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Chapter 26
Chester flinched at my words.
I could clearly see his pupils tremble.
I knew it must have been like a bolt from the blue to him.
He had just confessed his feelings to me, only to be met with a prohibition.
“Yu…lia?”
“You said you love me. Was that… a lie?”
“…It’s the truth.”
“Then, think of this as proof of that.”
“…Alright.”
He backed off—too easily, almost unnervingly so.
The hand that had been tracing the hem of my dress took mine instead, bringing my hand to his cheek.
With his impossibly handsome face and that faint, mesmerizing smile, he looked like he could enchant anyone.
“If doing this is what it takes for you to trust me, I’ll gladly do it.”
“……”
“I don’t want you to hate me, Yulia.”
He gazed at me with eyes full of deep, intoxicating longing—eyes that seemed to tempt me.
But soon, that gaze disappeared as his eyelids lowered.
Like a gentle puppy, Chester rubbed his face against my palm.
“Yulia. From now on, I’ll behave.”
He kissed my wrist and looked down at me with a soft, languid smile.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow, Yulia.”
He held my gaze and pressed a kiss to the back of my hand.
My heart pounded furiously at the handsome man’s every move.
How could someone be this good-looking?
It was practically cheating.
Who could stay calm when someone that beautiful smiled and acted like that?
“Yulia. I won’t eat you up. Until the grace period you mentioned is over, I won’t touch anything beyond your lips.”
“…Chester.”
“Yes, Yulia?”
“If you want me to believe that… could you start by getting off me?”
He hadn’t seemed like he planned to move at all, so I had to actually say it aloud.
Without another word, Chester stood up.
“Chester. You really love me, right?”
“Yes. I love you very much, Yulia.”
“…Without any other reason—just me, as a person?”
I couldn’t bring myself to add, ‘and not just pretending to love me.’
I wanted to believe that he loved me with no conditions, no ulterior motives…
But the more I wanted to believe, the harder it was to do so.
“If you ever feel that I don’t love you, I’ll call off the engagement.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. That’s how confident I am—and above all, I’m sincere.”
Could I really believe that?
From what I remembered of the original story, he wasn’t exactly trustworthy.
But since things had already deviated from the original in so many ways…
Maybe this time, I could believe him.
“My love for you is real, Yulia. I’ll take my leave now.”
“……”
“Please come to me early tomorrow, Yulia.”
I nodded unconsciously.
I washed up, dressed for going out, and sat at the vanity.
The maids lined up various pieces of jewelry before me.
I pointed at the ones that matched the sky-blue dress and decided to leave my hair down.
“Ma’am,” I called to my old nursemaid.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“…It’ll be fine, right?”
“Of course. There’s no better match than Duke Zikbert, if marriage is what you want.”
“That’s… true.”
“He’s not much older than you, he’s handsome, and his title is more than fitting for a princess’s husband.”
“……”
“And most importantly—he’s handsome. And since His Grace himself proposed the marriage first, there’s no doubt he has feelings for you.”
“…Do you really think Duke Zikbert seems like he likes me?”
“At the very least, it doesn’t look like he feels nothing.”
She smiled softly as she said it.
I hugged her tightly.
I used to fit perfectly in her arms, but now I was tall enough to hold her in return.
She patted my back gently, and my anxious heart began to calm.
“What’s troubling our princess?”
“It just… feels strange.”
Those words—‘I love you’.
Why is it so hard for me to believe them?
Because he’s the villain?
Or… is there another reason?
“Why does Duke Zikbert…”
…feel obsessed with me?
To be honest, I couldn’t fully trust his words when he said he loved me.
If anything, they only made me more suspicious.
It was strange, the way he had suddenly changed his attitude.
“…Maybe he just wants to marry into the royal family?”
“Your Highness, you’re the most noble woman in the Empire. There’s no one of higher status than you—take pride in that!”
“……”
“And besides, you’re the spitting image of the late Empress, who was known far and wide for her beauty.”
I could never escape my mother’s shadow.
If I had taken after my father instead—what then?
Would he have loved me, instead of the reflection of my mother he saw in me?
Things were better now, but right after Mother died… those days were unbearable.
“…I’ll be going now.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
This time, my heart felt different.
Back then, I had felt nothing but dread and resistance when forced to go.
Now, it didn’t feel that way anymore.
The carriage stopped—perhaps we had arrived.
When the door opened, I saw Chester standing outside.
“Yulia.”
He offered me his right hand to help me down.
I gently placed my hand atop his.
“Why did you come out yourself?”
“If you’re coming, of course I should be the one to wait for you.”
“…Is your injury alright?”
“It’s nice that you’re worried, but I’m perfectly fine. No need to fret.”
“……”
“If you’re that worried, you can check for yourself.”
He extended his left hand toward me.
On the surface, he seemed fine—but I couldn’t be sure.
Was he just pretending not to be in pain? Or was he truly okay?
“Yulia.”
“…Yes?”
“Don’t make that face. We’re about to go on a date, and if you look like you’re about to cry before it even starts, that’ll make me sad.”
I stared quietly at his left arm.
“If you’re that concerned, you can check it yourself.”
“…What?”
Without hesitation, he began to unwrap the bandages on his arm.
Thankfully, the bleeding had stopped properly, and the wound hadn’t reopened.
There was only a faint trace of dried blood.
“I’m fine. So don’t worry, Yulia.”
“…I’ll trust you.”
“Before we leave on our trip… would you take a walk with me first? There’s something I want to show you.”
I nodded, and he smiled faintly before leading me by the hand toward the garden.
I had never even cared to look at this place before, but now it easily drew my attention.
The garden was filled with the same flowers he had sent me before—planted everywhere.
“Yulia. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so this was the best I could do.”
“……”
“If you tell me what kind of flowers you prefer, I’ll have the garden redone.”
“…Lisianthus.”
“Then, next time you come, this place will be full of lisianthus.”
When most people smile, it feels warm—but when Chester smiled, it gave me an ominous chill.
Still, on that beautiful face, even such a smile looked breathtaking.
“After we marry, I want every corner of the ducal mansion to be filled with your taste.”
“…Is that really alright?”
“If it’s what you want, then gladly.”
He lifted my hand to his face and kissed my palm.
“There’s no need to care what anyone thinks. Change anything you like within the ducal house.”
“Why do you say things like that? Are you sure it’s really okay if I do?”
In response, Chester pressed a kiss to my cheek—with an audible smooch.
Earlier, it was my palm.
Now, it was my cheek.
Startled, I touched the spot where his lips had brushed.
“What could possibly not be okay?”
“……”
“You’re going to be the lady of House Zikbert anyway—it’s only natural.”
“…So, where are we going?”
Instead of answering, he guided me to the carriage marked with the Zikbert family crest and helped me inside.
So he really didn’t plan to tell me.
“It’s a secret, Yulia.”
“You’re really not going to tell me?”
“No. It won’t take long. I just hope you’ll like it… Will you?”
“I don’t know!”
He chuckled softly, a faint smile on his lips.
I didn’t really dislike that expression.
But his face reminded me of someone—someone from a hazy memory.
“When we meet again, stay by my side then!”
A boy around my age, with jet-black hair, had said that, clutching my hand so desperately.
I couldn’t remember his face.
Back then, I hadn’t been able to see clearly.
So I couldn’t be sure—just a vague feeling.
“Chester.”
“Yes?”
“…Never mind.”
I had only mouthed the words without sound.
Maybe he noticed, because he gently stroked my cheek and whispered kindly, as if to ease my hesitation.
“If there’s something you want to ask, ask anytime. I’ll always answer you honestly.”
Sitting face to face with him, even having him touch my cheek, no longer felt uncomfortable.
Instead, I found myself staring intently at his face.
Maybe it was a coincidence—probably just that.
Still, a tiny spark of hope flickered inside me.
Aside from the color of their hair, there wasn’t much resemblance between Chester and that boy from my memory.
They couldn’t possibly be the same person.
And yet…
“Chester.”
“Yes, Yulia?”
There was no guarantee they weren’t, either.
“Have we… met before?”
