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Chapter 14
Who was she?
From the very first meeting, she was a woman who drew attention.
It had been pure coincidence — stepping into that quiet countryside gallery that caught his eye for no particular reason.
Yet, the owner of that gallery exuded an atmosphere as mysterious and compelling as the paintings she displayed.
Her face, refined and elegant, betrayed no clear age.
Her poised movements, her straight posture — they all gave off an air far too noble for a commoner.
Enough to make one wonder if she had once been of noble birth.
He wanted to get closer to her.
To talk to her more.
He wished, just this once, that the Imperial Knights who always followed his trail wouldn’t appear here.
Because if she ever found out who he truly was, he’d have to run again.
But as always, his wish went unanswered.
The Imperial Knights came to her door and asked about his whereabouts.
Naturally, when she said she’d seen his portrait, he couldn’t help but tense up.
Anyone would have recognized him — the face in that portrait was unmistakably his.
He had even thought, maybe he should flee right now.
But then, when he nervously asked if she thought the man in the painting resembled him, she replied:
“The face may be similar, but the feeling isn’t the same.
Living has taught me that a person’s impression comes more from their presence than from their features.
In that sense, you didn’t seem like the man in the painting.”
It was as strange and subtle an answer as the air she carried about her.
Adolf found himself puzzled — unsure if she was pretending not to know, or truly didn’t.
He walked back slowly, lost in thought, until he reached his residence.
The magical tent he had bought from the Empire’s most renowned wizard provided him with a comfortable home wherever he went — invisible to others.
That was why the Imperial Knights still hadn’t found him.
He stopped before the door.
“…Ah.”
Could it be — was she trying to hide him?
Her words, her tone, her every gesture — all of it had felt as if she were quietly telling him that she meant to protect him.
The way she treated him like a guest even when the knights were investigating him, the way she’d pretended not to recognize him from the portrait…
She wasn’t the type to be so oblivious that she’d miss his identity.
And yet, she had chosen to act as if she didn’t know.
She was hiding him.
After thinking deeply, that was the conclusion he reached.
As Adolf opened the door and stepped inside, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“…What a thoughtful person.”
Realizing her intent made him feel strangely at ease — not because he was safe from the knights, but because…
If she pretended not to know, then he wouldn’t have to leave her side.
He wouldn’t have to leave that quiet gallery, or her paintings.
He could stay close to her — just a little longer.
“When people get to know each other, if they feel they get along, they naturally grow closer.”
Those had been her words.
Now he finally had the chance to make them come true.
He felt grateful — and wanted to repay that kindness.
So, he decided not to ask her name, nor about her past — the things he’d been curious about.
Just as she had protected his secret, he would respect hers.
“…Ah, I really want to get closer to her.”
He flopped down on his bed and rolled around like an excited child.
He couldn’t wait to see her again.
The next morning, he entered the gallery looking visibly cheerful.
Striding up to me, he greeted me brightly.
“Good morning.”
“…You look especially happy today.”
Remembering how he’d practically fled the gallery yesterday, I couldn’t help but smile. He nodded.
“A little better than usual, yes.”
“Would you like a cup of warm coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
As usual, he ordered his coffee and sat quietly in the corner, looking at the paintings.
The only difference today was that he kept smiling — and occasionally, he hummed under his breath.
When the coffee was ready, he approached me.
He stopped, looking at me for a moment.
“I’m sorry for asking you strange questions yesterday morning.”
“…It’s fine. I didn’t think much of it. Don’t worry.”
“Um.”
He paused before taking the coffee, then looked straight into my eyes.
“I’d like to become friends with you.”
That beautiful smile bloomed before me — and those sapphire eyes shone like they held the sea itself.
“…And I will become friends with you.”
There was such clear conviction in his gaze that, for a fleeting second, my heart trembled — a feeling so faint I hardly noticed it myself.
From that day on, he began approaching me more openly.
He came to the gallery every morning as if it were his workplace.
We talked more than before.
If, before, our conversations had mostly revolved around art, now he asked questions about me — what I liked, what I wanted to do in the future.
And like that, we slowly began to learn about each other.
He, too, shared much with me:
That he wasn’t picky with food.
That he loved the scenery of nature.
That he was quite skilled with a sword.
What was interesting was that he never once asked about my past.
If he had, I would have distanced myself immediately.
But he didn’t.
He only asked about me as I am now, and about my future.
And of course, I never asked about his past either.
That was simply understood between us.
…Sometimes, during our conversations, he would bring up the Third Prince — subtly, as if dropping hints.
As if he wanted me to know more about that prince.
“Did you know the Third Prince actually has a really good personality?”
“They say the Third Prince enjoys art, too. Did you know that?”
“The Third Prince, actually…”
And so, I unintentionally learned quite a bit about Adolf de Fontriche, the Third Prince.
It was almost adorable — the way he pretended to casually leak those facts.
Of course, our relationship wasn’t something overly intimate or sudden.
To others, it probably looked like polite, formal conversation — nothing more.
But inside, I found myself smiling a lot more because of him.
The way he respected my boundaries yet tried to grow closer — it made me feel at ease.
Little by little, I relaxed around him.
I even began to enjoy our conversations.
I thought — even if he were to find out who I really was, it wouldn’t matter much.
What could he do, after all?
We both had our secrets — a fair exchange of masks.
And besides, I was no longer a duchess.
I existed only as Kasia.
I didn’t want to lose these new experiences just because of noble titles or royal blood.
Yes, meeting him was genuinely enjoyable for me.
That was the plain truth.
After all, he was a strikingly beautiful young man — silver hair, and blue eyes that suited it perfectly.
Even after seeing him many times, I never quite got used to his beauty.
If I had been a younger girl, I might have had to clutch my heart every time I saw him — like a first love glimpsed from afar.
But I was no longer that age.
No longer someone who fell for looks alone.
And because of that, I could treat him comfortably — as one person to another.
Eventually, the royal knights stopped visiting.
After days of searching for the missing Third Prince, they seemed to have given up and left Lorencia.
Soon after, I finished creating a new dessert menu for the gallery café.
At last, the newly designed dessert board was complete.
Arwin and I stood behind the counter, admiring it together.
Cranberry scones, lemon madeleines, cheese muffins, chocolate chip cookies…
Small treats that would go perfectly with a cup of coffee.
We planned to make only a few of each to sell.
Since the gallery alone couldn’t support us, I’d added a café menu — but I loved the quiet atmosphere of the place too much to let it get busy.
I decided to rotate the menu freely — remove or add items depending on popularity.
It looked like I’d be a bit busier from now on, but I didn’t mind.
I found baking almost as enjoyable as painting.
“Thanks to you, I was able to add some wonderful items to the menu.”
I turned to Arwin.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. I’m the one who got to eat so many samples.”
“From now on, they’re not free. You’ll have to pay.”
He chuckled softly at my teasing reply, his blue eyes gleaming with amusement.
After gazing up at the dessert menu for a moment, he suddenly asked:
“By the way, there’s something I’ve been curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Why don’t you make cakes?”
“…”
My expression stiffened — just slightly, not enough to show.
