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Epilogue

The direct royal guard knight to the Princess, Aisen Erkman, had lately seen his face grow increasingly clouded with worry and gloom. And it was all because of Diana and Viern.

‘Lately, I keep getting scolded by brother, and bullied by the Princess… Huhu.’

A pitiful expression blossomed on Aisen’s face as he thought of the two.

The Princess had always been eccentric even before losing her memory, so that was one thing. But even his older brother Viern, whom he had respected and admired since childhood, had been treating him with an alarming hostility lately. Especially since that bizarre underwear errand—clearly the Princess’s new form of harassment—it seemed his brother had gotten the wrong idea about him.

Aisen swore on the name of Erkman that he had never traded the Princess’s name to meet women, nor did he have any eccentric or perverse tastes.

He had simply picked up a pre-ordered item as the Princess instructed, and the women’s perfume scent had come from there. He didn’t even know what was in the box in the first place. The look in his brother Viern’s eyes when he discovered its contents—a look of contempt—was still vivid.

Ever since that day, whenever his brother saw him, he would stare frighteningly and mutter silently to himself. Though no sound was heard, the shape of his mouth clearly formed words like ‘disgusting guy’, ‘pervert’, ‘deviant…’ and such.

It was so unfair that he once went to Diana and begged her to explain to his brother that he hadn’t bought it. But Diana smiled prettily, like a fairy, and asked him:

“Why should I?”

“…….”

Contrary to her gentle voice, her shameless attitude left Aisen momentarily dumbfounded, but he soon collected himself and argued.

“Because of you, Princess, I’m being misunderstood by my brother! No, and more than that, why on earth did you want me to buy something like that anyway?”

At that, Diana opened her eyes wide, then, with a sly curve of her lips, said loudly:

“Oh my, Aisen. Are you curious about my underwear situation now?”

Her exaggerated gesture and loud voice made everyone nearby turn and look. The sudden convergence of stares made Aisen’s face flush bright red.

“If Aisen is curious, I can tell you all about it.”

Diana spoke in a soft, gentle voice that was somehow chilling. Aisen knew all too well by now that she used that tone when she wanted to torment him. It was a voice she never used when they were alone.

His body trembled as she deliberately used a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, putting on an act of pure innocence as if she had no intention of harassing him at all. How could a person remain so consistently nasty, even after losing her memory!

“I-I never said I was curious about something like that…!”

He gritted his teeth to retort, but suddenly the back of his neck turned cold. Feeling every hair on his body stand on end, he turned his head stiffly and saw Viern standing far away, silently watching them.

Gasp!

Viern’s expression was perfectly calm, yet strangely, his blue eyes felt as sharp as being sliced to pieces. Was this ominous sensation, as if his lifespan was being shaved away, just an illusion?

“I-It’s unfair, Brother. I really never was curious about Her Highness’s underwea…”

“You seem like the type to throw away even a knight’s pride.”

Aisen carefully tried to explain himself to Viern, but he only shot a contemptuous glance before coldly turning away.

After that day, the intensity of the tasks Viern assigned him increased. Caught between the Princess’s harassment and his brother’s murderous glares, Aisen had to work tirelessly without a moment’s rest.

‘Why do I feel so hated by Brother?’

Even Aisen, who was generally oblivious, couldn’t help but feel it—the terrifying look in Viern’s eyes every time they met was downright frightening.

Today was the day he was returning after completing a family task assigned by Brother Viern in the duchy, which had taken a full half-month, and even diligently finishing an errand for the Princess on his way back. But the Princess wasn’t in her room.

“Her Highness is having tea in the greenhouse garden.”

Following the chamberlain’s words, Aisen headed to the greenhouse garden.

“Your Highness, it’s Aisen.”

He knocked and announced himself, but no answer came from inside. Had she perhaps fallen asleep in there? It had been well over two hours since her teatime began. If she really had dozed off…

After a moment’s hesitation, Aisen opened the greenhouse door and cautiously stepped inside.

Waking the Princess might make her angry, but he was more afraid of being scolded by his brother for not noticing if she had fallen asleep. He had grown accustomed to the Princess’s nasty temper, but he could never get used to the murderous glare his brother gave him every time they met.

The greenhouse was perfectly still. As Aisen walked, searching for the Princess, he heard a faint rustling sound from around the far corner. Ah, she must be over there!

“Your Highness, I’m ba—!”

Rounding the corner with a cheerful greeting, Aisen froze, gasping at the sight of a man’s firm, well-muscled back visible between large leaves.