctively wrapped around his back, Raylin spoke.

“…Your Highness? Your greeting is rather unusual today.”

She had only stepped closer because she hadn’t been able to fully read his face—so many emotions were bursting forth beside him all at once. Yet, before she could make sense of it, she was suddenly pulled into his arms, leaving her bewildered.

Listening to her voice, which spread through his chest in a warm, gentle hum, Aiger chuckled softly. He wanted nothing more than to hold her like this for hours, but with effort, he forced his hands to let go.

“I simply felt like greeting you this way.”

“Did something good happen?”

As if. If anything, his head ached from a pressing issue that required urgent resolution. But simply because she was here, because he was by her side, his mood had lifted.

“Who knows. But one thing’s for certain—I’m happy to see you.”

There was no need to question whether he meant it. After all, floating beside Aiger was an unmistakable aura of ‘happiness.’

For some reason, Raylin’s cheeks grew warm. She let out an awkward laugh and answered softly, “Me too.”

Her voice was so quiet that one wouldn’t hear it unless they truly listened, but it was just as genuine.

Sensing the subtly shifting atmosphere between them, Raylin fidgeted. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she spoke.

“Your Highness, I have something important to tell you.”

A few seconds after those words, Aiger’s mood plummeted.

“I greet the Crown Prince. I am Theron Lucart.”

“I-I greet Your Highness. I am Julia Everett.”

There were two entirely unexpected intruders.

Even as disappointment thickened beside Aiger, Raylin, unaware of the reason, continued as planned.

“They came with me. There’s an urgent matter that needs to be resolved.”

Catching her cue, Theron spoke first, with Julia occasionally adding to his words.

“So we came seeking Greuga’s assistance, but we never expected to meet Your Highness here.”

Aiger watched Theron with mild disinterest, despite the faint unease in the latter’s expression.

Lightly tapping his teacup’s handle, Aiger finally spoke.

“The disappearance of commoners, is it?”