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Chapter 7
Even setting the schedule aside, wedding expenses had to be decided through discussions between the two families, and most people did not want a simple ceremony.
The sincerity behind a marriage could be judged by how much benefit each family exchanged, and a family’s prestige was also at stake.
If a royal prince—especially a prince—held a wedding so modest and plain that it was no different from that of a commoner, what would people think of him?
Yet Lionel seemed to have come fully prepared, accepting every one of her conditions without hesitation. Adora began to wonder whether the prince had actually understood what she was saying.
As if reading her thoughts, Lionel spoke firmly once more.
“I will agree to every condition you mentioned. If there’s anything else you want, tell me freely. I’ll accommodate it all. I’ll handle the aftermath myself, so you needn’t worry.”
“…Yes.”
Adora answered awkwardly.
Lionel smiled in satisfaction.
For some reason, things seemed to be progressing exactly the way the prince wanted.
“So,” he asked, “what is your answer?”
“…I think I need some time to consider.”
Adora pressed a hand against her throbbing forehead.
Her mind, which had been spinning endlessly, had finally reached its limit.
She needed time to think.
Besides, it wasn’t something she could answer immediately anyway.
So she chose to retreat for the moment.
Lionel nodded readily.
“That’s understandable. Marriage is an important matter, and it deserves careful consideration. Think it over thoroughly and give me your answer. I’ll wait.”
With that, he slowly rose to his feet.
Is he finally leaving?
Color returned to Adora’s face.
She also began to stand to see him off, but instead of heading toward the door, Lionel walked toward her.
His hand reached out and gently took hers.
Long fingers brushed against her little finger before clasping the rest of her hand.
Before she knew it, he was holding it.
As her gaze followed their joined hands upward, she saw Lionel bending slightly, closing the distance between them.
Instinctively, Adora watched him with caution.
Noticing her wary gaze, he hesitated for a moment before smiling warmly again and tilting his head.
His red lips brushed dangerously close to her cheek, approaching her ear without quite touching it.
Then his smooth voice whispered temptingly.
“You know, I believe there must be a reason why you’re trying to marry so suddenly.”
Adora’s startled expression instantly stiffened.
Normally, her face revealed very little, but she couldn’t hide the slight tremor in her eyes.
Lionel’s eyes curved knowingly.
“A reason you cannot tell anyone, perhaps.”
“Then…”
“And naturally, I also have my own reasons for this marriage.”
Adora stared at him.
“But don’t think too deeply about it. Whatever those reasons may be, the important thing is this—I proposed because I want to marry you, and you received my proposal.”
A strange expression crossed Adora’s face.
Lionel’s smile deepened.
Then he pressed a kiss to the back of her rough hand.
Feeling the soft touch of his lips with her own senses, Adora froze completely.
Unconcerned by her reaction, Lionel lifted his head.
Just as he had when he first arrived, he wore a bright, radiant smile.
Then he whispered:
“Until next time, Miss Alfred.”
After seeing the Fourth Prince off, Adora returned to her office and collapsed onto the sofa.
It felt as though a storm had swept through.
And worse, she had an unpleasant feeling that this storm would not end with today.
“How was your conversation with the Fourth Prince?”
John asked.
“Uh… well. It really was a proposal.”
As she answered, Adora suddenly scratched the back of her right hand vigorously.
The sensation from earlier still seemed to linger there.
It wasn’t unpleasant exactly, but it sent a strange chill through her.
Recalling the prince’s smiling face until the very end, her expression became complicated.
“The Fourth Prince is as handsome as the rumors say.”
John murmured quietly, apparently recalling the prince’s appearance.
Adora glanced at him and nodded.
That much was undeniable.
He had always been beautiful, but over the past six years he had grown even more dazzling.
His manner toward her had been gentle, and his speech carried an even greater sense of refinement.
He seemed more perfect than before.
In a good sense, he had matured splendidly.
In a bad sense, he had become the kind of royal whose true intentions were impossible to read.
Adora stared at the bouquet of red roses beside her.
Recently, she had received more flower gifts than she deserved.
Yet this bouquet was by far the most uncomfortable.
The flowers themselves had done nothing wrong.
“This isn’t exactly an appropriate gift for a proposal.”
John, however, was staring at the bouquet with a completely different concern.
Adora absentmindedly touched her hair.
In the Kingdom of Glorious, red was considered an ominous color.
Its vivid hue reminded people of blood.
There was an old superstition that bringing red close to oneself invited death.
The belief had originated long ago, after years of territorial wars following the kingdom’s founding.
People wished such tragedies would never happen again.
As a result, unless someone was a soldier or mercenary, most people avoided red objects—including flowers.
When she was young, Adora herself had been ostracized because of her deep crimson hair.
Orange-red hair was not uncommon, but a color as vividly red as hers was rare.
Children had pointed at her and called her unlucky, upsetting her parents.
Eventually, she stopped caring.
She didn’t believe in superstitions and had learned that ignoring such things was wiser.
The servants of the Alfred household didn’t believe the superstition either, since red hair was a family trait.
Still, a bouquet of red roses was a poor choice for a proposal gift.
“I don’t think he meant it that way.”
Adora couldn’t imagine the Fourth Prince bringing the flowers with malicious intent.
He wasn’t the type to smile sweetly while secretly cursing someone.
If he truly disliked someone, he’d probably say it outright.
“I brought red roses because I hope you’ll be miserable.”
That would be more like him.
She stared at the vividly red blooms.
Despite the long journey, the roses looked incredibly fresh.
Had they been preserved somehow?
As random questions crossed her mind, John carefully spoke up.
“Master, perhaps…”
“Hm?”
Adora looked up curiously.
The moment she saw John’s serious expression, she frantically shook her head.
No.
Absolutely not.
There was nothing going on between her and the Fourth Prince.
“Or perhaps you share some special connection?”
“A connection? Six years ago I briefly served as his escort. That’s all. Truly, that’s all. We’d never even spoken before then.”
“Then why would he come to propose to you?”
“Who knows? I don’t know either.”
She knew Prince Lionel had some motive.
But he never revealed it.
Instead, he’d casually promised another meeting with his parting words.
“Hopefully it’s nothing serious.”
“Nothing serious…”
Adora sighed.
She wanted to say with certainty that it wasn’t.
But she couldn’t.
Could he actually know why I’m trying to marry?
Running her fingers through her hair, she pushed herself upright.
She intended to distract herself by reading the remaining marriage proposals.
Then John called out to her.
“Master. You must be careful.”
“What?”
The sudden warning made her look up in confusion.
John wore the same stern expression he had when she was a child.
“It’s fine to consider family background, wealth, or even bedroom skills, but judging someone by their face alone is dangerous. I’ve seen plenty of people marry because of looks and then demand a divorce because their personalities didn’t match. A person’s character is what truly matters.”
After claiming family status, money, and bedroom skills were acceptable criteria, he suddenly launched into a lecture about inner character.
“Don’t be swayed by a handsome face!”
he practically cried.
Apparently, he believed Adora had been dazzled by the Fourth Prince’s extraordinary looks.
Who said I was dazzled?
She wanted to point out that John himself had nearly been charmed.
But she was too tired to argue.
Waving him off, she returned to reading the proposals.
Unfortunately, John continued his endless lecture out of concern for her.
When there seemed to be no end in sight, Adora finally scattered the letters everywhere.
While John scrambled to pick them up, she seized the opportunity and fled to her room.
* * *
Relations with the enemy nation felt as though they could collapse at any moment.
The other side had crossed the line long ago, and there was no longer any reason to remain patient.
Both countries stood at the final spark before war erupted.
The king strengthened security throughout the kingdom and ordered additional protection for the royal family.
To accomplish this, personnel were temporarily assigned from the Royal Guard.
Adora was among those selected.
Naturally, it was not something she wanted.
The colleague chosen alongside her was delighted, calling it a great opportunity to build connections with royalty.
Adora, however, had no interest whatsoever.
If anything, she found it troublesome.
So she went to see Carlton, the commander at the time.
She intended to suggest assigning someone more suitable.
But the moment Carlton saw her, he flatly refused to reconsider the decision.
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately. Even considering the important event ahead, you’ve gone too far. Passion is admirable, but too much of it becomes poison. Do you realize the other knights can’t even focus on training because they’re too busy watching you?”
Her entire life had been devoted to revenge.
Since that tragic day, she had never stopped moving forward.
She worked relentlessly.
At times it was painful.
At times she wanted to give up.
Yet she endured for one reason alone:
Revenge.
Now the opportunity was finally within reach.
That thought had made her impatient.
Apparently, the impatience had begun to show.
“Think of this as a chance to catch your breath.”
Carlton patted her shoulder, saying that once everything began, she wouldn’t get another chance to rest no matter how much she begged.
With Carlton speaking so sincerely, Adora couldn’t continue protesting.
Besides, if the commander ordered it, she had no right to refuse.
When she left his office, Terik was waiting outside.
Terik was both a colleague and a close friend who had trained alongside her since their days as knight apprentices.
He walked over and slung an arm around her shoulders.
“Don’t worry so much. Each palace already has its own guards, and the royals have personal bodyguards too. What are you really going to have to do? Unless something actually happens, nobody pays attention to temporary escorts.”
He also told her to enjoy the delicious food served at the palace and not to worry too much about pleasing royalty.
Judging from his joking tone, he must have realized she hadn’t wanted the assignment.
The Royal Guard consisted of four knightly orders:
White, Black, Blue, and Green.
From the Green Order, three people—including Adora—were selected.
Their fellow knights looked on with envy.
Ignoring their sighs, Adora walked forward with heavy steps.
The Kingdom of Glorious had one princess and four princes.
And of all people—
Adora ended up being assigned to guard the Fourth Prince.
