He reached out but failed to grasp her hand.

As her body swayed, the expression Violet wore clearly conveyed her emotions.

And seeing her like this, his heart sank.

Rajaden, who had been in turmoil over his infatuation, never doubted that Violet would eventually be his.

He was that confident. He lacked nothing, be it in appearance or status.

Thus, he thought to enjoy the present moment.

But how could he possibly do that?

His emotions were in turmoil over even the smallest gesture or movement she made.

He attributed all sorts of meanings to her innocuous actions, inflating his hopes only to berate himself later.

And in the moment Violet fell into the lake, his body moved before he could think.

For the first time in all his life, he acted on pure emotion, not calculation.

What thoughts crossed his mind as he gazed at Violet, peacefully unconscious?

That he must protect her? That he didn’t want to torment her?

No, it was something more fundamental than that.

He might not be inclined to claim a person as his possession, especially the Everett Duchy’s esteemed daughter, but he found himself wanting to keep her by his side.

At the same time, he entertained the idea of being bound to her.

He longed to experience the innocence of not calculating, to feel what it means to live together with someone else’s emotions.

Jumping into the lake to rescue Violet was an action unbefitting of the empire’s crown prince.

He himself could have been in danger by leaping into the water. How dare he take such a risk?

Violet quickly lost consciousness.

Because of the dread of a death once narrowly escaped, because it was an experience she had already endured.

Only then did Rajaden realize what he had done. He fell silent.

He did nothing more than call for help, not laying a finger on her.

Though this was not his intention at all, she must have misconstrued his choice of location.

Rajaden feared the disdain Violet might hold for him because of this incident.

The old him might have thought, ‘Who are you to dare despise the crown prince?’ but this time, he felt an immeasurable fear.

Had Violet been in a worse condition, he could never have forgiven himself.

Fortunately, Violet showed no signs of distress and breathed evenly.

Rajaden gently laid her down on the grass beside the lake and placed his unsoaked outer garment over her.

He couldn’t bear to look at Violet sensibly.

It was just that kind of emotion.

While he was entangled in his thoughts, Violet fiddled with the coat covering her body.

Returning while she was still in this state was not an option—she had to borrow clothes from somewhere.

Being in the imperial palace, securing a set of clothes should be manageable, but she was not keen on the idea.

She didn’t want to expose her skin through the soaked fabric.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence followed.

It was unlikely for those working in the imperial palace to move slowly, yet this brief wait felt prolonged.

Violet did not find this awkwardness uncomfortable. Rajaden, however, felt differently.

“Ah…haha… Roen’s going to give me an earful.”

Fearing being despised and hated, yet unable to endure the silence, he made a weak attempt at humor.

Still as ever, Violet’s gaze remained indifferent.

“Is that so?”

“If Roen learns about what happened today, after already asking me if something was going on recently, he will definitely be angry. Did you know? Your older brother is terrifying when he’s angry.”

“I see.”

“…Your response seems half-hearted.”

“Not at all. I’m answering you sincerely.”

Proceeding cautiously now because she wasn’t sure about the crown prince’s true feelings, Violet responded indifferently as she looked at Rajaden.

What she encountered in that moment was a pained expression.

“Your Highness?”

“No, it’s nothing. It’s just sad to have ruined what should have been a joyful day.”

The moment she met his eyes, Rajaden’s expression changed back to normal, making her feel even more unbalanced.

Only today did Violet realize her weakness for pained expressions.

There could be various complex reasons, but she could not overlook moments when someone showed signs of being hurt.

She wouldn’t blame a bystander. Regardless of what might happen, an offender was worse than a bystander.

Still, if even one person wouldn’t just stand by and would extend a hand to someone who’s hurt, that person could be saved.

That person could overcome their wounds and stand up again.

Perhaps she herself wouldn’t have been driven to the brink.

If someone—anyone—had reached out to me…

She still harbored that feeling inside.

That’s why she couldn’t ignore Cairn either.

After all, Violet was weak to wounded eyes, and Rajaden was showing such eyes right now.

She couldn’t understand why he was acting like this, but it bothered her.