“I really liked Hans though…”

Clearly, Duke Erpeso had taken a strong liking to Hans, considering he was less than thrilled about the engagement with the prince.

‘Don’t worry. I have no intention of letting go of Hans either.’

The words I couldn’t bring myself to say were swallowed back down.

“I won’t add more about your engagement with the prince.”

“Really?”

“I’m planning to step down from the position of head of the house soon, so Finley will have to handle it.”

Was this passing the buck? The sight of a father entrusting his child with a significant family matter was rather heartwarming.

And to think he was considering stepping down already was unexpected.

“Isn’t it too early for you to step down?”

“Finley is of age where marriage wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Indeed, that was true. By the standards here, Finley was even slightly past the typical age for marriage.

It seemed he planned to marry off Finley and pass on the title of head of the house. Not a bad plan.

“Speaking of marriage…”

Had he talked about Selena?

Before I could express my doubts, Duke Erpeso spoke.

“We’ll have to start looking for a suitable match. It won’t take long.”

He hadn’t mentioned it. They had been having meals together all this time, so what were they doing if not discussing this?

“That…”

“…?”

“It’s nothing.”

It was their business, and it felt slightly intrusive to meddle. I started to say something but eventually decided against it.

‘…They’ll handle it.’

Still, it left a nagging feeling.

* * *

After the conversation with Duke Erpeso, I stepped out of the office to find Finley glaring at me.

“Explain what’s going on.”

“I was about to ask you the same.”

Until a moment ago, I might have just scratched my head and let it go, but things had changed. Now, I had some questions for Finley too.

“When are you planning to tell Father?”

Finley flinched at my words. Clearly hit a nerve.

“Father is thinking about stepping down soon.”

“Already?”

“He’s also looking for your fiancée.”

“…….”

“You’d better hurry. Before Selena hears about it from someone else.”

Finley had no response to my advice.

That was enough advice from a sister. Leaving Finley to his thoughts, I headed to my room. I wanted some rest.

‘Oh, before that.’

The image of a worried Selena came to mind.

I could ignore Finley, but not Selena. I treat others the way they treat me.

Before heading to my room, I decided to visit Selena’s room first.

“Sister!”

“Hello.”

Before I could even knock, Selena burst out of her room, tightly grasping my hand.

“Did Father scold you a lot?”

“No, I wasn’t scolded at all.”

“……”

It was the truth, but Selena clearly didn’t believe it. She must have thought I was lying to keep her from worrying.

“Sit down, Selena. I’ll tell you what happened.”

Her eyes widened at my words. Perhaps she wasn’t expecting me to share.

“But keep it a secret from everyone else.”

“Of course!”

Selena quickly sat down.

I too took a seat opposite her and started my tale.

“The truth is, you were right.”

“What?”

“I was threatened by Prince Jamon. He said if I wanted to protect our family, I’d have to get engaged to him.”

“What?!”

Selena gasped in shock and then quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

Even though she knew we were alone, she glanced around cautiously.

“…This absolutely must remain a secret.”

“Of course.”

I could trust Selena with maintaining confidentiality. We had that level of trust.

“Don’t worry, I’m still meeting Hans in secret.”

“Is that really okay?”

“Of course it’s not.”

I had already done so many things that were out of the ordinary. What difference would one more make?

“I don’t think it’s good… given the current situation.”

Selena voiced her opinion timidly. It was refreshing to encounter someone with common sense.

“Let’s make a promise then.”

I held out my pinky to Selena.

“You talk to Father, and I’ll talk to Prince Jamon.”

We both had secrets to keep, and these were matters that needed resolving as quickly as possible.

Selena hesitated but eventually linked her pinky with mine. We made a clumsy promise.

“Oh, and one more thing…”

“Yes?”

“…Never mind. It can wait.”

Seeing Selena’s innocent expression made me hold back. The farewell could wait for another time. There would be another opportunity.

* * *

Using the teleport scroll, I was able to return in just one day. Magic really was convenient.

Back in my room, Hans was exactly as I left him.

“You’re back?”

“You’ve been working this whole time?”

“Yeah.”

While he did sleep beside me when I was resting, the ability to skip meals and work continuously was nothing short of miraculous.

“Don’t you get claustrophobic staying in all day?”

“Whether I work in the office or here, it’s all the same.”

Hans seemed genuinely unbothered. While I wasn’t particularly active myself, Hans was on another level. But given the situation, there wasn’t much that could be done.

It was late into the night now. I approached Hans and tugged at his clothes.

“Let’s go out, even if just for now. Don’t you need some fresh air?”

“It’s okay, you must be tired. Go to sleep.”

“Let’s not stay in, even if it’s just for a brief moment. Okay?”

Perhaps it was because I felt a sense of guilt for Hans being cooped up in the room, I insisted a little more persistently.

Hans gave a small smile, as if conceding, and stood up.

It wasn’t completely deserted even at dawn, but there were definitely fewer people around than during the day.

Still, to be on the safe side, Hans was dressed in the uniform of a royal guard.

Hans seemed a bit uncomfortable in the uniform as he adjusted it in front of the mirror.

‘Bates looks good too, but Hans in this uniform is the best.’

I watched Hans with a content smile. When else would I get to see my boyfriend dressed as a knight? I decided to fully enjoy the moment.

“I’m glad I got hold of this just in case.”

“Who gave it to you?”

“Irmin.”

Hans sighed, almost as if he expected that.

Now, even if we encountered servants along the way, it wouldn’t seem odd. They’d probably just think a royal guard was out for a night stroll with me.

The only thing to avoid was running into someone who recognized Hans’s face.

‘But at this hour, that’s unlikely.’

We weren’t planning to be out for long, just an hour or two. It was unlikely anything would happen.

“Ready to go?”

It was a rare date for us.

* * *

Hans and I walked side by side down the palace corridors. Besides the occasional guard stationed at doors, there were hardly any people.

“I want to hold your hand, but that wouldn’t be appropriate, right?”

“Obviously.”

Hans seemed more conscious of the watchful eyes than I was.

It’s nice that he’s looking out for me, but sometimes, a little thrill like this on a date can be fun.

‘We’ll have plenty of time to hold hands once we’re back in the room.’

I decided to hold off for a little while.

The dawn stroll was more enjoyable than I had anticipated. Just having Hans by my side made me feel incredibly uplifted.

“Hans.”

“Yeah.”

“I think I like you too much. It’s a problem.”

“…….”

Hans, who was always at a loss for words when it came to such confessions, simply averted his gaze. I couldn’t help but smile mischievously at his reaction.

We settled in a well-lit garden with moonlight streaming through.

It was a flower garden with a white swing bench. Nearby, a lamp, lit by magic, illuminated the area.

“There’s a place like this here.”

“I found it.”

Whenever I had some free time, I roamed around the palace looking for secluded and beautiful spots. This garden was one of those discoveries.

We were used to being just the two of us, but being in a new place made it feel novel.

I was in high spirits. A hum of contentment escaped me. Spending time with someone you love is truly a joy.

Hans too seemed relaxed, perhaps enjoying the rare stroll. To others, he might seem no different than usual, but I could tell.

“Oh, I wanted to ask you something.”

It seemed like the right moment to ask something I’d been holding back.

“What is it?”

“Hans, would you prefer if I didn’t reincarnate?”

It might have been too direct a question, as Hans didn’t respond immediately.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“…I guess it’s best to be honest.”

“Yes.”

“I can’t deny that… I like things the way they are now.”

Certainly, our current situation allowed us to meet securely. I understood Hans’s wish to maintain the status quo.

Regardless of Hans’s feelings, I wasn’t planning to give up on reincarnation.

“I’ll look for a way.”

“What way?”

“A way to keep seeing Hans even if I reincarnate.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“There’s nothing impossible. You trust me, right? Hans.”

“…….”

His words said yes, but his expression seemed less certain.

Our hands touched accidentally, and I grabbed Hans’s hand firmly.

Our eyes met, and I naturally closed mine.

Contrary to my expectation that Hans would come closer, I sensed him suddenly standing up.

“……?”

Confused, I opened my eyes.

Hans was standing, looking intently in one direction.

“It seems that he has noticed us.”

A voice that shouldn’t be heard in this place reached us.

Startled, I followed Hans’s gaze.

There, emerging from the shadows, was Jamon.

How did Jamon get here? Confused, I asked.

“Prince Jamon, how did you….”

“Did you think you’d be left unsupervised while staying in the palace?”

Damn it, the watchful eyes of the nobility. It seemed Jamon had his own set of eyes on me.

“So, what’s this….”

Jamon glanced back and forth between Hans and me.

“Explain what’s going on here.”

It was a standoff between the three of us.