Adelaide could barely sit in the middle of the awkward mood. Kalion sat opposite her and looked at her with a not-so-pleasant glare—a look was so mortifying it made the Haband delegates standing behind Adelaide flinch. Taking notice of that, Cedric whispered to Kalion, taking advantage of the noise of the tea being brought out.
“Lord Kalion, please. Your eyes.”
“What about them?”
When Kalion’s glare intensified further, Cedric changed his plan.
“She’ll think you’re interested in her if you stare at her so strongly.”
“What are you yapping about?”
“Remember what happened before, Lord Kalion? When you went out to fight demons? Were there some who liked it when you did that?” said Cedric.
Kalion bit his bottom lips at Cedric’s comment. What he’d said was right. There had been crazy women trying to get him into bed, so he’d kicked them out violently, and what had they said? That they liked it rough? It was thrilling, they said!
Of course Princess Adelaide, who had such dignity, would not say such a thing like that in front of everyone like this. However, Kalion got goosebumps thinking how she may secretly misunderstand him.
He turned his eyes away as he let out a sigh. He’d rather not look. His sharp glare, however, didn’t disappear so easily. He recalled what’d happened this morning.
Kalion, who’d received a report from Cedric, returned to bed after closing the door. In there was Erna still in a deep sleep. Staring at her, he thought of planning to start his morning with a scrumptious breakfast with Erna. He wanted to see Erna’s smile when she woke up. Shortly after, with Erna wrapped in his embrace, Kalion fell asleep, exhausted from their intense lovemaking.
“Shit…”
Kalion suppressed his annoyance as he grabbed Erna’s shoulder and shook her softly, “Wake up Erna.”
“Ughh… Whhhy… I don’t want…” Erna pushed his hand away and crawled under the blanket, clutching it tightly.
At the sight, Kalion felt a tickle in one corner of his heart. He wondered if a grown adult should be this cute. He didn’t like forcing Erna to wake up and definitely didn’t like to deliver annoying news. However, he couldn’t help but say it.
Kalion closed his eyes and pulled back the blanket. Erna, whose skin was hit by the chill atmosphere, opened her eyes with difficulty and, with a slight smile, reached out to him.
“Just sleep more…”
I’m going crazy, Kalion thought. He almost hugged Erna when she called out to him. He cursed Princess Adelaide with all his heart. How could he wake her up after seeing her this way? He struggled to say, again, “There is a new envoy from Haband.”
“So, the envoy… What!?”
At that moment, Erna sprang up from the bed like her sleepy form from earlier had been a lie.
“When? Hold on, what time is it? Oh, did someone come?”
Erna, who was about to jump out of bed in a jiffy, hurriedly put on her gown when she realized she was naked. Kalion told her the name he had heard from Cedric.
“Cedric said it’s Princess Adelaide.”
“Adelaide.”
At the mention of the princess’s name, Erna’s movement stopped like a broken clock, her face instantly turning pale.
“Erna?” Kalion approached Erna, bewildered by her reaction. He could tell from the first look that she was confused at that name. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked.
“No, it’s nothing… Why is… Adelaide… here…? That girl is King Haband’s most beloved princess…” Erna’s eyes were trembling.
“Did something happen between you and her? Did she bully you, too?”
Erna had once very briefly told a story of her childhood. She had been the only ugly one in the royal family of Haband, so she had been bullied by her other siblings as a child.
“No, Adelaide didn’t do that. I just… stared at her.” Erna gazed at Kalion, attempting to evade answering. “You are going to meet Adelaide, too, right?”
“Yep. Uh, I have to. First, since the envoy has come… Erna?” Kalion paused as he noticed Erna’s face getting darker by the second. He instinctively realized that there was something Erna was not telling him. He grabbed her, who hastily tried to run back to her room.
“What is wrong with you?”
“What did I—”
“Don’t say that it is nothing. Your face right now isn’t playing.”
Erna struggled to open her mouth at his words.
“Can I go… to meet the envoy alone?”
Kalion wondered if he’d misheard what she’d just said. He asked, “Is there a reason why I shouldn’t go?”
“That… uh…” Erna hesitated, then she closed her eyes and said as if she’d made up her mind, “Adelaide… is extremely beautiful.”
“So what?”
Kalion didn’t understand what the fuss was all about.
“So… everyone… really likes her.”
Kalion stared straight at Erna, who was mumbling in a worn-out voice.
“So, what you’re saying is that you are worried that I will fall in love at first sight and slobber at the mouth if I see your sister Adel or whatever?”
Erna closed her mouth at Kalion’s words. He had figured out what she wasn’t able to say. Erna squeezed her trembling hands. You cannot understand.
