Chapter 1.2
A large, rough but firm hand grabbed her thin shoulders and straightened her up.
When Ines turned her head in surprise, the first thing she saw was his cold silver hair, shining under the sunlight.
‘So pretty.’
It was a silly thought, but that was the first thing that came to Ines’ mind.
She had seen dull silver-gray hair a few times when she lived in Jenaire. But that kind of pure silver, without a single impurity, was a first for her.
“Y-Your Highness…”
Before she knew it, the knight—suddenly full of military discipline—hurriedly gave a salute. Ines’ eyes widened.
Among the key figures of Lezan who were called “Your Highness,” there was only one man with silver hair.
A man she had heard of long ago, but had never seen in person.
Someone she had vaguely hoped she might see at least once if she stayed in the imperial palace of Jenaire.
“How did you come all the way here?”
“Did the commander of the knights not give you orders?”
“Pardon?”
“I clearly ordered that she be brought straight to Eleanor’s quarters.”
The sounds of them talking buzzed in her ears like a swarm of bees.
A hint of anticipation appeared on Ines’ face. Her blue eyes slowly moved down from the man’s handsome forehead to his eyebrows.
His eyes were backlit, making it hard to tell what color they were.
But then, the wind blew.
The swaying silver hair briefly blocked the sunlight, and in that moment, the sharp eyes were revealed clearly.
They were bright green.
A sigh-like gasp slipped through her dry lips.
“…The Duke.”
The man whom Jenaire feared more than even the Emperor of Lezan.
A knight worthy of being called the strongest sword of Lezan, heir to the throne, and current ruler of the northwestern Duchy of Eleanor.
Duke of Eleanor. It really was him.
“That’s enough. I’ll take her from here.”
“Pardon? Did you say… personally?”
“Do I need to say it twice?”
“N-no, Your Highness!”
The man’s eyes left the knight, who quickly stepped back.
As Ines stared blankly up at him, she suddenly realized she was looking into his green eyes.
Only then did she realize—they had made eye contact.
“…!”
She had only known his name for a long time.
It was just a few months ago, while studying the noble families of Lezan in the Jenaire imperial palace, that she had seen his portrait.
It had been incredibly detailed—almost lifelike—but now that she was seeing him in person, she realized it hadn’t captured even half of him.
“I greet a royal of Jenaire.”
The man with the beautiful face bowed.
Before she knew it, he had taken her hand, and his warm lips touched the back of it. No one had ever kissed the back of her hand in such a way before.
“Ah…”
His lips felt like hot embers.
That heat quickly spread through Ines’ body and made her flush. She stumbled through her words.
“Th-thank you…”
“No need to mention it.”
The Duke responded lightly, then released her hand and straightened his back.
“I’ll show you to your place in the palace. Shall we go?”
Ines lowered her gaze to avoid his green eyes, which hadn’t left her since the beginning.
Somehow, she felt… strange.
She didn’t know how to describe that moment.
Even if she used every word she knew, Ines couldn’t clearly define the feeling she had when she first met Rayan Eleanor and followed behind him.
“I heard the journey here was hard.”
“It wasn’t so bad… Thank you for asking.”
“I see. Still, you should rest for a few days. You’ll stay in the palace until the welcome ceremony.”
The Lezan imperial palace felt completely different from Jenaire’s, which was decorated with tiles and embedded with jewels from the central region.
It was less flashy, but much more elegant and majestic.
The man walking half a step ahead of her fit perfectly with that refined beauty.
The chandelier hanging above his head, the golden hallway reflected in the mirrors on the wall, the rare sculptures and delicate ornaments.
His black uniform jacket draped lightly over his arm, the neatly tied cravat, the ruby brooch pinned at the center…
Everything about him looked natural.
He was a man who shone so beautifully—much more than she had ever imagined.
Compared to him, she was no more than a beggar who had rolled around in the slums.
Ines’ steps slowly faltered.
She glanced sideways and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. A shabby woman in a worn dress, surrounded by rich rose vines in the reflection. So out of place. So familiar.
All her life, Ines had been the smallest and most insignificant person in the most dazzling and wealthy places.
In Jenaire and now in Lezan, everyone looked at her the same way. It didn’t move her much—she was born this way, after all.
But still… her eyes lingered on the man walking away.
For some reason, she felt that if he looked at her the same way others did, she would be sad.
Maybe because he was the only person she knew in this unfamiliar land?
Or maybe… because he was one of the men she was supposed to seduce?
“…Your Highness.”
She didn’t want to throw this shabby self at such a perfect person.
She wished he would just be cold to her.
Say something harsh and push her away.
“But we…”
Yet at the same time, a contradictory hope stirred in her. She wished he would be kind to her. She could get used to being hated, but not to being liked. That was too much.
So how could she describe this feeling?
Ines’ small fists clenched tightly with frustration.
“It feels like we haven’t seen each other in a very long time.”
Rayan stopped at the small voice behind him.
Instead of turning around, he glanced to the side. She was no longer reflected in the mirrors along the hallway.
‘She’s not right behind me anymore.’
It wasn’t that she was hiding her presence—she was just naturally quiet and unnoticeable.
Rayan turned around. Ines was standing still, a good five steps behind him.
When had the distance grown so far?
He thought her voice was small, but perhaps she had tried to speak loudly. Even then, it barely reached him.
“Am I the only one who remembers? If so… I won’t bring it up again.”
While Ines chewed nervously on the inside of her lip, he looked at her calmly.
She looked completely out of place here.
Shrunken shoulders, a dirty white dress stained with mud, unkempt black hair. There was nothing about her that looked presentable.
The palace maids, who had bowed earlier, whispered among themselves.
Their gazes kept flickering toward Ines, standing alone in the middle of the hall.
But Ines didn’t seem to care.
She just waited anxiously for his answer. Her dry lips moved as she licked them nervously.
Instead of replying, Rayan looked toward the line of maids.
It wasn’t hard to judge what kind of impact her appearance would have on his reputation later.
A sharp order flew at the maids’ bowed heads.
“Bend lower.”
Startled, the maids bent their waists even deeper.
Ines blinked wide at the sudden shift in attention. Rayan stepped forward again.
Exactly five steps.
In those few short seconds, he revisited an old memory he once thought wasn’t worth recalling.
By the time she came close, the memory was clear in his mind.
“…Once, I said…”
He unhooked the uniform jacket draped over his arm.
Gold-thread embroidery and jewel-encrusted buttons shimmered under the chandelier. He gently placed it over her thin shoulders.
“…?”
Ines looked up at him, puzzled, only then noticing the jacket.
Before she could say anything, he spoke the words from that old memory.
“I had a feeling… we would meet again someday.”
Her startled, clear blue eyes immediately returned to him.
As Rayan adjusted the jacket to keep it from slipping, he added softly,
“I think I said that.”
“Ah…”
“I also said you looked too small and gentle to be called a troublemaker.”
Me.
Her blue eyes widened. His voice, which had been formal and distant before, now held a firmness—an air of natural authority.
Rayan looked down at the woman who was visibly shaken and moved his lips again.
“It’s been a while… Ines.”
The surprise in her eyes slowly turned into life. She mumbled like a breath of relief.
“You… you remember me. I thought you had forgotten…”
He had thought it was a useless memory, but it turned out to be quite useful in lowering her guard.
Not a bad start.
“I always wanted to apologize for not recognizing you back then. It’s because… you were wearing a mask…”
“No need to apologize.”
Despite her dirty appearance, her eyes were completely clear. So transparent that he could almost read her thoughts.
Even without looking into her eyes, it was easy to guess what a girl like her—raised in fear and scorn—would be thinking.
A stranger in a foreign land, in an uncertain situation, meeting someone from her past… Of course she’d want to cling.
Rayan looked down at her, dressed in his oversized jacket.
It kept slipping unless she held it. Her thin hand barely grasped the hem, afraid to wrinkle it.
“…Well then.”
His chest felt slightly uncomfortable.
But, as always, worthless things are easily forgotten.
More importantly, he wasn’t sure how many minutes had already been wasted here. One of the things he hated most was wasting time.
He glanced down the hall, and Ines nodded. Then she started walking again, her steps half as long as his.
Beneath the beautiful palace, wrapped in elegant clothing, the girl smiled like sunlight.
…And still, she didn’t belong here. Not at all.
