“I mean, they have known each other since childhood… oh, come to think of it, I do remember the social circles being quite abuzz when the engagement was called off.”
“Abuzz? Why was that…?”
“I’m not sure about everything, but purely on the surface level, the two of them were considered such a well-matched pair — there were quite a number of nobles who supported the match, and — ow!”
And there it was. Mid-sentence, Xenon suddenly vanished from my line of sight with a pained sound.
Lord Shuian had materialized beside him and was calmly and methodically pressing his foot against Xenon’s with practiced precision, eyes fixed on him. Xenon, eyebrows drooping with miserable injustice, was shoved sideways. Shuian cleared his throat.
“Ahem. It seems Xenon’s foot is troubling him all of a sudden. If I may continue in his place, Lady Melberine — while it’s true that there were those in society who supported the match, the number was not overwhelming by any means.”
I listened carefully.
“As is typical in social circles, the sensational word ‘broken engagement’ stirred a certain amount of talk at the time. Of course, as time passed, the princess’s name came up less and less — and now, with Lady Melberine at the Grand Duke’s side, the connection is even further removed.”
The words came out smooth and polished, as though prepared well in advance. At some point, Shuian — who had been so prickly toward me for so long — seemed to have shifted into something noticeably warmer. But I had no bandwidth to dwell on that right now.
My mind was already full of what Xenon had said. Shuian’s words scattered before they could reach me properly.
So well-matched that nobles supported the union?
The shadow that had settled over my face deepened further. Lips pressed together, I sat quietly spinning imaginings of the princess — and at last, I gave voice to the question pressing most insistently on my mind.
“…In your opinion, was the princess considered beautiful?”
This was the thing weighing on me most heavily right now. What Xenon had said about their outward compatibility kept snagging in my thoughts.
“…Well. That is…”
No answer came. Only hesitation.
Shuian opened and closed his mouth as though the question had come entirely without warning.
But their silence was its own answer.
Both of them were people with uncommonly clear-eyed judgment. That two such men would hesitate to answer at all meant…
Of course she would appear beautiful to Axel’s eyes as well.
The thought was enough to make my expression crumple into something wretched. From nearby, Shuian spotted the misery on my face and launched into a hasty attempt at damage control — but there was little point.
My mood had already begun to sink below the surface.
Just as it was threatening to drag me under entirely, a familiar low voice reached me.
“What are you doing over there… Lady Melberine? What are you doing here?”
I had come without Axel’s knowledge to question Shuian and Xenon about the princess, so the unplanned encounter left him staring at me with visible surprise.
“And why do you look like that. Has something happened?”
Axel stepped closer, moving directly to my side and studying my expression with careful attention. When I looked up and found his face turned toward me with genuine concern — warm and gentle in a way that was so characteristic of him — an involuntary complaint escaped me before I could stop it.
I reached out and gripped the lapel of his uniform jacket tightly.
“Your Highness.”
“What is it.”
“…What do you think of me? When you look at me?”
The question was contextless and abrupt. Axel frowned slightly, as though he had misheard.
“Pardon?”
“What do you think of my appearance? Like — cute, beautiful, that sort of honest impression.”
“…Why would you ask something like that out of nowhere?”
“I’m just curious.”
The moment I asked, Axel’s brow furrowed. Rather than answer, he directed his gaze sharply sideways — unmistakably toward Shuian and Xenon.
Both of them gave a faint, involuntary twitch.
Axel’s voice came out quieter than before.
“…Did someone say something strange to Lady Melberine?”
His eyes sharpened.
Fearing he might realize I had been quietly investigating the princess without his knowledge, I quickly tugged on the jacket lapel to draw his attention back.
“Nothing like that. It wasn’t anything like that.”
And while facing him, I covertly signaled to Shuian and Xenon behind his back to keep this between us. Both of them caught the gesture and quietly excused themselves.
“Really. So please — just answer my question first.”
Finally, Axel turned from his suspicious study of the air behind me and looked directly at my face.
Apparently actually intending to answer, his attentive gaze moved carefully from feature to feature, settling and lifting in turn.
It was only a gaze — nothing more — and yet somehow it made my heart beat faster. Those dark, inscrutable eyes drew close.
I held the eye contact for a few long moments before I was the one to break it, looking away first. I had started all of this myself, but now that things had come to this point, it was beginning to feel rather embarrassing.
Axel’s brow moved.
“Why are you avoiding it.”
“…I’m not avoiding anything. And I think a bit more distance might be advisable—”
“Your words and your actions don’t agree. And you were the one who asked me to answer, weren’t you? I don’t think this is the kind of question that can be answered without looking at your face.”
“T-that’s true, but that’s—”
I fidgeted, clearly rattled, unable to keep my eyes still.
Axel had always been the one caught off guard in our dynamic, so this sort of reversal was deeply unfamiliar territory. Was this what he felt every time?
Something almost like amusement had entered his expression. Under his lead, the delicate back-and-forth of eye contact continued.
And then, suddenly, I had the impression that Axel’s face was coming closer — an impression I immediately understood was not an impression at all.
He’s actually getting closer—!
He really was. His face was genuinely drawing nearer.
My heartbeat quickened dramatically. I pressed my lips tightly together.
Holding my breath, I closed my eyes without meaning to — and then something pressed gently against my forehead: a finger, with a careful, firm push that sent me stepping back.
Every tense muscle in my body went limp at once. I opened my eyes, blinking.
Across from me, Axel was covering his mouth with one hand, eyes curved with unmistakable delight.
“What exactly were you expecting, Lady Melberine? I didn’t realize — you have quite a hidden scheming side.”
The full realization that I had been completely played washed over me as my face went hot.
“E-expecting? What would I be expecting? I wasn’t expecting anything at all!”
“Then why did you close your eyes?”
“That — because you suddenly came so close and I got flustered—”
“Do you close your eyes whenever someone comes near you?”
“Not as a general rule, but—!”
Axel’s manner today was oddly sharper — more knowing — than usual, and I was simply no match for it. I snapped my mouth shut, unable to get another word out.
But Axel seemed to find the whole situation entirely too enjoyable. The smile at the corner of his mouth showed no signs of fading. Sensing that staying like this would not serve me, I chose to redirect.
“Stop changing the subject! So what do you actually think when you look at me? Please answer properly. You’ve been watching me long enough to give me something worth hearing.”
I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at him. He returned a smile full of unhurried ease.
“All right. I’ll tell you. I feel like I’ve become fairly certain of something about you today, actually.”
Fairly certain of something about me?
I had no way to tell whether this was good or bad. Between tension and anticipation, my heart thudded.
I fixed my eyes on Axel’s lips, and at last, his mouth slowly opened.
