Translator: Nox

Chapter 1

Chapter 1. A Secret Dream

There was a man walking quickly down a magnificent and beautiful corridor.

His neatly combed-back blond hair and smooth forehead were framed by thick, orderly eyebrows.

The apex of his exquisitely symmetrical face, centered around a straight, high nose, was his reddish-green eyes.

Eyes that held a mixture of the dignity and arrogance of one born to rule.

However, unlike his relaxed expression, his footsteps as he walked down the corridor were filled with a sense of urgency.

Turning a corner, he ascended the stairs, crossed the landing, and traversed another corridor until a white, beautiful door appeared.

The emotionless face, like a sculpture, finally cracked.

As he opened the door with a click, an illusion of being showered in pure white light arose.

A gentle breeze seemed to rush in, and the stopped season seemed to flow again as the door opened.

The man's gaze settled on one spot.

Her curly, jet-black hair stood out strikingly in the all-white room. A round forehead bathed in light, eyebrows as dark as her hair, and beneath them, jet-black eyes, and the round curve of her ear where her hair was tucked.

Sensing his presence, she slowly raised her head.

As their eyes met, her large eyes widened slightly, and her red lips parted, revealing pearl-white teeth.

The man momentarily stopped breathing.

"Noah!"

At the bright voice filled with joy, the man, who had been standing motionless, moved towards her. He felt an impatience as if her clear face would disappear at any moment.

Noah hurriedly leaned over her, who was sitting on the sofa. He carefully supported her slender neck with one hand and bit into her red lips, like a riot of roses.

The scent brushing his nose and the soft sensation wetting the edge of his lips made his stomach churn and tingle as if it were melting.

"Haa..."

A faint, gasping breath ignited a burning thirst. All his senses seemed to be driving him mad.

Noah tilted his head further, buried his face in her neck, and then, with his teeth, pulled down the dress strap that was barely clinging to her white, slender shoulder. As he did, dazzling white skin, contrasting with her black hair, was revealed.

"Noah..."

Her feverish voice pierced his ear, and now it felt as if even his mind was melting away.

Noah breathed roughly and carefully swallowed her gently curved shoulder. A shrill sound tickled his ear, and a soft, mellow sensation lingered on his tongue.

He felt as if the world could end right then and there, and it would be alright.

Feeling the touch of her fingers gently stroking his hair, Noah raised his head. A clear and elegant face was looking at him.

Looking into his own face reflected in her jet-black eyes, Noah whispered.

"Olivia."

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Noah's eyes snapped open.

A rough breath, uncharacteristic of someone who had been sleeping, escaped his smooth lips.

He tried to calmly gather his hazy mind, but, cruelly, the familiar ceiling came into view.

Noah unknowingly stopped breathing and closed his eyes again.

"Crazy bastard...!"

He finally spat out a curse through gritted teeth and rubbed his face roughly several times. Still not relieved, he even hit the innocent pillow against the back of his head several times.

Only his rough breathing filled the quiet bedroom.

Noah gasped for breath, then threw back the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed. He then rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands.

Against his will, an unheard hallucination echoed.

'Noah...'

At his name spoken in that clear voice, Noah ended up bursting into a hollow laugh.

"I'm crazy. Am I building up desires? What the..."

He leaned his broad back and struggled to calm his emotions, which were not easily subsiding.

Her calm, clear voice had never wavered, and it had never dared to utter his name. No, it couldn't have.

The word that voice had uttered was not 'Noah' but...

'Your Highness.'

He had never seen those black eyes, clouded and turbid with passion, nor had her slender arms ever wrapped around his neck.

It was all just a fantasy created by Noah Astrid.

"What a shitty way to start the morning."

Noah bitterly mocked himself and then looked at the silver flashlight on the bedside table. He had been using it well for a while, but it had finally broken down yesterday.

Olivia.

He thought he would forget the name in a month, but it wouldn't leave his mind.

And what's more?

It's not like he's going through puberty, so how could he be having dreams like that?

Noah clicked his tongue in annoyance and casually unfolded the newspaper on the bedside table to change his thoughts.

Noah's gaze lingered on one spot as he skimmed through the newspaper, which began with an article about the fallen Polia royal family.

[Olivia Liberty Appointed as First Female Professor.]

That name again.

Noah's scowling gaze slid down to the black and white photo below the headline.

A neat woman in a shirt and flared skirt was smiling brightly at the camera.

Just like in the newspaper where he first saw her about two years ago.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

About 2 years ago.

Herrington, the capital of the Herot Kingdom. A mansion located in Upper River, famous for its expensive land prices.

Noah, who had finally returned home around midnight after attending the last event yesterday, woke up early in the morning.

"Haa... damn it."

He was tired, but more than that, he felt terrible from the morning.

How could he feel good when the result of yesterday's event hell was about to be thrust in his face?

Noah turned his gaze to the bedside table.

Right there.

Today's morning newspaper.

Noah quickly reached out and grabbed the newspaper, checking from the front page.

He had never wanted his face to grace the front page as much as he did today, but life was never that easy.

The moment he saw his uncle's face plastered on the front page, Noah squeezed his eyes shut and spat out a string of rough curses.

"Ha, damn it. This is bullshit!"

Noah jumped up from his seat and threw the newspaper with his hateful uncle's face on it with a touch full of irritation.

With this, all the efforts he had made yesterday had gone down the drain.

He had attended as many as seven events to try to cover it up, but he couldn't prevent his uncle's face from taking the glory of the front page.

"Why do I have to clean up the mess my uncle made?!"

His King would be furious again today and summon him.

Just thinking about it made him angry, so Noah got up, grabbed a cigarette, and went out to the balcony. Just as he was about to light the cigarette, Betty, the head maid of the mansion, pushed a tray into the room.

Noah leaned his back against the balcony railing, looked up at the sky, and said.

"Thank you. Just leave it there."

The prince seemed to be in a very bad mood.

Betty quickly set the food on the table and glanced at the prince.

His smooth facial lines, as if meticulously carved by a craftsman, and the harmoniously placed features were so handsome that they evoked admiration even at a fleeting glance.

Although he was tall and had a sturdy build, he exuded a delicate and graceful atmosphere, perhaps because of his refined face or his elegant movements ingrained with etiquette.

Noah was generally polite and kept his distance from his subordinates, so it was not uncomfortable to serve him.

However, Prince Noah never had emotional exchanges with the servants, and if a servant dared to cross that line, they were mercilessly fired.

Betty poured freshly brewed black tea into a teacup and quickly turned around.

After confirming that she had left, Noah picked up the newspaper he had thrown on the bed and sat down in front of the steaming food.

Noah, sipping hot black tea in the middle of summer, glared at his uncle's picture with cold eyes and flipped through a few pages of the newspaper.

He had participated in as many as seven events, but there was disappointingly little mention of him.

"All that hard work was for nothing."

Just as Noah was about to slam the newspaper shut with a cynical mutter, he noticed something and paused for a moment.

[Olivia Liberty Selected as Herrington University's Valedictorian. Even Received an Invitation from First Lady Fulder.]

Noah's gaze slid down from the headline.

In the small photo, about the size of a palm, a woman in a neat shirt and flared skirt was standing side by side with his aunt, Professor Marguerite, smiling.

Her face, smiling shyly, was quite pretty.

"Herrington University's valedictorian... Olivia Liberty."

As Noah rolled Olivia's name around in his mouth, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps. Noah's smoothly spread brow furrowed again.

The door opened with a nervously fast knock, and his secretary, Meson, burst in.

Noah put the newspaper down on the table and got up from his seat before he could even open his mouth.

"Ten minutes."

Meson closed the door as if it wasn't worth opening his mouth, and Noah pulled the bell cord.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

After all, the completion of fashion is the face and the body.

How could that perfect appearance be completed in just ten minutes?

Noah, dressed in a white naval officer's uniform, sat upright in the carriage, reviewing documents. His honey-like blond hair, slicked back with pomade, scattered in the sunlight streaming through the carriage window.

Meson, blinded by the light, watched Noah sign with an elegant hand.

Even his signature is elegant. If I took a picture of this and sold it, I could make a decent amount of money. Ah, but of course, I'd be killed by His Highness the Prince before that.

Sensing his gaze, Noah raised his eyes and looked at him.

"What."

A fragile, sensitive atmosphere was subtly infused into his unwavering attitude.

Meson quickly shook his head.

"Are you finished?"

Noah put the fountain pen in his jacket pocket and handed the documents to Meson.

"Wilhelm is said to be opening a branch in the capital. I will increase the investment a little more."

"20%."

"Yes, I understand. And the events you will be attending today are one at 4 PM, one at 5:30 PM, and one at 7 PM. Three in total."

Noah's curse was heard, but Meson pretended not to hear and continued.

"You will be going straight to the naval headquarters from the Royal Palace, so I will pick you up at the headquarters at 3:30 PM later."

"...You don't have to come. Don't come."

"I can't do that."

Meson shrugged, and Noah silently stared out the window with a weary look.

Three events again today.

If he didn't somehow divert the attention of the media and calm the King's anger, the relentless event hell would continue tomorrow and the day after.

When the golden bars of the Herot Royal Palace were visible in the distance, Noah asked Meson.

"Do you know Olivia Liberty?"

Meson, who had been looking at the newspaper, raised his head.

"Of course. Is there anyone in Herot who doesn't know that woman? She's sensational, isn't she?"

Meson pointed to her picture, as if he had been reading Olivia's article. Noah scoffed at him as if he were absurd.

"Sensational looking at that picture? Is there something wrong with you?"

"The youngest Herrington University entrant from a Herot commoner background, the first female university student, and the valedictorian!"

Meson exclaimed, folding his fingers.

"That alone is tempting, but look at this face! Ah, honestly, is news of a university student from Fulder across the sea something that should be published in a Herot newspaper? But why do you think it was published? Even His Highness the Prince, who attended as many as seven events yesterday, was not featured!"

"......"

Meson, who had confidently spread out all seven fingers, quickly lowered his eyes and apologized at the torrent of curses conveyed through his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"So, what are you trying to say?"

His lowered voice was chillingly cold. Meson mumbled, watching his expression.

"Anyway, Olivia Liberty is very popular. Everyone knows her. In a good way, of course. Here, Princess Marguerite is also pictured nicely."

Meson mumbled, pointing to Princess Marguerite, feeling embarrassed.

At that moment, the carriage carrying them passed through the golden gates of the Royal Palace.

It already feels suffocating. Damn it. Why does he have to be called in to fix the situation? The more he thinks about it, the more angry he gets.