“Allow me to introduce you. This is Hendrik of Ansonaisen, His Highness Prince Ansonaisen.”

 Said the Duke of Schutzman, introducing the man beside him to the woman.

She widened her eyes in surprise and raised her skirt to perform a formal curtsy.

“It is an honour to meet you, Your Highness. I am Edna Maybelle Osborne, the eldest daughter of the Osborne family.”

“Ah… Osborne.”
Looking at the woman’s picture-perfect smile, which seemed almost painted on, Hendrik suddenly remembered the title of the play: A Love That Cannot Be.

It was as if someone had anticipated this moment and chosen the title to reflect their situation exactly.

“So you are that Osborne.”

Even when he spoke with deliberate meaning, the woman’s smile remained unshaken.

This blonde woman was the person the Empress had mentioned so often, drilling it into his ears, when she adopted him as her son. It was her name that had prompted Robert to act swiftly upon hearing that Hendrik was returning to the Empire.

She was also the pure-blooded half-sister of Henrietta, who was now standing beside him, trembling slightly but holding her head high.

“It’s an honour to be remembered.”

Hendrik gave her a slight nod in return. Meanwhile, Robert’s burning gaze was fixed on Henrietta.

As the Duke of Schutzman — a man with the power to drop birds from the sky — he had no reason to care about appearances, even if she were his fiancée.

Nevertheless, Robert’s stare was too blatant. It was the look of a man on the edge, like a husband confronting a wife who had just been caught cheating.

Henrietta was doing her best to avoid the duke’s gaze. She was completely unaware that her ears and the back of her neck were steadily turning red.

Hendrik deliberately bent his arm and held it out to her. After glancing between his arm and his face for a moment, she hesitantly placed her hand on his arm.

Her fingertips trembled faintly and pitifully as they barely touched his arm.

“There’s no need for introductions – I’m sure everyone here knows each other well enough.”

“…”

“Well, then. We’ll be on our way. We were just about to head out.”

Hendrik gently drew his arm in, prompting Henrietta to move alongside him.

Her manners were impeccable, whatever the situation. But that didn’t get her very far.

Henrietta’s steps halted abruptly when the Duke of Schutzman seized her wrist.

‘So this is how deep it goes.’

This is the extent of his feelings for her.

Suppressing a smirk, he slowly closed his eyes.

He had teased the duke slightly to see how he would react, but he hadn’t expected him to reveal such obvious vulnerability, especially in front of a rival for the imperial throne.

“Come to my office. Now. We need to talk.”

Hendrik watched Henrietta clench her jaw, reminding him that this melodrama was far from over. He slowly tilted his head and turned his gaze towards Robert.

“Duke, even if this is your estate and she is your employee, this seems rather discourteous. I doubt all our customs have changed just because I was away from the Empire for a while.”

“…”

“Did you not hear what I just said?”

His tone was flat and devoid of emotion, but it was enough to make Henrietta flinch visibly.

“Let go of her.”

Ah. Henrietta had never seen Robert obey anyone’s command before.

The tension between the two men was suffocating, like something sharp passing back and forth in the air. Just when it became unbearable, Hendrik let out a faint chuckle.

“Unless it’s a matter of life and death, I’d say now’s a good time to take a step back. Don’t you agree?”

His light and casual tone made the coldness from moments ago seem imagined.

“Well then, we’ll be going.”

Hendrik strode purposefully forward and Henrietta hurried to keep up with quick, mincing steps. Only then did Robert slowly release her wrist, which he had been holding until that moment.

She felt an overwhelming urge to look back, but instead she held her head high and steadied herself.

Walking down the corridor with the arm of a man she had just met felt like embarking on a grand adventure. She had no idea what would happen next, but for now, at least, she felt a strange kind of courage, as if none of it really mattered.

Soon, the two of them stepped out into the garden, where the first hues of sunset had begun to appear.

Hendrik quietly observed the top of Henrietta’s head, which rose and fell slightly as she struggled to suppress her emotions. The red glow of dusk deepened as it touched her crimson hair.

Suddenly, Hendrik felt the urge to glance down at the woman beside him. Resisting that temptation, Hendrik asked.

“Did I act too presumptuously?”

“No.”

Henrietta’s response came without a second’s hesitation.

“In fact, I feel even more grateful than I did when you saved me at the lake.”

She let out a long breath and gave him a bright, sincere smile, as if she wanted him to see the truth in her words.

As he watched the relief spread across her face, Hendrik realised that the first act of A Love That Cannot Be had finally drawn to a close.

Whether he would become a significant character in this play remained to be seen.

“Are you heading back to your room?”

“No, I’m going out.”

On looking again, he saw that although her attire wasn’t drastically different to what she wore indoors, she was indeed dressed for an outing.

Hendrik glanced up at the sky to show her how late it was.

“You’re right. It’s been longer than I thought, so I’ll have to forget about going back for my hat. The carriage has been waiting for quite a while.”

Henrietta stepped forward to create some distance between them so that she could face him properly.

He had saved her twice from dangerous situations, and she wanted to say goodbye properly.

“Well then, I’ll be off…”

“Just a moment, please. I was planning to go out as well.”

“Pardon?”

Once again, his words took her by surprise.

“Would you mind giving me a lift in your carriage?”

“…”

“Please wait—I’ll just grab my coat. It won’t take long.”

***

Henrietta found it hard to accept the situation.

The standard carriage she had hired was poorly suspended and far from luxurious. Even this felt extravagant to her, but it was certainly not the kind of vehicle a royal should travel in.

Without waiting for her response, Hendrik turned and went back inside, returning moments later with a coat, just as he had promised.

He followed her alone, with no attendants or aides, and showed no visible reaction when he saw the shabby carriage.

With his signature smile, he simply extended his hand to her.

It was such a refined gesture that she felt as though she were boarding a royal carriage rather than a worn-out hired one.

Once they were inside, he quietly looked out of the window. His tousled black hair fluttered slightly in the breeze coming in through the half-open window.

“I’m heading to Haytesfield Central Station.”

“And you, Your Highness? If it’s somewhere else, that’s fine. I don’t mind going out of the way – just tell me where and I’ll take you there first.”

“At this time of night, I doubt you’re catching a train.”

Hendrik swept a hand through his hair and turned towards her.

“Ah, I’m meeting a property agent there.”

“A property agent?”

“Yes. I’ve decided to move out of the Schutzman estate.”

He looked at her for a moment — longer than expected.

“Then I’ll come with you.”

“Pardon?”

“I happen to be heading that way, too. It isn’t easy for a woman to find a place on her own.”

“Oh, no, that’s really not necessary…”

Having said he would accompany her, however, Hendrik turned his gaze back to the window, signalling his unwillingness to continue the conversation.

He remained polite, but there was a sharpness to his demeanour that left no room for further protest.

So, almost before she could process what was happening, Henrietta found herself heading to a property agent’s office with a royal by her side.

The office was located on the second floor of an old building not far from the central station.

The exterior of the wooden commercial building showed signs of numerous repairs, and it was clear that the agency had been operating from the same location for a long time — long enough to seem trustworthy.

The moment Henrietta stepped inside, the agent started complaining about being kept waiting for so long. However, as soon as Hendrik appeared behind her, the agent fell completely silent.

She realised then just how true Hendrik’s words had been. House hunting wasn’t easy for a woman alone.

Nevertheless, Henrietta shook her head in disbelief.

Who would have thought that she would end up looking for a house with a member of the royal family?

Hendrik walked alongside the agent as if he were searching for a place for them to live together.

On the way to the property, the agent kept stealing glances at Hendrik, prompting Henrietta to do the same.

Above his neatly groomed black hair, the moon had risen.

It hung faintly in the dusky sky, not yet fully glowing, and looking as though it had been sliced perfectly in half with a ruler.

Then their eyes met. Perhaps because everything felt so surreal, time itself seemed to flow in quiet stillness in that moment.

“This way.”

Startled back to reality by his voice, Henrietta fixed her gaze ahead, where only a few scattered lamps lit the path.

At the end of the path stood a modest, single-storey house.

Henrietta took to it instantly.

It had a small yard with a functional well. The freshly painted white fence looked sturdy enough, and for someone living alone, the house seemed to have everything she needed.

While she stood there, mesmerised, taking it all in, Hendrik strode confidently into the yard.

He was merely stretching his neck to get a better view of the house, yet Henrietta stiffened as though awaiting the results of a difficult test.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who could sense the tension – the estate agent beside her cleared his throat and stepped towards Hendrik.