MFTR 61

Chapter 61 

Anette momentarily lost her words. As always, she turned her head sharply away and quickened her steps, pretending not to hear.

As a result, Cardin, who had been holding her hand, was pulled along like a paper doll fluttering in the wind.

Naturally, those who saw the scene all assumed the once-cold and indifferent master was just being playfully excessive.

They had completely forgotten how, on the first day, Anette had bent a fork with one hand in the dining room.

“Principled. Cold-blooded. Sharp-tongued…”

Anette stared blankly at Cardin, who, as soon as the food was served, casually took her bowl and began blowing on the steaming pumpkin soup.

She thought it was a bit much, but then again, she had burned the roof of her mouth a few days ago when she tried to eat in a hurry—before he could feed her.

“Princess, I made sure to cool it down, so it’s not hot.”

Thankfully, the trauma from that incident seemed to have taught him something; Cardin no longer insisted on feeding her himself.

He gently placed the cooled bowl in front of her and smiled softly, then began slicing the pancakes topped with sweet maple syrup into perfect bite-sized pieces.

After slurping down a spoonful of warm soup and popping a piece of pancake into her mouth with a fork, Anette began chewing. Cardin watched her and smiled again.

“You like it? I’m so glad to see you eating well.”

A man who fussed over her like this during every meal—how could this be the same “sharp-tongued” person Larisa had described?

She couldn’t help but question it, especially knowing how famous Cardin’s stories were in the Alcan Empire.

‘Isn’t this almost a completely different person…?’

Of course, Cardin wasn’t the type to be cruel or disrespectful without cause. In every story, it was always someone else who provoked him first.

Still, that didn’t mean he had a “good” personality either…

Cardin never forgave those who acted arrogantly toward him, flattered him insincerely, or—most especially—those who pretended to know his heart.

In those tales, his beautiful lips delivered not just sharp remarks but piercing words that cut deeper than any blade.

‘I thought he only said sweet things…’

While idly staring at his lips, Anette suddenly saw his red tongue flick across them. Startled, she clattered her fork onto the plate.

“Hm? Are you done already?”

Cardin, who had just begun eating, looked at her curiously.

“Ah… um…”

Anette’s face flushed bright red. Her lips parted, but no words came out—her heart was pounding too fast.

“You can’t be done already. You promised the Empress, remember? That you’d gain a bit more weight before she sees you again.”

While Cardin nagged in a tone of concern, Anette finally managed to calm her trembling heart.

She had faced demonic beasts in the wild and leapt out of bed at a moment’s notice during battle—but never had she been caught so off-guard like this.

‘In some ways, he’s more dangerous than the beasts.’

With wary eyes, she looked at Cardin and firmly resolved: I must never lower my guard again.

“I’ve had enough. It’s breakfast, after all. And besides, I’ve already gained quite a bit of weight.”

She had once explained to him that she wasn’t a growing child and that eating balanced meals now wouldn’t suddenly make her taller.

But lately, every time she looked in the mirror, she could see her cheeks noticeably filling out.

She was sure the weight would remain even after she returned to her adult form.

“Well, I don’t see it. Not at all.”

Cardin stared at her thin arms and wrists—so delicate they looked like they might snap—and looked genuinely troubled.

“This won’t do. I’ll have to tell the head chef to—”

“Your Highness.”

Anette interrupted him mid-sentence, shaking her head slowly but resolutely.

Even Cardin’s almost pleading eyes couldn’t break her will.

Eventually, he sighed in defeat and sulkily began eating again—quite a contrast from the gentle energy he’d shown while serving her.

Only then did Anette let out a tiny breath of relief.

She was already overeating every day with all the delicious meals—any more and her stomach might actually burst.

Now that she thought about it, not long ago she had been trying to find a chance to invite Cardin to dine with her, worried about eating alone.

In hindsight, there had been no need for that at all.

Ever since the evening she removed her mask and showed her real face, Cardin had been waiting for her at the dining room each day.

And aside from a few mornings when she overslept after reading all night, they had never missed a single meal together since.

Maybe that’s why it felt like they had grown closer far too quickly.

…To the point it was a little overwhelming.

“I realized something after watching how His Highness acts only around you, my lady. He’s never let anyone close to him—only you.”

Larisa’s words came to mind—the ones she had said after recounting all the infamous stories about Cardin.

Anette flushed a little at the memory. But in truth, she still couldn’t clearly grasp Cardin’s feelings.

Was it really as Larisa said? That he harbored romantic feelings for her?

His words and actions were clearly more than simple kindness—but the root of it was a mystery. It confused her.

‘In the end, only the person themselves knows their true feelings.’

That bitter thought made her pause.

‘…Then what about me?’

Her own feelings were also known only to herself. So, what did she really feel for him…?

“…!”

In that moment, it felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head—her eyes flew wide open.

“Ha…”

As realization dawned, a short laugh escaped her lips.

Cardin, still chewing on a piece of salad with a gloomy expression, immediately looked up at her, concerned.

That expression—his earnest reaction to even the smallest sigh, his attentiveness to every tiny change in her face—made her laugh for real this time.

How could anyone not be swayed by a man like this?

Especially when that man was her fiancé, who earnestly hoped she would fulfill their duties as husband and wife.

“Princess…?”

Cardin had seen Anette smile many times before, but never with such warmth—never just for him.

He stared in stunned silence.

Anette, seeing his dumbfounded expression, smiled even brighter.

Her beloved fiancé, who tried so hard to tone down his pride and coldness just for her—how could she not love him?

‘Honestly, I feel like crying a little.’

At the very moment she gave a name to the mysterious emotion that had been tickling at her chest—

All the warmth, confusion, gratitude, anxiety, joy, and fear she had bottled up came crashing in like a wave.

She had never experienced such overwhelming emotion before, and her eyes stung.

But she held back the tears.

Because she wanted to show only her most beautiful smile to the person who had finally come into her life—a person she already found unbearably precious.

“Are you… heading to the library right now?”

After the meal, as they left the dining room, Cardin asked her.

Unusually, he couldn’t meet her eyes and kept his gaze on the floor.

Just moments ago, seeing her smile so radiantly at him had made his heart plummet like a stone.

He couldn’t bring himself to tease her like usual—couldn’t say, “You’re so pretty when you smile like that, it hurts my heart.”

Even the smile he had practiced over and over for her wouldn’t come. His lips felt stiff.

Because in her gaze, he had seen something he’d never seen before.

And even before he could fully identify it—he knew.

This woman who had appeared out of nowhere and stolen his entire heart…

He had long since poured all of himself into her. And now, maybe—just maybe—she was feeling the same way.

‘Or at least, that’s what I thought I felt…’

Was it just his imagination?

…Yes, maybe it was.

His downcast eyes drooped even lower.

He had wished for this for so long, hoped that one day she might feel even a fraction of what he felt for her…

But now that it might be coming true, he felt paralyzed with fear.

He, who had always lived confidently, was suddenly insecure and afraid.

‘No, that’s not quite right either.’

He’d stopped thinking straight a long time ago—at least when it came to Anette.

Just imagining the possibility—“What if?”, “Could it be?”—made the thirst that once felt unquenchable vanish completely.

And yet, he was terrified.

What if he looked into her eyes again and didn’t see what he thought he saw?

What if it had all been a mistake, just a fantasy he’d created from desperate hope?

That was too terrifying to face.

Just then, an innocent voice interrupted his spiral.

“No. I’m going to the library after lunch. Right now, I have a lesson with Madame Hilda.”