This is a campsite's makeshift road at 11pm
The only people you might encounter are lightly armed guards or participants who have changed into casual attire.
So why on earth is His Highness Tristan, dressed in full regalia, standing before me?
"Your Highness… is that you?"
"Have you drunk so much you can't even recognize your fiancé?"
Tristan frowned.
Oh, this is complete bad luck. It's definitely Tristan.
"I'm not drunk! It's just surprising to see you in a place like this… Are you okay? Wouldn't it be safer for you to stay lying down? Shouldn't the doctor—"
"Were you my nanny in a past life?"
"…."
"My nanny retired and returned to her hometown due to arthritis, but it seems she's returned to nag me. Honestly, the way you speak suits a 55-year-old much more than someone who's 23."
The sheer annoyance made my mouth shut on its own.
He was nagging me like crazy earlier too!
Tristan slightly rotated his injured shoulder and responded, "It's not bad enough that I can't move. More importantly, I felt a bit of sympathy for my fiancée, who spent the evening alone even after receiving my gift."
"…Excuse me?"
What sympathy?
Tristan seemed to read the hidden question in my wide eyes.
"Wouldn't you feel upset in such a situation?"
I'm not upset. Go get some sleep.
Even Dory would agree that the patient's rest takes priority.
"Well, regardless of what you say, since I received a gift from you, I felt it was only right to consider your feelings too."
You didn't consider my feelings at all! You're like someone confidently answering 11 when shown 1 + 1!
Also, why is he rambling so much? Is he feverish? Could he be hallucinating?
Just as I was contemplating dragging him to the infirmary, Tristan spoke in a slightly subdued voice.
"…However, judging from the atmosphere outside the tents, it seems the banquet is over."
"Yes, it ended successfully. Both Their Highnesses even danced."
"Ha, those two. They never miss a glamorous occasion."
"Your Highness is no different."
"…I won't deny it."
"But," I said sincerely, "to me, you were the most remarkable tonight."
"…."
"Maintenance work is often overlooked when done well and criticized when done poorly, isn't it? Yet you still meticulously ensured everything was in order, attended to external duties like the opening declaration…"
"There's no need to explain. And once again, stop acting like my nanny."
As he said that, Tristan abruptly turned his head away.
His tone wasn't sharp enough to suggest he was angry…
Could he be embarrassed?
I wanted to see if his cheeks were flushed, but the dim lighting only revealed the contours of his face.
Oh well. No regrets about the compliment.
Adults appreciate praise, especially since they rarely hear it.
Well done, Tristan.
After a moment, Tristan turned back to me, seemingly more composed.
"Did you change into something for the banquet?"
"Yes. The maids went through quite some trouble."
He looked me over. At first, his expression was as stern as Gordon Ramsay's, but then he covered his face with one hand and muttered softly,
"…I should do it."
"Pardon?"
"I suppose I should dance with you at least once."
"What? Excuse me?"
"You dressed up for the banquet, didn't you? It would be a shame for both you and your maids if you didn't participate in anything fitting for the occasion. And dancing is the highlight of a banquet."
The highlight of a banquet is the feast!
Wait, that's not the point.
Tristan's nonsense didn't stop there. He elegantly knelt on one knee.
Good grief, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest! Why does he have to look so much like a prince!
"Would you grant me the honor of one dance, Lady Dory Redfield?"
"…Here? Now?"
"Do you never have any sense of atmosphere?"
"Atmosphere? Dancing in an empty lot, without music or people, is far stranger in terms of atmosphere!"
"If you wish, I can wake all the participants and summon the orchestra to the banquet hall."
"No, thank you! I'll—I'll dance with you!"
"It feels like abducting a trembling lamb. Well, a grown one, anyway."
He always has to add a little jab!
I don't know why he's acting like this, but maybe he's burnt out from working so hard. People do strange things when they're burnt out.
But dancing in the middle of a moonlit road, surrounded by sleeping nobles, is an experience I'd rather not have…
"Follow me. There's a suitable place."
"A suitable place?"
"Did you think we'd dance here?"
'I'm sorry. I overestimated your attention-seeking tendencies.'
Tristan gestured for me to follow and walked ahead. I hurriedly trailed after him.
Though he said, "Follow me," he slowed down after a few steps and walked just half a step ahead of me. Occasionally, his scent brushed past my nose. Had he taken a bath? Amid the soft soap scent, I caught faint whiffs of antiseptic.
"Your Highness, are you feeling alright?"
"Ah, my nanny has truly returned. It's been a while."
"…."
I took a deep breath and replied, "That's right. I was just so worried about you, Your Highness. You've grown quite a bit taller. Not that it matters since I won't be patting your head anytime soon."
"…."
(T/N: HAHAHAHAHA I CAN'T)
Tristan looked at me in shock. What, did you think I'd just sit and take it?
"You… can make jokes like that?"
"The minds of women who love books are naturally full of all sorts of jokes. It's just that we have a filter deciding what to say and what not to."
"That filter could use some serious tightening."
"Well, if it were possible, I'd sometimes consider splitting mine in half and giving the other half to you, Your Highness."
"Are you sure your filter even works?"
Tristan let out a dry laugh but didn't seem particularly annoyed for some reason.
The nighttime path had that kind of charm.
The shadows of the moonlight blurred our faces while making my words just a little more honest.
We walked for about ten minutes, our steps crunching through the grass that shimmered under the moonlight. Finally, Tristan pointed to a large elm tree.
"Here."
"Where…."
The moment I rounded the tree and saw what lay beyond, I was rendered speechless.
Above and below, it was all night sky.
A world shimmering in black.
Only when the breeze stirred, making the lower sky ripple, did I realize that the surface was water.
"A lake? …It's absolutely beautiful."
It was pure sincerity, unfiltered by any hesitation.
A sky filled with countless stars, unimaginable in Seoul, and beneath it, a mirror of water stretching out endlessly.
I could stare at it for hours without growing tired.
Tristan spoke.
"Have a seat."
"Oh, thank you."
He had even thoughtfully laid out a handkerchief on the ground. Not the one I had given him, of course.
And so, the two of us sat gazing at the nighttime lake, maintaining a distance just as ambiguous as that between Arthur and Maria earlier.
The sounds of fish swimming and birds in the forest softly filled the silence.
It was truly lovely.
"I didn't know such a place existed."
"A distant ancestor used this lake as a defensive position during a war. It's been left unattended since no decision has been made about what to do with it."
"Left unattended?"
"The water is too deep to use for leisure activities. My brother suggested altering the depth and edges, but there's no suitable place to source the soil, so the project hasn't even started."
"Does it really need to be filled in? It's beautiful just to look at."
"It's fine at night. But during the day, you can see too far into the depths. There are even ancient relics submerged there…."
"Isn't it enough for it to be beautiful at night?"
"…."
"A lake doesn't need to be beautiful 24 hours a day to have meaning. It's already so stunning as it is."
Maybe I could only say this because I hadn't seen the lake during the day. For all I knew, I might see it then and think, "Oh, okay, maybe this does need some work."
But Tristan didn't argue back.
"I see. So, you're saying you find this lake beautiful enough as it is right now?"
"Yes."
"You haven't handed out any insincere compliments to others today, have you?"
"Excuse me? Oh, no. Giving compliments requires acquaintances in the first place. My social circle isn't that broad, unfortunately."
"…I understand."
I had ended with a bit of nonsense, but for some reason, he responded in a slightly satisfied tone and turned his head.
I could just sit and enjoy the scenery, but…
"Your Highness, weren't we here to dance?"
He turned his head back to me almost instantly.
"Did you expect it?"
"…Not exactly. You did bring it up, though—"
"I wouldn't want to disappoint a lady's expectations. But now I feel it would be a shame to waste a chance to dance with you in a place without music."
"Then doesn't that make coming here a waste of time?"
You love dancing, don't you?
I said it in a slightly teasing tone, but his reply was surprisingly soft and quick.
"It doesn't matter. I was worried your beautiful attire for the banquet might go unnoticed, but this place is already a perfect frame for you, even without music."
"…."
I nearly felt my heart drop.
Being good at spouting nonsense is already a talent, but why is he suddenly saying things that make my heart flutter?
Is this really Tristan?
Surely…
It's an utterly ridiculous thought, but…
Do you… like me?