Chapter 21
In Kaiden’s hand was a bouquet of flowers.
From the looks of it, Rose must have given it to him.
For some reason, Reina couldn’t bring herself to approach the two of them carelessly.
Was it because they seemed quite close?
Or perhaps….
Reina stared at Rose, feeling a strange discomfort.
Rose, who usually wore an expression full of dissatisfaction, was smiling brightly.
Seeing her look like a shy girl somehow left Reina dazed.
Soon after, Reina could easily guess why Rose had been so prickly toward her all this time.
‘She likes Kaiden.’
It seemed her discomfort wasn’t just because Reina was royalty.
Since Reina had been trying to get closer to Rose inwardly, she felt a strong sense of deflation.
She had never even considered that Kaiden might have a woman in his life.
Of course, she didn’t suspect that Kaiden felt the same way about Rose.
In her previous life before regression, he had remained unmarried until the end.
So, it must be Rose’s one-sided crush.
Even so, Reina felt inexplicably unhappy.
It was because Kaiden seemed to be treating Rose quite comfortably.
It was only natural, since they had known each other longer than he had known her, whom he had just met, but for some reason, she wanted to avoid this place.
She hesitated for a long while, unable to clearly define the reason for that feeling.
In the end, just as Reina decided to quietly leave and turned to go.
“Reina.”
From behind, Kaiden’s voice called out to her.
She wondered if she should pretend not to hear and keep going, but Kaiden called her again.
“I saw your shoulders twitch.”
With him saying that, running away now would be ridiculous.
Reluctantly, Reina stopped and turned around.
There, she saw Kaiden frowning.
He stared at her intently for a moment, then strode over with large steps.
Reina blankly alternated her gaze between Kaiden and Rose, whose expression had hardened behind him.
Rose’s face looked unpleasant, as if facing an unwelcome guest.
She was watching as Rose reluctantly followed behind him.
By then, Kaiden had come close and said:
“You just pretended not to notice, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t.”
When Reina deliberately avoided his gaze, Kaiden tilted his head to meet her eyes.
“Doesn’t seem like you didn’t.”
“….”
“Why? Did you cause some trouble again? Was it fire this time, or water?”
The moment she lifted her head in irritation at his teasing voice.
Her eyes widened at the unexpectedly close distance.
Unfazed, Kaiden stared at her with a mischievous expression.
Feeling her face flush hot, Reina instinctively stepped back and retorted curtly.
“Am I a child or something?”
When she even shot him a light glare, Kaiden chuckled and drove the point home.
“Well, you’re just like a kid in how uneasy I feel leaving you alone.”
“Stop treating me like a child.”
“Alright, alright.”
Just as Kaiden seemed to reply half-heartedly to her protest, he let out a small burst of laughter.
Even that action felt like he was treating her like a kid, but knowing it wouldn’t get through anyway, she silently fanned her heated cheeks with her hand.
“So, why were you avoiding me?”
“You looked busy.”
Reina muttered, glancing at Rose.
At that, Kaiden shrugged after briefly glancing at Rose.
“Not at all.”
Meanwhile, Rose’s expression hardened considerably as she watched the harmonious scene between the two.
Especially when Kaiden called Reina by her name, Rose was startled.
It had taken quite a long time for her, who lived as a side attachment, to be called by name.
Just seeing them together after only a few days in the capital made her look more intimate with him than I am, and jealousy welled up inside me.
In front of others, I can’t even speak to him comfortably.
Feeling an inexplicable urgency, Rose inserted herself between the two.
“Peonies will have an even deeper fragrance once they fully bloom. If you place them in your bedroom, they’ll help with sleep too.”
She was subtly emphasizing that they were flowers she had given.
“Really?”
As soon as Kaiden heard they were good for sleep, he extended the peony bouquet to Reina.
“Then it would be better to put this in your room.”
“Me?”
“My lord.”
Rose called out to Kaiden in a flustered, reproachful tone.
Reina, who had unwittingly accepted the bouquet, looked back and forth between Kaiden and Rose with a perplexed expression.
Whether he failed to read the odd atmosphere or not, Kaiden said nonchalantly,
“I noticed last time that you keep having nightmares. It’d be good if this helps.”
“That’s true, but….”
Seeing Reina hesitate repeatedly, Rose protested softly.
“But that’s a gift I gave to you, my lord….”
“Isn’t it up to the recipient? It’s something I don’t need anyway.”
Something I don’t need.
The moment she heard those words, a crack appeared in Rose’s composed face.
Unable to suppress the surge of emotion, Rose glared at Reina with resentment.
“I see. If I’d known, I would have prepared some for Her Highness as well. I was inconsiderate. I’ll place these in my bedroom instead.”
“Ah….”
Rose snatched the flowers from Reina’s arms and hurriedly left the scene.
Unable to watch Rose walk away any longer, Reina turned to Kaiden and chided him.
“Still, considering the giver’s sincerity, isn’t it a bit much to say that right in front of her?”
“It wasn’t a gift I wanted in the first place—do I have to worry about that too? Better to give it to someone who needs it.”
At his indifferent-sounding retort, Reina pursed her lips.
He seemed kind at times, but in moments like this, he was so detached it bordered on cold.
Kaiden glanced at Reina, who somehow looked subdued, and changed the subject.
“How are you finding the north?”
“I’ve only just arrived, so I’m still adjusting, but everything’s fine. Except for the cold.”
As Reina brushed her shoulders as if chilled, Kaiden removed the coat he was wearing and offered it to her.
“The hallways are quite cold, so make sure to dress more warmly.”
“I did dress warmly…. I think it’s because it’s my first time in such a cold region. I’ll adapt eventually.”
“If there’s anything you need, don’t suffer in silence—tell me or Ben.”
“Ah, speaking of which.”
Reina continued as if something had suddenly occurred to her.
“Would it be alright if I met Dalia’s nanny separately?”
“Mrs. Mary?”
“Yes. There’s something I want to discuss about Dalia. And if it’s okay, I’d like to meet with Dalia regularly too.”
“I heard from Aiden. That Dalia mistook you for her mother. If that’s the reason, you don’t have to worry about it too much.”
“No. I just want to do it because I feel like it.”
Reina looked at Kaiden with a resolute expression.
Knowing that she transformed into someone remarkably strong-willed when she wore that face, he waited with interest for her next words.
A moment later, she said,
“When I see Dalia, I see my past self.”
“Really? In what way?”
“Just… it breaks my heart to see her bottling everything up alone. She’s so young, yet she’s too conscious of those around her, and it keeps weighing on my mind.”
Kaiden gazed steadily at Reina as she carefully expressed her opinion.
It didn’t seem like words said just to make a good impression.
Her gaze, as if looking into some distant place, added to that feeling.
Kaiden readily agreed.
“As it happens, I was just thinking of assigning Dalia a new etiquette teacher soon. You can do it, Reina.”
