MHOW 09

Chapter 09

Herina’s prediction had come true.
Prince Benjamin, who had never once found Herina appealing or trusted her, smiled with a cold expression as soon as he stepped out of the duke’s mansion.

“If a friend is bewitched by a temptress… isn’t it a friend’s duty to help them escape?”

He didn’t know what had happened—or might happen—to his long-time friend, but one thought persisted: he couldn’t just leave things as they were.

“Your Highness, these are the mansions currently on the market in the capital. But why these suddenly…?”

Benjamin pointed to one of the estates while looking at the list of properties that servants had gathered while they waited for the couple. It was a mansion adjacent to the duke’s estate, less than an hour away by carriage.

“Arrange the contract for this one.”

“Eh? Why this one all of a sudden…? It’s rather far from the palace. Won’t it be inconvenient?”

Benjamin glanced back, eyeing the place where the fox who had charmed his friend might be, and nodded.

“What does it matter if it’s inconvenient? Some sacrifices must follow for the sake of someone precious.”

He had to stay close, even just to understand the intentions of the woman who had tricked his naïve friend, who had lived a stricter life than himself as a prince.

“And I’ll need to verify that unsettling rumor as well.”

“Could you add a bit more salad dressing here?”
“Yes, madam.”

Having moved in before the wedding, she was used to the servants attending her, but the sudden change in title overnight brought a subtle smile to Herina’s face.

“You should try some too. The lamb is perfectly cooked.”

Perhaps remembering the advice to act like a happy couple, Ares offered a piece of the steak he had been slicing to her.

“Eh? I… I—”

The servants looked on in surprise. Although she hadn’t served the lady for long, it was well known that she wouldn’t even touch lamb.

“You! Is this a prank? Are you doing this because I teased you yesterday? You know very well I wouldn’t touch lamb!”

Herina quickly played it off as a joke, easing the situation. She felt the surrounding gazes disperse.

Ares smiled awkwardly, having understood her intention.

“Ha… I just wanted to express a bit of disappointment to my lady. Surely, I know your preferences, my Herina.”

The servants, as always, trembled with delight at the love flowing between the couple. And the couple themselves felt their hearts race at how close they had come to being discovered.

After the meal, on her way to the study, Herina met the butler and thought as she received his greeting:

“Do you happen to have an extra pair of those glasses?”

Not many servants would stare directly at the master’s face, but she felt it was wise to have at least a minimal precaution. Luckily, the mansion’s butler said they had several spare pairs.

“Then handle it as a security measure and get another pair made. Give me that pair.”

Herina returned to her room satisfied, without asking further, pleased with the butler’s compliance.

Opening the office door, she saw Ares sitting upright, scanning the wedding guest list.

“What are you doing?”

So rigid on that plush sofa… His habits, formed from early childhood, were one of the many indicators that the seventeen-year-old and the twenty-four-year-old were indeed the same person.

“I was familiarizing myself with the names and titles of the nobles. Those invited will likely have close ties to our family, and I wanted to see if they differ from what I knew. Indeed, time has passed, and most of those I knew appear to have passed on their titles.”

His eyes were busy comparing old records with the current list. Herina placed the glasses she had brought onto his face.

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

Ares fidgeted with the unfamiliar glasses, but the thin gold frames perched on his high nose looked quite fine.

“They suit you well. We can’t have you walking around the mansion under a veil all the time. The servants normally won’t stare at your face, but some safety measures are necessary. Consider it minimal disguise.”

Ares nodded in agreement.

“You think we need a bit of conversation, don’t you?”

He nodded again. To fool even the closest staff in the mansion, they had to be perfect. To do so, knowing each other well was essential.

“Do we need to deceive the servants too? At least the butler should know. He has served our family for generations. There’s no risk of the secret leaking.”

Herina shook her head quickly. Ares mustn’t realize his changes aren’t that big.

If the butler found out, her plans at the duke’s mansion would be difficult, and Ares would realize he knew nothing.

“No. While he is trustworthy, as I said before, revealing even to a few people carelessly will eventually make it public. It’s best to keep secrets alone. The fewer who know, the lower the chance of it leaking.”

Although it pained him, Ares would become more isolated, being wary of even the servants. The more isolated he became, the more he would rely on Herina. She could not back down.

Herina’s firm answer silenced Ares, who nodded without further insistence.

“I’ve done more unexpected things than I ever imagined. A veil, these glasses… even deceiving the closest people.”

Herina let out a small laugh at his mature-sounding remark.

“Why are you laughing?”
“Don’t you think saying ‘I’ve lived’ is a bit odd? You’re only seventeen. It seems too early to say that.”

Ares, however, looked at her as if to say there was nothing odd about it.

“In that case, there’s no age suitable for saying it. Age is relative, not absolute. I’ve lived seventeen years and am having the most unusual experience of my life. Even if someone lived seventy-one years, how many would share this same experience?”

Herina, at a loss from the clarity of a seventeen-year-old’s words, awkwardly changed the topic.

“Well, alright. Don’t you want to know anything about me? We need to understand each other well to act naturally in front of others.”

The topic worked, and Ares spoke.

“But, didn’t you love me? The twenty-four-year-old me. Didn’t you marry in that fated love?”

Herina was the only one startled by his pointed question.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I’m just asking because adults seem to think that way. I, having lived only seventeen years, cannot understand such emotions. If the person I loved suddenly became younger, I don’t think I could react so rationally.”

Ares’ black eyes looked steadily at her. In those younger eyes, emotions that had never been young themselves were gathered. Herina’s heart skipped a beat, and she had to take a breath.

“Being an adult is truly difficult. There’s much to learn from you.”

Herina laughed off her flustered reaction.

“You catch on quickly. I’m not that accustomed either. Just consider me good at problem-solving.”

Ares seemed satisfied with Herina’s quick explanation.