Chapter 38 – Likes and Dislikes

“……”  

Lena. Her nickname, heard again after so long. If it hadn’t been a name given to her by her late parents, she would have immediately struggled to free herself.  

Lenoa simply accepted Kairan’s embrace.  

The idea of whispering greetings while hugging him was unimaginable, yet she didn’t feel the urge to push him away in alarm either.  

If that was the case, this was all she could do for him.  

They stayed like that for a long time. Only when embarrassment began to flood in did Lenoa quickly pull away. They weren’t alone here.  

As she glanced around, she noticed a knight who didn’t know what to do, Betier frozen like ice, and Harpe standing nearby.  

‘Huh?’  

It was only for a fleeting moment, but Lenoa saw it. Harpe was smiling faintly.  

‘Was it a funny situation?’  

When she collected herself, Harpe had already returned to his usual expression, as if nothing had happened.  

It was an awkward situation, but there was something she needed to do while they were all gathered. Now that the two men were present, it was the perfect time.  

Lenoa approached Kairan again and gestured toward Harpe.  

“Grand Duke Kairan, this may come as a surprise, but Lord Harpe Elwen of the Viscounty Elwen entered the palace as your attendant starting yesterday.”  

It was only then that Kairan noticed Harpe’s presence.  

“……”  

The two men’s gazes met. The lingering smile on Kairan’s face, which had been directed at Lenoa, vanished in an instant.  

Regardless, Harpe greeted Kairan politely.  

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Harpe Elwen, the eldest son of the Viscounty Elwen.”  

“How dare someone like you step into this place!”  

After a long silence, Kairan finally spoke, his voice roaring like a predator facing its prey. He charged toward Harpe like a wild beast.  

He had seen plenty of men he didn’t like before. At every banquet, there were countless men who asked Lenoa for a dance, and even the King and Princes of the Merzen Kingdom, whom he had never met, had brought up political marriage with her.  

However, the former group merely stopped at asking for a dance. Lenoa’s first and last dance partner was always him—except for the rare times she danced with the late King first. As for the latter group, he had personally and firmly rejected them, and thankfully, Lenoa had no interest in them either.  

But the man before him, Harpe, was different.  

The image of Harpe smiling and shaking hands with Lenoa flashed through his mind. He hadn’t thought about it for a long time, like an unpaid debt forgotten, but seeing him now brought the pain back in full force.  

He never imagined that the attendant Lenoa would assign him would be that man—the strange one who had fainted the moment he saw him. He had hoped never to see him again.  

Now, an uninvited guest had intruded into the royal palace, where it should have been just the two of them.  

“G-Grand Duke Kairan! Please calm down!”  

Lenoa hurried after him and grabbed his arm. For a moment, Kairan heeded her words, calming himself and meeting her gaze.  

Lenoa neither stopped Kairan further nor drove Harpe away. This meant she had anticipated Kairan’s reaction.  

She had witnessed their strange interaction before, so it was natural. Yet, she still brought him in.  

“Your Majesty! Why did you let that man in?”  

“L-Let’s talk inside. Just the two of us.”  

In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Lenoa led Kairan into the Queen’s Palace.  

Thankfully, both men seemed to have some sense. Lenoa didn’t bring Harpe along, and Harpe simply stood there, watching the two of them leave.  

“……Please assign me a different attendant.”  

Once inside Lenoa’s office, Kairan sighed and made the request.  

Lenoa also wanted to sigh. She could understand how Kairan felt.  

“I understand how you feel, but you did say any attendant would be fine.”  

“That’s because……”  

“Moreover, Grand Duke, you currently do not have the authority to appoint or dismiss personnel.”  

This was the price he had to pay for his past mistakes. Kairan bit his lower lip.  

“Unless Lord Harpe harms you or voluntarily resigns, I cannot permit his dismissal.”  

In other words, Harpe’s position was under Lenoa’s jurisdiction, not Kairan’s.  

It was an absurd situation. He couldn’t even expel his own attendant. No matter how much Lenoa was his superior, as her aide and a Grand Duke, his pride was being trampled.  

Kairan eventually knelt down and clasped Lenoa’s hands.  

“Please, Your Majesty. Do you favor that man more than me, who has served you for so long?”  

“Th-That man? Mind your words.”  

“You know how he reacted when he first saw me.”  

Kairan presented a more logical argument than Lenoa’s authority. Lenoa gently removed her hands from his grasp.  

“Yes, I do. But Lord Harpe later explained that he mistook you for someone else. He volunteered to become your attendant to clear up the misunderstanding and mend relations.”  

“Someone else? Who exactly?”  

“I don’t know. Oh, why don’t you ask him yourself? After all, he’s your attendant.”  

“Your Majesty!”  

Kairan jumped to his feet, unable to contain his frustration at Lenoa’s words.  

He had missed her so much that he had returned to the palace in just one day, leaving behind his family and hometown. Now, standing before the even more beautiful Lenoa, he had to hear this.  

Could something have gone wrong during my absence? Or had John or the head servant told her about my trip to Benecia?  

But that couldn’t be it. If there had been any problems, he could handle them now that he was back. Lenoa wasn’t the type to use underhanded tactics.  

As for the Benecia trip, it didn’t seem like Lenoa was aware of it. John wouldn’t suddenly betray him, and if necessary, he could use the head servant as a witness.  

His final suspicion.  

‘Could it be that Lenoa has feelings for him…?’  

The thought crossed his mind. Perhaps she was prioritizing that man over him.  

When he first saw Harpe, his words and actions had been irritating, but he hadn’t considered him a rival. Objectively speaking, Kairan had the upper hand in rank and wealth.  

But that was a purely objective calculation. Lenoa, sitting on the highest throne, wasn’t someone who judged others so calculatively.  

Of course, that very quality was what had fueled Kairan’s burning feelings for her.  

However, now that Harpe had entered the palace as his attendant, he would be able to spend time with Lenoa. Being close to her, it would be easier for him to express his feelings.  

Kairan could even guess Harpe’s true intentions. Surely, he must have feelings for Lenoa as well. Anyone who met her would inevitably fall for her.  

If not now, then someday, Lenoa’s heart might lean toward Harpe. Before that could happen, Kairan needed to get rid of him as soon as possible.  

“G-Grand Duke?”  

When Kairan came to his senses, he saw Lenoa tilting her head in confusion.  

Looking at her again, Kairan’s heart raced. His hands itched for no reason.  

It was as if his entire body was urging him, ‘Don’t you have something to say?’  

Now that a rival had appeared, which meant the day to bring up the words he had been postponing was pushed forward. At this point, he wanted to confess his feelings to her.

‘It’s not the right time to dampen the mood now.’

Since Lenoa had reverted to addressing him as “Grand Duke,” and they had just had a minor argument, there was no way his confession would be accepted.

Besides, the day to express his feelings was already approaching. For that moment, Kairan had to step back for now.

“For the time being… I’ll leave it at that. Of course, I don’t know what might happen before then.”

A sense of relief spread across Lenoa’s face. Though the intention wasn’t pleasant, her smile reassured him as well.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave now.”

As the conversation seemed to have concluded, Kairan invited himself to withdraw.

“Ah, yes, of course. You must be tired, especially since I came without notice.”

Lenoa granted permission with a concerned expression. Kairan smiled warmly.

“Let’s rest and have dinner together later. Oh, and I’d like to hear about your trip back home.”

By the next day, another luxurious dinner for two was prepared. The elegant chandelier lighting enhanced the flavors of the various dishes on the table.

As usual, escorted by Kairan, Lenoa went to the dining room and took her seat, immediately starting the meal. Kairan also followed her lead, picking up his utensils.

While Lenoa was blowing on and sipping the hot corn soup, her gaze inadvertently fell on Kairan’s plate.

The appetizers were the same as hers, but Kairan’s steak portion was about half of hers. It didn’t seem like he had eaten quickly; rather, it appeared to have been prepared in a smaller portion for him from the start.

The most noticeable difference was the fish dish. Beside Kairan’s steak plate was a grilled fish. The moment Lenoa unconsciously saw the fish’s eyes, her brows furrowed.

‘He must like fish.’

Celesta was more famous for its seafood than its land dishes. However, Lenoa disliked fish dishes. While she could tolerate the unique fishy taste, eating more than two bites was difficult for her.

Long ago, her parents had immediately realized that their daughter couldn’t eat fish well, and they had instructed the chef never to serve fish at the table unless Lenoa specifically requested it.

Although her parents, unlike her, enjoyed fish dishes like true natives of Celesta, they never allowed fish dishes on the table when dining with Lenoa.

This story of her parents’ thoughtfulness was revealed to her after their passing, during a moment of shared sorrow with the chef.

‘I’ve always taught my son not to be a picky eater… They were truly considerate people.’

That day, Lenoa ended up clutching the chef’s shoulders and crying uncontrollably—a story that later became a source of laughter.

Even now, her aversion to fish remained. The chef had not changed either. Therefore, the fish on the table must have been prepared to suit Kairan’s taste.

Before she knew it, Kairan had finished his steak and was eating the fish. Judging by the smile on his lips, it seemed to suit his palate.

Lenoa put down her utensils for a moment and called out to Kairan.

“Um, Grand Duke Kairan.”

“Huh…? Huh, yes?”

Kairan immediately put down his utensils and looked at Lenoa, as if he had unintentionally committed some sort of impropriety.

Lenoa awkwardly waved her hand, smiling.

“It’s nothing much… You really seem to like fish dishes.”

“……”

“I’m not good with fish, though. That’s impressive.”