He led her into the garden maze, divided by tall hedges.
Sieghardt cast a cold glance around the area.
“My mother liked this place.”
The greenery shone beautifully, yet he frowned bitterly.
“Whenever I tried to speak to her, she would leave this place. My mother hated me. She died from illness, but she said I was cursed and that she didn’t even want to see my face. She refused to meet me. …My parents had a marriage without love. My father loved your mother. Even after she ran away, he loved her all along.”
He stopped walking and turned to face her.
“You probably wouldn’t understand. You were born to parents who loved each other and grew up happily. I was born from a loveless marriage—an obligation of royalty. My father’s heart has always belonged to your mother, even now. As soon as my mother died, my father suggested you as a candidate for my fiancée. The daughter of the woman he once loved. My parents had a terrible relationship. My mother avoided not only me, but my father as well. …It’s no wonder she ended up like that.”
He laughed quietly in a mocking tone, but somehow he looked as though he might start crying.
Without thinking, Leah reached out her hand toward him.
“Lord Sieghardt—”
He brushed her hand away.
Leah flinched and her back trembled.
“Women aren’t worth trusting. I will never love anyone. In truth, I never wanted to marry anyone at all. That’s why I never chose anyone until now.”
Leah felt a sharp pain in her chest.
He carried a deep wound in his heart.
Perhaps it was her role, as his fiancée, to ease that pain.
She couldn’t just leave him like this.
“Then… would it be better if I weren’t a woman?”
“What did you say?”
Leah straightened her posture and declared firmly.
“You just said that women are not worth trusting. Then from now on, I will dress as a man!”
She meant it seriously, but Sieghardt looked exasperated.
“Even if you dress as a man, a woman is still a woman. And besides, it’s not just women—I don’t trust people at all.”
Leah clenched her hands tightly.
“In the future, we will be married. I want Lord Sieghardt to trust me.”
“I just told you that I trust no one. You weren’t listening properly, were you?”
Sieghardt sighed and brushed back his long golden hair irritably.
“I will do my best so that Lord Sieghardt can trust me.”
Sieghardt stared intently at Leah as she declared her determination. After a moment of silence, he spoke.
“Among all the people who can’t be trusted, you are especially unusual.”
“…Eh?”
Leah shuddered.
Had he just decided she was the most untrustworthy of all…?
Seeing Leah turn pale, he curled his lips into a smile and began walking again.
◇◇◇◇◇
After that, Leah met Sieghardt several more times.
However, they no longer simply drank tea in silence before he left.
Instead, he began observing Leah as though she were some rare creature.
“You seem to like sweets.”
“Eh… how did you know?”
When she asked in surprise, he replied as if it were obvious.
“How could I not know? You always eat sweet cakes so happily, and your cheeks have become slightly fuller. You must like sweets and eat them often at home as well, don’t you?”
Leah quickly touched her cheeks.
(What should I do… have I gained weight…!?)
Now that she thought about it, her dresses had been feeling tighter lately…
“What’s wrong?”
“I… it seems I’ve gained weight.”
If he thought she lacked self-control, he might trust her even less. Leah silently vowed not to eat too many sweets from now on.
“You’re not going to eat anymore?”
“Yes. I’ll stop for today.”
She put down her fork. But as she reluctantly glanced at the cake, he moved from the seat across from her to the one beside her.
Taking Leah’s fork, he cut the cake into a bite-sized piece and brought it toward her lips.
“…Lord Sieghardt?”
Confused, Leah blinked, and he looked at her from beside her.
“If you want to eat it, then eat.”
“…But…”
“Don’t you want it?”
Since Leah loved sweets, she answered honestly.
“…I do want to eat it… But I’ll gain weight.”
“Why is gaining weight a problem?”
“I am the Crown Prince’s fiancée. Considering my position, I shouldn’t gain weight.”
“If that’s the reason, it doesn’t matter. There’s no need to worry. You’re already too thin. You should gain more weight. If it becomes a health issue, then we’ll stop.”
“Is that really alright?”
“Yeah. Here.”
Leah took the cake he brought to her lips.
The soft sponge soaked with brandy, the rich chocolate, and the fresh fruit filling.
(It’s delicious…!)
The imperial palace must have extremely skilled chefs.
It was unbelievably delicious.
At first she had been too nervous to swallow anything, but lately she had begun to look forward to the sweets she ate here.
She chewed the cake he fed her with the fork, her lips curling into a smile.
“There’s cream on your cheek.”
Sieghardt set down the fork and leaned his face closer to Leah’s.
