•?••? ? ?••?•

“What did you say?”

“His Highness has invited you to have a meal with him. Don’t make me say it twice.”

Iva, who was discussing the interior layout of the west hall with Fel, frowned at Chase’s words.

“Ah! A meal with all the preparation team members together?”

“No, just you.”

“Just me? Alone with His Highness?”

“Yes.”

Iva’s expression darkened considerably.

It had been one week since she started working at the palace.

During that time, she had managed to avoid Ray and Claude quite well. 

She memorized the route from the west gate to the hall to avoid getting lost and reported to Claude through Fel or Chase whenever necessary.

She had diligently kept her distance, but now she received an order to come, and all her efforts felt futile. 

It felt like being mocked, knowing that she could never escape from his grasp.

“Are you going to join in as well?”

“I’m His Highness’s aide, not his dining mate.”

“You should eat too, as it’s a bonding experience.”

“I can’t. I have other schedules, so I need to eat outside the palace. His Highness is waiting, so you need to go quickly.”

“Now?!”

“Yes, right now, immediately.”

For a moment, Iva considered running away, but Chase, who was quick-witted, caught her by the neck.

Just like that, he pushed her toward the west palace where Claude was waiting.

Just wait and see, If I will ever do you a favor again; I’ll make sure to get back at you soon. 

Iva vented her frustration on Chase as she headed to the back garden of the west palace.

As soon as she entered the garden, she could see a long table for ten people with food laid out on top, even from afar.

However, there were only two chairs prepared. They were placed facing each other, allowing them to look at each other directly.

Who eats a meal like this with their boss from work?!

Her plan to sit far away was foiled.

Claude wasn’t alone either. Behind him, she saw another figure.

“Huh! Why is he here?”

Claude was wearing a beige suit that matched his fair skin, and standing next to him was Ray, dressed in black training clothes like a shadow.

“Chase, you little… you said Claude was alone.”

Why the two people I least want to see are together?

Stress overwhelmed her before she even sat down at the table.

“Did His Highness invite that interesting lady over today?”

“Yeah, this time she’s in charge of organizing the party.”

“Really? That’s why you’ve been paying more attention to the party lately.”

“I haven’t properly introduced myself yet, so I arranged this meal to do that.”

“I’m very curious about who she is.”

Claude, who always hid his emotions, smiled sincerely, and Ray also smiled faintly in response.

Who could that daring lady be, telling the crown prince to go to the countryside and become a young rural head?

Ray quietly imagined the bold and confident woman in his mind.

As he pictured this bold and daring woman alone, he suddenly remembered Iva’s face.

There had been more than a few times when he’d been distracted by thoughts of her.

The expression on Iva’s face as she waited with closed eyes in the infirmary, waiting for his touch, often appeared in his dreams.

But even in his dreams, he didn’t dare to be too forward, so he didn’t know how many times he had pinched his thigh in his dream.

“She’s here.”

Lost in thoughts of Iva, Ray refocused on the present when he heard Claude’s voice.

To greet her, he turned his head in the direction of Claude’s gaze.

And there stood Iva.

He blinked several times, wondering if he was still thinking about her.

But the more he blinked, the clearer Iva’s image became. It was really her.

“… was it Young Lady Iva?”

Ray asked Claude with a slightly stiff expression.

“Huh? Do you know the lady, Ray?”

“…I met her at the debutante ball.”

“Ah, I see. Yes, Lady of the Blanche family, Lady Iva was the one I mentioned as interesting.”

Ray had felt happy with Claude’s smile just a moment ago, but now his body tensed up.

Claude, unaware of that fact, simply approached Iva with a bright smile. Iva greeted him nervously.

“Yo-Your Highness the Prince.”

“Welcome. You must have been surprised by the sudden arrangement of this meal.”

“Yes, a bit… quite a bit.”

“I felt bad for assigning you tasks and not showing my face, so I prepared this gathering. Please, have a seat.”

As Iva tried to sit down, Claude approached and pulled the chair out for her.

It was a kind gesture, but she didn’t feel grateful at all, and her forced smile felt like her face was about to cramp.

After Iva took her seat, Claude sat down across from her.

Ray stood behind Claude instead of sitting with them. His facial expression was stiff and rigid due to the difficulty in controlling his emotions.

“It’s only now that we finally meet face-to-face in the palace.”

“Yes.”

Even with Claude’s friendly greeting, Iva felt uncomfortable. Claude reminded her of the execution, and having Ray standing behind him with a fierce expression only added to her discomfort. Even though they hadn’t started eating the luxurious feast laid out before them, she felt like she was going to choke.

“I prepared everything since I didn’t know what you’d like. So please enjoy.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Iva slowly picked up her utensils, but she only fumbled with them.

Not only was she conscious of Claude sitting in front of her, but Ray’s gaze, which felt like it could pierce through her, was also extremely uncomfortable.

Iva tried to ignore the stares of both men and focused her attention on the dishes in front of her.

“Oh, I heard that you and Ray are acquainted.”

“What?!”

Her head shot up from looking down when Claude asked the question.

Is he talking about our date? It’s already over, and I don’t want unnecessary rumors to spread.

Because she had heard the gossip at the masquerade party, Iva was more sensitive to Claude’s question and looked up to meet Ray’s gaze.

To her surprise, Ray, who had been looking at her intensely just a moment ago, quickly averted his gaze.

What? Did he really mention the date we had?

“I heard that the two of you met at the debutante ball.”

“Ah, the debutante ball?”

He doesn’t know about our date? Iva inwardly sighed in relief.

•?••? ? ?••?•