“Our relationship can’t be defined by something as simple as friendship. Evelyn and I are… much more than that…”
“Much more?”
Caesar’s mouth snapped shut. As he thought about it, he realized he didn’t know how to define his relationship with Evelyn. They were destined to marry in the near future, but he hadn’t yet received her consent, nor had he confessed his feelings to her.
In fact, Caesar had originally planned to confess his feelings once he became emperor, as a man who had achieved something significant.
But when the time came, he doubted whether he had truly accomplished anything.
“It’s all because of Evelyn. She’s the one who made it happen.”
So Caesar decided to delay his confession. He resolved to wait until he had the strength to protect Evelyn and had achieved something meaningful on his own. Only then could he confess with confidence.
Katana, who had been watching Caesar lost in thought, suddenly asked, “Caesar, do you like Evelyn?”
“What?”
“Well, if you’re closer than friends but not family, there’s really only one other option, isn’t there?”
“That’s…”
The childish yet straightforward question made Caesar’s face flush a deep red. Katana, noticing his reaction, grinned mischievously.
“Oh, I get it. Evelyn doesn’t know, does she?”
Caesar opened his mouth, then closed it again, unable to say anything. He wasn’t embarrassed by his feelings for Evelyn, but it was the first time someone else had discovered them—and of all people, it had to be Katana.
“You’re keeping it to yourself, aren’t you? Am I right?”
Katana laughed triumphantly, like she had just uncovered a juicy secret.
As she teased him further, joking that his face was so red it could replace a lantern, Caesar abruptly left the cabin, unable to handle the situation.
That had been only a few days ago. He hadn’t thought she’d forgotten, but he certainly hadn’t expected her to bring it up again—especially in front of Evelyn.
Now, Caesar glared at Katana, who was humming a tune while staring at him. The impromptu song included lyrics like, “Caesar still has two years to go, oh yes, two whole years.”
“Katana, don’t forget you still have six years before you’re considered an adult,” Evelyn scolded, thinking Katana’s teasing was solely about Caesar’s age.
“I don’t care about society or debutantes, but Caesar’s different,” Katana replied with a smug grin.
“Well, that’s because His Majesty has responsibilities and—”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Katana’s grin grew wider, and then she suddenly asked, “Evelyn, is it true that you’ll dance at your debutante ball?”
“Huh? Well, yes, of course.”
Evelyn’s expression showed she didn’t understand where this was going, but Caesar’s face stiffened even more.
“I heard that the first dance is a big deal. You can only dance it with an adult man who’s already debuted in society, right?”
Caesar clenched his jaw to keep his expression neutral.
“For someone who claims not to care about society, you sure know a lot, Katana.”
“I’ve been studying etiquette carefully!” Katana replied smugly. “But Evelyn, did you know this? They say the person you have your first dance with often ends up being the one you marry.”
“What?”
This time, Caesar couldn’t hold back his reaction. His voice cracked from the shock, and Evelyn turned to him, startled.
“Come on, that’s just a silly rumor. That doesn’t actually happen,” Evelyn said with a baffled expression.
“No, really! I looked into it, and it’s true! It happens a lot,” Katana said, shrugging. If Katana had used her magic to gather this information, then it was likely accurate.
“Huh, is that so?” Evelyn replied casually, but Caesar’s face grew paler and paler.
He already knew Evelyn was two years older than him and that she would debut before he could. He had accepted that this year, her eighteenth birthday, was the year it would happen.
He had resigned himself to the fact that he couldn’t change the two-year age gap.
But marriage?
It was only then that Caesar realized how naive he had been.
Even if the rumor about the first dance leading to marriage was baseless, Evelyn’s debut into high society would undoubtedly attract proposals.
Caesar tried to calm himself by picking up his teacup, but his hand shook so much that he had to set it down again.
Images of Evelyn with someone else flashed through his mind—holding hands with another man, walking into a wedding hall with him, having children, and living happily in Summerhill’s small estate.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?” Evelyn asked, her green eyes filled with concern as she looked at him. Her eyes, so much like Summerhill’s serene landscape, only deepened his sense of despair.
No matter how he thought about it, there was no man who would turn down a marriage proposal with Evelyn.
“She’s far too lovely for anyone to leave alone.”
Caesar clenched his fist under the table where no one could see.
He made up his mind.
Whatever it took, he would stop Evelyn’s debutante ball.
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