Chapter 1

For five years, I pursued the heir of the throne, Christof. One day, a large chunk of text floated in the sky.

[Sweetheart, stop being so stubborn. That useless prince isn’t worth it.]

Before I could figure out what was happening, another chunk of text appeared.

[Just look at Prince Harald. He’s had a crush on you for the longest time!]

I turned and met the fifth prince, Harald’s gaze.

His gaze was dark, and his hand gripped the wine cup tightly as if he was holding something back.

It was rare to see the unruly Mr. Ladies’ Man looking so forlorn.

When our eyes met, he immediately put on a fierce look.

“Why are you staring at me? Go find your precious Prince Christof.”

The text changed.

[You fool. You’ve been hugging your pillow at night while saying her name.]

[This is how you lose a wife.]

[Mr. Ladies’ Man, you’ve fallen speechless around Louisa this whole time, haven’t you?!]

What?!

I cautiously handed him the elderflower wine I had brewed myself.

Christof reached for it. Sure enough, Harald’s gaze dimmed noticeably.

I walked past Christof and gave the wine to Harald instead.

He froze for a moment. Then, he took it and drank it all in one go.

After finishing, he let out a satisfied grunt.

“Oh, so you noticed I’m thirsty? Good. You’re not completely useless.”

[Is this how prideful guys show they like someone?]

[Attractive men always have flaws. Take a look at Christof. His problem is that he never says what he actually means.]

Christof frowned, looking upset.

“Louisa, what do you mean by this?”

I smiled plainly and responded, “Nothing. I just suddenly remembered that you don’t like elderflower wine.”

[Oh wow, my baby girl finally has the guts to talk back to Prince Christof?!]

Everyone in the capital knew that I loved Christof.

I had first met him at his tenth birthday banquet. He was fair-skinned and gentle-mannered.

Compared to him, the rowdy military kids I hung out with were all wet behind the ears.

Everyone at the banquet was reserved and polite. But I was different.

I had eagerly run up to him. “Prince Christof, can I be your queen, pretty please?”

My father was so frightened that he had dropped to his knees and apologized repeatedly, saying, “Children say careless things. Please forgive her, Your Highness.”

From that day on, I became famous.

On that day, while reading those weird words drifting through the air, I finally came to my senses. Christof had never treated me like anything special all these years.

He accepted every nice thing I did for him. However, he never treated me any better than he treated everyone else.

I twisted all of his basic thank-yous or small polite gestures into signs that he had feelings for me.

I finally realized he had been stringing me along on purpose the entire time.

Christof’s expression turned sour. It took him a long time to force out a single sentence.

“Weren’t you the one who offered to brew that for me?”

He was right. Back when I saw him compliment the wine that the foreign princess from the northern tribes had brought, I volunteered right then to brew him something better.

Before dawn, I went up the mountain on the outskirts of the capital to pick the freshest elderflower flowers. I skipped my teacher’s classes and stayed busy in the kitchen until midnight.

It was ridiculous when I recalled it.

I was the legitimate daughter of the duke’s family. Why should I compete with others? Why should I seek Christof’s approval?

[Sweetheart, why are you seeing things so clearly today?]

“Why should I bother embarrassing myself if you don’t like elderflowers in the first place?”

Before Christof could react further, I turned and asked Harald, “Prince Harald, what do you think of my wine?”

Harold hesitated for a moment.

“I drank it too fast. I didn’t really notice...”

[Seriously? The chance is right in front of you, and you still mess it up like that?]

[How could you call yourself the top wine taster of the capital?]

I took a deep breath and tried to suppress my anger.

Christof chuckled and was about to mock me.

Harald raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, it’s definitely better than the foreign princess’s wine. What good ingredients could they have in that godforsaken place anyway?”

His response was crude, but I liked it.

Christof did not hide his distaste. “Harald. Watch your mouth.”

“In that case, I’ll send my remaining two jars over to you later.”

Harald’s eyes lit up briefly. He then returned to his usual roguish demeanor.

“Since you’re the one insisting on giving them, I suppose I’ll reluctantly accept.”

[Of course, keep acting tough.]

[I bet he’s sleeping with those two jars tonight.]

Christof frowned. He pursed his lips until they turned white.

He stared at me for a few seconds. Then, he turned and walked away.