Charlotte handed the king a small dessert. When the king reached to take it, she didn’t hand over the fork, making it clear she intended to feed him herself. 

The king smiled at his fiancée’s coyness and opened his mouth slightly. After swallowing the dessert she fed him, the king placed a bite-sized piece of fruit into her mouth.

Charlotte’s cheeks flushed again. It was a pleasant sight. Ann turned her gaze away from the two of them and looked at the summer flowers in full bloom. 

The garden hadn’t changed much in thirteen years. If she married and left the palace, she would no longer be able to enjoy this garden called “Midsummer’s Luxury.”

Ann didn’t feel particularly regretful about that. She had always thought everything in the royal palace was too much for her. The king… no, Lennox was the same.

Lennox was also an extravagance beyond her station. Through coincidence upon coincidence, she had arrived at this point, but wasn’t her status one that couldn’t dare face him directly? 

At times, Ann felt like everything related to him was choking her.

So he was no different from this splendid summer garden. For Ann, her love for him was an inappropriate emotion, an excessive indulgence. A heaven that could be torn away at any moment. A man who was hers yet not hers… 

‘My love who could never become my lover. My old friend and family.’

“Ann.”

Her name was called. Ann turned her head to look at him.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I’m not thinking about anything.”

Ann murmured dryly. The king’s violet eyes narrowed. Ann turned her gaze away, avoiding him.

* * *

Ann was the king’s maid. While it was quite rare for a king to personally keep a maid, it wasn’t entirely without precedent. However, in such cases, the maid’s status was typically that of high nobility, or at the very least, she needed to be the daughter of a low-ranking official.

Moreover, a king’s maid generally referred to a lady-in-waiting who attended to the king’s bedchamber. Put simply, it meant the king’s mistress.

However, Ann was not the king’s mistress. Furthermore, she was a commoner with no connections to even lower nobility, and she was an orphan. 

Naturally, there were many who viewed Ann’s existence unfavorably. Whether noble or servant, regardless of status, the majority of the court took issue with her low birth and ambiguous position.

‘It would have been better if I’d just stayed as the Queen Dowager’s maid… Why did Lennox take me away?’

She couldn’t understand him. In truth, she didn’t want to understand. If he had understood Ann even a little—no, if he had been considerate—he wouldn’t have placed her in such a position. 

Ann touched the edge of her embroidery with a gloomy expression.

Since her mind was uneasy, even her needlework was a mess. If it were something for her own use, that would be one thing. 

Or if it were something to share with friends, that would have been fine, but this embroidered lace was meant as a birthday gift for Duchess Valenska of Tulip Palace.

“…I don’t need anything grand. A gift is about conveying one’s feelings. But if I had to choose a gift I’d like to receive from you, it would be your beautiful embroidered lace.”

“Would that really be enough?”

“My goodness. You know how popular your embroidered lace is among the noble ladies, don’t you? And didn’t you recently gift Sophia some Argentan lace?”

Ann saw a woman with particularly sharp features stiffen her thin lips and stare at her. The emotion seemed closer to jealousy than anger, but Ann didn’t know what to do with herself. 

Helena de Valenska—that is, Duchess Valenska—was Queen Dowager Ingrid’s maternal cousin and the only person the Queen Dowager could truly trust and rely on.

She was also someone who had raised Ann alongside the Queen Dowager for a long time. Even so, she was never a comfortable person to be around…

“I gave that to Countess Hervonne because she wanted my embroidered lace as a birthday gift…”

“So give me one too.”

The woman smiled. Ann nodded. Making embroidered lace wasn’t difficult. But she wondered if it would truly be enough.

The monthly salary Ann received as a maid wasn’t much. Since they only selected daughters of high-ranking officials with considerable status and wealth, there were also many maids who worked without pay.

Given the circumstances, the money Ann received each month wasn’t much either. In terms of amount, it was only slightly more than what her late mother had earned doing housekeeping or laundry work. 

Perhaps sufficient for a commoner, but woefully inadequate as pocket money for a noble lady.

In such a situation, choosing a dignified gift for a noblewoman’s birthday wasn’t easy. In the case of Sophia—that is, Countess Hervonne—given her personality, she had probably said it casually, considering Ann’s difficult circumstances. 

But to ask for the same thing… Had she also said it with Ann’s situation in mind?

“…And to think I can only manage something like this.”

She sighed. For a gift meant for a duchess’s birthday, it was far too shabby. And in the midst of that shabbiness, the needlework had become sparse and messy. Ann slumped her shoulders and tossed aside the embroidery. She would have to start over.

Ann trudged to the bed and flopped down, muttering.

“This is all Lennox’s fault.”

Thinking about Lennox seemed to drain her energy. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. The more she thought about what happened three days ago, the worse she felt. 

More accurately, it would be right to say she felt melancholy. If that were the case, she should try to improve her melancholy mood, but she couldn’t even do that.

Because she didn’t know the exact reason. Was it because Lennox caught her trying to go on a date with a man? Or was it because Charlotte subtly kept her in check? 

Or was it because Botloch had been terrified of her since that day? Or was it because she saw Lennox and Charlotte’s cozy scene together?

No, none of those. Especially not the last assumption. Absolutely not. Ann had been by Lennox and Charlotte’s side for a long time. 

Charlotte had been Lennox’s fiancée since she was very young. Lennox had become engaged to her when he was five years old, so they had a very long-standing relationship.

Lennox had also met Ann when they were young, but Charlotte had been by Lennox’s side even longer than she had. 

Moreover, Lennox had never once considered filling his queen’s position with anyone other than Charlotte. Even three years ago when ‘that incident’ happened. Lennox…

“Hey, Lennox. Do you, do you like Miss Charlotte?”

“Hm?”

A memory from a day in their very young childhood surfaced. It was not long after she had entered the palace. The winter marking exactly one year since she met Lennox. 

The prince, whose frame had become slightly more masculine than the previous winter, looked up at her. His violet eyes were more beautiful than cornflowers in full summer bloom.

“Miss Char—Miss Charlotte, I mean. Do you…”

“I like her. Charlotte is a good lady. She’s more than suitable to become queen.”

Lennox grinned. Ann’s expression stiffened slightly at that smile. Unable to compose her face, she lowered her head and whispered, “I see,” but her wounded heart didn’t calm down. 

Why had she thought Lennox didn’t like Charlotte? Like nobles typically did. She had thought they were marrying for strategic reasons.

It was a pathetic and vulgar thought. She felt ashamed of herself for thinking such things about kind Miss Charlotte and Lennox. Ann turned her back on him in shame. 

She hastily made excuses about having tasks assigned by Duchess Valenska. When she tried to leave, Lennox asked where she was going. He insisted on coming along.

Ann pretended to find him bothersome and tried to shake him off somehow. But Lennox never left her side.

“Are you in a bad mood? Why?”

Lennox, who had followed her all the way to his mother’s palace, asked. It seemed foolish to keep asking the same question repeatedly. Ann replied that there was no way she could be in a bad mood. Nevertheless, Lennox didn’t stop pressing.

“Then why do you look like that? Did I do something wrong?”

A prince saying he did something “wrong.” Ann found him fascinating. He who had been endlessly arrogant toward others—whether his mother or his fiancée—anyone but her. 

Even with Charlotte, Lennox didn’t cater to her mood. Yet here he was with that face and that attitude. Ann couldn’t understand Lennox.

“No. You should hurry and go study.”

“I don’t have lessons today.”

“That military studies teacher, Vilmo-something or Gilmo-something…”

“Sir Vilmore went down to his hometown two days ago because his mother is gravely ill. He’ll be back in four days.”

“Then…”

“More importantly, why are you sulking? You were fine when we were sledding.”

Lennox said, furrowing his brow. Ann lost her words and fumbled with her lips. She didn’t know what to say in response. 

‘Because you said you like your fiancée… So I’m sulking?’

She could never say that, even if it killed her.

Ann turned her head. Fortunately, she heard Duchess Valenska calling for her in the distance.

Ann turned around feeling like she’d met her savior. Lennox’s face crumpled when he saw her brightening expression.