ICOF 03

Chapter 03

“….”

His expression was quite something to look at. The deep crease between his brows under that neat forehead almost made me want to smooth it out with my hand.

And just from the way his eyes were shaking, I could tell what he was thinking.

Probably something like, “Has she really gone crazy?”

As I sat down on the bench, Adrian spoke in a low voice.

“You must have been seriously injured.”

“Yes! …Yes?”

“I’ve heard that Your Highness has never properly spoken to any man other than me your entire life. What you just said is quite a drastic change, isn’t it?”

She never even talked properly with other men? Why?

Was Giselle really that timid?

Well… considering I just talked about free dating, no wonder he’s shocked.

“T-things like that can change. And now that I’m an adult, I should be different.”

I fiddled with the hem of my dress, thinking I should end this conversation quickly.

If I stayed any longer, he might ask, “Are you really Princess Giselle?”

Adrian glanced at me again, then turned his head forward and said bluntly,

“And you didn’t have a habit of pulling at your clothes like that before.”

Pulling at my clothes?

I looked down at my hand and saw I was unconsciously crumpling my skirt.

I could’ve at least left behind my old habits.

It seemed I still hadn’t gotten rid of the habit of clutching my skirt when nervous—like I used to do with a hanbok in my previous life.

Thinking about it, I was probably tense because I was afraid of being exposed as a fake Giselle.

I forced a calm smile and looked at Adrian.

This might be the last day I ever smile at him.

“You seem more interested in me than I thought?”

He shook his head, still frowning.

“That’s not it. Whenever you spoke to me before, you couldn’t even meet my eyes—you just looked at the ground.”

So a girl who couldn’t even make eye contact asked her sister to help her confess?

She must have really liked him.

No wonder this guy got so full of himself.

So he was a man who had a princess chasing after him?

“I see. Well then—alright! You’ve said everything you wanted, right? May I leave now? I haven’t had lunch yet…”

I quickly stood up from the bench and dusted off my skirt.

Back in my old world, this gesture meant shaking off bad energy after a ritual.

And honestly, it wasn’t much different now.

If I was going to live in this body, then a man who didn’t like me was bad energy—and something I needed to shake off quickly.

Adrian’s expression twisted slightly.

But I didn’t care. If it was never going to work anyway, it was better to cut it off quickly like this.

I bent my knees and gave him a polite bow.

“Then, Sir Adrian, take care. And please speak well to my father. I will also ask him to cancel our marriage.”

I turned and took a few steps away, then suddenly stopped.

Something flashed through my mind.

I turned back toward him, still frowning, and gave him a warning.

“On the national holiday when you return, don’t drink alcohol. There will be a big fight.”

I didn’t even know why I said that as I lightly walked up the stairs.

***

Another unexpected ball was being held. I had no idea what sudden whim my father had.

There was a fixed number of balls each year, but this was already the third one this month.

Was he planning to skip the year-end event? I liked the Christmas ball much more.

Of course, as a royal who spent time enjoying luxuries, I couldn’t really complain—but having lived in a place where people valued hard work, I couldn’t help but find balls a bit pointless.

All day, people ate, drank, spun around dancing, then gathered to gossip, argue, cry, and get jealous…

And before you knew it, morning came.

Sitting alone at a corner table, bored out of my mind, I let out a yawn.

This place was unbearably dull.

No smartphone, no movies or music to download, and the maids avoided talking too much to me in case they made a mistake—so even conversation was lacking.

It was an incredibly boring life.

And I had to admit—I was a lonely princess.

Even though I hid my face with a fan, I could clearly see the noble ladies whispering about me.

Things like my broken engagement with Adrian, or how I seemed mentally unstable…

‘I’m so bored… should I just date someone?’

I stopped mid-yawn and looked around at the men attending the ball.

As expected of the royal palace, which attracted only the most prominent nobles in the capital, there were quite a few good-looking men.

A few of them could easily debut as idols in my previous world.

I sipped my tea, swinging my legs slightly.

I wanted to drink alcohol, but I probably shouldn’t for now. Lately, I’d been zoning out more often.

My mother used to do the same—she would sometimes go blank and say strange things.

One day, I had asked her,

“Mom, the other shamans say something possesses you sometimes—what does that mean?”

She had answered with a slightly sad expression,

“You know how my shoulders shake and my head tilts sometimes? That’s because a divine spirit comes into my body.”

That “possession” she spoke of… I was starting to feel something similar here.

More precisely, it was when a god or spirit descended upon a shaman—but here, even if I didn’t feel divine energy, I would hear voices or see visions. It felt almost like gaining a supernatural ability.

Coincidentally, just as I had said earlier, Sir Pedro and Lady Esther had just met for the first time.

The two stared at each other as if sparks had flown between them.

And afterward, at Pedro’s request, they were already dancing their third consecutive dance.

‘You can never hide that look of falling in love.’

Esther’s flushed cheeks and Pedro’s reddened ears made it obvious.

See? I told you. You two are getting married within the year.

“Hehe…”

As I chuckled to myself while holding my teacup, a long shadow fell over me.

“What is making you so happy?”

A man stood there—wearing a white military uniform adorned with ornate decorations, a red cape draped over his shoulders, and platinum-blond hair flowing softly.

Exactly my type.

“Oh, just… it’s nice seeing a couple form.”

The man nodded as he looked toward the two in the center of the hall.

“Ah, you mean Sir Pedro. I heard you predicted that the two of them would marry.”

“Wow, news travels fast. There’s not even social media here.”

“Social… media?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Anyway, who are you?”

The man looked slightly embarrassed, then placed a hand on his chest and bowed.

“My apologies. I thought Your Highness would remember me… My name is Christoph, the eldest son of the Baldur family.”

“Ah, I see. It’s fine. As you may have heard, I’ve been having some memory issues. No need to apologize. But I heard that I didn’t have much social interaction with men… so how do you know me?”

For a moment, it seemed like a faint smile passed over Christoph’s face—maybe I imagined it.

“When we were young, Your Highness often visited our estate for outings. Back then, we were quite close. But I went abroad to study and couldn’t see you for several years.”

“Oh—so I had male friends besides that one guy!”

“…Pardon?”

I waved my hand.

“Oh, nothing. So? Are you back for good now?”

“Yes. As the eldest son, I intend to inherit my father’s title and faithfully serve His Majesty.”

“That’s good. By the way, what was I like as a child? Was I nice?”

Christoph nodded, then looked at me with a somewhat bitter expression.

“Of course. You were bright and kind… until Her Majesty the Queen passed away.”

“Hmm… so I became twisted after losing my mother.”

“…Pardon?”

Sigh… losing her mother in her early teens, having a strange sister, and a distant brother busy with duties—it makes sense.

I nodded and let out a small sigh.

“The strange thing is… I can’t see my past at all, and it’s frustrating. So could you tell me stories about my childhood from time to time?”

“Do you mean… you’d like us to be friends again, like before?”

“That sounds good. Friends!”

I extended my hand for a handshake, but instead, he lightly kissed the back of my gloved hand.

***

Canceling a royal marriage was never something easy.

But since Princess Giselle herself asked the king to call it off, the process became much smoother than expected.

At first, the king frowned and asked what exactly was so displeasing about his daughter, firmly telling Adrian to reconsider.

But a few days later, a letter of annulment arrived—along with a message saying that, at the princess’s request, he had decided to withdraw.

So he thought he would feel nothing but relief upon gaining his freedom.

And indeed, it felt refreshing—like removing a long-aching tooth.

But at the same time, there was an odd sense of discomfort, as if something still lingered.

Hugo stood beside Adrian and studied his expression.

“What’s with that face? I thought you’d be overjoyed.”

“……”

But Adrian couldn’t answer easily.

Even he couldn’t clearly explain how he felt.

Moreover, ever since earlier, his eyes kept drifting toward a man and woman sitting together at a table inside the hall, laughing.

A girl who used to be shy and introverted had, in just a few months, become lively—and was now chatting comfortably with a man she had just met.

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

‘Is she really going to do that “free dating” thing she mentioned?’

Hugo followed Adrian’s gaze and squinted at the man at the end of it.

Then he glanced back at Adrian.

“That’s Sir Christoph. They say he’s known the princess since childhood. If he becomes the prince consort, the land His Majesty intended to grant you will go to him instead.”

Without saying a word, Adrian slowly swirled the wine in his glass—then drank it in one go.