Chapter 3.2

‘Wait, what? Did he just curse?’  

Carnier’s eyes widened in shock. It was the first time she had heard such harsh words from someone who was always so composed.  

But instead of explaining himself, he untied his cloak and draped it over her shoulders. Her bare shoulders, exposed collarbones, and even the redness on her wrist were all concealed.  

Not stopping there, he protectively wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned to leave. Bartolio, who had been fuming, suddenly stepped forward in a threatening manner.  

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?! You think you can just walk away after doing this to my hand…!”  

As Bartolio reached out with his uninjured hand to grab Servante’s shoulder, the latter turned his head.  

The crimson eyes behind the mask gleamed menacingly. Bartolio froze in place, his drunken bravado evaporating in an instant.  

“W-What…?”  

The alcohol-induced haze dissipated, replaced by a chilling fear that ran down his spine.  

He recognized those eyes.  

“N-No way…”  

Before he could finish his thought, Servante led Carnier away, leaving Bartolio standing there with a dumbfounded expression.  

“Why are you just letting them go?”  

“Should I go after them? Huh? Should I teach them a lesson?”  

The men, who had been silenced by Servante’s imposing presence, regained their confidence as he walked away. They rolled up their sleeves, boasting loudly.  

But Bartolio, instead of joining in, stammered with a pale face.  

“C-Could it be… the Cr-Crown…”  

“Huh? What are you talking about?”  

“Do you know that guy or something…?”  

“Damn it.”  

Realization dawned late, likely due to the alcohol clouding his mind. But it couldn’t be helped. After all, he had only encountered those crimson eyes once before.  

And that one time was unforgettable.  

“Damn… Damn it!”  

Once he recognized the truth, Bartolio’s reaction was swift. Looking around frantically, he turned and bolted in the opposite direction from where Servante had gone.  

He didn’t even hear the shouts of his friends calling after him.  

‘Damn it, why is the Crown Prince here?!’  

With his tail between his legs, he fled the scene.  

* * *  

Servante led Carnier not to the box seats but to a guest room reserved for the highest-tier patrons.  

He handed a staff member a few bills, reserving not just one but three adjacent rooms. Then, he entered one of the rooms and shut the door firmly behind him.  

As soon as the sound of the staff member’s footsteps faded, Carnier spoke up.  

“Your Highness, where is Sir Luca? Why are you alone…?”  

“Is that really the question you should be asking right now?”  

Cutting her off sharply, he irritably removed his mask and tossed it aside. His fury, no longer hidden, was directed squarely at her.  

“Where do you think you’re going without an escort? Do you have no sense of fear?!”  

“…I apologize.”  

Indeed, it was her fault for acting recklessly and neglecting her own safety. Carnier bowed her head and sincerely apologized. She picked up the mask he had thrown and handed it to him.  

“I was just leaving the powder room when it happened. Fortunately, you arrived in time, so nothing serious occurred…”  

“Wait, you.”  

But instead of taking the mask, Servante lifted her chin and removed the mask she was wearing.  

Upon seeing her reddened eyes, his expression grew even darker.  

“You’ve been crying?”  

“Ah… This is…”  

“Those filthy bastards…”  

Muttering under his breath, he turned toward the door, his hand reaching for the handle. Alarmed, Carnier grabbed his arm.  

“It’s not what you think! Nothing scary happened, truly!”  

“Let go.”  

“You know their names, so you can deal with them later…”  

“I said, let go.”  

Despite her efforts to hold him back, he didn’t budge. Mask discarded, he seemed ready to storm through the theater in search of the man.  

Desperate, Carnier blurted out the first thing that came to mind.  

“I cried because of you, Your Highness!”  

“…What?”  

Though it was a spur-of-the-moment statement, it was also the truth.  

“Anyway, it was true.” 

Carnier said, her voice trembling slightly as she clung more tightly to Servante’s arm. 

“Nothing happened with those men earlier, so please calm down.”  

“…”  

“I’m really sorry for acting recklessly and worrying you. I honestly didn’t expect you to come looking for me…”  

“Didn’t expect me?”  

His expression, which had briefly softened, turned harsh again.  

“You didn’t come back after leaving like that—of course I’d be worried!”  

“I…”  

“I asked a passing staff member, and they said the restroom was empty. You weren’t in the powder room either!”  

“…”  

“I even told Luca to search for Duchess Raymore, but why…!”  

“You didn’t stop me!”  

Carnier, who had been hesitating, finally raised her voice. The resentment she had been trying to suppress surged back up.  

“Wasn’t it your way of telling me to calm down and sort things out on my own?”

“What?”  

“I left my bag and shawl behind. Where else would I go? No matter how recklessly I acted, I wouldn’t suddenly lose my mind and disappear somewhere random! Do you think I’m some clueless child wandering into danger?”  

“That’s not what I meant…”  

“You said you cared for me! If that was true, couldn’t you have waited for me?” 

Her voice cracked, and she continued, 

“Where’s all that unnecessary kindness that used to set my heart aflutter, even when you kept drawing boundaries?”

“Ca… Carnier?”

As she spoke, her anger rose steadily. She hadn’t felt this agitated in a long time.  

Without realizing it, she had begun speaking informally, her frustration spilling over.  

“I was gone for thirty minutes! Just thirty minutes! Do you understand that? You rejected me, and it had only been thirty minutes! Do you get it?!”

“…”  

“I already admitted I was wrong. Even though I wasn’t confident I could act normal, I held back and apologized first! But then, but then—!”

It was at that moment that Servante pulled her into his arms. Her rambling words came to an abrupt halt as she was enveloped in his embrace.  

He awkwardly stroked her hastily tied hair, letting out a low sigh.  

“I’m sorry.”  

“…”  

“I wasn’t thinking clearly. So… don’t cry.”  

But his words only brought more tears.  

The tears that welled up in her eyes spilled over, leaving wet marks on his clothes.  

She opened and closed her mouth soundlessly before finally pushing him away.  

“…I… I got too worked up. Please, just leave me alone for a moment…”  

But he neither stepped back nor let her go. Instead, he held her even tighter, ensuring she couldn’t escape.  

For the first time, she was held by the person she had longed for in her dreams. But it didn’t make her happy.  

Her heart pounded, and her face flushed, despite having just yelled at him moments ago. She felt embarrassed and didn’t want him to notice.  

“Your Highness, your clothes will get dirty. Please let me go…”  

“I don’t even know where to start.”

He ignored her words, speaking without loosening his grip.

“Since earlier, you keep saying I rejected you.”

“…What?”  

“I never rejected you.”  

Her mind went blank for a moment. Carnier, who had been trying to push him away, froze and looked up at him.  

His gaze, which rarely met hers, shifted to the side.  

“…I just needed some time to think.”  

“What…?”  

“And then, when you didn’t return, I started to worry.”

Even as he spoke, he couldn’t bring himself to look directly at her. Yet his arms around her waist remained firm.  

“Whether it was thirty minutes or an hour doesn’t matter. It’s just that, with the way you were dressed today…”  

“…”  

“…Damn it. In a place full of all kinds of scoundrels, I was worried you might attract attention dressed like that.”  

“…”  

Carnier blinked slowly. She couldn’t believe it—the curse words he muttered, the slight redness at the tips of his ears, the strength of his arms holding her.  

‘Am I hearing things because I cried too much?’  

But as she thought that, his eyes met hers directly.  

“Listen carefully. You’re free to wear whatever you want, but not in a place like this. It’s dangerous. And never walk around alone.”  

“…”  

“If scum like earlier try anything again, don’t just stand there—scream or kick them in the groin. That’s the fastest way.”  

“Your Highness…?”  

“Actually, it’s better not to come to such reckless places at all. If you want to see a performance, don’t buy a ticket—tell me. I’ll hire the best troupe, or better yet, create an Imperial Theater Company…”  

“Are you saying you don’t want me to catch other men’s attention?”  

“….”  

Servante stopped speaking and looked down at her. Carnier also met his crimson gaze head-on.  

The hope she thought had been crushed and scattered like dust began to well up again.  

She waited for an answer different from the one she had heard in the palace under the scorching sun hours earlier.  

And the lips that had always drawn a line finally granted her wish.  

“…Yes, I don’t like it.”  

He didn’t stop there. Raising his hand, he tilted her chin upward.  

As her slightly parted lips trembled, his lips hovered just above hers as he whispered,  

“I don’t want anyone else to see you like this. Not that perverted Grand Duke, not those rookie knights, and certainly not the scum not even worth mentioning.”  

“…”  

A shiver ran down Carnier’s spine. His final words were so chilling that it barely felt like a confession.  

‘…Wait, a confession?’  

Was it real? Was it true?  

‘Did he just confess to me…?’  

Just as their lips were about to touch, a knock sounded.