“Oh, I’ll go to my room and take a nap.”
Candice jumped to her feet. Perhaps it was the heat, kept on high for them, their Southern roots, that had made them feel tired.
"Really? I've been staring at my book for so long, I'm starting to feel a little sleepy. I need to wake up."
Perhaps caught from her friend, Ophelia yawned as well. She waved at Candice as she left the room, still in the same position she'd been lying face down on the bed, flipping through a book.
‘...I think I’m going to fall asleep.’
It was a rare day off, so she could have enjoyed a nap, but somehow she felt a sense of regret. She didn't have anything special to do, but she still wanted to make the most of her day off.
Ophelia mustered superhuman willpower and, resisting the temptation of a nap, jumped to her feet. The overly warm air in the room seemed to be making her sleepy, so she decided to open the window for some fresh air.
As she opened the thick, triple-glazed windows, a cool breeze blew in. The air was so cool it was hard to believe it was summer.
Of course, in a sleepy situation like now, it was a welcome relief.
But then, a commotion came from the doorway. It sounded like someone was scuffling. One of the voices was familiar and recognizable. It was Lester, the Duke's butler.
“Your Excellency, that room is now...!”
"What's the problem? It's the same room I always use when I come here."
And before the butler could stop him, someone burst open the door.
The breeze that had been blowing gently and pleasantly suddenly turned into a gust of wind as soon as a passageway opened up, and as a result, Ophelia's long hair fluttered wildly in the strong wind.
Ophelia turned her head toward the door with startled eyes, as if trying to see who the ruffian was who had slammed open someone else's door without even knocking.
“I told you several times that it was already being used by another guest...”
Lester clutched his head with both hands, his expression devastated. As a butler, he felt ashamed that he had failed to prevent such a catastrophe.
The young man holding the doorknob had a very handsome appearance despite his rudeness.
With blazing red hair, piercing golden eyes, and fair skin, Roderick was a handsome man with a masculine, bold expression, while he was a handsome man with delicate lines and a delicate impression.
The momentum of flinging open someone else's door vanished. The intruder stared blankly at Ophelia's face, his mouth agape, as if he'd lost his mind. His gaze was sticky and somehow unpleasant.
“I’m sorry, Lady Ophelia. You must have been surprised. This person….”
Lester was about to hurriedly introduce him on behalf of the person who had lost his mind.
“...What are you doing here, Your Highness?”
Rodrick appeared in the doorway, his face flushed with confusion. Sweat beaded on his forehead, making it hard to tell where he'd come from.
“Let's go, Your Highness...”
"Roderick! Where have you been? I already had something to say about the room..."
At Roderick's appearance, the one called Prince finally came to his senses and opened his mouth. But Roderick didn't give him time to respond, instead grabbing his arm and pulling him away.
“Please come out first. The guest will be embarrassed.”
As the man was dragged away by Roderick, Ophelia tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at Lester, waiting for an explanation.
“I’m sorry, Lady Ophelia. The person I spoke to earlier was Prince Byron of the Peles Empire... He used to frequent this room, so it seems he came here this time as well.”
"Oh, I see. I was a little surprised, but it's okay. Don't worry about it."
Ophelia accepted the butler's apology with a kind smile, thinking that it was not the butler, Lester, who really needed the apology, but the Prince himself, Byron.
Lester was doing his best to stop him, and Ophelia knew it too, having heard it aloud.
"Thank you, Lady Ophelia. I will be careful not to let this happen again. I apologize again."
Lester bowed and apologized several times before leaving the room.
Left alone, Ophelia closed the window and stood before the mirror, brushing her tangled hair. Seriously, she couldn't understand what was happening.
'Well, I'm definitely awake.'
Ophelia, in the mirror, burst into laughter.
“It hurts, you little punk! Can’t you let this go?”
Byron, who was dragged out by Roderick's hand, kicked and struggled, but unfortunately, due to the huge difference in strength, he was unable to shake off the grasping arm.
Only after they were a long way from the guest room did Roderick release his grip on her arm.
“...I apologize, Your Highness. I was flustered. What would happen if you suddenly opened the door to a room occupied by another guest, and a woman at that?"
Even after opening a door that was being used without permission, Byron showed no remorse and rubbed his arm. The grip was so tight that the blood flow was cut off, leaving him with a chill.
"Why would I care if some punk who rolled in from somewhere uses it, or if it's a woman? Why would you give my room to someone else?"
“I didn’t know Your Highness would come.”
Roderick wiped his face wearily.
The problem now was that he had opened someone else's room without permission, and whether he was a man or a woman was irrelevant. His troublesome guest didn't even seem to think it was wrong.
But Roderick was too embarrassed to argue with Byron about that issue.
He had anticipated that accepting his exile would cause problems, but this was too soon. It hadn't even been half a day since he arrived at the territory.
"And where have you been going all this time, only to come back now? Why haven't you even come to the harbor to greet me? Is this all the Duke's royal treatment can offer?"
Byron crossed his arms and argued in an arrogant voice.
Lester, who stayed in the room, apologized to Ophelia and quickly followed them out, and couldn't help but feel a sense of shock.
How much more grandiose guest treatment must he expect, having been exiled from the capital after causing a major accident?
But Roderick sighed patiently and opened his mouth.
"Wasn't the original plan to arrive on a ship that was supposed to arrive three days later? Since you've arrived three days early, I can't help but be unable to meet you."
If everything had gone according to plan, this wouldn't have happened. He had planned to stay behind and watch Byron from the port to prevent him from doing anything reckless, but his sudden appearance threw all his plans into disarray.
While he was on a tour of the territory, he heard the news of his arrival and rushed over, but the incident had already occurred.
He hadn't even been able to tell Ophelia and Candice about his visit, as he had planned to tell them about it at dinner that evening.
“That’s... because Father kept nagging me so much, I couldn’t stand it even for a moment in the capital, so I left first, and then...”
Byron muttered and made excuses, convinced that Roderick's words were correct. It was truly typical of him to act as he pleased.
“...Your Highness, I have prepared a room for you on the third floor. I know you prefer the room on the second floor, but it’s already occupied by another guest, so please excuse me this time.”
As if he had been waiting for Roderick's words, Byron asked a question.
"Yeah, about that guest. Who is she? She's pretty. You're not the type to hide a woman behind your back and do other things like Hiram."
After finishing speaking, Byron closed his eyes gently to recall the beautiful woman from earlier.
Her soft silver hair, as if each strand had been planted with a single strand of silver thread, her vibrant purple eyes... Her beauty was so unbelievable that even with his eyes open, he wondered if he was dreaming.
When he heard his younger brother, Hiram, say he fell in love with his wife at first sight, he clucked his tongue, thinking she was out of her mind. But it seemed he was also of the same bloodline. Who knew it was possible to fall in love at first sight like this?
"... She's a researcher dispatched from the Tamora National Magic Academy. As a distinguished guest, please be mindful of what I say."
Roderick responded, slightly offended by his remark. It seemed to him that treating Ophelia as someone to "keep hidden and do other things" was the point of his discomfort.
“Anyway, it’s still so blocked up. I can’t say anything.”
Byron shrugged and complained. He grumbled on the outside, but inside, he was smiling with satisfaction.
If the woman he fell in love with at first sight was the Duke of Weishaffen's wife, things would have been a little awkward, but wasn't that confirmed to be the case?
“Your Excellency... I will take good care of His Royal Highness. So, please don’t worry and go back to your schedule.”
“...”
Lester, who had been quietly observing the conversation between the two young men from the side, quietly interjected. At the butler's words, Roderick groaned softly, lost in thought.
He agonized over whether it was okay to leave this uncontrollable nuisance behind, but his heart was heavy when he remembered that there were still two villages left, desperately waiting for the lord to visit.
'Yes, I must keep my promise to the residents.'
Since Byron's arrival, he had been feeling a constant sense of unease, but he could not ignore the people waiting for him.
Having made up his mind, Rodrick opened his mouth in a calm voice.
“Your Highness, excuse me, but I still have work to do...”
"Oh, right. I'm at fault for arriving early without notice, so let's be lenient. And don't worry about the room. I heard a lady is using it, so wouldn't it be a gentlemanly thing to willingly give it up?"
Byron lifted his chin gracefully and spoke with a condescending tone.
Putting aside the question of whether it was acceptable to call it "yielding" to someone else to use a guest room that didn't even have a designated owner, Roderick felt even more uneasy when he readily agreed to "yield" it to him.
Because he couldn't figure out what Byron's intentions were.
“Yes, then I’ll see you in the evening.”
He struggled to lift his feet. He didn't want to, but he had no choice.
Byron, who had been watching Roderick walk away, shrugged and turned to the butler when he completely disappeared from sight.
“So, what did that girl say her name was earlier?”
Candice jumped to her feet. Perhaps it was the heat, kept on high for them, their Southern roots, that had made them feel tired.
"Really? I've been staring at my book for so long, I'm starting to feel a little sleepy. I need to wake up."
Perhaps caught from her friend, Ophelia yawned as well. She waved at Candice as she left the room, still in the same position she'd been lying face down on the bed, flipping through a book.
‘...I think I’m going to fall asleep.’
It was a rare day off, so she could have enjoyed a nap, but somehow she felt a sense of regret. She didn't have anything special to do, but she still wanted to make the most of her day off.
Ophelia mustered superhuman willpower and, resisting the temptation of a nap, jumped to her feet. The overly warm air in the room seemed to be making her sleepy, so she decided to open the window for some fresh air.
As she opened the thick, triple-glazed windows, a cool breeze blew in. The air was so cool it was hard to believe it was summer.
Of course, in a sleepy situation like now, it was a welcome relief.
But then, a commotion came from the doorway. It sounded like someone was scuffling. One of the voices was familiar and recognizable. It was Lester, the Duke's butler.
“Your Excellency, that room is now...!”
"What's the problem? It's the same room I always use when I come here."
And before the butler could stop him, someone burst open the door.
The breeze that had been blowing gently and pleasantly suddenly turned into a gust of wind as soon as a passageway opened up, and as a result, Ophelia's long hair fluttered wildly in the strong wind.
Ophelia turned her head toward the door with startled eyes, as if trying to see who the ruffian was who had slammed open someone else's door without even knocking.
“I told you several times that it was already being used by another guest...”
Lester clutched his head with both hands, his expression devastated. As a butler, he felt ashamed that he had failed to prevent such a catastrophe.
The young man holding the doorknob had a very handsome appearance despite his rudeness.
With blazing red hair, piercing golden eyes, and fair skin, Roderick was a handsome man with a masculine, bold expression, while he was a handsome man with delicate lines and a delicate impression.
The momentum of flinging open someone else's door vanished. The intruder stared blankly at Ophelia's face, his mouth agape, as if he'd lost his mind. His gaze was sticky and somehow unpleasant.
“I’m sorry, Lady Ophelia. You must have been surprised. This person….”
Lester was about to hurriedly introduce him on behalf of the person who had lost his mind.
“...What are you doing here, Your Highness?”
Rodrick appeared in the doorway, his face flushed with confusion. Sweat beaded on his forehead, making it hard to tell where he'd come from.
“Let's go, Your Highness...”
"Roderick! Where have you been? I already had something to say about the room..."
At Roderick's appearance, the one called Prince finally came to his senses and opened his mouth. But Roderick didn't give him time to respond, instead grabbing his arm and pulling him away.
“Please come out first. The guest will be embarrassed.”
As the man was dragged away by Roderick, Ophelia tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at Lester, waiting for an explanation.
“I’m sorry, Lady Ophelia. The person I spoke to earlier was Prince Byron of the Peles Empire... He used to frequent this room, so it seems he came here this time as well.”
"Oh, I see. I was a little surprised, but it's okay. Don't worry about it."
Ophelia accepted the butler's apology with a kind smile, thinking that it was not the butler, Lester, who really needed the apology, but the Prince himself, Byron.
Lester was doing his best to stop him, and Ophelia knew it too, having heard it aloud.
"Thank you, Lady Ophelia. I will be careful not to let this happen again. I apologize again."
Lester bowed and apologized several times before leaving the room.
Left alone, Ophelia closed the window and stood before the mirror, brushing her tangled hair. Seriously, she couldn't understand what was happening.
'Well, I'm definitely awake.'
Ophelia, in the mirror, burst into laughter.
***
“It hurts, you little punk! Can’t you let this go?”
Byron, who was dragged out by Roderick's hand, kicked and struggled, but unfortunately, due to the huge difference in strength, he was unable to shake off the grasping arm.
Only after they were a long way from the guest room did Roderick release his grip on her arm.
“...I apologize, Your Highness. I was flustered. What would happen if you suddenly opened the door to a room occupied by another guest, and a woman at that?"
Even after opening a door that was being used without permission, Byron showed no remorse and rubbed his arm. The grip was so tight that the blood flow was cut off, leaving him with a chill.
"Why would I care if some punk who rolled in from somewhere uses it, or if it's a woman? Why would you give my room to someone else?"
“I didn’t know Your Highness would come.”
Roderick wiped his face wearily.
The problem now was that he had opened someone else's room without permission, and whether he was a man or a woman was irrelevant. His troublesome guest didn't even seem to think it was wrong.
But Roderick was too embarrassed to argue with Byron about that issue.
He had anticipated that accepting his exile would cause problems, but this was too soon. It hadn't even been half a day since he arrived at the territory.
"And where have you been going all this time, only to come back now? Why haven't you even come to the harbor to greet me? Is this all the Duke's royal treatment can offer?"
Byron crossed his arms and argued in an arrogant voice.
Lester, who stayed in the room, apologized to Ophelia and quickly followed them out, and couldn't help but feel a sense of shock.
How much more grandiose guest treatment must he expect, having been exiled from the capital after causing a major accident?
But Roderick sighed patiently and opened his mouth.
"Wasn't the original plan to arrive on a ship that was supposed to arrive three days later? Since you've arrived three days early, I can't help but be unable to meet you."
If everything had gone according to plan, this wouldn't have happened. He had planned to stay behind and watch Byron from the port to prevent him from doing anything reckless, but his sudden appearance threw all his plans into disarray.
While he was on a tour of the territory, he heard the news of his arrival and rushed over, but the incident had already occurred.
He hadn't even been able to tell Ophelia and Candice about his visit, as he had planned to tell them about it at dinner that evening.
“That’s... because Father kept nagging me so much, I couldn’t stand it even for a moment in the capital, so I left first, and then...”
Byron muttered and made excuses, convinced that Roderick's words were correct. It was truly typical of him to act as he pleased.
“...Your Highness, I have prepared a room for you on the third floor. I know you prefer the room on the second floor, but it’s already occupied by another guest, so please excuse me this time.”
As if he had been waiting for Roderick's words, Byron asked a question.
"Yeah, about that guest. Who is she? She's pretty. You're not the type to hide a woman behind your back and do other things like Hiram."
After finishing speaking, Byron closed his eyes gently to recall the beautiful woman from earlier.
Her soft silver hair, as if each strand had been planted with a single strand of silver thread, her vibrant purple eyes... Her beauty was so unbelievable that even with his eyes open, he wondered if he was dreaming.
When he heard his younger brother, Hiram, say he fell in love with his wife at first sight, he clucked his tongue, thinking she was out of her mind. But it seemed he was also of the same bloodline. Who knew it was possible to fall in love at first sight like this?
"... She's a researcher dispatched from the Tamora National Magic Academy. As a distinguished guest, please be mindful of what I say."
Roderick responded, slightly offended by his remark. It seemed to him that treating Ophelia as someone to "keep hidden and do other things" was the point of his discomfort.
“Anyway, it’s still so blocked up. I can’t say anything.”
Byron shrugged and complained. He grumbled on the outside, but inside, he was smiling with satisfaction.
If the woman he fell in love with at first sight was the Duke of Weishaffen's wife, things would have been a little awkward, but wasn't that confirmed to be the case?
“Your Excellency... I will take good care of His Royal Highness. So, please don’t worry and go back to your schedule.”
“...”
Lester, who had been quietly observing the conversation between the two young men from the side, quietly interjected. At the butler's words, Roderick groaned softly, lost in thought.
He agonized over whether it was okay to leave this uncontrollable nuisance behind, but his heart was heavy when he remembered that there were still two villages left, desperately waiting for the lord to visit.
'Yes, I must keep my promise to the residents.'
Since Byron's arrival, he had been feeling a constant sense of unease, but he could not ignore the people waiting for him.
Having made up his mind, Rodrick opened his mouth in a calm voice.
“Your Highness, excuse me, but I still have work to do...”
"Oh, right. I'm at fault for arriving early without notice, so let's be lenient. And don't worry about the room. I heard a lady is using it, so wouldn't it be a gentlemanly thing to willingly give it up?"
Byron lifted his chin gracefully and spoke with a condescending tone.
Putting aside the question of whether it was acceptable to call it "yielding" to someone else to use a guest room that didn't even have a designated owner, Roderick felt even more uneasy when he readily agreed to "yield" it to him.
Because he couldn't figure out what Byron's intentions were.
“Yes, then I’ll see you in the evening.”
He struggled to lift his feet. He didn't want to, but he had no choice.
Byron, who had been watching Roderick walk away, shrugged and turned to the butler when he completely disappeared from sight.
“So, what did that girl say her name was earlier?”
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