# 13
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
A slight smile appeared on the face of Countess Kane, who was relieved that Aachen would not refuse outright.
Aachen rang a bell to summon Garn, who was waiting outside.
“Garen, please escort Countess Qin to the guest room. She must be tired from her trip; let her rest comfortably.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.”
After Countess Qin left, Aachen remained alone in the reception hall, clasping his hands together and remembering the day he first met Helene.
“Our marriage...”
Eight years ago, in the Duchy of Pountawin.
At a costume party celebrating Lady Lorelai's coming of age, the costumed attendees are dancing and having fun.
Aachen, Lorelai's cousin, stood next to her as her party partner.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Pountowin.”
“Thank you, Count Dale.”
Laurel smiled brightly as she received the congratulations.
Count Dale turned, and when he saw Aachen's eyes shining like jewels, he recognized him.
“Oh… Aren’t you the Crown Prince of Riquier?”
“Nice to meet you.”
Aachen, with his quick greeting without a handshake, made Count Dale feel embarrassed.
Aachen had the ability to hear other people's hidden thoughts when he touched their skin.
The contrast between their outer appearance and their inner thoughts always made him laugh.
Even without this ability, which he had not chosen, it made him feel uncomfortable.
Although he wore gloves to avoid this, he remained sensitive to any physical contact with others.
Ignorant of this, Count Dale stepped back in embarrassment, while Laurel tilted her head in confusion.
“Aachen, brother. Why do people even recognize you when you wear a mask?”
“Because of my jewel eyes.”
“That's right. Your jewel eyes.”
Lorelai frowned at his short, concise answer.
“Although you can't change the color of your jewel eyes with magic, can you at least change the color of your eyes for my birthday?”
"no."
Although the magical quality of his jewel-like eyes cannot be hidden, their color can be changed.
But Aachen found it too annoying to even do that.
“Brother, are you really going to stay like this?”
Lorelai emphasized her words by imitating the ventriloquist's voice.
"Yes."
Aachen pretended not to hear and remained indifferent.
“Follow me for a moment.”
"……"
"Let's go!"
Aachen followed Lorelai into a hallway and sat down on a couch.
“Who knows? Maybe you will find your life partner here.”
Aachen, accustomed to her behavior, paid no attention and turned away.
“Romantic love occurs when you don't know each other's status.”
“You and I are in a position that forces us into an arranged marriage.”
Lorelai Bowentawin, the sole heiress to the Duchy of Bowentawin, was inevitably bound by a political marriage.
Aachen smiled wryly at Lorelai, who was still dreaming of romance.
“Oh, really, brother, you're exaggerating!”
Lorelai's eyes filled with tears of frustration.
'Maybe I was too hard on her on her birthday.'
Aachen sighed deeply and snapped his fingers.
“You should have done this from the beginning.”
However, his blue eyes turned violet.
Since he was using magic anyway, he also changed his hair color to platinum blonde.
“…Changing the color in such a radical way makes your jewel eyes stand out even more.”
Lorelai sighed, still unsatisfied.
To silence her, Aachen took a small bottle of perfume from his pocket and sprayed it on his body.
Lorelai, amazed that his eyes no longer looked like jewels, sniffed the rose-scented air.
"What is this?"
she asked, sniffing curiously around the hall.
“It is a magical tool made to restrain the Gem Eyes, in case an explosion occurs when the power of the King mixes with the power of the Sorcerer.”
As soon as Lorelai heard the explanation, she seemed to quickly lose interest.
“Oh… I don’t really understand, but I’m not as curious as I used to be, so let’s go back.”
Lorelai opened the hall door, satisfied, but Aachen stopped her.
“You go first.”
“Why?”
“I'm tired and need to rest a little.”
“Okay… but come quickly!”
After saying goodbye to Lorelai, Aachen pulled out a bottle of wine. He went out to the balcony with a glass of wine to get some fresh air.
Squeak…
The sound of a door opening and closing was followed by the entry of a woman with blonde hair and bright green eyes.
"…Who are you?"
Blonde hair and green eyes...? Are you wearing a wig? What noble family might you be from?
Since it was a costume party, it was difficult to recognize anyone.
The woman stood next to Aachen without answering his question about her identity.
“Would you like to drink with me?”
She smiled, her eyes crinkling as she gently shook the bottle of wine in her hand.
A slight smell of alcohol spread throughout.
“You seem like you've had too much to drink already.”
“Just a little,” she replied.
“Huh.”
Aachen laughed at her audacity.
'Maybe she's acting like this because she doesn't know me.'
It was a relief, if strange, that the woman didn't know him.
Her hair swayed gently in the breeze.
"What is your name?"
When Aachen asked, she put her finger to her lips.
“This is a secret.”
He wasn't going to… force her to reveal her name if she didn't want to, so he turned his head away.
“Why don't you ask more?”
The woman poured him a glass of wine and asked him curiously.
“Because you said it was a secret and you didn’t want to tell me.”
“…It's the first time someone has respected my wishes.”
“How did you live?”
Looking at her jewelry, she seemed to be from a prominent family.
“Your family situation must be complicated.”
But her saying it was the first time someone had respected her wishes surprised Aachen.
"actually."
The woman staggered slightly, and the bottle of wine fell from her hand.
The bottle shattered instantly. A shard of glass scratched her knee, causing blood.
“You're bleeding...!”
“It hurts a little, but I'm fine.” She shook her head, indicating that there was no need to worry about her.
Shards of glass scattered on the floor, and she limped slightly.
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
“?”
Aachen took off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders.
“It's light.”
Then he carefully lifted her and placed her on the railing.
"Yes!"
She screamed in surprise, and Aachen asked her:
“Do you feel any pain?”
“No, I just freaked out...”
“I'll hold you tight so you don't fall.”
As he held her tightly, the veins on Aachen's arm stood out, pale from the effort.
Her cheeks reddened a little.
“You can hold on to my shoulder.”
She gently placed her hands on his shoulders. The bleeding in her knee bothered him.
As they were about to enter the hall, he heard voices.
“It seems like your wound is not stopping. How about we go to my room to sterilize it?”
“Your room?”
She stuttered, and her face turned red.
"hiccup!"
She even let out a slight hiccup. Aachen patted her back gently.
“I have a room reserved for myself during my stay in the Duchy of Pountawin.”
“……”
“There seems to be people in the hall.”
Aachen, oddly enough, felt good watching her.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before, and it made him anxious.
“I wasn't considerate enough.”
It was a completely innocent suggestion.
Aachen belatedly realized what it would mean for an adult man and woman to walk into the same room.
Just as he was about to apologize for his insensitivity, she nodded.
“I need to sterilize him. Let's go to your room.”
Her sudden admission reassured him.
Aachen gently put his hand around her waist and lifted her up. She was generally short in stature.
“You're too tall.”
Her eyes widened, and Aachen found her expression attractive, so he smiled unintentionally.
“Why are you smiling?”
She squinted her eyes and wrinkled her nose.
“I think you're the short one.”
“...I'm not.”
“Well, maybe I'm tall.”
He soothed her gently, noticing her expression that looked like a frown.
“I'm not really upset.”
“Are you kidding me?”
"Yes."
Her confident response made Aachen laugh again.
"If we go this way, people will see us. I have to take another way."
He left the ballroom through another door.
“Where are we...?”
"This is a less crowded road. It's a short detour, but it's better than bumping into people."
"Show."
She seemed pleased, and whispered a quiet chant as they walked down the aisle, a little drunk and cheerful. It wasn't annoying.
Her warm, music-box-like voice was pleasant to hear.
“Tell me if you feel uncomfortable.”
“...I'm not upset.”
To confirm her words, she leaned comfortably on Aachen's shoulder.
“...!”
The refreshing scent of bergamot filled his senses.
Now that he thought about it, physical contact with her wasn't uncomfortable.
Normally, this would have been unbearable for him.
Instead, his heartbeat quickened. Aachen took a deep breath to calm himself.
“We arrived.”
Finally, they reached the room in the far northern corner, and Achen pushed the door open.