"Huh? What's the problem?"
Just as I was about to share some good news in a relaxed and fun atmosphere, I instinctively backed away like a frightened turtle.
I couldn't understand why he was behaving this way.
“Isn't that actually a good thing?”
A guest who was in arrears in paying room and board fees can now pay regularly.
But contrary to my expectations, the Archduke's features continued to harden.
“Your Highness?”
“It seems… that the princess is very eager for independence.”
"Excuse me? Well, this is…"
Hearing his calm voice made answering even more difficult.
Archduke Blair's estate.
A place where delicious meals were served three times a day, and there was always someone who cared about me.
A comfortable room where I can finally sleep peacefully, without worry.
Even if we only took security into consideration, this place was a hundred times safer than the palace in the capital.
So why was I in such a hurry to pay the accommodation fee and leave the Archduke's Palace?
“Because you are about to marry a noble lady from a distinguished family?”
I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud, so I involuntarily swallowed the words, but as far as I knew, Cayenne Blair was going to get married soon.
I had ignored it last time due to a vague memory, but recently, a forgotten part of the original story suddenly came back to my mind.
In the original version, the Archduke was a second main character… and he ended up marrying a girl from another noble family.
I didn't remember the family name, but I think she was the daughter of an influential imperial noble family.
Was her name Camelia?
After the marriage was mentioned, there were no other details, so I didn't know what kind of life they were living – but that wasn't what mattered to me.
One thing was clear: this Blair estate had a ready-made future lady of the house.
I refuse to live the life of someone who constantly reads what's going on around him.
Even if I claimed to be a distant relative, wouldn't the presence of a strange woman living in a newlywed couple's home be enough to cause trouble?
I was mostly speculating, but this seemed like a confirmed fact.
Hmm. After clearing my throat, I carefully opened my mouth to answer his question.
“…I can’t continue to depend on others forever.”
But once again, the Archduke gave an answer that was completely beyond my expectations.
“Have you considered this house to be someone else's home all this time?”
"…Excuse me?"
"I didn't realize you looked at it that way. Didn't you bring quite a few people with you yourself?"
“Oh…”
His elaborate logic left me speechless once again.
The painters, the wizards of the tower... even Ian.
Thinking about it, I was actually allowing a group of people to stay here as if it were my home, and I had only given the Archduke minimal advance notice.
After realizing this, I began to see something I had been missing.
When did this start?
When did I start thinking of Blair Estate as my home?
Our first meeting started with a kidnapping, but now it's so normal and comfortable that I don't think about it anymore.
…Was this the reason the Archduke was now looking at me with such a traitorous look?
“…hmmm.”
I glanced around the lavishly decorated dining hall that looked like it was set up for a proposal, then shook my head inwardly.
'Impossible.'
It didn't make sense.
Even if I had never been in a romantic relationship before, and I only knew about love through the media—
Even if I had been born single, so busy with my studies, college work, grades, job preparation, and post-hire performance evaluations, that I had not even had a single fling—
I must be a fool if I do not understand the context of this situation.
“Your Highness.”
It took me a while to say the first word, but the rest flowed very quickly.
“Do you… maybe you have feelings for me?”
"…What?"
Ooops.
I hurriedly closed my mouth, but it was already too late.
The Archduke's expression turned completely rigid.
A look that screamed crystal clear.
When I saw that expression face to face, I was sure of it.
I didn't think it was possible, but maybe, just maybe...
“Does he really have feelings for me?”
Is this reasonable? truly?
At first I was startled, then I started to feel hopeless.
Why?
“This can't really be happening.”
The reason was clear: because it wasn't supposed to happen!
In the original story, the Archduke fell in love with Limia at first sight – as if it were fate.
In other words, it was only because he had not met her yet. If the story had followed its original path and he had met it, anything would have been possible.
In addition, the woman he married after his failed love was not me, but another woman.
This meant that there was only one correct answer I could give now.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
I closed my eyes and let out an exaggerated laugh before meeting his gaze again as if nothing had happened.
“Oh my God, what a bad joke you just made! Yes, Your Highness! Ha-ha-ha! It was just a joke! Ha-ha! Of course not!”
“…why ‘of course not’?”
"Yes, yes, Your Highness! Ha-ha-ha! Absolutely! No! No way! This can't be true! Ha-ha-ha! I can't believe I made such a stupid joke, can I? Ha-ha-ha!"
My exaggerated laugh charmingly succeeded in silencing him.
Of course, it's not as if I didn't like this handsome and charming Archduke.
In fact, considering all the joyful moments I've had, if he looked at me with those deep eyes and made a move, I'd probably fall in love with him in an instant.
It's not just his appearance. He has a house, a car, power, a distinguished family background – he has it all!
But…
I let my smile slowly fade.
“The Archduke is just wrong.”
He was a lonely man.
There were only work-related assistants around him, and I never saw him meet a friend.
During his childhood, when he could have formed close friendships, he was most likely so immersed in the imperial power struggles that he did not even look around.
Now, as a man who bore the heavy title of Archduke, it must have taken immense courage to speak about his past.
That's why, after I learned about his past, even my feelings towards him changed.
“How much more for him?”
I must have begun to feel in his eyes that I was someone he could really trust. And maybe, just maybe, he mistook that strange feeling of “trust” for a romantic emotion.
This is exactly what I was afraid of.
If he has never experienced a relationship like this before, the chances of misunderstanding feelings will be much higher.
It was common enough for people to confuse affection with romantic interest.
Therefore, it was only right for me to step aside, allow him to continue the story and fall in love with Limia in the end, and then marry a noblewoman from a suitable family.
Honestly, just being involved with the Archduke is weird.
A princess born out of wedlock in Salt.
A minor character who did not originally exist in the original story.
From a distance, I was like a foreign being in this world, so the idea of falling in love with him seemed completely ridiculous.
anyway. Before it got too awkward, I hurriedly picked up my fork and changed the subject.
“Oh my goodness, dessert looks so good today!”
She pretended to eat the cake in the least elegant way possible.
But then.
then…!
“You have something here.”
A soft tissue touched the corner of my mouth, and by the time I realized it, it was too late.
"…Yes."
Oof.
This was flirting, wasn't it?
Was he really risking everything now?
When I realized that the owner of the handkerchief who had just wiped my lips was none other than the Archduke, I knew I had reached my limit.
Even Sun Tzu, the great strategist, said it best:
“Of the thirty-six strategies, escape is the best.”
...When it becomes too much to bear, run away.
I held my stomach in an exaggerated motion, groaned in pain and pretended to be sick.
“Oh no, my stomach…!”
"What?"
Ah, I feel a pain in my stomach! I must have eaten too much! Anyway, thanks for the food!
I left the astonished Archduke behind me, then hurriedly got up and fled the place.