From the second day after the coming-of-age ceremony, Ail attended a banquet with the royal family’s relatives, and he was unusually quiet today. The attendees were his closest uncles, aunts, and cousins. Following tradition, the closest family members were invited first, and the banquet would last for a week. Although there was no particular need for formalities since these were people he saw often, and the conversation typically consisted of casual small talk, Ail remained silent, not engaging in any conversations. He simply kept drinking and kept his gaze fixed on one particular girl.

There was a girl with brown hair. While her beauty wasn’t remarkable, her slender brown hair kept drawing Ail’s attention. She was one of his cousins invited to the banquet. However, due to her quiet nature, she wasn’t a frequent visitor to the royal palace and was still a young girl, only just sixteen. Her beauty didn’t stand out compared to other women, but there was something particularly graceful about her profile that caught his eye. Her cool, calm demeanor, her quiet voice, and the shy way she hesitated to speak reminded him of someone.

“Your Majesty, isn’t it about time to announce your new fiancée?”

The man who spoke was Jessie’s father, who was also Ail’s uncle. Ail answered his question in a disinterested manner.

“Well… I suppose I’ll have to decide soon. But with my father’s health worsening, it might be better to remain quiet for a while. I’m just buying some time.”

Ail’s gaze was still fixed on the delicate girl. Watching her, he felt an inexplicable sense of longing. Her gentle manner reminded him of Ruth, someone he had once known. Before things had turned sour between them, there were times when Ruth would look at him with a gruff but affectionate gaze, and now, Ail found himself unable to take his eyes off this girl, as if she embodied that memory.

Seeing Ail staring at the girl so openly, Jessie, who was also at the table, looked at him and then glanced at the girl, a puzzled expression on his face. A moment later, Jessie nodded as if he understood something. He had already felt that the girl’s aura was similar to Ruth’s, and now he seemed to understand what Ail was thinking. However, something felt odd to him. The way Ail’s gaze seemed to long for something far away sparked Jessie’s curiosity even more.

Rumors had already reached Jessie that Ail and Ruth had been in a cold war for a week. He had also heard that Ruth had returned to the palace under military guard after a sudden accident and had been locked away in the northern palace after a big argument with Ail. This only intensified Jessie’s curiosity. What exactly had happened between the two of them?

Unable to resist, Jessie decided to approach Ail with a more neutral topic.

“By the way, Your Majesty, what’s happening with my marriage?”

When Jessie asked, Ail finally turned his gaze toward him.

“I’ll decide after observing the situation a bit more. Anyway, Leia hasn’t had her coming-of-age ceremony yet, so there’s plenty of time.”

“Still, I was just wondering. By the way, why isn’t Ruth here for the banquet? I thought I might see him after such a long time.”

Jessie deliberately mentioned Ruth’s name while carefully observing Ail’s expression. Ail’s face, usually stoic, flickered for a brief moment. Seeing this, Jessie felt a sense of triumph.

“Are you being too protective? Not even letting him show his face? There are rumors going around that Ruth can’t even leave the northern palace under your orders. Are you really keeping him so confined he can’t even walk?”

Jessie made a teasing comment, and instantly, Ail’s expression hardened with cold anger.

“Enough with your crude jokes.”

“Crude? Isn’t it an act of love? It’s admirable to have such passionate feelings to the point of being so protective.”

“Stop prying into other people’s private matters. You should be settling down soon as well. I’ll give you a proper position, so find the right job.”

Ail subtly changed the subject, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation. Jessie, however, saw through Ail’s irritation and deliberately pressed on with more questions about Ruth.

“By the way, when are you planning to bring in a concubine? Surely you’re not planning to keep Ruth locked up in the northern palace, are you?”

“It’s none of your business.”

Jessie, with a sharp remark that struck at Ail’s greatest fear, spoke up, “But don’t you have eyes? If he doesn’t enter the harem, he’ll remain in that state, and it’s not a good look for anyone. What if Ruth suddenly decides to leave the palace and get married? You wouldn’t be able to stop him, would you?”

Ail’s eyes glistened dangerously, beginning to shine with a fierce light as Jessie’s words hit their mark. The air around Ail, once warm and friendly, immediately froze, as the sharp aura of his killing intent spread. The tension was so thick that no one even dared to breathe. Everyone who had known Ail as a kind and cheerful person now found themselves frozen, their heads lowered in fear. Ail’s cold gaze swept across Jessie, and he spoke in a chilling tone.

“Do I need to tell you to shut up for you to understand?”

“…I apologize if I upset you. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Jessie, with an utterly indifferent expression, apologized and continued eating without missing a beat. However, everyone else remained frozen, too intimidated to move. Ail, seeing the tense atmosphere, hurriedly tried to change the subject to relieve the discomfort.

“Let’s continue the meal.”

With Ail’s declaration, the clattering of silverware resumed, but the atmosphere was no longer as comfortable as before.

For the first time, everyone attending the banquet began to seriously consider Ail. What kind of nature did the young crown prince truly have? Was he someone who would pose a threat to them, or would he be beneficial? Now was the time to think carefully.

Late in the evening, Ail left the hall where the banquet had taken place, slightly intoxicated from the drinking that followed the meal. Despite his blurred vision, Ail walked steadily down the corridor, and soon he spotted the brown-haired girl who had left the banquet earlier. He approached her, and when she noticed his presence, she quickly lowered her head.

Although they were cousins, Ail couldn’t even remember her name. He approached her with a kind tone.

“Are you leaving now?”

“Yes.”

Her voice was quiet and soft. Ail hadn’t noticed her voice much during the meal, but now he thought it sounded similar to someone else’s. It was low and calm, and her speech was refined, just like his.

On impulse, Ail reached out his hand. Before he realized it, he was gently holding her brown hair in his fingers. The soft sensation of her hair winding around his fingers made him remember Ruth’s face. Ruth had always blushed and pushed his hand away whenever he touched his hair, storming out of the room in a huff. Ail used to find that reaction amusing and would tease him on purpose, but in truth, he liked the feel of his hair and the scent it carried, which made him feel good.

As Ail fiddled with her hair, the girl’s face quickly turned red. She seemed flustered and shy.

Watching her tremble, Ail thought, This response is different. Ruth wasn’t so gentle. Although embarrassed, Ruth would scowl and get angry. Ail found himself missing that reaction. He missed seeing Ruth storm out, grumbling, or hearing the rude things he would sometimes say.

As Ail continued to touch her hair, the girl called out to him in a trembling voice.

“Your Majesty…”

At the faintly trembling voice, Ail, who had been looking at her through his blurred vision, released his grip on her hair and cupped her cheek instead. In that moment, the flustered girl’s brown eyes met his gaze. Her eye color, and her delicate facial features, resembled Ruth’s. She seemed to resemble him more than even her younger sister, Leia. Ail gazed into her eyes with a deep, lingering look before speaking.

“Tonight…”

He had planned to call her to his room tonight, but suddenly, as the scent of flowers wafted from her, he snapped back to reality. It was a different fragrance. It was similar to him in some ways—her voice, her tone, everything about her—but she was not him. It was a scent unlike the one he had grown familiar with over the past four years. The girl was merely a flower that resembled him. The scent was there, but it didn’t pull at his heart; it was simply a flower far away, nothing more.

He had done something foolish. No matter how much she resembled him, she was not him… He had been about to make a foolish mistake. ^[1]T/L: I am really ready to smack you if you continue to bed her, seriously Ail? Glad you found your brain in your feet. You make my blood boil, ugh!

Chastising himself for his stupidity, Ail removed his hand from her cheek. No one could replace him. It wasn’t the one who had been by his side for four years. There was no one who could replace the person he had grown so accustomed to. It wasn’t about appearance; it was the time and familiarity they had shared that couldn’t be replaced by anyone or anything.

After abruptly stopping his words, Ail remained silent for a while. Finally, he opened his mouth to the girl, who was looking at him in surprise.

“… Be careful going back.”

Then, without waiting for a reply, he turned and began walking down the hallway. As he walked through the quiet corridor, he soon gave a command to a servant who had been following him in place of Meril.

“Tonight, I’m going to the Northern Palace.”