Chapter 48: Chapter 48

This is the makeshift road of the campsite at 11 PM.

The only people you’d expect to meet here would be lightly armed guards or participants who had changed into more casual attire.

So why, of all people, is Prince Tristan standing before me in full formal uniform?

“Your Highness…?”

“Have you had so much to drink that you don’t recognize your own fiancé?”

Tristan frowned deeply.

Ah, this unparalleled bad attitude—it is our Tristan.

“I’m not drunk! It’s just surprising to see you here… Are you feeling better? Shouldn’t you be resting? The doctor—”

“Were you my nanny in your past life?”

“...Excuse me?”

“My nanny retired to her hometown because of arthritis, but the nagging coming from you feels like she’s returned. Then again, your tone does suit someone fifty-five better than twenty-three.”

His words were so irritating my mouth shut itself automatically.

And this is coming from the guy who nagged me to no end earlier!

Tristan rotated his injured shoulder lightly and replied, “It’s not so bad that I can’t move. Besides, I felt a little pity for my fiancée, who was left to spend the banquet alone even after I sent her a gift.”

“What?”

Pity?

Tristan seemed to pick up on the unspoken question in my wide eyes.

“Wouldn’t you feel hurt if it were you?”

No, I wouldn’t. Just go back to bed.

Even Doris would say, “The patient’s rest comes first.”

“Not that it matters what you say. I figured since you went through the trouble of giving me a gift, I should at least consider your feelings.”@@novelbin@@

You’re not considering anything at all! This is like seeing “1 + 1” and confidently declaring the answer to be “11!”

And why does he talk so much nonsense?

Is he running a fever? Is he hallucinating? Should I drag him to the infirmary?

As I contemplated my options, Tristan’s voice dipped slightly.

“…Judging by the atmosphere around the tents, it seems the banquet has ended.”

“Yes, it concluded successfully. Both of Their Highnesses even danced.”

“Ha, those two. They never miss a grand occasion.”

“You were no different, Your Highness.”

“…I won’t deny it.”

“But,” I said sincerely, “to me, you shone the brightest today.”

“…”

“Maintenance work is a thankless task; people ignore it if done well and complain if it’s done poorly. Even so, you oversaw everything meticulously and handled external duties like the opening ceremony.”

“There’s no need to explain further. And I’ll say it again: stop acting like my nanny.”

Tristan turned his head sharply as he said this.

It didn’t sound angry—there was no venom in his tone.

…Could he be embarrassed?

I wanted to check if his cheeks were flushed, but the dim lighting only revealed the outline of his face.

Oh well. I don’t regret the compliment.

Adults love being praised, especially those in society—they rarely hear that they’ve done well.

You did great today, Tristan.

After a moment, Tristan seemed to calm down and turned back to me.

“Did you change clothes for the banquet?”

“Yes. My maids worked hard on it.”

He looked me up and down. At first, he wore the stern expression of a food critic, but then he covered his face with one hand and muttered lowly.

“…I should.”

“Pardon?”

“I should at least dance once.”

“Excuse me, what?”

“You dressed up for the banquet. It would be a waste if neither you nor your maids got to enjoy the effort. And the highlight of any banquet is the dance.”

The highlight is the feast!

Wait, that’s not the issue here.

Tristan’s nonsense didn’t end there. He elegantly dropped to one knee.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest! Why does he have to look so princely when he’s literally a prince?!

“May I have this dance, Lady Doris Redfield?”

“...Right now? Here?”

“Can’t you, for once, respond with a little grace?”

“If we’re talking about grace, dancing in an empty clearing with no music or people around is far stranger!”

“If you wish, I could wake the entire camp and summon the orchestra to the banquet hall.”

“No, no, no! I—I’ll dance with you!”

“You sound like a trembling lamb being led away. Well, an adult lamb, at least.”

Why does he always have to add unnecessary remarks?!

I don’t know why he’s acting like this—maybe he’s burnt out from overworking. People do weird things when they’re stressed.

But dancing on a moonlit dirt road, surrounded by sleeping nobles? This is not the kind of experience I want to have.

“Follow me. There’s a better spot.”

“A better spot?”

“Did you think we’d dance here?”

Sorry, I overestimated your penchant for theatrics.

Tristan gestured for me to follow and walked ahead. I hurried to keep up with him.

Though he told me to “follow,” he slowed his pace after a few steps, walking just half a step ahead of me.

Occasionally, I caught his scent—soap, with faint hints of antiseptic. Had he bathed recently?

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright, Your Highness?”

“Nanny, it’s truly been a while. How have you been?”

“…Seriously.”

I took a deep breath and said, “Yes, I was so worried about you, Your Highness. You’ve grown so tall! Not that it matters, since I won’t be patting your head anymore.”

“…”

Tristan looked at me, visibly stunned. What, did you think I’d just sit here and take it?

“You… You can make jokes like that?”

“Bookish women always have their heads full of jokes. It’s just a matter of filtering what they say.”

“Your filter could use some work.”

“Maybe. Sometimes I think of cutting it in half and giving part of it to you.”

“Is it even working at all?”

Tristan chuckled dryly. For some reason, though, he didn’t seem annoyed.

There was something about nighttime strolls that worked like magic.

The moonlight softened our faces into shadows, and my words became a little more candid.

We walked for about ten minutes, the crunch of grass underfoot mingling with the sounds of the night. Then Tristan gestured to a large elm tree.

“Here we are.”

“Where…”

I rounded the tree and froze, words escaping me.

Above and below were the night sky.

A black, glittering world.

When the breeze stirred, the rippling “sky” below revealed its true nature: water.

“A lake? …It’s beautiful.”

The words came out unfiltered, pure sincerity.

The star-filled sky above Seoul could never compare to this, and the mirrored reflection in the water made it feel infinite.

I could gaze at it for hours without getting bored.

“Take a seat,” Tristan said.

“Ah, thank you.”

He’d even laid out a handkerchief on the ground—not one I’d given him, of course.

And so, we sat, with an awkward distance between us, staring at the lake in silence.

The soft sounds of fish swimming and forest birds filled the quiet.

It was… nice. Truly.

“I never knew a place like this existed.”

“This lake was used by an ancestor during wartime. It’s been abandoned for now while they decide what to do with it.”

“Decide what to do with it?”

“The water’s too deep for leisure use. My brother wants to reshape the edges and adjust the depth, but there’s no suitable place to get soil, so no progress has been made.”

“Do you have to fill it in? It’s beautiful as it is.”

“It’s fine at night. But during the day, you can see all the way to the bottom. Artifacts are still submerged there.”

“Nighttime beauty is enough, isn’t it?”

“…”

“A lake doesn’t need to be beautiful twenty-four hours a day to have value. It’s stunning right now.”

Maybe I’m only saying that because I haven’t seen it during the day. For all I know, I’d look at it in daylight and think, “Oh, this really does need work.”

But Tristan didn’t argue.

“Is that so? You think this lake is beautiful as it is now?”

“Yes.”

“…Today, have you given anyone a compliment you didn’t mean?”

“Pardon? Oh, no. To give an empty compliment, you need acquaintances in the first place. I don’t have a wide enough social circle for that.”

“…I see.”

I ended on a bit of a ramble, but he sounded oddly satisfied as he turned his head away.

I could’ve stayed and admired the view, but—

“Your Highness. Didn’t you come here to dance?”

He turned his head back sharply, almost like the wind.

“Were you expecting it?”

“…Not exactly, but you did bring it up—”

“I wouldn’t disappoint a lady’s expectations. But now I feel it would be a waste to use our opportunity to dance here, without music.”

“Then doesn’t that make this visit a waste?”

You love dancing, after all.

I meant to tease him, but to my surprise, his reply came quickly and softly.

“It’s fine. I worried your beautiful attire for the banquet might go unappreciated, but now this spot serves as a perfect frame for you, even without music.”

“…”

My heart skipped a beat.

Being good at talking nonsense is already a skill, but why are you suddenly saying things that make people’s hearts flutter?!

Is this really Tristan?

Don’t tell me…

This is absurd, but…

Do you like me?