Chapter 6
There had once been a man I met by chance who was quite handsome.
At one point, just looking at his face made me think it was worth being alive.
I even met him often just to see that face.
But eventually, we broke up—and after that, I suffered from a serious aftereffect.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t forget him.
The problem was that unless someone was at least as handsome as him, my heart simply wouldn’t react anymore!
Hernan, however, was about a hundred times more handsome than that man.
His sharp nose looked like it could cut my fingers if I traced it.
His long eyelashes, fluttering occasionally, seemed to tickle my heart, and his red lips looked like ripe cherries.
I want to eat them…
Right as that thought crossed my mind, Rike shouted.
“R-Rinzel! Y-your nose!”
“Hm?”
I wiped the tip of my nose with my sleeve.
There was a red stain on it.
“N-n-nosebleed?”
It definitely wasn’t because I was sick.
I was certain it was because Hernan’s face was so overwhelmingly beautiful that it made my nose burst.
But Rike was horrified.
“I-I’ll call a doctor!”
Before I could stop her, she ran out.
If I honestly explained the reason for the nosebleed, what kind of face would Rike make?
…It seemed best to keep the truth a secret—for both of us.
This was the biggest crisis of my life.
Even worse than when I walked so much that my lungs felt like they were tearing apart.
I couldn’t control where my gaze was going—it kept drifting toward a certain man.
In a sunlit spring garden, the more I walked, the more my eyes slid to the side.
More precisely, toward the upper body of the man walking beside me.
He was wearing a white V-neck shirt, exposing his long neck, an Adam’s apple that looked like it had swallowed a hundred apples by mistake, and the hollow between his collarbones.
It was far too attractive.
On top of that, his face shone like the summer sun.
Literally glowing.
Just what kind of care had he undergone?
Everything about him was too stimulating.
I felt like I’d never be able to stop staring.
At this rate, I might end up cross-eyed.
This perfect man was none other than Hernan.
The very next morning, he came back to the duke’s estate.
We met around the same time as yesterday and were strolling through the garden.
I thought about why he had dressed up even more than before.
Then I remembered our conversation from yesterday.
He had asked—
“Aside from the cloak, is there anything you like?”
“Your face? …No, I mean—the shirt that makes your face stand out! It’s a beautiful shirt. Cough, cough.”
It was as if he had decided to fulfill every careless thing I had said.
I thought I had brushed it off well… but maybe not.
My fingertips trembled slightly.
At the same time, I wondered why he had gone this far.
Was it to impress me?
Because he fell in love with me at first sight?
But yesterday, he had only been indifferent, bragging about his cloak.
Just then, my legs suddenly weakened.
Like yesterday, it seemed walking had strained me again.
My legs wobbled, and my body tilted.
As I tried to regain balance, my heel slipped on the hem of my dress.
“Ah!”
With a short cry, I fell backward.
If I fell like this, I would definitely hit my head hard.
At that moment, Hernan’s large hand caught the back of my head.
A quick reaction, befitting a trained warrior.
But unable to overcome the momentum, he fell as well.
Thud!
“Are you hurt?”
His voice was very close.
I opened my eyes wide and looked at him—on top of me.
His face… was far too close.
The most handsome face I had seen since entering this novel was right in front of me.
He was truly handsome.
How do his eyelashes number thirty-five?
As if possessed, I reached out.
His cheek, touching my palm, was warm.
“Is this… heaven?”
If this wasn’t heaven, then what was?
His red lips parted.
“This is…”
He gently removed my hand from his cheek and continued.
“…the duke’s garden.”
Hernan… was a destroyer of romance.
“Let’s get up. Your clothes will get dirty.”
He helped me to my feet.
Once I stood properly, the real pain I hadn’t noticed hit me.
My butt hurt so much.
“So I asked—are you hurt?”
“Now that I’ve returned from heaven to reality, it does hurt a bit… but I think I’m fine. Thank you for catching me.”
He tilted his head, puzzled.
“Heaven? You keep saying that.”
I hesitated.
Should I pretend it was nonsense… or be honest?
“…It felt like heaven because I was so overwhelmed seeing Your Highness’s magnificent face up close.”
Wait.
I meant to just think that—did I really say it out loud?
“…?!”
I was startled.
But the words were already out.
I carefully observed his reaction.
Instead of being offended—
He was blushing.
“….”
His pale face made the redness even more noticeable.
It was adorable.
“So heaven… means a place of happiness?”
I nodded.
“I see. Then…”
Suddenly, his face came closer.
“…!”
Too bright!
He stared straight at me, close enough that our breaths touched.
Then he asked—
“What do you think?”
As if he wanted me to admire his face.
As if he wanted me to be happy.
With a face like that in front of me, ignoring it would be a crime.
So I did as he wanted.
Even the wishes of the dead are granted—why not those of the living?
This time, I cupped his cheeks with both hands.
They were even warmer than before.
Like before, I said, as if enchanted—
“Is this… heaven?”
He didn’t ruin the moment.
“I wish it were.”
Your Highness, quick learner.
After admiring his face for a few minutes, he asked seriously—
“Are you always this honest?”
Was I the only one who had ever commented on his looks?
Were people really that stingy with compliments?
How could anyone look at him and say nothing?
“I want to be honest with someone I’m sincere about.”
I truly meant it—about his face.
His eyes widened.
“…!”
His dark red pupils shimmered beautifully in the spring sunlight.
“…I underestimated your sincerity.”
He spoke as if he had realized something important.
As if he thought my sincerity meant romantic feelings.
Of course, that wasn’t the case.
Just then, I sensed someone nearby.
Startled, I pulled my hands away from his face.
“Let’s stop enjoying heaven for today.”
There’s always tomorrow.
“Then… shall we continue the walk?”
I shook my head.
“I want to, but my legs feel weak… what should I do?”
His handsomeness was definitely part of the reason.
“Then we should go inside.”
With a still-flushed face, he frowned slightly.
A tomato-like face with a frown—an odd combination, but still attractive on him.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
He lifted me up.
His large hands supported my waist and thighs.
“You’re too light.”
“Maybe you’re just too strong, Your Highness.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck.
Best ride ever.
“I like your embrace—it’s big and warm.”
I rested my face against his chest.
He held me carefully, like fragile glass.
“You… like it?”
“Of course. I like it very much.”
“Could you say that again?”
I spoke sincerely.
“I really like it.”
When was the last time I was held like this?
With my ear against his chest, I could clearly hear his heartbeat.
It wasn’t just thump—it was thump-thump.
Maybe big men have louder heartbeats.
I didn’t dislike it.
It felt like he had feelings for me too.
“Please tell me where to go.”
His voice trembled slightly.
Maybe because his heart was beating so fast.
I guided him to my room.
“Is it really alright for me to enter here?”
Hernan hesitated at my doorway.
I looked up at him.
Strong jawline, high nose—even from below, his features were perfect.
Just then, his Adam’s apple bobbed.
He looked nervous.
Like a man entering a woman’s room for the first time.
I nodded.
“Yes! Of course you can come in.”
I even opened the door for him.
His hands were full holding me.
Finally, he stepped inside.
He looked around with a strange sense of awe.
Trying to act natural—but failing.
His wandering gaze gave him away.
A rare specimen: a man visiting a woman’s room for the first time.
“Your Highness, you can put me down now.”
He responded a second too late.
“Ah… where should I?”
I answered brightly—
“The bed!”
My legs and backside hurt, so it seemed better than the sofa.
“…!”
He suddenly wobbled.
As if he had interpreted my words differently.
“The… bed…? Hah…”
Your Highness, what exactly are you imagining?
I really wanted to ask.
