Chapter 25

It was late spring, the time of year when the midday sun was already growing warm.

In the central garden of the imperial palace, where spring flowers bloomed in competition as if afraid to miss their moment, the wedding ceremony of Heide and Larienne was held.

Everyone in attendance looked delighted.

Except for the bride and groom themselves.

Ayrbet let out a sigh as she looked at Larienne, whose face had gone completely pale.

“She’s going to collapse at this rate…”

Hearing the pity in her voice, Linus also turned his gaze toward Larienne.

She did indeed look dangerously unwell.

And no wonder… tonight, she was supposed to poison the very man she married.

And she knew the emperor would be assassinated as well.

Ayrbet, who knew all too well what would happen that night, watched the newlyweds walk down the aisle to the wedding march, then turned away.

The moment the ceremony ended, she slipped out of the hall, and Linus naturally followed her.

Everyone else was celebrating Heide and Larienne, but Linus hadn’t been able to focus on the wedding at all.

Not just the wedding, he had been feeling strange since morning.

Seeing Ayrbet this morning hadn’t helped, though he’d thought he was getting better after returning home. But meeting her again at the ceremony had triggered the strangeness all over again.

Linus lifted his right hand and placed it over his chest, where his heart was pounding alarmingly hard.

He could feel the violent beating even through his palm.

Ayrbet noticed him tilting his head with his hand pressed to his chest and quickly stepped closer.

“Linus, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“No, no, I’m fine.”

But her scent washed over him, sweet and dizzying, and Linus instinctively stepped back.

Ayrbet came even closer, worry written all over her face, she had already sensed he wasn’t acting like himself today.

She placed her small hand over the back of his hand still pressed to his chest and looked up at him.

“It’s not nothing. You’ve been strange since earlier. Is your chest hurting? Is that it?”

It did feel like his chest hurt.

His heartbeat was so strong it was making his ribs ache.

But more than that, his hand hurt. No… his hand was hot.

The moment Ayrbet’s hand touched the back of his, it felt like it had caught fire.

Then the heat spread from his hand, to his arm, to his whole body.

He should have pulled his hand away, but every nerve in his body was telling him to throw himself straight into the flames.

Linus forced himself not to grab Ayrbet’s hand and managed a strained smile.

“I’m really fine, Ayrbet.”

Ayrbet stared at him for a long moment before stepping back.

She knew something was wrong, but if he insisted he was fine, there was not much she could say.

This morning had been strange too.

Ayrbet, overjoyed to see him again after fifteen days, had nearly embraced him without thinking, but Linus’s reaction had been lukewarm.

He had smiled politely and acted courteous as always, but his reaction wasn’t the Linus she knew.

Even the sweet smile that used to be warmer than honey had felt awkward.

And the man who practically treated hand-holding as a hobby wasn’t even reaching for her hand now.

A subtle, unfamiliar distance had formed between them.

Without realizing Linus was desperately trying to keep that distance, Ayrbet simply felt hurt.

“Fine. If Linus says he’s okay, I won’t worry anymore.”

Leaving behind words clearly full of sulking, she turned away first, and Linus followed quietly at a small distance behind her.

In the banquet hall, where the music was lively, the food delicious, and laughter loud, Ayrbet and Linus remained the only two who weren’t speaking.

By the time the sun set and the banquet grew even more lively, Ayrbet, unable to enjoy the celebration in the slightest, went to find her father, Lloyd Titanoa.

“Father, I’m going to head back first.”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“No. I’m just a little tired.”

“Very well. Duke Piction, I’ll leave her in your care.”

Lloyd entrusted his daughter to Linus, who had been sticking to her like a personal bodyguard.

Now that the emperor’s investigation team had cleared away the rumors, there was no longer any reason to stand in the way of the first man his daughter had ever shown affection toward.

He regretted that Linus wasn’t someone he could bring in as a son-in-law, but House Piction’s territory was close and their political stance similar. It was a household Lloyd felt he could trust.

After saying goodbye to Lloyd, Ayrbet took one last look at Larienne, who looked like a wax doll frozen in place, then turned to leave.

She was worried, but if things followed the original story, nothing truly disastrous would happen.

The imperial palace would be thrown into chaos tonight anyway, so it was better to leave early.

Even during the carriage ride back to the Titanoa estate, Ayrbet said nothing. She was sulking so obviously anyone could tell, yet Linus remained silent as well.

Her hurt feelings deepened into genuine frustration.

When they arrived at the Titanoa estate, Ayrbet stepped out of the carriage alone and said coldly,

“Thank you for escorting me. Get home safely.”

Then she sharply turned away, but Linus called out to stop her.

“Ayrbet.”

“What?”

“Would you… like to take a walk?”

The shy smile and the careful hand he held out made the corner of Ayrbet’s lips twitch upward.

Of course.

There was no way Linus would act strange all day for no reason.

Just the thought that he was finally going to tell her why he had troubled her heart all day made her foolish irritation melt away.
But since she was still technically sulking, she controlled her lips and answered primly,

“Do as you like.”

Hands barely touching, the two walked into the garden of the Titanoa estate, now shrouded in darkness.

During the days he hadn’t been able to see Ayrbet, his chest had felt hollow, but he had endured it.

He was used to emptiness.

Enduring it wasn’t difficult.

But the moment he saw Ayrbet’s face, he understood.

He hadn’t been enduring it well; he had only barely been holding on.

He had missed her.

He had missed her so much he hadn’t even realized how painful the longing itself had been.

Now that the woman he had missed so desperately was right in front of him, he wanted to confirm it.

He wanted to touch her hand, to feel her warmth, to make sure Ayrbet truly existed before him.

And once he touched her… another desire bloomed.

He wanted to hold her.

To wrap his arms around this woman, trap her in his embrace, and breathe in her scent until it soaked into his whole body.

And he wanted to kiss her.

Realizing it made his entire body feel like it had caught fire again.

Linus stopped walking, released Ayrbet’s hand, and covered his face with both hands.

“Linus? What’s wrong?”

“I believe I’ve gone insane.”

“Why? Are you… are you crying?”

Ayrbet forcibly pulled his hands away to look at his face.

Those violet eyes, the small yet sharp nose, those fresh cheeks, and the red lips met his gaze.

For a moment, he thought he had lost consciousness.
When he came back to himself, his head had already tilted toward her.

Their noses brushed, just barely.

The sensation was so sharp and overwhelming that Linus barely managed to drag his sanity back and stumbled away in a hurry.

Ayrbet stared at him with wide eyes, startled, while Linus froze where he stood, his mind gone completely blank.

He didn’t even breathe.

Ayrbet understood the situation before Linus did.

Seeing how he reacted, clearly not intentionally, she finally understood why he’d been strange all day.

Would you look at this man?

A breathless laugh slipped out of her, her cheeks lifting on their own.

Linus bowed his head like a man confessing a crime, and Ayrbet asked playfully,

“Linus, were you just trying to kiss me?”

“N-no… yes…”

Linus admitted it like a sinner, and Ayrbet bit and released her lower lip to stop herself from laughing outright.

But her voice was already tinged with amusement.

“Oh my. You can’t do that. We’re friends, remember? Friends aren’t supposed to kiss. It’s against the law.”

“I… see…”

“It’s a different story if we’re not friends, though.”

“…What?”

Linus lifted his head with a foolish expression, and Ayrbet, lip twitching wildly, was barely containing her grin.

Unable to hold back any longer, she burst out laughing, her clear laughter ringing through the garden.

Still staring at her blankly, Linus froze as she asked,

“Should we… stop being friends?”

The aimless wandering in his red eyes began to fill with yearning.