I almost frowned as I watched Kishian reply that he wasn't busy.
I tried to politely decline Letie's request.
This time, Kishian showed up just in time to interrupt me.
I barely managed to control my expression and answered Kishian.
"We just got married, so there must be a lot of things to take care of. You've been very busy for a while, so how much busier will you be... I worry as your wife."
By now, he would have understood what I was thinking.
It must have been clear to him that l did not want to invite Letie and the Duke of Herssen to dinner.
But this time he pretended not to see my wishes and made things complicated.
"I'm not busy. Even if I'm busy. I can still find time to eat."
"..."
"Let's make arrangements for a seat today."
He smiled brightly as if he didn't care what I thought.
It goes without saying that that uselessly bright smile was scratching at my insides.
As I stared at him with my eyes furrowed, I saw him slowly turn his head away and avoid my gaze.
'That human...'
I felt annoyed and was about to snap at him, but before I could say anything, he smiled at Letie and said.
"If there is any food or ingredient you cannot eat, please tell the servant. They will prepare the meal with the utmost care."
"Thank you very much, Your Highness! I can finally have a nice meal with my beloved sister!"
Letie, who was so happy and grateful, looked so pretty and lovely to me.
At that moment, I unconsciously began to observe Kishian's reaction.
He was smiling at Letie, and a slight pain rose inside me as soon as I saw that smile.
You smile so kindly. Well, I guess Letie looks pretty in Kishian's eyes too.
Letie was beautiful to my eyes, having seen her countless times, so I wondered how much more beautiful she would be to his eyes.
She must have looked so lovely that he couldn't take his eyes off her.
Much more so than someone like me, dark and gloomy, like a shadow cast on the other side of the sunlight.
"..."
Even as I was thinking that Kishian looked at Letie with a gentle smile and continued speaking.
"Of course, it will be a great time, very much so."
For a moment, his voice seemed a little eerie, but I couldn't tell for sure.
That was the reason why Kishian turned around and disappeared, leaving only those words behind.
After a while, Letie started making a fuss in a slightly excited voice.
"He seem like a very considerate person. Even though he must be busy, he still listened to my request right away."
"Yeah. He's a good person."
"Well, it seems like it's not enough to simply say that he's a good person. His looks and manners are both impeccable. I envy you, my sister."
"..."
If it were normal, I would have thoughtlessly agreed with Letie, who was always making a fuss.
Because she used to make a fuss over trivial things.
But the reason I couldn't say anything in response was because of a dark emotion rising up from my chest.
It was only later that I was able to realize the true nature of the emotion that had choked my speech and suffocated me.
It was clearly anger, even if it was slight.
***
A meal that I didn't really want to attend was finally arranged.
I had hoped that at least one of the three people, excluding me, would not attend the dinner, but unfortunately, they all expressed their intention to attend.
So I had no choice but to dress up a bit and sit down with Kishian while waiting for the other two.
Letie and Duke Herssen were a little late for some reason, so I was able to talk to Kishian for a while.
"I hope you don't say anything unnecessary to those two."
After hearing my warning, Kishian looked bewildered as if he had no idea what I was talking about.
"Unnecessary story?"
"Forcing yourself to bring up the past."
"Ha, did I seem that thoughtless and rude?"
I had a hard time resisting the urge to retort, 'Well, then? You ignored my opinion and arranged this event.'
I couldn't give him the noodles so openly, so I just looked at him quietly, and he let out a slightly mischievous laugh.
"I won't say anything that will ruin the mood. This place isn't designed for that purpose."
"Then for what purpose was it prepared?"
"To show you a happy face."
For a moment, I couldn't understand the question he asked out of the blue.
Kishian leaned slightly towards me and whispered.
"The Princess has a really bright smile, but I don't think I've ever seen you smile like that."
"..."
"I wondered if... if I bragged about being the happiest couple in front of them, you would be able to smile like that too."
For some reason, today, as he spoke, Kishian had the expression of a real husband.
That look on his face like a real husband, making time to please his wife.
As if he had no idea how cruel the words he had just uttered were.
"Did my sister look bright and lovely?"
I asked that, barely suppressing the sadness rising inside me.
Did you, like everyone else, find my sister, Letie, so lovely?
Like the countless people who had been so happy for Letie, the savior of the empire, did you eventually feel drawn to that child too?
I also knew it was a childish question.
Even though I knew it, I had a hard time controlling myself at that moment, so I ended up asking him again.
"My sister has such a lovely smile, so you want me to have that bright and lovely smile too?"
"No. I think you're seriously mistaken. I'm not saying that the Princess looks lovely. I'm just saying that you..."
His speech did not end.
That was why Letie and Duke Herssen, who had kept us waiting, showed up at that very moment.
"Sorry, I'm late! I was a little late because I was picking out a dress."
Letie, who appeared with the Duke of Herssen, spun around as if showing off her dress.
It was definitely a beautiful dress as it took a long time to choose.
The bright yellow hem of her skirt, like a sun-drenched lemon seemed to brighten up this uncomfortable space.
I told her my honest opinion because it was definitely a lovely outfit compared to the wine-colored dress I was wearing now.
"I think it's a nice dress."
Letie nodded her head as if she was grateful.
But that wasn't the end of it.
"What do you think, Your Highness?"
Letie then turned to Kishian and asked him a question.
It seemed like she wanted to hear not only my impressions but also Kishian's.
Kishian seemed to look at Letie for a moment, then smiled faintly and replied.
"It's great."
Only then did a real smile appear on Letie's lips.
After that, when the child bowed her head first to greet us, the Duke of Herssen, who had come with her, also bowed his head toward us.
"Thank you for giving us such a wonderful time. I was so out of it on the wedding day that I couldn't properly greet you, but I'm so happy that we can spend time together like this."
Didn't they say that people are attracted to those who are opposite to them?
I had felt this way before, but unlike Letie, who was a bit overly active, he was a man who knew how to be formal.
I nodded my head in greeting and looked at him closely.
'They said he was a person who showed talent in various fields such as theology, philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy...? That certainly seems to be the case.'
Neatly swept red hair and faint freckles on his face.
In addition, his speech and attitude were polite, so anyone who saw him gave off the air of a scholar.
It was while I was looking at the Duke of Herssen.
"Anyway, let's sit down. You must be hungry."
Kishian interrupted my thoughts with those words.
After hearing his words, the two moved and sat down across from us.
There was a moment of silence as the waiter poured wine into the glass.
Taking advantage of the silence, Duke Herssen spoke to me.
"I can't tell you how nervous I was because I couldn't greet you properly on your wedding day. You were so beautiful."
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