Chapter 26 – Resumption  

Meanwhile, the two sisters in the Celesta Royal Garden were left utterly dumbfounded.  

They had just witnessed the Queen’s secretary abruptly and unceremoniously take her away. The unexpected situation left everyone unable to stop Kairan.  

It was Marhet who broke the silence.  

“They say speaking of a tiger makes it appear, but that saying fits that firebird perfectly.”  

“Sister, be quiet.”  

“We should’ve stopped him instead of just watching. Honestly…”  

The two sisters frowned simultaneously and let out a sigh.  

Marhet suddenly recalled an incident from three years ago during the debutante ball.  

The Princess Lenoa, seated on the royal dais in the Grand Conference Hall, had a strangely gloomy expression throughout the event. Her face only briefly brightened when Marhet greeted her, but soon returned to its earlier state.  

Whenever they met, they had always exchanged warm greetings and chatted like close sisters.  

While Marhet was still puzzled, the ball began. She ignored the wave of men flocking to ask her for a dance and instead focused her gaze on Lenoa.  

A man with fiery red hair knelt before Lenoa and extended his hand.  

Marhet noticed how Lenoa’s face twisted even further at the man’s gesture.  

Nevertheless, Lenoa took his hand and stepped onto the dance floor. The two began waltzing to the rhythm of the ballroom music.  

While the man danced smoothly as if he had prepared for this, Lenoa moved clumsily, like a puppet being jerked by strings. She couldn’t meet her partner’s eyes, and her terrified expression was evident.  

It wasn’t long before she stumbled and fell backward. The man, startled, helped her up and quickly escorted her out of the hall.  

‘It was his fault she fell.’  

Marhet scoffed and glared at Kairan.  

‘But who is he?’  

She was good at remembering faces but terrible with names. It wasn’t until she overheard the surrounding nobles whispering that she learned of the man’s identity.  

Kairan Blandi, the son of the King’s old friend, who had debuted at the debutante a few months earlier.  

His cold and sharp demeanor was the complete opposite of Lenoa’s, whose mere presence brought comfort. The only similarity between them was their violet eyes.  

Lenoa’s behavior was noticeably different whenever he was around. It was clear that she avoided him.  

The first time Marhet saw Kairan, his bright red hair immediately caught her attention. Watching him approach Lenoa in the blink of an eye to ask her for a dance, she thought:  

‘A red bird.’  

From that moment on, Marhet referred to Kairan as the firebird throughout the debutante ball.  

Betier, meanwhile, quietly cleaned up the tea set with her lips tightly pressed together.  

When Marhet offered to help, Betier politely declined. Her sister, who had been a natural troublemaker since childhood, had a knack for breaking household items just by touching them.  

“Ah, but why does that firebird always wear such heavy clothes?”  

It was a scorching summer day, with the sun blazing and radiating intense heat.  

Both sisters, as well as Lenoa, were dressed in light, short-sleeved dresses made of breathable fabric.  

Yet Kairan was still dressed as if it were spring, wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and black trousers.  

Even Betier found it strange as she silently cleared the table. The weather, her mood—it all felt suffocating.  

***

Lenoa glared at Kairan in silence before finally speaking.  

“The arrangement to visit the secondary palace? Consider it canceled.”  

“…What?”  

“I’m disappointed in your behavior, Grand Duke.”  

Lenoa ducked under Kairan’s arms and slipped away.  

“Lenoa!”  

Kairan quickly grabbed her arm, but without turning back, Lenoa spoke calmly.  

“From now on, address me as ‘Your Majesty.’ Or just call me ‘Queen.’”  

With all her strength, Lenoa shook off Kairan’s hand and returned to the Queen’s Palace.  

“……”  

Even as she walked farther away, Kairan couldn’t stop her. He could only stare helplessly in the direction she disappeared, like a hunter who had lost his prey.  

Just before he had barged into the tea party.  

Having finished lunch with Lenoa, he was about to resume work when, less than two hours later, he found himself wanting to see her again.  

Lenoa’s face, as radiant as the blazing sun, filled Kairan’s mind, heating his entire body. Unable to bear the heat, he eventually headed to the third floor.  

He intended to notify the Head Maid as usual, but she was nowhere to be found.  

When he questioned another maid, she hesitantly revealed that Lenoa, the Head Maid, and her sister were having tea in the royal garden.  

‘Why didn’t she inform me…?’  

If it were a private tea time with no men involved, he would have gladly granted permission.  

However, it was crucial for the Queen’s secretary to be aware of all her activities. The fact that she had left without saying a word infuriated him, and his fists clenched involuntarily.  

‘She said we should grow closer.’  

Was she still building walls against me? 

He had come all this way because he wanted to see her, yet she avoided him again.  

Grinding his teeth, Kairan left the Queen’s Palace and headed straight for the royal garden. The royal garden was where he had first met Lenoa.  

‘…….’  

Princess Lenoa of Celesta, sipping tea and reading a book.  

The gentle breeze lightly tousled her hair, and her dress, adorned with cloud-like white lace, suited her perfectly.  

The title of Princess seemed to have been made just for her, Kairan thought as he watched her absentmindedly from behind a tree near the entrance.  

‘Princess Lenoa.’  

Soon, Kairan approached her and greeted her.  

‘Ah! I-I’m sorry. I’ll just…’  

Startled by his presence, Lenoa trembled so violently that she dropped her teacup. Fortunately, the cup didn’t break, nor did the tea spill on her.  

Hurriedly gathering her book, Lenoa left the garden without even saying goodbye.  

From the very first meeting, she had been afraid of him. Yet Kairan vividly remembered the day they met, even finding her startled expression endearing.  

Of course, that was then. Now, things were different.  

Even if she had guests, he believed she would welcome him. At the very least, he thought she would ask why he had come.  

But no. Just like before, she was at a loss for words upon seeing him. Her reaction left him feeling strangely betrayed.  

In the end, he had grabbed her wrist and dragged her away. He had tried to justify it as being for work, but she was unconvinced.  

Her mood soured, and she declared she wouldn’t visit the secondary palace, her beautiful face marred by frustration.  

‘No. That’s absolutely not acceptable.’  

He had tried to plead with her, but she had shaken him off even more forcefully than before and left.  

When he was alone with her in the secondary palace, there was something he absolutely had to do.  

Recalling this, he hurriedly made his way to the third floor of the Queen’s Palace. He ran without stopping, even as he gasped for breath.  

***

‘Haah… Why is this happening again?’ 

Back in her room, Lenoa collapsed onto her bed. The stress from earlier began to take its toll, and a headache set in as fatigue washed over her.  

During the three years since Kairan’s remarkable debut at the debutante, his relationship with Lenoa had grown closer than ever.  

Even during lunch earlier that day, they had enjoyed a pleasant meal together. However, the incident during the tea time with the Meriel sisters had caused everything to unravel.  

‘Is it so unbearable that I didn’t report it?’  

Lenoa curled up. No, she could have understood if it were truly about the report.  

Kairan had corrected himself, saying he simply wanted to see her. Even if they were real siblings, this wouldn’t be normal. She found him overwhelming, and the situation was nothing short of embarrassing.  

Lenoa let out a sigh so deep it seemed to reach the floor.  

Soon after, she decided to focus on her work and rose to her feet. With an expression devoid of emotion, she opened the door.  

“……”  

Kairan was standing in front of her room. The moment their eyes met, he spoke.  

“Your Majesty, may I have a moment of your time…?”  

Lenoa shot him a cold glare before nodding.  

She turned and headed not to the office on the left but to the farthest room on the right of the third floor—the private meeting room.  

Normally, she would receive someone in her office, bedroom, or an official reception room. But this situation was different.  

Kairan could not have misunderstood the significance of this location. As he followed her inside, the sound of the door locking echoed behind him.  

Without relaxing her stiff expression, Lenoa sat at the table in the reception area. She didn’t invite him to sit as she usually would.  

Instead of taking a seat, Kairan knelt on the floor and bowed his head deeply.  

“I, Kairan Blandi, secretary to Her Majesty the Queen, offers my sincerest apologies.”  

Lenoa crossed her legs and looked down at him. The sudden change in his title and demeanor felt unfamiliar, even though their relationship had seemingly returned to its previous state.  

Soon, Lenoa spoke firmly, telling him to rise. Kairan slowly lifted his head but remained kneeling.  

“Never act so recklessly toward me again.”  

“Yes… I will obey.”  

“Still, rudeness is rudeness. I will impose a penalty on you.”  

Kairan held his breath and silently awaited her next words.  

Finally, Lenoa spoke in a low voice.  

“I will assign you a personal attendant.”  

“…Excuse me?”  

“From now on, communicate through this attendant when sending messages or documents to my maids.”  

The unexpected nature of the punishment left Kairan tilting his head in confusion.  

Kairan had entered the palace alone, without any attendants or servants. He had always managed everything by himself.  

Lenoa had once casually asked him about this, but Kairan had insisted he didn’t need anyone and could handle everything on his own. Even when she offered to assign royal attendants, he had adamantly refused.  

This decision was partly to keep Kairan in check and prevent him from acting recklessly toward her. It also conveniently aligned with the nanny, Viscountess Elwen’s suggestion, allowing her to grant the request naturally.  

Besides, Kairan no longer had the authority to dismiss or punish attendants due to a prior penalty.  

And, truthfully, she wanted to ease his burden, as he had always worked silently and diligently on his own.  

“…Yes. I will comply.”  

Kairan accepted her decision without much hesitation.  

Only then did Lenoa’s mood lighten, and her next words immediately lifted Kairan’s spirits.  

“Our trip to the secondary palace… Although I said earlier that we wouldn’t go, let’s go after all. June 24th, right?”