Seraphina frowned.

Once again, the Crown Prince was trying to gloss over everything with pheromones.

His scent gently coaxed her, muddling her thoughts and attempting to soften her resolve. Seraphina bit her lip, resisting the temptation. She did not want to be swept away like this again.

What she wanted was a conversation.

She wanted an answer from him.

Instead of providing one, however, the Crown Prince tried to smooth everything over with pheromones.

Had it always been like this?

Was that why she had made a choice she should never have made?

“Stop it.”

Seraphina cut him off sharply. Yet even when she refused him, the Crown Prince did not rein in his pheromones. In fact, he released them in an even denser wave, as though intent on filling the room with his scent until she was suffocated by it.

“You’re the one who should stop. You want me. You like my pheromones.”

“Ngh… no, I don’t.”

Seraphina panted as she spoke. She tried to push back his pheromones with the force of her will alone, but it was futile.

Of course it was. After all, he was an exceptional, dominant alpha male, and she was a fervent, late-manifesting omega female.

“Sephi, please… don’t say you’re leaving me.”

The Crown Prince pleaded in a desperate tone. The moment he had finished speaking, Seraphina was overwhelmed by an intense surge of pheromones.

She was overcome by an intense desire to obey him, whatever the cost.

“I—I don’t want to…”

But Seraphina held on with all her might. Her eyes reddened and bloodshot as she clenched the bedsheets so tightly that they seemed on the verge of tearing.

“I don’t want to…”

“Sephi!”

Just as Seraphina panted and tried to speak, the Crown Prince’s pheromones clung to her, proving themselves to be both persistent and tenacious. She was in the process of shaking them off when—

“…Ugh!”

In that instant, her vision spun. The body she had been supporting collapsed, despite her will, and the world blurred around her.

Seraphina tried to force her eyes open, but her body refused to obey her.

“Sephi, stay with me! Sephi!”

The Crown Prince caught her as she fell and held her tightly, calling out in desperation. His face, which had been set in stubborn resolve only moments before, now looked as though it might break into tears at any moment.

Seraphina watched him through her fading vision, then slowly closed her eyes.

And then—

Darkness.

***

“…Huh?”

Seraphina blinked.

Had she fallen asleep standing up?

Her head felt so foggy that she couldn’t remember where she was or what she had been doing.

‘What was I in the middle of…?’

Seraphina looked around, confused. As she turned her head, the quiet corridor of the Crown Prince’s Palace came into view.

She remembered that a young lady from a duchy was hosting a tea party today. It seemed that everyone had been called away for it.

‘That’s strange….’

She tilted her head. She remembered that, but couldn’t remember what she had been doing. It felt as though she had been enchanted.

Her gaze dropped to what she was holding.

On a silver tray was a blue sapphire brooch, the same color as the Crown Prince’s eyes.

As she looked at the jewel, her thoughts slowly fell back into place.

‘Right. I was on my way to put this in storage.’

Seraphina smiled as she remembered her task. Was she really becoming forgetful at such a young age? Standing alone in the corridor and lost in thought, she found the idea almost laughable.

‘I should tell Rosie about this later.’

Seraphina resumed walking, letting out a small chuckle. To reach the storage rooms in the annexe, she first had to pass through the lobby via the long central staircase.

Located at the heart of the Crown Prince’s Palace, the central staircase connected two floors directly, making it longer and steeper than any other staircase in the palace. Although it was regarded as a symbol of the palace, it was actually a constant inconvenience to those who worked there. Its sharp incline caused slips and falls far too often.

Even worse, according to the cleaning staff, it was notoriously difficult to maintain.

Nevertheless, it was the only staircase that led to the lobby.

As always, there was no choice but to use it.

When Seraphina reached the staircase, she carefully put one foot forward. Making sure that the brooch on the tray remained in place, she began her slow descent.

The sapphire brooch glittered brilliantly; its intricate craftsmanship made its value obvious at a glance. If it were scratched even slightly, the head maid would reprimand her. In the worst case, she might even have her wages docked.

Not long ago, Leoban had taken two months’ worth of her pay. This was why she had to receive this month’s wages — she needed them to buy a new dress.

Imperial maids were required to dress in a manner befitting the dignity of the court.

She thought this was the only drawback of the job.

Seraphina was still wearing a summer dress. Although it was cool both day and night, she had not yet changed into autumn clothes. She simply could not afford them.

The dresses she had worn at the Lindenrosen estate were not suitable for the palace; they were old, worn thin, and had visible patches.

That was why she was counting the days until payday. She couldn’t keep borrowing clothes from Rosalynde forever.

The dress she was wearing now had belonged to Rosalynde. After hearing about Seraphina’s situation, Rosalynde lent it to her without hesitation. Seraphina was deeply grateful, but unfortunately, it was the wrong size. Designed for the taller Rosalynde, the hem dragged along the floor whenever Seraphina wore it.

This meant that she had to lift the skirt slightly each time she walked, just as she was doing now.

‘It can’t be helped.’

There was no other way to buy a dress. Just as Marianne was about to do so, however, her mother took her wages, claiming that they were needed for estate repairs.

This time would be different, though. She wouldn’t let her wages be taken again. She could run straight to the dress shop as soon as she was paid.

“Ah…!”

She was almost at the bottom of the stairs.

She was holding the tray in one hand and clutching her skirt in the other when her body suddenly lurched. The hem of her skirt had curled up under her foot.

“Kyaa!”

Seraphina screamed as her body pitched forward. The silver tray flew up into the air, sending her tumbling down the stairs.

Her vision spun wildly. Amidst the chaos, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a human figure standing in the lobby at the bottom of the stairs.

At this rate, she was going to crash straight into them.

She could only desperately hope that they would step aside in time.

‘Please!’

She squeezed her eyes shut. There was no time to scream properly as her body tumbled downwards. The staircase was so long that she felt she would never stop falling.

And finally—

“Ugh!”

Her body stopped spinning.

But something felt strange. She had expected to crash heavily to the floor.

Instead, she was caught by something that was firm yet yielding and held her securely.

‘What…?’

Still feeling dazed, Seraphina slowly relaxed her tense shoulders. Then, cautiously, she opened her eyes, which she had been squeezing shut.

“Your Highness?”

Seeing who had caught her, Seraphina gasped. It was the Crown Prince himself, holding her securely in his arms. So the figure she had glimpsed while tumbling down the stairs had been him.

“Kgh…”

Still seated on the floor, the Crown Prince grimaced deeply, his handsome features contorted. It was clear that the force with which he had caught her as she fell at such a frightening speed had transferred straight into his body.

“I—I’m terribly sorry, Your Highness!”

Flustered, Seraphina tried to scramble off him at once. If the head maid found out that she had injured the person she was supposed to serve, she would be expelled from the palace immediately. It was a very serious matter.

‘What should I do?’

Cold sweat broke out as Seraphina panicked. Still cradled in the Crown Prince’s arms, she hurriedly braced her hand against the floor and stood up.

At that moment, a sharp pain shot through her wrist, causing her to pitch forward.