Chapter 32
I Think I Actually Like It
“What on earth was that just now…!”
“Do you like sweets?”
Cardin asked as if nothing had happened.
Anette stared at him, dumbfounded, her lips parting in disbelief. The urge to shout What in the world did you just do?! shot up her throat—but she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
It was far too embarrassing.
Instead, Anette clenched her fists tightly and sealed her lips shut. She turned her head sharply as if nothing had happened and began walking back toward her chambers.
Behind her, Cardin let out a subtle sigh, tilting his head slightly, as if forgetting he was still wearing his mask and trying to hide his expression.
He had just barely calmed his racing heart when Anette looked up at him with those wide, unblinking eyes—and without thinking, he had reached out and pinched her soft, round cheek.
The moment her delicate skin pressed against his fingers, he snapped back to his senses.
He’d been worried she might get upset, but to his relief, she let it go in the face of his brazen response.
Staring at her tiny hand balled into a fist, he suddenly felt another wave of mischief rise inside him. Still, he barely held it back and asked again,
“You really don’t like sweets?”
He matched her brisk pace, patiently waiting for her response. At last, her pouting lips parted.
“I don’t particularly like them or dislike them.”
It felt like she’d added a little “hmph!” at the end. Cardin chuckled under his breath.
Her words weren’t exactly convincing—especially since she was chewing on candy while the pouch of treats hung from her wrist.
Besides, he’d heard otherwise before.
Is she pretending not to like them because she thinks it makes her look childish?
The thought alone was adorable, and Cardin stifled a laugh.
As she continued to walk with her head turned away, Anette shot him a sideways glare of annoyance.
“What upsets me, Princess, is that you don’t seem to care for your body at all.”
“If you truly feel sorry for me, please start treating yourself with care.”
The words he’d spoken the night before had kept her awake. Now they felt almost silly in hindsight.
Even now, Anette still didn’t understand the real reason Cardin had been so upset.
From her perspective—leading beast subjugations and fighting on the front lines—what had happened yesterday was nothing more than a minor injury.
She had endured far worse. There were times she’d been in unbearable pain but had held back tears.
Enduring pain was something she was used to. But treating her own body with care… that was something she didn’t fully understand.
Truthfully, she didn’t even know what it meant to treat something as “precious.”
Realizing this made her feel heavy inside.
But despite those thoughts, her heart began to race.
It had pounded relentlessly all night, and it was then that Anette understood—what she truly wanted to know wasn’t how to take care of herself.
She wanted to understand Cardin’s sincerity.
During the day, it was easy to nod along, as if under a spell. But at night, the doubts crept in.
What if it was all a lie?
What if he saw her as nothing more than an amusing plaything?
But what if, just a little bit, he truly cared for her? Then what…?
At first, she’d wanted to know his heart. But now, part of her didn’t want to know at all. Her mind was a battlefield of conflicting thoughts.
Even after all that restless tossing and turning, here Cardin was—treating her like a child without a care in the world. It made all her sleepless worries feel foolish.
She unconsciously puffed her cheeks and pouted in protest when—
“I see,” Cardin said with a slight nod. “When you visited Her Majesty’s palace, I heard you rather enjoyed the refreshments. I went ahead and ordered the same desserts from that shop. Perhaps that was unnecessary?”
Anette’s eyes widened.
The memory of that day, when she had tea with the Empress Dowager and discovered her own hidden sweet tooth, came flooding back.
The delightful textures, the brain-melting sweetness, the sheer joy she felt—how could she forget?
Yesterday’s tea time had been ruined by a sudden incident during their garden stroll, and she’d been secretly disappointed.
But now… the chance to experience those flavors again!
Her heart pounded wildly.
Without realizing it, Anette placed both hands over her chest and looked up at Cardin with sparkling eyes.
Wait. What did I say earlier? That I didn’t particularly like sweets?
“I-I… I think I actually like them,” she stammered.
It hadn’t even been a minute since she said otherwise, and now she was reversing her statement. Her face turned bright red with embarrassment, but there was no way she was giving up the chance to taste those desserts again.
She’d expected Cardin to tease her, to wear that sly little smile again.
But instead, he simply nodded gently, his eyes curving with warmth.
Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to tease her this time. She looked so delighted, so lovely—it felt like he could pluck the moon and stars from the sky for her.
“I’m glad,” he said. “I’ve also sent some to His Majesty and His Highness, in place of the Empress who dislikes sweets. And of course, I sent some to my mother. So you don’t need to share yours—please enjoy them all. Just let me know which ones you liked best, and I’ll remember.”
His words, sweet and gentle like a shopkeeper’s kind offer, made Anette feel overjoyed.
If he asked for her heart at that moment, she would’ve handed it over without hesitation. She nodded in a daze.
Cardin, watching her dreamy expression, smiled with his eyes.
But just as Anette was about to smile back, she stopped.
He had prepared these treats for everyone—His Majesty, His Highness, the Empress Dowager… yet what about the Duke himself?
She wanted to suggest they share them together after dinner.
But she held back.
She had already been told that Cardin would not be attending the evening banquet with the royal family.
When she’d asked why, Serena had answered with a troubled expression.
“His Grace usually dines alone in his chambers… to eat, he would have to remove his mask…”
She hadn’t needed to say more.
Anette glanced up at the mask that concealed all of Cardin’s face but his eyes and felt a pang of frustration… and sadness.
And Cardin, ever perceptive, noticed the subtle shift in her mood and tilted his head.
“Princess?”
Anette, trying to hide her sudden change in emotion, fiddled with the pouch on her wrist.
“You still can’t have any,” she muttered.
Cardin blinked, confused at first, then burst into laughter.
Does she think I want to steal her snacks?
It was absurd, but so very her—unexpected, illogical, and charming. Cardin let out a mock sigh and whined dramatically.
“That’s harsh. I practically bought out the whole shop, and I don’t get even one?”
“Nope. Not even one.”
Though she ignored his playful pleading for a single piece of candy, Anette couldn’t help thinking—he didn’t seem to hate sweets, at least.
Maybe… even if we can’t eat together, I could send some to his room?
That thought led to another, and she blinked in surprise.
Wait. Even after we’re married… will we still eat separately?
The issue wasn’t just about sharing a dinner or a few sweets.
Eating alone… that’s no fun.
She thought of the meals she’d eaten alone in the annex or at the military camps.
Of course, the difference in food quality was real, but there was something else—something hollow about eating by herself.
Since coming to the Empire, she had shared meals with the Emperor and Empress or with Serena. Though the etiquette made her nervous, she’d come to cherish those moments.
Now that she knew the joy of sharing food and conversation, the idea of returning to solitary meals felt… unbearably empty.
As she worried about her own future dining table at the ducal residence, her gaze turned once more to Cardin.
Others might scoff and say, Who’s pitying who here? But she couldn’t help it.
Cardin, who had always lived among his family, eating in solitude now… she couldn’t imagine how lonely that must feel.
And when she suddenly drooped her shoulders and pursed her lips, Cardin immediately noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
He had no idea she was looking at him with a gaze full of concern.
Worried that something he said had upset her, Cardin quickly backpedaled.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You don’t have to give me any candy. I was just teasing.”
“…Teasing?”
“Yes. To tell you the truth, I’m not really fond of sweets either—just like Her Majesty.”
At his sheepish confession, Anette’s eyes fluttered faintly.
Another trick.
She should’ve been annoyed, but strangely, she wasn’t.
Because the eyes twinkling behind that mask were curved in silent apology.
She exhaled softly.
She’d seen people torn apart by beasts, flesh ripped and blood gushing—a world filled with gruesome horrors.
Some of them never recovered, their minds and bodies poisoned by beast blood.
So no matter what lay beneath that mask, she was sure she wouldn’t flinch.
The thought rose unbidden.
And with it, so did the words from her lips.
“Your Grace… there’s something I want to do.”
