Chapter 20
Hernan shook his head.
It seemed nothing had happened so far. That was a relief.
I fell silent for a moment. I couldn’t quite figure out what I should say.
When I, who had been chattering nonstop, suddenly went quiet for a few minutes, Hernan looked down at me.
“Linzel.”
I answered calmly.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Gakt is someone I trust… but I won’t simply ignore what you said either.”
“Your Highness….”
“So I hope you won’t be too disappointed.”
It seemed Hernan had mistaken my silence for disappointment. For someone known as a war demon, his consideration was unexpectedly warm.
I rubbed my cheek lightly against his chest. It was my unspoken way of expressing that I was touched.
Every time I did, Hernan let out a dry little cough. “Ahem….”
Why did it look like his neck was turning red?
As soon as Hernan and I entered my room, Mini brought in tea.
I had already instructed her to do so when we arrived at the duke’s residence.
We dismissed everyone. Mini and Gakt left into the hallway without a word.
Soon, only the two of us remained in the room.
Hernan still held me in his arms, standing there stiffly. His gaze wandered around my room, as if unsure of what to do or where to begin.
If that was the case, it was only natural for me to guide him.
“Please put me down on the bed.”
At that, Hernan asked in a faintly trembling voice,
“Again… the bed?”
The reason I chose the bed was the same as before.
First, the sofa in my room was small. It would be uncomfortable for someone as big as Hernan.
And I preferred the bed anyway.
We could sit facing each other up close.
“Do you not like it?”
Instead of answering, Hernan started walking.
His destination was my bed.
He carefully set me down, as if handling fragile glass.
I sat down first and gestured to him.
“Your Highness, please come up as well. The sofa would be uncomfortable for you.”
“Then I shall accept your offer.”
Hernan climbed onto the bed and sat across from me, like someone who didn’t know how to refuse.
Even though the bed was spacious, he still looked visibly uncomfortable. With his large hands, he fidgeted with his pants, seemingly bothered by how tight they were.
He endured discomfort just to look good.
Wasn’t that far too adorable?
“Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
“So, what will you wear for me next time?”
Hernan thought about it seriously.
“Well… I haven’t decided yet.”
“Then shall we choose together?”
“That’s a good idea.”
But really—
A cloak, a shirt, trousers… were there even that many clothing options to choose from?
I was just about to imagine what he’d look like wearing a stylish hat when—
Hernan’s gentle expression suddenly hardened. His brows furrowed as his face turned serious.
“…Linzel.”
His voice was low.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“It seems someone is near the door.”
“What? Really?”
I hadn’t sensed anything at all.
But that didn’t mean I doubted him.
He was a born warrior. His senses were far sharper than mine.
“Wait here.”
Despite his large build, Hernan silently slipped down from the bed and walked toward the door with the quiet steps of a cat.
Watching him made even me feel tense.
He pressed his ear against the door, as if measuring something.
An inexplicable tension filled the air.
All I could do was hold my breath.
After a while, Hernan came back.
“I’m not sure who it was, but it seems they’ve gone elsewhere.”
“Hmm… could it have been my maid or your aide?”
Hernan shook his head.
“They left as soon as we dismissed them. They likely went to the reception room.”
There was no concrete proof, but once again, I trusted his judgment.
His composed face, his vivid red eyes, his firm voice—everything about him made me trust him unconditionally.
“Then maybe another servant?”
Hernan gave an uncertain answer.
“Perhaps.”
In the end, he didn’t give a definite conclusion.
And yet, why did it feel like he knew something?
Rike used a plausible excuse to send Linzel’s maids away. They wouldn’t be coming back for a while.
She checked the hallway several times. It was empty, filled with an eerie stillness.
Rike carefully made her way down the corridor.
She stopped in front of Linzel’s room, which was next to her own.
Pressing her ear to the door, she listened.
Soon, she could hear Linzel and Hernan talking.
Linzel had a rather loud voice, so her words came through clearly—like when she suggested sitting on the bed.
It seemed the two of them were chatting comfortably together.
‘The two of them… things are going well. Just as planned.’
Rike continued listening.
Of course, if she asked Linzel what they talked about, Linzel would answer honestly.
Even so, Rike wanted to hear it directly. Every word. Vividly.
‘This time, I have to succeed.’
At that moment, a faint noise echoed from the far end of the hallway.
Startled like a guilty thief, Rike flinched.
She stopped eavesdropping and quickly slipped back into her own room.
Fortunately, she didn’t encounter any servants along the way.
Leaning against the door, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew.”
After calming herself, she opened the bottom drawer of her desk.
A drawer that could never be opened without a key.
Inside was a red-covered notebook.
A notebook Linzel didn’t know about.
Rike opened it and carefully wrote down everything she had seen and heard.
When she finished, she muttered quietly,
“I want to live….”
No matter the cost.
After that strange incident, Hernan and I continued chatting casually.
Since he was the king of short answers, I carried most of the conversation.
But it didn’t feel tiring. Hernan was a great listener.
No matter what I talked about—even something like how soft Mini’s cheeks were—he listened seriously.
There was just one problem…
“…Mini, was it? I hear your cheeks are extremely soft. Now that I look, they do resemble kneaded dough.”
…He actually said that to Mini.
“And when I was young, I used to train by punching dough. A child’s hands are too soft, after all.”
…And he clenched his fist as he said it.
Of course, I knew he didn’t mean to threaten her.
But Mini turned pale and trembled like a mouse before a cat.
In the end, I had to step in and smooth things over.
After that, Mini never came into my room again.
Mini aside, I was also worried about Hernan.
As he watched Mini run away in terror, he looked strangely dejected. It seemed he felt down for unintentionally frightening her.
Now I understood why he had once asked if he seemed scary.
Had others reacted the same way toward him?
A young Hernan punching dough with his soft little fists…
I found it nothing but adorable.
Thankfully, as we continued talking, the gloom faded from his expression.
After listening to me for a while, Hernan said he needed to return to the imperial palace before evening.
I tried acting like a typical lover and whined, “Do you have to go?”
I almost gagged at myself, but it was bearable.
Hernan gently stroked my hair and said,
“Today is not the only day.”
That sounded incredibly mature.
It made me feel like a child begging for candy.
“And His Majesty the Emperor is quite strict. He values promises greatly. If I’m late or fail to attend a scheduled matter, there’s no telling what kind of reprimand I’ll face.”
He let out a deep sigh.
Delta didn’t seem like that kind of person when I spoke with him… but perhaps he was stricter with his children.
Before we parted, I brought up something I had been meaning to ask.
“Your Highness, would it be possible for the four of us—me, Rike, you, and Prince Ishar—to meet together?”
Hernan frowned the moment I mentioned Ishar’s name.
“For what reason?”
“Hmm… perhaps a gathering to get acquainted?”
It was partly for bonding, partly to clear up misunderstandings.
“…Acquainted?”
“Yes. Since we’ll be family eventually, it wouldn’t hurt to build a relationship in advance.”
Hernan repeated the word family several times. The more he did, the better his expression became.
He clearly liked the idea.
“…Very well. I’ll arrange it.”
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
Hernan smirked slightly, as if finding me cute.
“I really must be going now. No need to see me off.”
“Thank you for your consideration. Please travel safely.”
“Mm.”
Hernan turned to leave.
As he did, his broad shoulders and narrow waist stood out sharply.
‘Broad shoulders and a narrow waist…’
I hurriedly called out to him.
“Your Highness…!”
