BOAD 08

8. Because I Thought You Would Like It

“Amelia. We are going on our honeymoon.”

“I know, Your Highness.”

“It’s a trip for the two of us to get to know each other better.”

“That’s true, but since you suddenly changed the destination, naturally, going to Waynes means…”

“That’s why I didn’t tell any family that I’m going to Waynes. I didn’t say a word even to the lord of Waynes.”

“…You didn’t?”

“Yes. The only people who know I’m going to Waynes are the Imperial Knights and His Majesty.”

Words I never expected, words that wouldn’t normally come from him, slipped out.

Of course, this is a honeymoon trip, but what’s so important about that?

He’s the Crown Prince, someone who has to carefully manage state affairs even in the smallest moments.

So naturally, our trip couldn’t look like that of ordinary newlyweds.

When I looked at him with a confused expression, Leofric cleared his throat quietly and spoke with a serious gaze.

“And the reason I changed the destination to Waynes is simply because I thought you would like it.”

“…What?”

He ended his sentence with an overly serious face.

Then, slowly once again, as if confirming that what I just heard was true, he continued.

“This is a honeymoon, Amelia. Honestly, I wanted to go just the two of us.”

“…”

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

His face was unnecessarily serious.

No, more precisely, I didn’t know how to respond to the look in his eyes.

There was something deeply hidden in the way he was looking at me—something I didn’t understand.

It was an emotion neither of us dared to voice yet, and somehow, it made me unable to move.

Suddenly, I remembered how gentle he was last night.

He who said he had no requests in the contract, who pleaded—though not quite pleading—to be allowed to stay by my side.

“I…”

What should I say?

I was unfamiliar with this feeling, and I couldn’t believe he changed the destination for me?

Or should I just politely thank him as social etiquette dictates and end the conversation?

I searched for words while moving my lips silently for quite some time.

Leofric smiled faintly and spoke as if to reassure me.

“I didn’t want to say this, but you don’t seem to understand me well, so I’m telling you. I’m not someone obsessed only with work.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I’m not someone who pretends to be so busy he can’t spare time for the woman he cares about.”

He answered with a bit of teasing and then smiled broadly.

His eyes, full of warmth, made my previously tense shoulders relax slightly.

But at the same time, the phrase “the woman I care about” lingered in my mind.

He had never once told me he cared for me like that before.

I shook my head, thinking it was just a joke to lighten the mood.

“I appreciate the words, Your Highness. But this isn’t a short trip. We can’t spend all the time just getting to know each other.”

“His Majesty has given permission. Because we started differently from others, he told us to try to get closer, even if just a little.”

You already know well how close the Emperor and Empress are, don’t you?

He told me this was the Emperor and Empress’s order.

They told us to build a real marriage, one filled with love and respect in their ‘ordinary’ way.

Though I knew the Emperor and Empress were special, and that everyone else’s “ordinary” was probably something dull and colorless, as if suggested by me.

I sighed deeply.

A good marital relationship might strengthen imperial authority, but it wasn’t an indispensable element.

Strong and loyal relatives and a reliable heir were also necessary, but they wouldn’t guarantee eternal authority.

They were only parts of the process to strengthen imperial power.

Relatives and heirs could even become obstacles once authority was strong enough.

Then, he should be ready to cast me out at any moment.

Why am I thinking such ridiculous things again?

“Even if His Majesty ordered it, people who just met can’t possibly have such deep affection.”

I sighed, thinking all this was some ridiculous joke on his part.

“You say it’s an order, but I hope you don’t ask too much, Your Highness.”

Was Leofric usually this innocent around this time?

The more I recalled the Leofric of my previous life, the more I remembered how he kept a proper distance, careful to be more polite to others than most.

So, the one who urged me to get closer because it was the Emperor and Empress’s order felt like a complete stranger to me.

Leofric’s expression sitting across from me seemed to twist slightly, but I turned my gaze to the window without hesitation.

What mattered was our destination, not this childish game.

The carriage fell into silence as it traveled a long time, finally arriving at a small village.

Leofric decided we couldn’t continue traveling because it had grown too dark, and ordered us to stay here overnight.

Several knights dispersed to find lodgings.

And even then, I hadn’t spoken a word to him.

“…”

“…”

The silence continued for several hours.

A few more minutes of silence wouldn’t make it awkward.

But for some reason, Leofric kept glancing at me nervously.

I tried to ignore him and flipped through the book in my hands.

Just as I thought he might speak again and say something unexpected,

“Your Highness. We found lodgings.”

A palace knight who had gone to find lodgings returned just in time.

Leofric sighed deeply at the light knocking on the carriage door.

Trying not to laugh, I bit my lips.

Opening the carriage window, I saw Sir Daen, one of the knights who came with us, bowing his head.

“Sir, is the lodging far from here?”

“Not really. You can walk there easily.”

“Really? Then it should be fine to walk, right?”

If it’s close enough to walk, why not get off the carriage?

Besides the long carriage ride, the invisible battle of nerves with Leofric on the way made me feel I needed some fresh air.

As I was preparing to get up, Leofric suddenly grabbed the carriage door as if snatching it.

“I’ll go with you instead.”

“Okay, that’s fine.”

He said with a determined face that was almost serious.

When he opened the door and I naturally answered, his eyes widened.

“I’m glad you said that.”

“…What?”

“That you allowed me to be by your side.”

Leofric looked at me with a radiant smile, as if he could even make withered flowers bloom.

Did he think I would refuse?

No, was it really such a joy just to be invited to go together?

I quietly looked at the smile focused solely on me, then quickly looked away.

“Let’s go quickly. I think it’s better to rest before sunset.”

But Leofric didn’t seem to care about my attitude and got off the carriage first.

Sir Daen, waiting by the door, immediately reached out his hand to me.

“Lady Bee, your hand.”

“Ah…”

Without thinking, I grabbed his hand to get out of the carriage.

As my legs wobbled a little, probably tired from the long carriage ride,

“I’ll escort Bee.”

Instead of Sir Daen, it was Leofric who caught my wobbly waist and pulled me into his arms.

It happened so suddenly.

That he held me.

That something was placed into my outstretched hand.

I neither pushed away the small note in my palm nor asked Sir Daen who handed it to me.

I just quietly clenched my fist to hide what I held.

After arriving at the lodging, the first thing I did was open the note.

Leofric kept glancing at me as if he wanted to hold my hand all the way here.

But since I already had something I mustn’t let him see, I naturally avoided his gaze.

Keeping a small distance from him, I came to the lodging.

For some reason, I felt I had to do that.

Thinking about Sir Daen, who handed me that note but acted as if nothing had happened, I strongly felt this must remain between me and him.

I recalled how loyal he was to the royal family.

Would a man like him do such a reckless thing without reason?

Luckily, when I said I was going up to my room, Leofric said nothing and let me go.

He left the room after saying he would come later.

As soon as I sat on a chair, I opened the note from Sir Daen.

[Tonight at 9 PM. I will be waiting at the stables.]

…Is Sir Daen crazy?

That was my immediate thought upon reading it.

The message was exactly like one you’d see in a passionate rendezvous between lovers.

I suddenly thought maybe Sir Daen was a little strange.

Sending such a note to his lord’s wife—was he out of his mind?

Or did he mistakenly send it to me instead of Leofric?

But no matter how I thought about it, Sir Daen was the epitome of a proper knight.

I carefully looked over the note again.

The kind of message that would stir the heart of a noble lady.

The handwriting looked hurried and desperate.

And the familiar habit visible in the scrawled letters was…

“…He’s definitely crazy.”

Right. He was definitely crazy.

Not Sir Daen, but Lloyd Aloys.

Sending such a ridiculous note to me, who was leaving on a honeymoon.

And reaching out to both me and Leofric, whom he was supposed to guard.

He never showed even a little consideration for me.

Even though he knew Leofric would be by my side on this honeymoon, he still acted with such disrespect.

He didn’t care that I would be anxious when I found out the knight closest to me was bribed.

Thinking of Lloyd, who only acts for his own gain, made me shudder.

Worried someone might see, I quickly threw the note into the fireplace.

The note caught fire with a crackle and quickly burned without a trace.

I decided I had to warn Leofric to be careful of Sir Daen.