Her arms and legs felt stiff with tension.

Just making it this far into the dormitory was enough for rumors to start if anyone happened to see them.

She could always use the assignment as an excuse, but rumors had a way of spreading regardless of whether they were true—and rumors involving someone as famous as Damian Ksanov spread faster than any others.

Fortunately, it was dinner time, and the dormitory hallways were completely empty.

If we’d worked on the assignment here from the beginning…

Ugh. She didn’t even want to imagine it.

Lost in that train of thought, they eventually stopped in front of a door that looked as though it belonged to a professor’s office.

Afraid that her school uniform might be visible, Tislin pulled Damian’s jacket even tighter around herself.

“What is this place?”

“The Royal Guard lounge.”

“Are outsiders allowed in here?”

Even as she asked, she followed Damian inside.

Anywhere was safer than standing out in that hallway.

The room resembled the drawing room of an ordinary noble estate.

It was bright and elegant, the sort of room where morning sunlight would stream through the windows and make the gold embroidery on the sofas sparkle.

It didn’t suit the austere Knight Department dormitory at all.

“Nobody uses it anyway. It was originally made for students affiliated with the Royal Guard, but everyone just uses the dormitory common room instead, so no one comes here.”

He added that the neighboring rooms were similar lounges for different knightly orders, so they didn’t have to worry about people wandering in.

“I had no idea a place like this existed…”

Stepping into a room with such a familiar atmosphere eased some of her tension.

Except…

The table was rather small, making the seats across from each other feel uncomfortably close.

Tislin settled into a cushioned chair and folded her hands neatly on her lap.

Damian disappeared into an adjoining room before returning with a steaming mug.

“Huh?”

“It’s your favorite. Isn’t it?”

Hot chocolate.

Tislin stared blankly before nodding.

The Grand Duchy of Luxen lay much farther north than the Hermiz territory.

Whenever she visited Luxen in winter, she spent her days wrapped in blankets, constantly drinking warm milk and hot chocolate to keep the cold away.

Adelinde, who had always wanted to copy everything Tislin did, had insisted on drinking hot chocolate too.

Then she’d gotten cavities.

After staying away from sweets for a while, she’d gone right back to drinking it once her teeth healed.

Tislin had made hot chocolate for Damian a few times as well.

She had never imagined he’d remember.

“That’s right! I haven’t had this in ages.”

It tasted exactly like the hot chocolate she’d drunk in Luxen.

But…

Why was there hot chocolate in the Royal Guard lounge?

Even back in Luxen, Damian had never liked sweet drinks.

Could it be…

No.

Tislin firmly cut off the direction her thoughts were heading.

It’s just a coincidence.

Or maybe he’s simply being kind.

It couldn’t possibly mean anything more than that.

“Thank you.”

That was all she said before lowering her gaze to the cup.

For himself, Damian had brought plain tea.

The very same tea he’d always drunk back in Luxen.

There were undoubtedly many excellent teas in the royal capital, but perhaps people naturally reached for what they were accustomed to.

Their engagement was probably much the same.

She was someone familiar.

Someone Adelinde liked.

Someone he could trust.

And now…

Well…

Perhaps it was simply because breaking off an engagement that had already been arranged would be troublesome.

But…

For something this important?

Could that really be the only reason?

“I don’t understand.”

Still staring into her cup, Tislin murmured quietly.

“I mean… I fit whatever conditions you and His Grace were looking for. But I can’t be the only person who fits those conditions.”

Damian didn’t answer.

That silence was answer enough.

I knew it.

A bitter smile crossed her face.

“Then why won’t you agree to break off the engagement?”

“Tis.”

“If I withdraw my consent to this engagement, that doesn’t mean it’s immediately canceled.”

That couldn’t be right.

Her own parents had accepted the proposal without even asking for her opinion.

But there was no way the Grand Duke of Luxen would’ve forced Damian into an engagement against his will.

“As you said, my opinion was asked before the engagement was arranged.”

“But breaking it off requires far more than that.”

“It’s already been decided.”

“You mean… political reasons?”

But there couldn’t possibly be any political considerations between the House of Hermiz and the Grand Duke’s family.

Simply put—

The two houses had no political relationship whatsoever.

“Whatever the reason may be, there has to be a legitimate justification for ending the engagement.”

Tislin blinked blankly.

Damian repeated himself, emphasizing every word.

“Even if, by some chance, I agreed that we should end the engagement…”

“I have no intention of actively helping create the justification needed to do it.”

That was far more final than simply saying he wouldn’t agree.

It was a firm, unmistakable refusal.

She couldn’t understand him at all.

She had honestly believed that if she simply asked him to break it off, he’d agree.

The engagement hadn’t even been announced yet.

Shouldn’t they have been able to quietly end it by mutual consent?

Instead, Damian was saying that unless she brought him a proper reason…

There would never be any broken engagement.

You don’t even love me!

Anger flared all the way to the top of her head.

She shot to her feet and glared at him.

“Y-You…”

“So you’re really planning to marry me?”

“Yes.”

“I am.”

The answer came without the slightest hesitation.

She was speechless.

“You…!”

“Why?”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

The moment their eyes met, Tislin froze.

His refined, elegant face showed no sign of agitation.

Yet there was unmistakable heat burning in his blue eyes.

She couldn’t make sense of it.

All the anger she’d felt only moments ago drained away.

Closing her eyes tightly, she collapsed back into her chair.

What in the world is all of this?

“Why me in the first place?”

“There were plenty of other candidates.”

“His Grace introduced you to several women, didn’t he?”

She had heard that Damian had turned down every one of those highly eligible noble ladies.

But that wasn’t what mattered now.

“You chose me?”

“Why?”

“…Who knows.”

Lowering his eyes as though choosing his words carefully, Damian remained silent for a long moment before finally answering.

“Our eyes kept meeting.”

…

That was it?

For something she’d wondered about for so long…

The answer left her completely deflated.

That’s all?

That was practically the same as saying he’d picked someone at random.

Besides, there was no way that was the real reason.

“I didn’t realize you’d hate it this much.”

Of course you didn’t.

Right before Damian had chosen her as his fiancée…

She had confessed her feelings to him.

But if you remembered that…

Shouldn’t you also remember that you rejected me right then and there?

Is he making fun of me?

When they’d first started talking, she’d had so many questions she wanted answered.

But after going in circles only to hear “No” over and over again…

She had lost the will to keep asking.

For one fleeting moment, she even found herself thinking—

Wouldn’t it be better to spend my life with someone I actually love than with some lifeless scarecrow of a man, no matter what happens?

She knew she shouldn’t think that.

“So, Tis.”

“Why do you hate this engagement?”

The question pierced straight through the thoughts tumbling around inside her head.

Without thinking, she almost answered.

Tislin stammered helplessly before squeezing her eyes shut and clamping her lips together.

If this turned into an interrogation, Damian would obviously have the advantage.

But this wasn’t interrogating a prisoner.

Gripping the hem of her skirt tightly, she turned her face away.

“I can’t tell you.”

“…It’s too embarrassing.”

She meant every word.

To her, it was the most important issue in her life.

But to anyone else…

It would probably sound like, “That’s all?”

The moment she said it aloud, she’d only end up humiliating herself.

Especially—

She could never tell the person she loved.

Some reasons really were like that.

Though Damian Ksanov probably wouldn’t understand.

He studied her closely, judging whether she was telling the truth.

His gaze resting against her cheek almost felt tangible.

Unable to endure it, Tislin looked away.

Her face was burning again.

His eyes wandered over her a moment—

Her unfocused gaze.

Her flushed cheeks.

The tips of her ears.

Then, slowly, the corners of Damian’s mouth lifted.

“Very well.”

“If that’s how it is…”

“Then let me tell you another reason why we can’t break off the engagement.”

Another reason?

With those words, Damian held out an envelope.

Without thinking, Tislin accepted it.

The moment she saw the sender’s name, she nearly screamed.

Written clearly across the front was a single name.

“Adelinde.”

Everything went black before her eyes.

Her trembling fingers tore open the envelope.

The letter itself wasn’t long.

She skipped straight to the end.

Just as she’d feared.

“She’s already on her way here…!”