My parents, in bringing me up, had never scolded or punished me in such a way.

“Ah...” Once again, I failed to produce any complete word. I was so scared that my feet felt glued to the floor, and I found myself unable to move.

“Well, well, how shall we punish you then?” said the devil with a sadistic smile, terrifying enough that my face turned white.

Please... someone... save me, I prayed in my heart.

“Jeord, I think you should stop,” someone said loudly.

As I looked to the sofa in the corner of the room in surprise, I saw the girl who had been asleep up until now standing up and looking in this direction.

The devil in front of me also looked at the girl with widened eyes. “Katarina, are you already awake?”

“I think you should stop,” she said fiercely again, ignoring his question.

Her clear blue eyes stared into mine, as if to tell me that I had suffered enough and that I was free to go. I stopped trembling, and I could move my body again.

I ran away from that room as fast as I could. The devil looked surprised, but thankfully did not chase me.

I kept running to safety, with my heart beating madly. The prince I had loved turned out to be a devil. And that girl, who I had thought to be a devil...

★★★★★★

I sighed as I watched the girl run out of the room.

“She ran away,” I said, laughing bitterly.

“After how much we scared her, I doubt she will be a nuisance any longer,” Mary replied from behind me.

“Yes, I suppose you are right.”

After all, the girl had gone completely pale and had been trembling in fear. She would likely never bother Katarina again.

As third crown prince, I, Jeord Stuart, am surrounded by plenty of ladies just like Marsha. Because of my appearance and my skill at playing the part of a good prince, they end up falling in love with an idealized version of me. They think of me as the prince of their dreams, so that is all they see. They cannot nor want to see the real me, which is why, as soon as I show my true colors for just a moment, they become so shocked.

Weary of those ladies, I looked back at the sofa in the corner of the room. My beloved fiancée was sleeping so peacefully and comfortably that I could not contain a genuine smile. She never forces her expectations onto anyone. Her beautiful blue eyes look straight into me, the real me.

I do not consider myself to be a good person. If anything, I may be a bad one. But that is who I am, and it does not bother me. However, sometimes, I feel tired of these ladies and their self-centered adulation. The expectations that they have of me can be a burden.

And at times like those, I always long to see Katarina. No matter which side of myself I show her, what she shows in return is always the same innocent smile.

Her smile... looking at it is enough to take the burden off me. I cannot live without her by my side, and I will not allow any person to harm her.

All these foolish ladies chasing after the imaginary, perfect Prince Jeord are sure to be envious of her position as my fiancée. The very moment I announced my engagement, they began vexing her in every way they could.

Of course, I started dealing with these nuisances as soon as possible, but I would get rid of one just to be faced with another. There were so many that I was slowly exhausting myself.

I then noticed that Katarina herself was armored with a skin so thick that even the most ill-intentioned of remarks would simply bounce off of her. From then on, I focused on getting rid of those ladies that could potentially do her actual harm.

Marsha Catley was one of those ladies.

When Katarina became my fiancée, Marsha started spreading ill rumors about her. Thankfully, Marquess Catley had been involved in some questionable affairs, and I was able to use that as an excuse to send his whole family, including Marsha, into de facto exile to the countryside. (Not that I did it myself... I simply provided the right information to the right people.)

Before he left the capital, I also told the marquess that my fiancée should be left alone. Yet apparently that did not make it to his daughter’s ears, and the girl started her mischief as soon as she came back.

She had crossed the line for a second time, so minor punishments would no longer be sufficient. With the cooperation of Mary Hunt, whose face Marsha did not know and who would take no issue with my plans, I set up a trap.

Marsha behaved just as expected, and we easily led her into the room we had prepared in advance. I was eager to threaten her enough that she would never bother Katarina again, but...

“I think you should stop,” intervened Katarina herself, leaving me speechless. As her clear blue eyes stared into mine, I lost any will to continue. Why did she say that? Why would she stand on the side of someone who had just tried to hurt her? At the time, her words had me so confused that I even forgot to ask her these questions.

Usually, for me, knowing someone for a while is enough to understand their ways and predict their actions. But no matter how many years pass, Katarina still leaves me perplexed. Just when I start believing that I have finally figured her out, there she goes surprising me once again, like today.

How could one ever be bored in the company of such an interesting girl? As long as I have her by my side, no day will ever be dull.

I approached her and caressed her silky brown hair as she slept once again. I could feel Mary’s stare stabbing into my back, but I ignored it and whispered softly into my fiancée’s ear, so that only she could hear me.

“I love you.”

★★★★★★

“Lady Katarina. Lady Katarina! Please wake up. We should go back to the mansion.”

I woke up to Anne’s voice, and, looking around me, recognized a room I’d seen before. “Uhm? Where are we?”

“This room, young miss? Prince Jeord had the host prepare it.”

“Prepare it? Jeord? ...What does that have to do with me?”

Anne then explained to me that I had lost consciousness during the ball and was brought here by Mary, who happened to be passing by. I remembered absolutely nothing of it. The last thing I did remember was drinking the juice that someone had offered me.

“Wait, was that juice actually wine or something? Maybe my nose was stuffy and I couldn’t smell the alcohol!”

“You are not at fault this time, Lady Katarina,” said Anne, and then she also reassured me that Mother won’t hear about what happened. Phew.

I may have lost consciousness, but I felt alright now that I had slept for a bit. Refreshed, even. Now, however, I had to go back home, and I was told that we didn’t have time to stop by the main hall.

I was a little surprised that Mary, despite being at the ball, hadn’t come to greet me. She usually always rushed to do it... maybe she came in late? Oh well, I’ll just thank her the next time we meet.

I told Jeord that I was going back home, and left him alone at the ball. While in the carriage on the way home, I spoke to Anne about the nightmare I had while sleeping on the sofa earlier.

“A nightmare?”

“I had this salad, and I was looking forward to eating it... Then Jeord comes in and starts eating it. I tell him, ‘Jeord, I think you should stop,’ but he doesn’t listen and keeps on eating. I raise my voice and tell him ‘I think you should stop’ once more and only then he finally stops.”

“...What? Did you not say nightmare?”

“He was eating all of my salad! And he wouldn’t stop! If that’s not a nightmare, what is?” I explained to Anne, who silently gave me a blank, inscrutable stare.

We finally reached home, and, for once, Mother didn’t scold me! I did it!

I had kind of gotten used to balls. Sure, I may not shine like a star like Mary did, but, if I gave my best, I could hope to get to at least lightbulb-level.

There was just one thing that seemed a bit off...

“What is the matter, Katarina?” Jeord asked as he approached me, smiling. As soon as he did, that girl disappeared.

I wasn’t imagining it, then...

“Lately, whenever I go to a ball’s buffet, there’s a girl who prepares a tray with all my favorite dishes and brings it to me... but as soon as you come near, she just runs off. Do you have any idea who it could be? She’s a really pretty girl.”

At first I thought that she could be a fan of Jeord, but if that were the case, she wouldn’t run away from him. And if she were one of my rivals, she wouldn’t be that kind to me.

“I think I’ve seen her somewhere...” I said pensively, and Jeord gave me a weird look.

Suddenly, Keith came in and started questioning him. “Jeord, has something happened? That Marsha Catley girl has been staring at Katarina, and now she has started bringing her food! What is going on?”

“Huh?! Keith, you know that girl?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten about her!”

It turned out that that girl had introduced herself to me. What can I do? I’ve never been great at remembering faces!

Keith stared at me without saying anything. I know what you want to say... Forgive me, Keith... I wish I could remember people after greeting them just once, like you two!

While I was silently apologizing to Keith, I heard Jeord muttering. “I was not expecting this...”

Now that my brother had told me the name of the girl, I made a mental note to call her by name when thanking her next time.

“And now, to the buffet!”

It was finally time to go to my favorite part of any ball.