She had something to say to Archen, but it was not appropriate to say it here. Carinne was flustered and unable to respond, and the Duke’s eyes narrowed sharply, showing a more perplexed expression.

“And I’ve noticed that the two of you have been spending much time together lately.”

Carinne’s face turned pale. She could roughly anticipate the next words.

‘What’s the relationship between the two?’

‘Are you lovers?’

‘Does the Princess have any interest in my aide?’

It would probably be one of those three. Then she would be embarrassed, and her face would turn red, and everyone present would know who she liked. It wouldn’t be bad for Archen to find out.

After all, she was planning to tell him today, though she couldn’t reveal the truth in front of the Duke!

It was something Carinne didn’t even want to experience in her dreams, let alone in reality. Just thinking about it made her head spin and her heart flutter. Not only would she have to endure teasing whenever she met the Duke, but Archen could also be put in an awkward position.

From his perspective, it would be like hearing a public confession.

Carinne despised confessions with heart-shaped candles on the street, and she hoped Archen would never have to go through such a thing.

When she was wracking her brain trying to figure out how to salvage the situation, Iris, who had been watching the situation from the side, interjected.

“Oh, I should go home! My dad will worry if I’m too late.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Iris at her words. Even the Duke turned around and looked at her.

Iris looked at her with a knowing look in her eyes.

Carinne raised her thumbs, which had been clenched in her fists, and expressed her gratitude to Iris. It’s amazing how she can be so perceptive at times like this. It was clear that Iris’s perceptiveness worked selectively.

“I’ll see you out.”

Despite Iris addressing the Duke directly, Archen stepped forward to go.

“Duke Lucas, will you see me out?”

Iris pretended not to hear Archen’s words and spoke to the Duke. This time, she emphasized the word ‘Duke’ with force. With Iris taking the lead and leaving the room quickly, Carinne and Archen were left alone.

Thanks to Iris, the crisis was averted, and they had the opportunity to be alone together. She should thank her when they meet next time.

‘…Can I relax and look at him now?’

Archen watched the direction the Duke left in, then picked up his cup with his hands. As Carinne put a cookie in her mouth, she watched him tilt the cup and take a sip. Then, he turned his gaze and looked at Carinne.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

Oh, no. She had been so preoccupied with the Duke that she had completely forgotten what she wanted to say before. It was natural for him to wonder why she had been constantly looking at him.

This time, there was no one to help her.

Carinne pressed her dry lips with her tongue and thought hard about what to say. What should she say?

In a moment of inspiration, she came up with a good idea.

‘…Should I confess right now?’

Since they were alone in a quiet place, the atmosphere seemed suitable.

However, it would take no more than ten minutes for Duke Lucas to return after dropping off Iris at the carriage. It would be quite awkward if he returned in the middle of her confession. So she decided to postpone the confession for a while and focused on finding something to talk about now.

What should she say?

In a brief moment, Carinne strained her mind and came up with a clever idea.

“When are you going to return the clothes I lent you last time?”

It was a thought that came to her mind as she looked at the crisp white collar of his shirt.

On a rainy day, Carinne had given Iris and Archen clothes to change into. Iris received the clothes the next day through Count Shunen’s servant, but Carinne had no memory of receiving the clothes back from Archen.

“Ah.”

Archen slightly opened his lips as if he had never thought of it. Even if he was smart, he was still a human. Sometimes, he also forgot things.

“I’ll go get it now.”

“Let’s go together. It’s boring to be alone.”

Carinne stood up cheerfully and followed him from her seat.

The mission was a success. It wouldn’t be bad to confess along the cozy corridor. She stood next to Archen, matching her stride with his. Perhaps because it was late in the evening, the corridor was dimly lit, with the lights turned off.

Carinne carefully chose her words in her mind. She wanted to set the mood before confessing directly.

“You know, I noticed earlier that you didn’t eat the cookie… Do you not like cookies?”

It was a question thrown to lighten the mood and satisfy her curiosity.

She was really curious why he didn’t eat the cookie earlier. Hopefully, it wasn’t some profound reason like the earring earlier. That would just bring down the mood again.

“I don’t like sweet things.”

Fortunately, the reason he didn’t eat the cookie was simply because he didn’t like sweet things. Well, it was a cookie filled with lots of sweet chocolate, so it was understandable that you disliked it.

She had never seen him eat anything in the original story, so she didn’t know he didn’t like sweet things. She made a mental note to remember that. Carinne recorded the newly discovered fact in her mental notepad.

‘Doesn’t like sweet things.’

“Then, what do you like?”

Now that she knew what he didn’t like, she wanted to know what he did like. Nevertheless, Archen rested his chin on his hand and remained silent for a while. His seemingly nonchalant expression looked quite troubled.

Did he have to think about what he liked? Shouldn’t it come out immediately when asked?

Since he didn’t answer, Carinne changed the question.

“Then, among the things you’ve eaten recently, what was the most delicious?”

It was an easier question than before, and he soon lifted his hand from his chin.

“If I have to choose one, it would be the shrimp cocktail the Princess gave me the other day. It was decent.”

So, he liked shrimp cocktails!

Carinne smiled and nodded.

‘Yes, my eyes didn’t deceive me!’

It was definitely a face that said it was delicious when he tasted the shrimp cocktail at the banquet Iris attended. Although he only said two words after tasting it, ‘Not bad,’ well, he wasn’t known for being honest.

She smiled happily, lost in her thoughts. He finally spoke softly.

“You asked what I liked earlier.”

Oh, did he finally remember? Carinne held her breath and listened carefully.

“I think I like shrimp.”

‘Shrimp…!’

She wrote it in big letters on the first page of her mental notepad.

‘Likes shrimp.’

She also loved shrimp. She was called the shrimp maniac before she possessed Carinne’s body. She was very pleased that he liked the same food, and she felt proud that he had found his favorite food, thanks to her.

“When you come to my house next time, I’ll make lots of shrimp dishes for you.”

As soon as she returned home, she had to hire a chef who specialized in shrimp dishes. And she would invite Archen over and let him eat as much shrimp as he wanted.

Imagining his happy face while eating shrimp, a smile naturally formed on Carinne’s lips.

‘I’ll have to come up with an excuse somehow.’

He chuckled and laughed. It was a pity that the corridor was so dark that she couldn’t see his smiling face. As he burst into laughter, the atmosphere became much softer than before. Is it finally enough?
The perfect atmosphere for a confession was finally complete.

Carinne cleared her throat and carefully moistened her lips before slowly parting it.

“I have one more thing I’m curious about.”

“You have a lot of questions today. Please go ahead and ask.”

“This is really, genuinely out of curiosity…”

As she thought of Iris’ words, Carinne gathered her courage once again.

“Do you happen to have someone you like?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Archen stopped in his tracks.

His face turned towards Carinne. Was he surprised or taken aback? He didn’t say a word. It would have been better if she could see his expression in advance and prepare herself mentally, but it was frustrating not being able to see his face in the darkness.

Her heart pounded.

“I mean, maybe he likes you too, and like you, he’s afraid of rejection, so he didn’t tell you.”

Recalling Iris’ words, Carinne mustered her courage once again.

“I have someone… that I like.”

Thump, thump, thump.

Her heart was beating so fast that it felt like it would burst out of her chest.

“Who I like….”

At the sound of the elegant voice, Carinne held her breath.

“I like the Princess.”

He smiled and responded confidently.

—