/
He was sixteen years old, and the Princess was fifteen.
At the Duke’s suggestion, Nassar and the Princess visited the capital. The official reason was an inspection, but in reality, it was a vacation.
The Duke had his own intentions as he discussed the fatigue of the Princess in front of the Emperor.
“Recently, I’ve been concerned about the strained relationship between the Princess and you. Take this opportunity to get closer.”
‘Without even asking for it.’
Nassar felt a bit disgruntled.
Although Saint Jen was the most prosperous commercial city in the northern region, it wasn’t an ideal environment for leisure.
Since they were going to have time alone together, why not go to a beautiful place with clear water?
The gloomy scenery of Saint Jen visible from the carriage only intensified his dissatisfaction.
On the other hand, the Princess seemed content. After all, she had always silently fulfilled her responsibilities. The visit to Saint Jen was no different from other duties for her.
Somehow, he felt melancholic.
But when they arrived at the central district of Saint Jen, they saw a peculiar sight. Buildings, streets, and people were covered in white flowers as if there was nothing else but those flowers.
At that moment, Nassar witnessed a glimpse of surprise in the Princess’s eyes as she looked outside.
What are those flowers?
The identity of those flowers became known when they met the governor of Saint Jen.
The governor was a typical flatterer. He greeted them while gently touching his palms together.
“Oh my! I have the honor of meeting the esteemed Imperial Princess. And the noble offspring of Duke Averydon!”
When Nassar was alone with the governor, he subtly asked about the identity of the flowers.
The market puffed up his chest as if he had heard praise.
“I took special care because Her Highness was visiting! Wouldn’t it displease her if there were people with the same name in the vicinity?”
Ah, the identity of the flowers turned out to be paper-made Philomel. Of course, they weren’t real.
The market had instructed people to create a harmony made of paper.
Although Nassar had seen pictures of Philomel flowers, he couldn’t recognize the paper flowers on the streets of Saint Jen because they looked so shabby.
How could genuine Philomel flowers be found in a place like this?
In the first place, the Utina region where Philomel flowers bloom was far away from Saint Jen.
The governor was foolish.
He doesn’t even know that the Princess doesn’t particularly like Philomel flowers.
But it was Nassar’s own arrogance that was what was truly foolish.
Their time in Saint Jen quickly passed by.
Although it was supposed to be a schedule of over a week, in the blink of an eye, it was time to return to the capital.
There was no significant progress in their relationship during their time in Saint Jen.
Nassar prepared for his return with a sense of regret. However, they were interrupted by a sudden rainstorm while discussing with the coachman.
Although the precipitation in Saint Jen was within the normal range, it was said that there was heavy rain pouring down in the region they had to pass through on their way back. The road was completely muddy, and in some sections, landslides even occurred.
Nassar sighed.
“With a few teleportation spells, we could easily go back.”
Since the ostensible purpose was an inspection, it didn’t look good to visit other regions.
Nassar didn’t mind, but the Princess even paid attention to such trivial matters in her naivety.
In their desire to become closer to her, some people who only knew Nassar superficially still thought he was an exemplary gentleman.
Nassar, the Empire’s finest fiancĂ©.
“If they knew how audacious you can be, they would all be dumbfounded!”
His friend Canny would often tease him with those words.
Nassar Averydon, who used to hold his father’s words as sacred had disappeared.
What remained was a cunning man who still pretended to be that way, wanting to impress his fiancé.
‘Why go to such lengths?’
He often wondered about it himself.
He genuinely liked the Princess as a person. After all, they had spent a long time together, so it was natural to feel a sense of familiarity.
There were also personal reasons that he was grateful for. He had a desire to serve as her loyal subject. She was a good Emperor in the making, after all.
But even combining all these reasons, he couldn’t understand why he had to hide his true self.
Should he give up now? He had done enough.
He grew tired of knocking on a door that wouldn’t open.
Then, the Princess appeared outside the hotel in Nassar’s sight. Everyone else was busy with other tasks, so there was no one to hold an umbrella for her.
Nassar’s body moved on its own.
“Your Highness, you’ll catch a cold!”
He held out the umbrella he was carrying to the Princess.
“Oh, Nassar.”
The Princess turned to look at him.
In return, Nassar’s clothes began to get wet. But he was fine. He was confident in his stamina and health.
In contrast, the Princess’s small shoulders seemed to tremble.
“Please go inside now. The rain is getting heavier.”
“Just a moment. Let me pick these up and go.”
Only then did Nassar realize that the Princess was crouching down and picking something up? They were the paper flowers that had fallen into puddles.
The fake Philomel flowers that had been displayed in the hotel were almost completely scattered on the ground after being soaked in the rain.
The wet paper flowers became even more pitiful in appearance. They were simply trash.
Nassar couldn’t understand. Why would someone like her be picking up such trash, even getting drenched in the rain?
Nassar concealed his dissatisfaction and asked nonchalantly.
“Why are you picking up those paper flowers? Is there a special reason?”
“They were specially made to welcome me, so I thought of taking them as a memento.”
Even after hearing the explanation, Nassar still didn’t understand.
If it was a memento, there were plenty of other nice things. If she wanted insignificant paper flowers, he would have chosen the most beautiful and intact ones.
Above all, why would she want fake flowers? She didn’t even particularly like real Philomel flowers.
Nassar blurted out, “They’re just fake anyway.”
Upon hearing his words, the Princess fell silent for a moment.
A little while later, she looked at Nassar and smiled faintly.
“It’s pitiful if they’re discarded here as fakes and get ruined by the rain.”
It was a smile that stuck in his heart.
At that moment, Nassar realized that he loved this person.
He couldn’t explain the exact reasons himself. He just
 for some reason, it felt like the Princess would disappear at that moment. She seemed so faint and fragile that she might vanish before his eyes.
He felt a desire to hold onto those shoulders, to pull her towards the place where he stood.
With the awareness of his love, he also realized why the Princess’s changes hadn’t been particularly pleasing to him. She had become like a decoration of a Princess. The position of a Princess was not her decoration; she was the decoration of the position of a Princess.
People praised her as an elegant and merciful Princess, but they didn’t know what kind of person she truly was. It was because she thoroughly hid her true self.
Would the Emperor know?
Nassar thought that he probably didn’t know either.
Nassar always harbored silent anxiety about when the Princess would disappear.
That’s why he couldn’t bear her changes. He wanted to know what kind of person she was. He wanted to grasp her clear essence.
Nassar loved the Princess.
No, that’s wrong. He loved her, not as a Princess, but as a person.
‘Oh, please, let me know the real you, not the Princess. My Philomel.’
Even though Nassar had realized his feelings, it didn’t bring about any significant change in their relationship.
He suddenly became afraid. He was now clearly aware of the reasons why he shouldn’t lose her, and the fear of losing her gripped him too strongly. He had become a coward.
He wanted to know her.
But she didn’t want to reveal herself.
What if Nassar wants to know?
Philomel, whom he had pushed away even when he wasn’t aware of his feelings. It was obvious what would happen when he actively approached her after realizing his love.
‘I’ll throw myself away.’
He didn’t know it would even break off their engagement.
Their engagement was originally swiftly arranged through her request. He didn’t know it would be as swiftly terminated if she made another request.
Breaking an engagement with the most prestigious noble family of the empire was not a pleasant matter.
But the Emperor didn’t seem to care about such things.
Nassar had already envisioned the dreadful future of breaking off the engagement with Philomel.
He made up his mind. Yes, they were engaged after all.
As long as they didn’t cross that line, there was a high possibility that Philomel would eventually marry him. The hollow engagement felt quite solid in this situation.
Even if Philomel didn’t love Nassar, she had to get married for the sake of succession.
It didn’t have to be Nassar as the marriage partner, but no other suitable person seemed to exist. Considering their family, appearance, personality, and abilities, there was no one better than Nassar, the top groom candidate of the empire.
He believed that if he just held onto his original position, someday he could be by Philomel’s side.
It was both arrogance and weakness.
And when Philomel unexpectedly disappeared, he regretted his foolishness.