Chapter 002

Demian, with a brief bow as a minimum courtesy to the royal family, said to Aiden,

“Your Highness, if it’s not too much trouble, may I have my sister’s hand? I’ve been waiting to dance with her for a second time since earlier.”

“Oh, Lord Rowen. If it’s you, I suppose I have no choice but to give her to you.”

With a friendly smile, Aiden handed my hand over to Demian.

Demian bowed once more to the crown prince and then turned to lead me away.

His hand, gloved in silk, tightly grasped my hand, which was also in a glove.

It wasn’t noticeable to others, but the intensity of Demian’s grip clearly conveyed his intentions to me.

Demian was irritated at the moment.

I couldn’t understand why. Hadn’t I danced with Aiden as my father instructed and even received a second request from him?

Although it was a request I didn’t want to accept, if Demian hadn’t shown up, I would have danced a second dance with Aiden.

That would be what my father wanted.

Demian and Iswen always shared my father’s intentions.

So shouldn’t he be happy that I was with Aiden?

Feeling confused, I followed Demian to the edge of the hall, my high heel scraping against the floor. The shoes, like my dress, had been newly made according to Father’s wishes.

It was only after arriving at the edge of the hall that Demian looked back.

“When the music ends, you’re supposed to let go of your partner’s hand. What’s wrong with you, just standing there? Haven’t you learned etiquette?”

But it was Aiden, not me, who was breaking etiquette.

As I opened my mouth to say that, Demian grabbed my wrist, almost dragging me. It was the only vacant terrace in the banquet hall.

He opened the door to the terrace and said in a scolding tone, “Don’t associate with useless people and stay in here.”

Then Demian caught a servant guarding the outside of the terrace.

“You, make sure no one enters this terrace.”

“I will take good care of the young lady as you instructed.”

It was clear that the servant was aware of Demian’s infamous temper, known throughout the capital.

Only then did Demian leave. He kept glancing back, seemingly dissatisfied with something.

Suddenly, I wondered how he would respond if he ran into Aiden again.

Aiden was still in the center of the hall, so he probably didn’t see exactly where Demian was taking me, but he must have known we hadn’t even pretended to dance.

Given his personality, he would likely say something with a smile.

No, I shouldn’t worry about that.

Despite causing trouble everywhere, Demian managed to keep himself in check.

So he would handle it himself.

As I stepped into the inside of the terrace, the servant hurried in after me.

Before he could light the lantern, I stopped him and said, “Bring me a drink first.”

“Yes, miss.”

In truth, my throat wasn’t particularly dry, but I wanted to be alone, even if just for a moment.

Not lighting the lantern on the terrace was part of the same reasoning.

The reason for lighting the lantern when someone entered the terrace was not only for convenience but also to inform those in the banquet hall whether or not someone was present on the terrace.

Those with keen eyes could tell who was inside just from the faint shadows.

Or they might have noted who entered from the beginning and kept an eye on any movements.

I wanted to avoid the gaze of others as much as possible.

The terrace, now empty, was quiet.

As I approached the railing and looked up at the night sky, stars sparkled softly amidst the gently laid darkness.

The cool autumn air brushed against my cheeks. It felt like a weight had lifted from my chest, and the sensation of my heels pinching my feet faded a bit.

Perhaps because the darkness would soon vanish when the servant returned, I felt particularly at ease. The noise from the banquet hall filtered through the closed door, sounding distant.

As I enjoyed this sense of distance for a moment, I heard the sound of the door opening.

* * *

Startled, I turned around to see a tall man standing at the terrace door handle.

I was taken aback, not expecting anyone to come in during that brief moment.

The man who stepped onto the terrace also seemed surprised to find someone inside.

He stopped abruptly. Though his shadow obscured his face, I could sense his discomfort.

“…I apologize for intruding.”

His low voice, pleasant to the ears, trembled slightly.

It seemed there was more to his surprise at finding a guest on the dark terrace than just shock.

Perhaps he wanted to step outside to catch his breath.

In reality, there were indeed those who used the terrace for similar reasons.

The problem was that there was no empty terrace available at the moment.

I had confirmed this while being caught by Demian earlier.

After a moment of hesitation, I spoke to the man.

“You can stay for a moment.”

After all, I wasn’t out on the terrace by choice.

If it hadn’t been for Demian’s reckless behavior, I wouldn’t be here, and the man might have been able to use the terrace comfortably.

Perhaps he also knew that there was no empty terrace, as he hesitated for a moment before nodding in acknowledgment.

“Then, for a moment, I will take advantage of your kindness.”

With a thud, I heard the sound of the door closing.

The man who stepped onto the terrace took a position at the railing a little distance away from me.

Although it was dark, I could see his outline, and he seemed to be around my age. His forehead was smooth, without a wrinkle, and the voice I had heard earlier sounded very young.

Besides being young, he also appeared to be quite handsome. His sharp eyes were deep-set, and the contours of his jawline and nose were well-defined.

His hair and eyes seemed to be dark, appearing black in the shadows.

And above all, he was not someone I recognized.

Since I had memorized the faces of most of the nobles in the capital, this was unexpected.

The harvest festival banquet was large and lasted a long time, so nobles from other regions attended, but the man’s accent, which I had just heard, was soft like that of a capital resident.

It wouldn’t be a problem if he was a stranger. After all, we were only going to be together for a short while.

Just as I was about to turn my head away to avoid making him uncomfortable, I remembered that the servant would soon come in to light the lantern.

If that happened, my presence with another person would be revealed.

‘You, make sure no one enters this terrace.’

Demian had certainly barked that order.

It wouldn’t be good for him to hear that I was alone with a man I didn’t know.

He wouldn’t just lash out at me; he would likely growl at everyone involved in this situation.

I didn’t want to impose Demian Rowen’s temperament on the man who had sought refuge on the terrace to avoid his own discomfort.

As I opened the terrace door, I happened to see the servant returning with a fruit drink.

“Give me the drink. There’s no need to light the lantern, so you can go now.”

“Yes, milady.”

As the servant left without suspicion, I returned to the terrace, and the man was looking in my direction.

Perhaps due to the darkness, his deep-set eyes seemed to be staring directly at me.

Feeling awkward for no reason, I explained to him.

“I told him there’s no need to light the lantern. If the terrace is bright, the shadows of the people inside can be seen.”

The man fell silent for a moment and slightly bowed his head.

“Thank you.”

It seemed he thought I had prevented the lantern from being lit to hide him.

“No, it’s fine. I wanted to stay in the dark today too.”

He looked at me intently without responding. Then he picked up the jacket he was wearing and approached me.

Soon, the warmth of the jacket covered my shoulders. The voice I had thought was wonderful from the start settled around me.

“I heard it’s a cool day by the capital’s standards.”

“Thank you.”

The man stepped back with a nod. It felt like he was closer than before.

Still, the distance between us remained comfortable.

Perhaps it was because my shoulders, which had been exposed to the cool air, were now covered. I felt a slight heat rise to my face, and my heart seemed to be beating a little faster.

It was fortunate that it was a dark night with a cool breeze in the autumn.

Otherwise, I would have been caught with a flushed face.

With no topic to discuss, silence naturally fell between us. Before the stillness became awkward, I cautiously asked.

“Excuse me, if I may ask… are you not from the capital but from another region?”

His accent was soft and similar to that of the capital’s residents, but the fact that he specifically mentioned the capital’s standards made me wonder if he was from another region.

“I come from the land of the white winds.”

The land of the white winds was a metaphor for the North.

Raslet. Suddenly, the name of a northern family that would likely be at the palace came to mind.

While there were other nobles in the North, Raslet was a family that I should not be involved with.

If there had been light, I would have read the family crest engraved on the jewelry he was wearing, but now we could barely see each other’s faces.

At that moment, the man who had been looking in my direction opened his mouth.

TL/N: Hi Readers! I changed the FL’s name from Ayla to Iella. Her name was spelled “이엘라” in korean. I read it as “에일라”. Sorry for the confusion.