Chapter 4

Sociably smiling and glossing over things, Dione was fortunately able to point outside and begin explaining about the accommodations, thanks to the carriage arriving at the royal palace just in time.  

Raihan immediately turned his attention to her guidance, nodding at every word and agreeing, so it seemed that escorting him wouldn’t be too difficult.  

* * *  

And just as Dione thought, escorting him really wasn’t difficult at all.  

Raihan Elvirtein… was truly, in every sense, a kind person. It wasn’t just an act—he seemed to embody kindness itself.  

She wasn’t saying this for no reason; she had experienced it firsthand once.  

You know, there are days like that, when you just cannot fight off sleep. Unfortunately, one of those days came while Dione was escorting Raihan, and she ended up nodding off beside him.  

Fortunately, it happened during a short break while discussing the treaty.  

The only people present were Dione, Raihan, Crown Prince Durant and his aide, and when Dione began dozing off on the sofa, Raihan stopped the Crown Prince from waking her.  

When she first woke up, she was too dazed to notice any cushions or anything, but apparently, Raihan had even fetched a cushion so she wouldn’t hurt her neck and helped her to sleep comfortably. No wonder she’d felt unusually refreshed when she woke up—it wasn’t just her imagination.  

When Dione hastily apologized for falling asleep, Raihan winked playfully and said,  

“Then next time I get sleepy, just let me close my eyes for a bit.”  

“No…”  

“You’ll do that, right?”  

“…Of course.”  

Dione was impressed by how someone could be so considerate in such a pleasant way. She heard he was the same age as her, but how could he be so mature?  

…Of course, Dione herself was an adult too.  

Another time, something else happened. Raihan was about a head taller than Dione, and although he appeared rather slim, he looked like someone who only knew the basics of swordsmanship.  

But an incident made her realize that most of his body was actually muscle.  

She had been looking for Raihan, and he was standing lost in the middle of the garden. When Dione spotted him and hurried over, she nearly tripped over a stone she hadn’t seen.  

Looking back, it was such a cliché, like something out of a third-rate romance novel—utterly ridiculous.  

Anyway, it was Raihan who caught her before she could hit the ground. He was about ten steps away, but he dashed over in an instant and caught her.  

“Are you alright?”  

“Ah, yes.”  

Dione had dated about six people, so she wasn’t unfamiliar with being in a man’s arms.  

Of course, she and Raihan were strictly in a professional relationship, so she was only in his arms for a few seconds. Still, she could tell he hadn’t neglected his training.  

Her second boyfriend had never exercised, and his body had been soft; Raihan, on the other hand, felt…  

As he set her upright and asked if her ankle was okay, Raihan showed no sign of mocking her foolishness. His face was filled with genuine concern, no matter how you looked at it.  

It was so touching that she almost teared up.  

‘So there really are men who are this kind, gentle, and diligent in self-care…’  

So, it was only natural that Dione kept growing more and more fond of him, amazed inside.  

Thinking back on it now, she felt her face grow hot from all the silly things she’d done. She had dating experience, but she’d never truly liked anyone she’d dated. This was the first time she’d ever developed such feelings for someone, and the first time she’d ever led a diplomatic reception. Theory and practice really were different things.  

Anyway, the nobles who came with the delegation seemed to know Raihan’s personality well, and despite his status as a Prince, they treated him quite comfortably. That didn’t mean he was an easy person, though.  

Being both kind and hard to approach was a difficult balance, but Raihan managed it as easily as breathing.  

Thanks to that, Dione never had any trouble escorting him. Needless to say, he was never rude to her; in fact, she’d received personal help from him.  

As the heir of the Estellon family, Dione had prepared herself for hardship with her tutor in childhood, but instead, she found herself getting along so well with Raihan that it was almost alarming.  

For someone like Dione, who could count her truly close friends on one hand, this was a truly exceptional situation.  

“Your Highness!”  

“Ah, Lady Dione.”  

Today marked two weeks since the delegation arrived. The treaty-related meetings had safely concluded after three days.  

Now, Dione had just found Raihan, who had once again gotten lost in the palace. In the meantime, their conversations had become more comfortable, and both had dropped much of the formality from their speech.  

“…I’m not bad with directions.”  

“Sure.”  

“I mean it! It’s just because it’s my first time here.”  

…Dione had to slightly correct what she’d said earlier. Escorting him wasn’t always easy.  

This was already the fifth time she’d found him after he’d gotten lost while wandering around. Raihan insisted he wasn’t bad with directions, but Dione was 99% sure he was.  

“The palace is rather complicated, to be fair.”  

“I never get lost in our palace.”  

“Really?”  

“…Actually, sometimes I do.”  

“Ahaha!”  

She tried to hold it in, but Raihan’s sheepish admission in response to her skeptical look was just too funny, and she couldn’t help but laugh.  

And Raihan, looking at her with that helpless expression, was still just as gentle as ever—despite revealing his flaw.  

“Lady Dione, are you always this kind? Or is it just because it’s your job?”  

“Hm, well, it is my job, but even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t just leave a lost person behind.”  

After finishing, Dione added playfully,  

“Though maybe I’m a little kinder because you’re a Prince.”  

“…Really?”  

Raihan’s ears turned slightly red—was it the heat, or…  

“I’m glad. Then maybe I’ll only act this way with you, Lady Dione.”  

“Eh?”  

Her answer came out a bit off-pitch from surprise. Why was he being so nice to her? The question arose naturally.  

Other Elvirtein nobles were quite kind, so she’d just brushed it off, but remarks like this were a bit…  

‘If I’m not careful, I’ll just fall for him.’  

If she didn’t address it, she felt she’d be frustrated forever. Dione instinctively sensed that. Her late grandmother, the will telling her to marry, and the man who seemed perfectly prepared for her, matching her tastes.  

Kind, gentle, considerate, unselfish, diligent in self-care. Even their hobbies, wake-up times, and tastes matched hers uncannily well.  

As she was thinking this, Raihan suddenly changed the subject and spoke again.  

“What did you talk about with the Crown Prince yesterday?”  

After saying that, he seemed unsure and added, ‘Ah, if it’s something I shouldn’t know, you don’t have to tell me.’  

But the conversation with Durant yesterday wasn’t state secret or anything. He’d just said things her grandmother might have said while alive. Even if he knew the contents of the will, why was he so insistent?  

‘Did someone else suggest marrying me again?’  

“Oh, it was nothing much. He just called me over and asked why I wasn’t getting married…”  

“You looked just like this.”  

Seeing Raihan mimic her expression from yesterday’s talk with Durant made Dione burst out laughing. Then, as if that was exactly what he’d wanted, Raihan slowly reached out and gently brushed aside the hair tickling her cheek, smiling at her.