Chapter – 07
“If making you my concubine could solve this, it would actually be easier.”
But it wasn’t that simple—it was even harder. Just because he had spent one night with Rona didn’t mean she would love him the way he wanted. Was caring about someone’s heart always this difficult and complicated? Sometimes, even when she was right beside him, just thinking about her made Ireon feel as if his throat were tightening.
He gently pulled a blanket over Rona. As if satisfied, she hugged the blanket and fell into a deeper sleep.
“How is it that even your presence is this lovely…”
Even though he knew that when morning came she would chatter beside him all day again, he still didn’t want to send her back to her room—not even while she slept.
“Good night, Rona.”
Ireon closed his eyes. Whether they were open or shut didn’t matter right now. Rona was beside him.
If one were to name the most elegant buildings in the Imperial Palace, the first would undoubtedly be the Sun Palace where the Emperor resided, and the second would be the Crystal Palace used by the Crown Prince.
The Sun Palace, built of white marble with gold ornamentation, created a perfect contrast between restraint and splendor. The Crystal Palace, on the other hand, wasn’t named because it was made of actual crystal, but because the entire building was constructed from expensive glass, making it look like one massive crystal.
A single palm-sized pane of that glass cost about a noble household servant’s weekly wage. Yet the Crystal Palace used enormous panes taller than a person to completely encase the exterior. It was impossible to even imagine how luxurious such a residence was.
Late at night, candlelight flickered behind the opaque double-layered glass, glowing brightly like a lone torch in the dark.
Inside that noble building, Sabiel was drinking. He had already emptied several bottles of strong liquor and was thoroughly drunk.
“Where is Karina?”
When he asked, his adjutant bowed his head and replied:
“She arrived safely at the Count’s residence.”
“Good.”
After the brief praise, Sabiel asked again:
“And the ones who said they saw Elysia?”
“Yes. As ordered, they’ve been brought.”
An elderly couple in ragged clothes, their eyes covered, were dragged in.
“Please spare us! Please spare us!”
“Be quiet.”
The adjutant forced them to kneel before Sabiel.
“Remove the blindfold.”
At Sabiel’s command, the cloth was taken off. Dazed by the sudden light, they blinked for a moment before seeing Sabiel. Immediately, they were horrified and pressed their foreheads to the floor.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Your Highness.”
“Raise your heads.”
They were a forest-keeper couple who lived in the Kineph Forest near Laurel Lake.
“Have you seen this woman?”
At Sabiel’s gesture, the adjutant showed them a finely drawn portrait. Golden hair flowing like honey, violet eyes like amethyst, and a pale beautiful face like an angel descended from heaven. It looked completely different from the crude wanted posters distributed by the temple.
“Y-yes, that’s her.”
“I was the one who found her. She had washed up by the lakeside. At first I thought she was dead.”
“Where did she go?”
The forest-keeper’s wife answered:
“It was about half a year ago. She stayed in our cabin for a few days, then said she couldn’t impose any longer and asked to be taken to the city. When we went toward Kruger territory, we dropped her off at the lord’s castle.”
“And after that?”
“We’ve never seen her again.”
“If you’re lying, you’ll pay dearly.”
The adjutant threatened them. The couple desperately bowed again.
“We are not lying!”
“How could we dare lie to Your Highness?”
“Enough. You may go.”
After they were dragged away, Sabiel muttered:
“So she didn’t die after all.”
“What should we do with them?” the adjutant asked.
Sabiel answered coldly:
“We can’t leave them alive.”
After all, they had seen Elysia after she fell into Laurel Lake.
“As you command.”
When even the adjutant left, Sabiel smiled.
“If you’re alive, I will find you no matter what… Elysia.”
His gleaming eyes carried the obsession of a madman.
Ireon had no way of knowing how much time had passed. Sleep would not come. Perhaps it was because the butler had stirred up his thoughts with uncomfortable truths.
Hah… I’ve stayed up all night.
He listened to Rona’s soft breathing. It seemed like dawn was about to break.
“Mm… Lord Ireon?”
Rona called him in a sleepy voice.
“I was reading to you last night… why did I fall asleep here?”
Ireon was speechless. It wasn’t the first time she had fallen asleep while reading to him—the butler often scolded him about it—but she had never asked him about it so directly.
“Well… that is…”
As he awkwardly stumbled over his words, Rona said in a teasing tone:
“Did you hate sending me away that much?”
Then her small hand reached toward him, signaling her touch. Her fingertips tapped his shoulder, gradually moving toward the buttons of his shirt. Ireon swallowed nervously.
“You’re such an easy person, my lord.”
Easy? I find you impossibly difficult.
“You show everything so clearly.”
“I do?”
“Yes.”
He heard her laugh.
“You like me, don’t you?”
“…You knew?”
“How could I not? I told you—it shows.”
Soon her warm hand gently brushed his hair back. That single touch made chills run down his spine.
“What do you want from me?”
“I… want to keep you by my side for a long time.”
…Until I die. He swallowed the rest, afraid of burdening her.
Rona burst into laughter.
“That’s a lie.”
“What?”
“That’s not what you really want.”
Then he felt the sensation of her unfastening a button on his sleepwear.
“You wish I’d become your concubine, don’t you?”
Hearing those words from her carried a different weight.
“That’s what you’re hoping for, right?”
“No. I…”
Was it really not true? Had he never wished for a moment like this? Cold sweat seemed to form.
“Really?”
Rona wrapped her arms around his neck. Her slender body pressed against him. It felt completely different from when he had once caught her as she fell in the park.
This time, she had started it.
Carefully, Ireon embraced her back. A sweet, fresh scent like cherry blossoms rose from her. Like a starving man, he pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent greedily. When she leaned toward him slightly, that same fragrance brushed past him again.
Only after breathing her in did it truly feel real that Rona was in his arms.
“Rona.”
“Yes?”
“I have no intention of doing whatever I want with you.”
“Then what?”
“…Hah.”
He let out a long breath, hot even as it left his lips.
“…May I at least kiss you?”
He hadn’t even properly confessed yet. Could he really steal a kiss first? Even now, he despised himself for sounding like a disciplined soldier asking permission.
“Just once would be enough.”
At least, that was his honest feeling.
“Lord Ireon.”
Instead of answering, Rona pressed her lips softly against his cheek and the tip of his nose as if giving him a signal. Unable to endure any longer, Ireon laid her gently onto the bed and, with trembling hands, searched for her lips.
Tracing the face he had once touched at Café Cardinal, he found the place where he wanted to press his lips. Her kiss was so sweet that the moment their lips met, he regretted ever saying just once would be enough.
“Ah… Lord Ireon. I like you too.”
At that moment, he woke up.
“…It was a dream.”
Self-loathing washed over him.
Rona stirred sleepily. She had slept well. If not for the unfamiliar body pillow she was hugging. It was warm, firm, slightly soft, and perfectly comfortable to drape her leg over.
“Gasp!”
Her eyes flew open in shock. The thing she had been hugging was her noble master himself.
H-how did I end up sleeping with Ireon…?
The last thing she remembered was reading to him.
Why didn’t I go back to my room?
Sleeping this deeply in someone else’s bed—she felt terrified someone might see. She tried to quietly slip away, but just as she had been holding him tightly, his arm was firmly wrapped around her waist.
As she tried to pry his arm away—
“Are you letting go now?”
His slightly husky voice came from above her. She froze.
“L-Lord Ireon…”
She trembled. Her leg was still draped over his thigh. Acting as if nothing were wrong, Ireon yawned and rubbed his eyes, gently patting her back as if reassuring her. Her eyes wavered.
“D-did you sleep well?”
Since he seemed calm, she tried to greet him normally.
“I didn’t sleep.”
“What?”
“You have terrible sleeping habits.”
“Hahaha…”
She tried to get up quickly, but he didn’t release her.
“Lord Ireon?”
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
Still holding her, he shifted slightly. His face was now so close his breath touched her forehead.
“What is it?”
“What color is your face right now?”
“…What?”
“Are your cheeks red or something?”
Not understanding, she blinked. His large hand carefully touched her cheek. His calloused fingers gently traced her face, as if trying to feel the heat of a blush.
What a strange thing to wonder about.
He was clearly teasing her.
“Chocolate colored.”
“Chocolate?”
“I told you my skin is on the darker side. Add red to that and you get the picture. I’m very embarrassed right now, sir. This humble servant will take her leave.”
She tried to pull her leg off him.
Huh?
Then she noticed something she hadn’t before. Structurally speaking… her eyes drifted toward the lower half of his body beneath the blanket.
“Ah—wait.”
Ireon suddenly inhaled sharply. She froze. As if he could see her gaze, he clutched the blanket defensively.
“H-ha… ha…”
Rona laughed awkwardly and carefully moved away. Respecting her master’s private boundaries was an important duty of a maid. Yet she had just seen… that.
She sighed. After a moment of awkward silence, she complained:
“You should’ve woken me up.”
That would have avoided this embarrassment.
“I tried. You didn’t wake up.”
“Oh… I see.”
That was believable. No matter how easy the job seemed, it was still physical work. In her previous life she had worked in an office, but now she was doing hands-on labor. The memories of the certifications she had worked so hard for and her exam days flashed through her mind.
Looking at the clock, it was still early dawn. The mansion was quiet—others hadn’t woken yet.
“Then I’ll just go back to my room…”
As she tried to get up—
“!”
Her eyes widened in shock. Because of her rough sleeping habits, the knot of her sleepwear had come undone. The fabric slipped down, exposing her shoulder.
