The Lord’s residence was an incredibly vast estate.

While not as extravagant and glamorous as the royal palace, if one included the sprawling forest immediately behind the mansion, the sheer size of the property seemed almost comparable to the palace grounds. However, the buildings themselves, maintaining an antique aesthetic, felt elegant and refined, blending seamlessly into the natural landscape of Heilen.

“Seeing it again, it truly is a magnificent estate. It has a deeply elegant charm.”

When an older gentleman who was close with the Lord spoke in admiration, the Lord nodded with a deeply proud and satisfied expression.

“Kaka, thank you for saying so. Truth be told, though it doesn’t quite reach the level of being worthy to show a distinguished guest, this mansion, passed down through generations of my ancestors, is indeed one of my greatest prides.”

“Haha, rightfully so.”

The people surrounding the massive banquet table nodded their heads, chiming in one by one in agreement. However, the highest-ranking noble – the very person the Lord was pouring all his attention into – merely wet his lips with wine, showing no particular reaction.

This was a banquet arranged by the Lord to invite the Prince. The attendees gathered were mostly local dignitaries. In any other setting, each of them would be the center of attention, but here, even as they casually chatted amongst themselves, it was glaringly obvious that all their attention was hyper-focused on the Prince. Their gazes chased the Prince’s every single movement.

Possessing both looks and power, a Prince who had gone to the borderlands before even coming of age to establish legendary martial feats before returning to the capital in glory. Tales of this Prince were widely known not just within the kingdom, but across the entire continent. Because of this, no matter where he went, there was never a shortage of people clamoring just to catch a glimpse of him from afar. But,

“Right, he was that kind of person…….”

Having been constantly by his side, he had forgotten. Feeling the subtly buzzing, excited atmosphere prickling his skin, Isaac muttered under his breath.

This was a banquet the Lord had earnestly begged to host on several occasions. After enjoying the feast late into the night, the Prince was scheduled to stay overnight at this mansion before returning to the villa tomorrow. And tonight was likely the decisive night the Lord intended to make his grand gamble.

The crux of that gamble – the Lord’s daughter, Grace, sitting directly beside the Prince – was as beautiful as a flower tonight. Her inherently lovely features had been painstakingly adorned and groomed until she was truly dazzling. “Sitting side-by-side with the Prince, they looked the very picture of a beautiful, perfect couple……. Well, of course, our Prince is far more beautiful, though……,” Isaac grumbled to himself, his eyes clouded by his own inner bias.

Just then, the Prince casually turned his head. Isaac, who had been staring at him blankly, locked eyes with him. Frightened, Isaac immediately averted his gaze. He could feel the Prince’s piercing stare as he slightly raised an eyebrow, but Isaac absolutely refused to meet his eyes again.

It had been like this for a while now. Occasionally, whenever the Prince turned his head and their eyes met, Isaac would quickly lower his eyes or turn his head. At first, the Prince had merely looked at Isaac with a questioning gaze, but as this repeated several times, his eyes had grown chillingly cold.

‘So I just need to pretend nothing’s wrong and look at him normally,’ Isaac thought, but it wasn’t working out the way he intended. The moment they made eye contact, he felt inexplicably flustered and embarrassed for no reason, forcing him to avoid the gaze. As for why……

‘Strange…… I already knew he was handsome, but was he always this incredibly handsome? He looks like he’s glowing,’ ——because this thought kept filling his head.

It was embarrassing. Isaac was more embarrassed by himself than anyone else.

Rubbing the area around his inexplicably hot cheeks, Isaac cast a sidelong glance at the Prince, who was looking to his left with a bored expression. ‘He looks a bit displeased for some reason……, ……but he still looks like a sculpture.’

Just then, the Lord’s daughter said something to him, and the Prince, who had been listening quietly, gave a short reply. Though it didn’t seem like an important conversation, the Lord’s daughter laughed joyfully.

‘I see. It is about time for him to marry.’ For some reason, Isaac felt his energy drain and his shoulders slump as the thought crossed his mind. For royalty, marriage was a matter of duty, so considering that even his younger siblings already had spouses, the Prince was actually quite late to marry. No matter when or who he married, even if it were that young lady right there, it wouldn’t be strange at all.

“…….”

For some reason, he felt a bit depressed. Isaac quietly let out a sigh and dropped his gaze to his feet.

At that moment, something pitch-black suddenly darted past his feet. Following closely behind that blur, two more similar shapes zipped past. Huh? Isaac’s eyes chased after them, and his jaw dropped as he saw three clumps of black fur wildly darting around the banquet hall. ‘No, those punks are……!’

“WHOA! WHAT IS THAT!”

“CATS?! WHY ARE THERE CATS IN HERE?!”

Seeing the furballs brushing past their feet, the banquet hall instantly erupted into chaos. The Lord, his eyes wide in shock, turned to the guards and shouted, “HOW DID THREE CATS GET IN HERE?! WHO BROUGHT THEM IN?! CATCH THEM AT ONCE!” The guards, equally flustered, raised their spears and stepped forward. The most panicked person in the room, however, was Isaac. I told them so many times not to go running around causing trouble everywhere……!

For a brief second, he thought, ‘Should I just pretend not to know them?’ But the three cats effortlessly dodged the heavily armed guards and darted right behind Isaac to hide. The quieted gazes of everyone in the room converged on Isaac. His vision went dark.

“I apolo—”

“They are strays that I occasionally feed.”

Just as Isaac opened his mouth with a sinking heart, the Prince spoke up. The people, who had been glaring at Isaac with deep frowns, quickly smoothed their expressions and looked back at the Prince.

“If they are going to act up so much, you shouldn’t have taken them out of the cage.”

“I think I should look for a proper cage,” the Prince muttered, looking indifferently at the three cats. The cats flinched, tucked their tails in, and froze as if dead. Isaac was left holding all three cats in his arms at once, standing perfectly still like a mannequin.

Bewildered as to why the Prince was giving him such unexpected help, Isaac bowed his head in thanks, and in doing so, locked eyes with the Prince again. And once again, Isaac reflexively dropped his gaze. ‘Ugh, this isn’t right. Why can’t I just meet his eyes normally?’

Isaac rubbed his inexplicably hot face and kept his eyes fixed aimlessly on the floor, while the Prince’s expressionless face grew even colder.

‘Why did you guys come all the way in here? If you followed us, you should just be playing in the grass outside, why come into the banquet hall?’ Isaac squeezed the hateful punks tightly in his arms. It was absurd to see them rolling their large, unblinking eyes up at him proudly, as if they had done something praiseworthy.

“Since they shouldn’t be running around too wildly, please keep them quiet.”

The Lord cleared his throat a couple of times and spoke. Isaac bowed his head deeply, muttering, “I apologize.” He resolved not to let go of the three cats in his arms until the banquet was over.

Right then, a soft giggle came from beside him. Looking over in confusion, Elie was standing there. Who knew how long she had been there, but she smiled brightly as she handed him a wooden carved ornament.

“Are you alright? You seem to be having a hard time because of the cats.”

“Yes……, it’s not exactly a new experience, though.”

When Isaac answered with a sigh, she took two steps closer to him, acting as if she had heard a funny story, moving without making a sound. She was close enough that even a whisper would be heard. If he just leaned in slightly, their shoulders would touch. A sweet fragrance tickled his nose. It smelled familiar, but he couldn’t quite place the scent. He just felt an urge to lean in closer to smell it.

“It is a pleasure to see you again, Sir Guard. I really wanted to see you again. I’ve been waiting with a fluttering heart since this morning.”

She spoke boldly, yet carried a slightly shy demeanor. Isaac let out a small chuckle and answered, “Yes, thank you.” It was much easier to talk to her since they had met a few times already.

Looking at her again, she truly was a unique young lady. She wasn’t a glaring beauty, yet for some reason, there was something about her that constantly drew the eye. Her uniquely captivating, low voice was much like that fragrance. It felt familiar, yet it made him feel good, naturally making him want to lean in and listen.

“I hear His Highness the Prince is staying here tonight?”

“Yes, if nothing unusual happens, he will.”

“Then you will be staying the night as well, Sir Guard.”

“That’s correct.”

“It seems we will have plenty of time to talk tonight, then.”

She looked up at Isaac intently and whispered. Her beautifully curved eyes didn’t leave Isaac, making him blush slightly in embarrassment as he returned the smile. ‘Is this really just making conversation, or is there a hidden meaning behind it…….’

“Haha, I suppose so. I wonder if there will be any interesting stories to share…….”

“Does it have to be just stories? As long as it’s nice being together, that’s what matters.”

No matter how he thought about it, her words were heavily laden with room for misunderstanding, Isaac thought with a smile, feeling increasingly awkward.

At that moment. As Isaac subtly turned his head, he locked eyes with the Prince. Since when had he been looking? The Prince’s gaze, fixed precisely this way, didn’t seem like it had just landed there. Following the gaze of the two or three people who were also looking at the Prince, Isaac glanced over.

“You.”

Before Isaac could even drop his gaze, the Prince parted his lips. The blue eyes staring piercingly at him felt like actual blades.

“Do not look down.”

“……., …….Yes.”

Isaac mumbled his reply, breaking into a sudden sweat.

He hadn’t liked avoiding the Prince’s gaze either. But having him stare so persistently like that, Isaac didn’t know what to do, and a deeply awkward feeling seemed to scratch at his chest.

Wondering what to do with his embarrassment, Isaac noticed the Prince’s gaze—which had been silently fixed on him for a while—suddenly shift to Elie. In an instant, Elie’s shoulders violently jolted. Since a few moments ago, she had been nervously alternating her gaze between Isaac and the Prince, but as she met the Prince’s eyes, she turned deathly pale.

The Prince was looking at Elie as if trying to pin her down with his gaze alone. As if unable to avoid the stare of a beast of prey right in front of her, Elie unknowingly took a step back, trying to hide behind Isaac. Just as the strangely suffocating atmosphere of the banquet hall seemed to draw all attention again, the Lord, his gaze following the Prince’s, laughed cheerfully and opened his mouth.

“Wait a moment, you are the direct escort serving Prince Kyan, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I am Isaac.”

Perfect timing. To avoid the Prince’s gaze as well, Isaac turned to Elie with a polite smile.

“Haha, an incredibly sturdy and handsome young man. You work hard serving such a noble figure. I trust you are resting comfortably in Heilen?”

“Yes, thanks to your meticulous care in many ways, I am staying with the utmost comfort. Thank you.”

As Isaac offered a textbook reply, the Lord nodded his head with a benevolent smile, carefully examining him before suddenly asking,

“I see, but do you have a partner? A handsome young man such as yourself must surely already have a match in the capital?”

“Pardon? Ah, no. Not yet…….”

At the Lord’s question, Isaac offered a slightly awkward smile and replied, to which the Lord smiled even more broadly and nodded approvingly.

“I see, I see. That is good to hear. Looking at you both now, you and Elie seem to make quite a fine couple. If by chance our daughter moves to the capital, Elie will have to follow her as well.”

The first thing that caught the ears of everyone else in the room was the subtle implication – or rather, the fervent hope – that his daughter would be going to the capital. However, Isaac, who had no choice but to take the superficial meaning of those words at face value, froze with a smile still plastered on his face.

“Yes, you seem to be getting along quite well with Elie. What do you think?”

Oh no. What do I do about this? These were words personally spoken by the Lord himself; he couldn’t say ‘I don’t like her,’ nor could he say ‘I like her.’

“She is, of course, a beautiful lady. She is far too good for me…….”

Isaac replied, mumbling almost entirely through his lips, forcing a smile mixed with cold sweat. Like a piece of light entertainment amidst the banquet, voices chimed in playfully from around the table, saying things like, “You look good together,” and “What a fine match.”

“What do you think, Your Highness?”

The Lord turned the question to the Prince—likely hoping for an answer to his earlier subtle implication. The Prince tilted his head slightly and looked at Elie. Under the end of his expressionless gaze, Elie was growing increasingly pale. To Isaac, who was standing right next to her, she looked like she was beginning to tremble.

“I believe the destination of your daughter must be decided first.”

Eventually, the Prince spoke, and hearing that low reply, the Lord briefly rolled his eyes. He seemed unable to discern whether this was a positive hint about his daughter’s future, or a negative one. The same went for the others; for a brief moment, countless glances darted back and forth across the wide table.

However, entirely independent of those countless hidden motives, Elie, who had been trembling visibly, suddenly collapsed to the floor as if her legs had given out. Startled by the sudden event, Isaac rushed over to her.

“Are you alright?”

“……. Anemia……, my constitution isn’t very strong to begin with……, I should be fine if I rest for a bit.”

Elie whispered as if exhaling a breath, lifting her head slightly to look at her master. Seeing her pitiful gaze and pale complexion, the Lord’s daughter spoke to her with concern.

“Elie! It seems your body is truly unwell. Go and rest at once.”

“Yes, thank you, My Lady. Then I shall take my leave…….”

Bowing deeply toward the banquet table, Elie turned and left without lifting her eyes even once, as if terrified of making eye contact with anyone. She didn’t even spare a single glance at Isaac as she practically fled. Isaac watched her go with concern before straightening his posture again.

She seemed fine just a moment ago; to suddenly fall ill like this, perhaps she had some underlying chronic condition. He had been so captivated by her earlier, but he mentally erased her from his mind. Even if he had been momentarily interested, he had no idea the Lord would bring up marriage talks so seriously. No matter how much it was brought up as a joke, dragging it out wouldn’t do any good.

Isaac, letting out a quiet sigh, turned his gaze and flinched. He had made eye contact with the Prince. Isaac instinctively tried to drop his head, but froze, forcing his gaze back up. He thought the Prince wouldn’t be able to tell what was going on inside his mind since he was trying his hardest to look nonchalant…… but surprisingly, maintaining a composed face and looking at the Prince seemed to work.

The chilling edge in the Prince’s eyes as he stared at Isaac seemed to soften just a fraction. His expressionless face remained unchanged, but his mood seemed slightly better than before.

“Is the food to your liking?”

When the Lord asked the Prince, the Prince nodded casually.

“The wine is quite good.”

Having spoken indifferently before a grand feast that had clearly been prepared with painstaking effort, the Lord looked slightly disappointed, but the middle-aged man next to him laughed heartily and spoke up.

“It is an excellent wine. It has been aged for a long time, making it a rare vintage that is hard to acquire even for a thousand gold pieces.”

“Haha, it truly is a wine fitting for Heilen. I say this because it is both old and excellent.”

The middle-aged man sitting across the table added. The Lord let out an empty laugh and waved his hand in modesty, but his eyes showed he was secretly proud.

“Well, since Heilen is a remote area and always quiet and peaceful, it doesn’t really stand out much, but we carry a great deal of pride for our family and this land of Heilen. If we’re talking about history, Heilen is unparalleled in preserving the old ways exactly as they were.”

“That’s right, isn’t Heilen itself an ancient heritage,” the others chimed in.

Sitting quietly among them, the Prince opened his mouth.

“I hear witches still live in Heilen.”

The people, who had been looking at each other for a moment, burst into hearty laughter, seemingly thinking the Prince had tossed out a light joke.

“Because it is such an ancient city, many old fairy tales and oral legends remain. Besides, they say such things were quite common up until a hundred years ago.”

“With the mountains being so fine and the air so clear, it wouldn’t be strange if such things were hiding deep in the forests or mountains even now.”

“Oh my, if someone were to catch a witch and offer her up, they would receive a massive reward. Should we all go search the edge of the forest starting right now?”

“Haha, what nonsense are you spouting. Trying to handle a terrifying magical beast with that skill level of yours. If you actually ran into a witch, you’d just get eaten alive.”

‘What an uncomfortable topic of conversation…….’ Isaac thought as he hugged the three cats tighter. Perhaps the cats were feeling displeased as well, as they thumped their tails against Isaac’s thigh.

“But if it’s right now, with Prince Kyan here, wouldn’t any monsters be hiding themselves?”

“Of course, what monster or witch would dare step forward recklessly?”

The conversation among the people continued. Amidst this, the Lord’s daughter noticed the Prince’s glass was empty and quickly filled it with a deft touch. The Prince wetted his lips with the glass and spoke.

“At the very least, no witch would dare touch a human right in front of my eyes.”

With those words, the Prince stared directly at Isaac, and Isaac flinched and shut his mouth. A feeling that this warning was directed entirely at him suddenly washed over him.

Firstly, Isaac felt wronged because he had absolutely no intention of doing such a thing, and secondly, he felt depressed that the Prince still viewed him as an ‘evil witch’. Even though it was something he already knew, it felt like it was being reconfirmed all over again. As long as the blood of a witch flowed in his body, this person would never trust him. Isaac let out a quiet sigh at the part of himself that he couldn’t change no matter how hard he tried.

Meanwhile, the Lord, slightly flushed with alcohol, was in high spirits. Looking proudly back and forth between his daughter and the Prince, he suddenly let out a booming laugh and said, “It is a good day. A truly good day.”

“To be able to host such a noble figure on a fine day like this is the greatest honor. Though this place is humble and shabby, please, rest comfortably tonight. It may not be as comfortable as the royal villa, but we will serve you with our utmost sincerity to ensure your peace.”

The Lord, speaking to the Prince, suddenly looked back at his daughter as if a thought had just struck him.

“That’s right, Grace, after the meal, why don’t you guide His Highness to the rear garden? ——I am certain you will find it to your liking, Your Highness. Our rear garden is quite expansive, connected to the forests and lakes, making it a very pleasant place for a stroll. Moreover, in Heilen, fireflies fly around profusely at night until early winter, so the night paths are incomparably beautiful. No matter where you go, you won’t find a more beautiful walking path than our rear garden.”

“Please, allow our daughter to guide you well,” the Lord said to the Prince, laughing very generously. It was a generous laugh that seemed to say he would gladly accept whatever happened in that quiet autumn night forest.

Perhaps drawn to the mention of a forest, the Prince gave a light nod, and the Lord, looking as if the greatest achievement of his life had just been accomplished, nodded his head continuously in sheer delight. All the while, he didn’t forget to shoot subtle, encouraging glances at his daughter.

Watching that display from behind, Isaac thought, ‘That Lord must have really made up his mind.’ The desperate desire to shove his daughter into the position of Princess Consort by any means necessary oozed from his every word and action. Isaac looked at the Lord’s daughter, who was wearing a shy smile, and then looked blankly up at the ceiling. He remembered the countless young ladies who had approached the Prince harboring similar ambitions, only to fall away. With the Prince’s temperament and physical constitution, there had been no one who could endure both.

He was skeptical about this young lady as well, but of course, Isaac kept his mouth shut and said nothing. He only hoped that this possible endeavor would end without the young lady getting her heart or body broken. Meanwhile,

“…….”

‘Why am I feeling so depressed again……,’ Isaac, imagining the girl and the Prince taking a stroll together by the lake in the forest, tilted his head and scratched his neck.

Today must just be a depressing day for one reason or another.

Isaac let out a quiet sigh and pulled the three cats, who were slipping down his arms, back up into a hug. ‘What have they been eating that they’re so heavy, my arms are aching. I really need to put these punks on a diet……,’ just as he was thinking this internally, the ghost-like punks, as if reading his mind, *Bob* slapped his thigh with their tails.