Chapter 12
Dale Blivern was as eccentric as the princess herself.
Ian first met him at the Royal University.
He, too, had lived a life compared to his older siblings.
The Blivern family had a long tradition of producing military officers, so people naturally expected the same from Dale, the only son of Admiral Blivern.
However, Dale was different from his accomplished sisters. When it came to physical activity, he was hopeless—almost tragically so.
“Ha… Seriously, who even let him play in the polo match?”
Ian pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a deep sigh.
Still, Dale had inherited the outwardly impressive genetics of the Blivern family, growing into a tall, well-built adult man.
This only made it harder for people to believe that, as a child, he had been weak, sickly, and completely inept at any kind of physical activity.
He was sensitive and compassionate, which made it impossible for him to live up to his family’s ideal of a perfect heir. Forget being a military officer—he wouldn’t even survive the basic training before official enlistment.
Ian found people like Dale, who were selflessly kind without expecting anything in return, the most difficult to deal with. Such people, wanting nothing, were nearly impossible to manipulate with typical incentives.
Consequently, they inevitably felt betrayed by Ian. They would think he had abandoned them. All they wanted was Ian’s genuine care, and he could not give that.
What a troublesome kind of person.
“He even followed me to the hospital, waiting for the surgery to go smoothly.”
All this because Ian had let his guard down. Long ago, he had been seen with a lonely expression, and it now continued to haunt him. Dale truly cared for Ian and treated him as a friend.
Ian closed his eyes. His heart ached.
“I can’t afford to be genuine…”
He needed to keep his distance, but sometimes it simply didn’t work. Still, he had a duty to fulfill.
“…They are people I will eventually have to leave behind.”
So he didn’t need to be sincere. If he hid it deep in the abyss of his heart where even he couldn’t notice, it would suffice.
He let out a long, steady sigh as if to steady himself.
Dale would be fine. He would get up as if nothing happened and smile foolishly.
“….”
Ian opened his eyes slowly.
Now, determination had settled into his gaze.
“Ian! You’re here!”
When Ian entered Dale’s hospital room, Dale raised his hand and greeted him heartily.
“….”
Seeing his face completely fine drained Ian of all his tension. There had been no need to worry after all.
“Why on earth did you even play in the match? You’re hopeless at sports.”
“Haha, I couldn’t say no. The player who was supposed to go got a sudden stomach upset. I just wanted to play for the first half, but I didn’t know I had appendicitis too!”
Seeing Dale smile so foolishly made Ian not just exasperated, but slightly annoyed.
“I also wanted to thank the princess. I saw you speaking with her before the match—you seemed friendly.”
“…Friendly, huh?”
Ian thought that comment wasn’t bad at all.
“Isn’t it?”
“….”
Ian looked at Dale, who asked if it wasn’t true, and smiled slightly before answering.
“Well… yeah, friendly.”
She might not admit it, but the fact that it looked that way to someone else mattered.
He struggled to pull down the corners of his mouth, which kept wanting to rise into a smile.
“Then please tell her I really appreciate it. The princess is my savior. If she hadn’t rushed over, I might have really been in trouble before anyone could help.”
A few hours later, Ian received news from the palace about Dale’s surgery. He hadn’t expected the princess herself to come for a visit, so he was caught off guard when Diana entered Dale’s hospital room.
Seeing Diana, Dale sat up abruptly, only to lie back down, looking as if he might collapse.
“You should stay lying down.”
“I- I’m sorry…”
Dale looked apologetic.
Diana was followed by Jerome as he entered.
“Ian, did you get any sleep? I heard the surgery took quite a while.”
“Luckily, since it’s a hospital run by the royal family, I had a place to rest. I wasn’t uncomfortable at all.”
After exchanging pleasantries, the two stood awkwardly at the door in silence.
Jerome cleared his throat several times before asking meaningfully,
“Um… was the wink practiced?”
“Eh?”
“No… it seemed so natural…”
Ian looked at Jerome, puzzled.
While they were experiencing this awkward moment, Diana placed the flowers she brought for Dale’s visit into the vase by his bedside.
“These are special flowers that don’t scatter pollen. I heard your surgery went well—are you feeling okay?”
“Yes. Thanks to Your Highness.”
“No. Has your fever gone down?”
When Diana casually placed her hand on Dale’s forehead, he gasped in surprise.
Seeing this, Ian’s expression noticeably tensed.
“Hmm, no fever.”
Diana smiled kindly at Dale. Seeing this, Ian felt an inexplicable heat rising in him.
Just as Diana was about to remove her hand, Dale suddenly grabbed it.
“Wow, Princess…”
Blushing, Dale stammered,
“I, I… admire you…!”
Taken aback by Dale Blivern’s unexpected confession, Diana could only respond with a stunned,
“…Pardon?”
She instinctively glanced at Ian. His face appeared calm, but she noticed the veins on his forehead standing out.
‘Please… intervene…!’
Diana silently pleaded with Jerome, but he turned his head and struggled to suppress a laugh.
Dale, holding her hand, now began reciting a love poem. Diana panicked, trying to figure out how to stop him.
“Dale!”
Suddenly, the hospital door swung open, and a woman entered, calling Dale’s name almost in tears.
Seeing the scene in the room, she froze and blinked.
She noticed Dale holding another woman’s hand and frowned. Raising her head to see who it was,
“Princess Diana?”
Seeing that it was indeed Diana, she gasped. Her large eyes widened even more in shock.
“I- I’m Grinelda Lovais…”
“Hello, Miss Grinelda.”
Grinelda neatly tucked her striking red hair behind her shoulder, and even in this sudden encounter, greeted with precise, aristocratic poise.
“You are the daughter of Count Lovais, right?”
“Yes, y-yes…! That’s right…! I am honored that Your Highness knows me….”
Grinelda kept her bow, her gaze full of awe directed at Diana.
Diana thought she had seen that expression somewhere before. Then she realized Dale was still sending the same admiring look and holding her hand.
“Dale…! Please let go of her hand now…!”
“Ah, yes! Sorry! I didn’t mean to be rude…!”
“No, it’s fine.”
Feeling sorry for Dale, Diana hastily waved her hands.
“Your Highness! I was also at the stadium yesterday!”
At that moment, Grinelda suddenly stepped forward in front of Diana.
“I saw you rush to Dale without hesitation when he collapsed. Thank you so much for saving him!”
“Ha… I only gave first aid…”
“And even though Dale did… that thing to your dress, you forgave him with such grace! I was really moved!”
Grinelda kneeled, trying to express her overwhelming emotions.
Diana’s head spun between Dale and Grinelda.
“Stop it! Okay! I really did something amazing! Wow, I’m so great!”
“Yes, absolutely!”
“You are clearly an angel sent from the heavens…”
Trapped in this cage of praise, Jerome stepped in to lighten the mood. Diana quickly nodded and prepared to leave.
“Once you’re done, you can go. There’s no need to fight over the patient.”
Finally, Ian intervened, stepping between Diana and the others to rescue her.
“What’s your deal?”
Grinelda’s previously friendly expression turned cold as she looked at Ian.
“Both of you, that’s enough. You’re being ridiculous.”
Unlike Dale, Grinelda didn’t intend to back down. Crossing her arms, she glared at Ian.
“Ian, thank you for staying by Dale’s side while I was away. But now that I’m here, you can step aside.”
“I didn’t want to leave because of you two anyway.”
Ian’s cold response startled Diana. She had never seen him remove his usual polite mask and show such hostility.
“Now, let’s not fight—there’s a patient here. Shall we be going, Your Highness?”
Only then did Jerome step in to redirect the atmosphere. Diana nodded and started leaving, but Grinelda called after her again,
“Your Highness! Thank you again for saving Dale. If you don’t mind, I’d like to host you at the Lovais Hotel!”
Diana was caught off guard by the sudden invitation.
“When Dale is discharged, we would like to properly thank you. Please, accept my gratitude…”
“Miss Grinelda seems to be confessing her feelings as well,” Jerome whispered teasingly to Diana from outside the door. She lightly hit his side without him seeing.
“I appreciate the invitation, but I will just accept your kind thoughts. That alone is more than enough. It was a pleasure meeting you today.”
Diana politely and firmly declined, then left the room. Grinelda watched her go, disappointed.
Jerome, alternating his gaze between Grinelda and Diana ahead of him, suddenly said,
“Shall we pay a visit, Your Highness?”
Diana looked at him, confused.
“The Lovais Hotel. Let’s go take a look.”
“What? But I don’t have—”
“Really.”
At that moment, Grinelda ran out of the room, her face flushed, staring intensely at Jerome and Diana.
“You have no pressing engagements, and you’ve been diligently attending your duties. A short break might not be bad.”
“…Why are you suddenly like this?”
“Miss Grinelda, please send a formal invitation to the palace. We would be grateful.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you! I will prepare everything sincerely!”
Grinelda beamed as Jerome smiled warmly, ignoring Diana’s bewildered expression.
“Wait, I wasn’t planning on going—”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
At that moment, Ian’s voice came from inside the room.
