* * *

“Someone could’ve seen us!”

“That was the point,” he replied nonchalantly.

Looking around frantically, I realized, to my shock, that no one seemed to have noticed.

Even if someone had, the angle of the incident made it impossible for anyone but Delcia to have seen clearly.

…Just as he’d intended.

“Calm down, calm down,” I muttered to myself.

It was just a kiss on the forehead—not even on the lips.

There was no need to overreact.

But when the sole witness is his fiancée? That’s a different story!

Still reeling, I avoided Delcia’s gaze, nibbling at my food to ground myself.

Thankfully, she didn’t keep looking at me.

Moreover, those who had shown interest in me earlier stopped approaching, deterred by Baek Yigang’s sharp glare.

“Leave my mage alone.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty,” they replied, retreating hastily.

I was so sensitive that even people who only glanced my way were met with hostility, to the point where no one dared look in my direction anymore.

It wasn’t like I was some dog guarding its food bowl, yet I’d growl at the slightest provocation, leaving everyone understandably wary of me.

As for the banquet, I couldn’t recall how the time passed—it was all a blur, like drifting through a hazy fog.

I endured it silently, without resistance.

After much back-and-forth, the banquet finally ended, and the nobles of Pendium, the people from Arthe, and the Emperor rose from their seats in a convivial mood, suggesting they continue their conversation in the drawing room.

“Cheong Dowoon, let’s head out.”

“Hail, come here. Surely you’re not leaving so soon on such a joyous occasion?”

Taking advantage of the commotion, Baek Yigang was about to take me and slip away, but the Emperor had other plans.

He instructed Yigang to spend some time alone with the princess.

“You’ve known each other since childhood, so I’m sure you’re at least familiar with each other’s faces. Now it’s time to deepen your relationship and envision a future together.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve been eagerly awaiting this opportunity to spend time with His Highness.”

As always, Yigang tried to ignore the Emperor’s orders and leave, but Delcia’s quick agreement left him cornered.

“Cheong Dowoon, go on ahead.”

“Mm. That’s probably for the best.”

Left with no choice but to spend the evening alone with the princess, Yigang turned to me with a resigned look.

There was no defying the Emperor’s command.

“Anna, take Cheong Dowoon with you.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Yigang let out a short sigh, his displeasure evident on his stiffened face, and instructed Anna to escort me.

Once out of the banquet hall, I headed straight to my room.

“Dowoon, aren’t you going to His Highness’s chambers?”

Anna, who had been following behind me, asked curiously as I passed Yigang’s bedroom.

“Oh, well… now that he has a fiancée, I don’t think there’s any reason for me to stay there.”

“Hmm? The princess’s presence has nothing to do with whether you stay in His Highness’s chambers or not.”

Her immediate and cold reply struck me harder than I cared to admit—it was painfully accurate.

“I know. It’s just… I feel uncomfortable.”

Acknowledging her point, I nodded, admitting that the issue lay with me.

Still, it was strange when I thought about it.

While no one had brought it up before, even if I was an accomplished magician, it didn’t make sense for me to stay in the Crown Prince’s chambers.

It had only been allowed under the pretext of treating Yigang’s illness.

But now that he was fully recovered, there was no justification for me to stay there anymore.

Not to mention, I had my own room—there was no reason to impose on his space.

Arriving at my room, I entered to find it cool and dim, as the lights had been off for a while.

Thanks to Anna’s daily cleaning, the room was spotless despite its lack of use.

“Hm, as expected of Dowoon….”

As Anna lit the candlestick, I caught her mumbling something under her breath.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing at all! Anyway, I’ll leave you to rest here for the night.”

With a cheerful farewell, Anna turned to leave but suddenly remembered something and approached me again.

“Oh, right. Dowoon, I brought this for you.”

Smiling brightly, she pulled something out of her bag and handed it to me—a transparent bottle filled with shimmering blue liquid.

Wait, this… this is royal wine! Why is something this rare here?!

“Anna, where did you get this?”

“His Highness gave it to you earlier. It seemed you forgot it, so I brought it along.”

While Anna beamed with pride, I felt my own smile disappear.

Forgot? Me? Forget wine? That’s impossible.

“I… already drank it all.”

“…What?”

A stunned silence followed.

Well, I hadn’t planned to drink it, but with it right in front of me, I couldn’t help myself….

“Isn’t it against the rules to take royal wine secretly? I heard they keep a strict inventory in the storage.”

“It’s fine. His Highness spares no expense for you, Dowoon.”

Anna, who had been stiff a moment ago, now shrugged confidently, her expression bold.

If I think about it, Anna and Yigang are surprisingly similar. Like master, like maid.

“Dowoon, you should rest early tonight. His Highness will likely be late.”

Given that Yigang was with the princess, he’d find it difficult to leave early—especially with the Emperor keeping a close watch.

“I’ll be in my room, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Still… won’t His Highness come looking for you?”

Anna smiled faintly as if to imply I didn’t know better, but I shook my head firmly.

“You know as well as I do that Yigang can sleep just fine without me now. There’s no reason for him to come looking.”

My decisive words seemed to cast a shadow over Anna’s face.

Her expression darkened, as though weighed down by some invisible gloom.

“…Indeed. This is all His Highness’s fault. Allowing you to retreat into a hole like this—unforgivable.”

Muttering cryptically, Anna sighed dramatically, as if plotting something.

“Anna…? What are you talking about—”

“I’ve decided! For your sake, Dowoon, I’ll dedicate myself to fixing His Highness!”

Fix?! What does she mean by that?!

I couldn’t begin to guess what had brought about this sudden change in her demeanor, but one thing was clear—it didn’t bode well.

“Whatever it is, don’t do it!”

“Well then, goodnight, Dowoon! Don’t drink too much!”

Smiling sweetly, Anna bid me farewell and swiftly exited the room before I could respond.

“As if I could drink more even if I wanted to.”

Royal wine had a limited quantity per bottle, and this one barely poured a few glasses.

Still, the high alcohol content rendered that fact moot.

Sometimes, when my chest felt tight, I’d find myself missing Korea’s soju.

But now, I couldn’t help but think I might miss royal wine when I returned.

Sitting at the table by the bedside, I tilted the bottle to fill my glass.

The crescent moon outside was perfectly reflected in the wine.

“Ah… drinking alone feels unnecessarily melancholic.”

To be honest, I felt strange.

A tickling sensation in my chest, like something was fluttering around, unsettled me.

It was my first time feeling like this, and I didn’t know how to describe it—but I didn’t like it.

Yigang was different from Piel.

He wouldn’t be cold or dismissive toward the princess….

…Then again, I wasn’t entirely sure of that.

Yigang’s sharp tongue wasn’t reserved for any particular gender.

Should I feel relieved about that?

Glug, glug.

The wine bottle grew lighter as the glass filled, and my chaotic emotions seemed to dissolve along with it.

Suddenly, Delcia’s piercing green eyes surfaced in my mind.

She’d shown no reaction when Yigang kissed my forehead.

Did she think it was a joke?

Even so, her indifference seemed unnatural.

Most people would be at least a little shocked in that situation.

“Doesn’t seem like the princess is an easy opponent…. Huh?”

At some point, the bottle had emptied.

There was nothing left to refill my glass.

“What? Already?”

And now that I looked around, the room seemed to wobble slightly….

Realizing I’d just polished off an entire bottle alone, my starry vision blurred to black.

* * *