She couldn't stop her lady from rushing recklessly into Rafael's room.
And she witnessed him jump in pure shock.
Honestly… it was a scene worth laughing at.
"Mariana—what's wrong with you? Why are you barging in like this?
Have a heart… like your own!!"
She bowed quickly, stood straight again, apologized, and walked toward his desk—
where he sat, breathing heavily from the fright.
He had never expected anyone to enter on him like that in his entire life.
It seemed she had abandoned whatever little etiquette she had left.
He whispered to himself with a strained smile.
She slammed both hands on the desk.
"My prince, I'll accept any punishment from you—but can you at least tell me what you did to Jinho?"
Her confident expression was… interesting.
Her manner, however, was hilarious.
"Pffft—!!"
A laugh escaped before he could stop it.
She stepped away from the desk and crossed her arms in front of him, annoyed by how he was laughing at her—even though he tried his best to stifle it.
Wiping imaginary tears from the corners of his eyes, he said between broken breaths:
"Ahem… I'm sorry… but your entrance—
it was too funny. And why would I punish you anyway?"
"Huh?"
She blinked at him in confusion.
"Aren't you supposed to be strict? Or mad? Or…I don't know, something like that?"
He stood up from his seat and approached her while removing his jacket.
She thought he was about to do something bad,
so she turned her face away—
But he laughed again softly, hung his jacket behind her, placed his hand on his hip and shook his head:
"You seem a little too eager to be punished.
But I'm not that type."
Then his eyes shifted to Rora.
"I'll borrow her for a while."
"Rora, bring me my meal.
And also… bring Jinho with you."
Rora bowed, muttering internally,
Great. Now I'm serving a servant too.
She lifted herself with a big polite smile and left, giving him and Mariana the space to speak freely.
He sat on the couch in the center of the room, his voice gentle as he looked at her:
"I truly don't know where Jinho is. He left with Seongjin.
Ask him if you want.
And… next time, knock before entering. I don't want to die of a heart attack."
"Where is this… Seongjin?" she asked.
"He's either in the courtyard or in his room."
"Thank you."
She bowed with unnatural politeness—completely different from how she acted minutes ago—then quickly left.
Just as she remembered her father, she came rushing back and opened the door again—
Only to find Rafael changing his clothes.
She laughed awkwardly, her smile twitching.
"Please don't tell my father or brother."
He stared at her in horror, trying to cover what he could of his chest.
She shut the door fast and ran.
"Damn it… I forgot to knock."
She mumbled to herself, her expression twisted with embarrassment.
But no matter what—
she had to find Jinho.
Rafael covered his burning face with his hands, still shocked, then sat on the couch again, remembering her words.
"Damn… forget it."
Wait.
Hold on.
His mind replayed what she'd said earlier in the gathering:
"You've really changed."
What did she mean by that?
That wasn't a slip of the tongue.
It came from somewhere inside her.
Too many strange things had happened since the first day…
---
She ran across the courtyard, lifting her long dress with both hands as she headed toward the knights' area.
She saw one of them sitting on the steps.
"Excuse me—can I ask you something?"
He jumped up and bowed.
"At your service, my lady."
Her chest rose and fell from running like the wind itself.
She spoke in rushed breath:
"Have you seen Commander Seongjin anywhere?"
"He was near the back garden a moment ago."
"Damn —!"
She cursed out loud, then smiled awkwardly when she realized he heard her.
"Pretend you didn't hear that."
She hurried away, hoping to find him before he left again.
He was still there—sitting quietly and staring at the pond.
When she looked closer, he was watching a floating flower.
"Commander Seongjin!!"
She called out while running.
He stood, turning to her with surprise—
she almost fell, so he quickly caught her.
His hands wrapped around her waist as he pulled her toward him,
and she held onto his shoulders to regain her balance.
He looked into her eyes—
saw the panic on her face, her quick breath, and the fierce curiosity burning in her fiery red pupils.
He let go once he was sure she could stand,
keeping a respectful distance.
Why do embarrassing things keep happening to me with everyone?
She whispered angrily to herself.
He spoke with calmness completely opposite to the tension inside him:
"Do you need something, Lady Mariana?"
"Where is Jinho?"
His expression was calm—
but shifted instantly to irritated surprise.
He tried to keep his face unreadable,
yet she noticed the annoyance.
She already understood how to read his smallest expressions,
almost like instinct.
She thought back to what she'd read about him:
He and Jinho had always had a strained relationship,
even though both were Rafael's childhood friends.
But after becoming a servant and being cast aside,
Jinho began avoiding Seongjin completely—
as if he never knew him.
And it all ended with Jinho's death
while trying to poison the duke…
*
"I promise I won't hurt him, nor force him into anything.
I just want to thank him… please."
She lowered her head, hands clenched in a pleading gesture, hoping he'd let her see him.
He let out a resigned sigh, hesitation clear on his face.
"He's in my room…"
He didn't even finish before he saw her lift her head, eyes sparkling, already stepping away.
But he called her back before she got too far.
"The key's with me. Here…"
He tossed it to her. She caught it with a bright smile and bowed slightly in gratitude before walking off.
"…Just like Jinho," he muttered.
"They're both stubborn… tch. No wonder they care about each other."
He smiled sideways and returned to admiring the flower floating in the middle of the pond—
a mercury lily, beautifully colored in white and soft pink, its deep green leaves adding to its charm.
Watching it was his way of relaxing… a small moment of peace.
Meanwhile, Mariana arrived at Seongjin's room on the second floor.
She knocked first. She'd learned her lesson.
But there was no answer.
She whispered,
"Jinho? It's me, Mariana. I'm coming in."
Still no reply.
"I'm entering! I don't care what you're doing!"
She slid the key into the lock, confusion on her face over why he was ignoring her—
but she understood the moment she saw him.
He was sleeping deeply. Completely oblivious to the world.
Messily sprawled across Seongjin's bed, peaceful as ever.
And she had imagined him twisting in the mud of the training grounds…
or freezing in the harsh winter cold…
"Tch!"
Her scoff wasn't at him—but at herself and her own dramatic imagination.
She should've known Seongjin and Rafael would never abandon him.
She stepped closer until she stood right in front of his face and yelled:
"Aren't you going to wake up?!"
At last, his body twitched in annoyance.
"Just… five more minutes, Jin…"
He said it thinking Seongjin was next to him—
but then he heard a different voice.
A girl's voice.
"Wait… I'm not dreaming."
He forced his eyes open and found Mariana glaring down at him, patience running thin.
He stretched lazily.
"My lady… what do you need?"
She snatched the pillow from under his head and smacked him with it.
How stupid she'd been…
to think something bad had happened to him.
How stupid…
to tire her mind thinking he was worried about her too.
But no—he was just a sleepy idiot stretching and mumbling,
"What do you want…"
as if nothing mattered.
He covered his face from the barrage of hits before finally rolling off the bed.
"Ouch."
His hand hit the floor as he winced, looking at her impatiently.
"What's wrong with you?"
He sat up halfway—
only to hear her say:
"I came to throw out my negative thoughts… and show you what they look like in real life.
"do you know how much I thought about you "