HOASM~17

~Chapter 17~

“Everyone, please take your seats. You may be comfortable. I’m only here to observe for a while.”

Her hair was a soft pink, reminiscent of cherry blossoms.

Her skin was pale, almost ethereally fair.

Even from a distance, the delicate purity she exuded could be felt at a glance.

Among the stark contrasts, a few features lent the Crown Prince an almost mystical aura.

How should I put it…

Unlike Carlos, he seemed like a character dropped straight out of a romantic manga. Pure, perfect, and otherworldly.

In short, ridiculously handsome.

“Hm…”

I rested my chin on my hand, feigning indifference.

On the center seat where the Crown Prince would sit, a nameplate had been placed, though I hadn’t noticed when it had appeared.

The black letters were boldly engraved on transparent glass.

“Solio Aberta Lázaro Delroad”

Naturally, I’d never heard the name before. After all, in the narrative, he had only been briefly mentioned as “the Second Prince.”

Still… was he really Carlos’s younger brother? They didn’t resemble each other at all.

I carefully studied Solio’s nameplate again.

If I had to pinpoint a difference between the two, it might be their maternal lineages.

Carlos Lefinon Seymour Delroad.
Solio Aberta Lázaro Delroad.

Excluding the baptismal names at the end, the middle names—Seymour and Lázaro—denoted the only extant noble ducal families in Delroad Kingdom.

Even with that, my doubts weren’t resolved.

Even considering the polygamous system of this world and the fact that they were born to the first and second queens respectively…

They shared the same father, so why did they look so different?

‘It really makes me self-conscious.’

I subtly turned my gaze to Carlos.

Though he looked completely different from Solio, his appearance was no less striking.

In romance novels, especially ones centered on “conditions of love,” natural beauty is practically a requirement. Seeing him like this, it was easy to understand why he was the male protagonist.

My eyes unintentionally lingered. Honestly, being this close, it was impossible not to appreciate the sight.

I restrained myself because I knew getting too absorbed could complicate things.

I had always cared for the characters in this novel, just as much as I enjoyed reading it.

Carlos was no exception.

Though his personality could be aggravating at times—making me want to hit him on the back of the head—there was no way I could truly resent him given his upbringing and circumstances.

Yes. I had to admit it.

I didn’t dislike him.

“You’ll wear it down at this rate.”

“Huh.”

I swallowed hard at the sudden voice.

“Aren’t you going to pay attention during other meetings too?”

“….”

“If someone saw you, they’d think observing the Crown Prince’s looks is your actual job.”

Carlos said this casually, arms crossed, as if he already knew everything.

I feigned focus on the documents, scratching the back of my head.

Observing the Crown Prince’s appearance… not entirely inaccurate.

Had my interest been too obvious?

Honestly, I had been looking at both of them diligently, so there was no way to deny it.

The innocent papers were crumpling under my fingertips.

I had no choice but to change the subject.

“Team Leader, aren’t you going to greet the Crown Prince?”

I asked Carlos in a low voice, keeping it subtle.

It wasn’t just me avoiding eye contact—I was genuinely curious.

The expression he wore toward Solio wasn’t something that normally appeared between brothers.

“I don’t greet him.”

“Oh… I see.”

Their relationship didn’t seem good. The brief reply closed the topic.

The novel hadn’t described their interactions in detail, but it seemed they weren’t particularly close. Despite Solio’s puppy-like appearance, maybe he had a fiercer temper than Carlos?

As I speculated quietly, Carlos leaned over and whispered.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding.”

He slowly opened and closed his eyes, twisting his lips.

“My brother’s just a kind-hearted kid. If I were to explain, it’s really me who feels uncomfortable.”

“Ah…?”

So it wasn’t mutual. The problem lay with Carlos alone.

“Then stop making that expression.”

“Excuse me? What expression?”

“Too serious, bordering on pitiful. Like you’re feeling sorry for someone.”

“Oh.”

I hurriedly averted my gaze, blinking. My sympathetic thoughts had betrayed me, and I realized my mistake.

“I never asked you, Miss Lutiens, to worry for me. So you don’t need to get involved.”

“Understood. My apologies.”

Get involved… I smiled awkwardly. Thinking back, the question I asked Carlos in the first place had been a misstep.

What benefit did I get from asking about the relationship between Carlos and Solio?

I was merely curious because the novel hadn’t provided much information on Solio.

In hindsight, the reason he hadn’t appeared earlier was obvious.

If they got along, he would have appeared a few times. Since they didn’t, why would he bother showing up in a romance novel?

‘What a fool.’

I had once again overstepped, trying to pry into his secret.

I slumped slightly, turning my head away in shame.

Life rarely goes as planned, but at this point, it felt like the story’s warning bells were ringing directly in my ears.

“Come to think of it, I only end up confiding in you, Miss Lutiens.”

“Huh?”

As I reflected on my past self, Carlos’s shoulders trembled slightly in a quiet laugh.

He chuckled to himself just sitting there, leaving me puzzled.

“Interesting in its own way,” he muttered.

“……?”

He turned his face fully toward me.

His disheveled hair, black as midnight, shimmered.

As always, his violet eyes were impossible to evade.

Even better, the gaze that had been fixed on Solio now rested entirely on me.

I swallowed hard.

That familiar, teasing confidence in his expression never failed to make me tense.

The corners of Carlos’s eyes lifted slightly into a smirk.

“What could be the reason, I wonder.”

“…….”

“Maybe it’s because you’re the first to accept me this well. Or perhaps your way with words is unusually impressive?”

His words made me tilt my head in brief confusion.

W-words…?

“…What do you mean?”

“Just my impression. Don’t dwell on it too much.”

What is he even saying? Why tease me with half-truths like that?

I turned away, feeling unsettled, yet forced myself to glance toward Solio once more.

The meeting would officially begin soon, despite the distractions.

“Team Leader, focus. Otherwise, you won’t understand a word of what the Crown Prince is saying.”

“It doesn’t matter. Solio said he’d only observe, after all.”

“Oh. Can you really call him that casually?”

“What else should I call my brother?”

Indeed… a good point. I nodded slightly in response.

“True. Since you’re all part of the same royal family, it seems no one would really object to your tone.”

“No one here would. Miss Lutiens, didn’t you just speak informally to me a moment ago?”

“Ah, really. Well, you have to forgive that. The Team Leader came across as… uncaring, I guess.”

“Uncaring…”

He corrected the word belatedly, but it seemed he’d already heard it. His voice trembled slightly at the end.

Meanwhile, Solio’s gaze wandered and finally rested on us.

His purple eyes looked strangely anxious, unsettled.

Was he… watching us?

To be precise, perhaps not us, but Carlos.

I straightened up and lightly nudged Carlos’s side with my elbow.

A soft groan escaped him.

Really, such theatrics for something that barely hurt.

“Team Leader, look over there. Isn’t the Crown Prince giving you a glance?”

“Whether he is or isn’t, I don’t particularly care.”

“Really?”

I dared to ask again, risking my manners. His ambiguous expression made me uneasy.

“…I told you we’re not that close.”

Carlos answered nonchalantly. Unlike Solio’s earnest gaze, his response was prickly.

But I noticed a brief hesitation at my words.

Surprising…

I had assumed, from the novel’s description of his difficult personality, that he would always lash out in any human interaction. Yet he had this reserved side too.

I looked at him, eyes soft, silently acknowledging the nuance.

‘Of course. There’s no denying it.’

Even from a third party’s perspective, it was tender. I had to hide it; after all, my three years of experience in the Security Department had honed my instincts.

While Carlos’s concealed emotions were frustrating, I could also understand his position.

Right. Solio wouldn’t be a purely gentle younger brother.

Carlos, as the First Prince, had endured a lifetime of neglect. And as he confessed before, he carried hatred toward his stepmother. So of course he might feel uneasy about Solio.

But if resentment cycles back and forth, the one left unsettled isn’t Solio—it’s Carlos himself.

“You know, Team Leader,”

I cautiously tilted my head and whispered to him.