I met with the crown prince by the side gate that led to a lakeside path where we were supposed to have our afternoon stroll, as I had asked Robbe to set up our tea party in the pavilion that overlooks the lake outside of our residence.

It may seem like a romantic gesture, but I was curious as to what the environment outside looked like, since sensing it through my connection to nature is different compared to physically experiencing it.

"Aine, I'm so glad that you've really recovered this time for real." Konrad said with a gentle smile, holding my hands in his.

I stared at him, wondering how on earth he managed to be hated by everyone.

If he's not womanising, then was he being frivolous in his spending?

Seeing the things he brought with him for me, they seem to still be within the acceptable price ranges that befits a prince's royal gift to his fiancée.

Him being bad in politics or the military is not in the options, as he had the Carran household's support and had undergone lessons with them. If he were to put on a poor show, then that will reflect badly on our family’s name.

Then…why is he hated here? None of the usual reasons justifies the animosity of people towards him.

"Thank you for the concern, Your Royal Highness. Did you rest well?"

He pursed his lips at that, seemingly restraining himself from doing something else and instead he brought up my hands to his lips, firmly kissing them.

"I can now rest well and easy, knowing that you are fine."

I internally cringed at how cheesy that sounded. Konrad then hooked my arm around his, firmly holding onto my hand while an attendant handed a parasol to him.

Seeing my raised eyebrows, he chuckled. "I don't want others to listen to us too closely so I'll be the one providing shade for the two of us. I hope you don't mind."

We started our walk, with Konrad holding the parasol in an incline to provide more shade towards me than himself, while our attendants trailed six feet away behind us.

Glancing back at the castle and its immediate surroundings, I guess the younger me based it off the Kylemore Abbey, its real-world counterpart, with slight changes to fit right into this fantasy world.

I could imagine the word length it might have taken up to describe the Carran residence.

"Your aide isn't with you?" Konrad asked, glancing back curiously.

"I've fully regained my eyesight, Your Royal Highness." I responded, side eyeing him carefully. "Were you fond of her company, by chance?"

Konrad blinked at that sudden pointed question before giving me a charming smile.

"No, of course not. I prefer your company, my dearest. I was only curious since I overheard you scolding Allen about her reassignment…"

I turned my gaze towards the lake, where a few ducks and other wildlife had their own afternoon activities to avoid looking any longer at the prince's face.

Konrad only stared at the back of her head, his smile turning cold, with an odd glint in his eyes.

"You don't believe me?"

"It's not that I don't…"

"Fiore."

I turned to look at him when I heard that oddly affectionate yet commanding voice.

Only to find his face being uncomfortably close and his lips lightly pressed against mine.

He gently chuckled, withdrawing slowly.

"The others don't matter to me. You are the only one I'll ever have eyes for, and I'll go through many hells to ensure your safety."

Chills ran through my heart when I heard his words instead of joy.

He's not lying.

There's definitely something wrong with this setup.

This isn't the Konrad that I know from my own writing.

I could feel his complete devotion.

What the hell is this world? Did someone get ahold of my scraps and turn it into this cringe love story?

When we finally reached the pavilion, I tried my best to be as polite and amiable to the prince until it was time for us to have dinner with Allen.

☆☆☆

"Must you cling to my sister this badly, Konrad?" Allen said in a disgusted tone as the three of us sat in his private dining room. "You've already secured your position as crown prince with our family's support. Surely you don't need my sister in ascending the throne."

It seems like having grown alongside the prince, only the children of House Carran have the nerve to rudely address Konrad in a private setting like this.

It was kind of amusing, like watching eternal rivals be snarky with one another.

Konrad smiled at him politely as he cut through the steak in front of him. "I'm not clinging to her because of some petty political agenda. I am only truly in love with her, the moment I laid eyes on her when I was eight years old."

Allen's face contorted further. "Must you phrase it that way? Our Fiore was only three when you met her!"

I quietly sat there, eating and listening to them converse.

Of course the male lead would be older, as the 'me' back then have always been into slightly older guys. Even my ex-boyfriend was four years older than I was.

"Why are you so against us even though our betrothal was already set, Allen? Is it because you're only a year older than I am and you can't accept that I am her betrothed while you’re still single? Do you have a sister complex, by chance?"

I choked on the food I was eating upon hearing those words. Allen reached over to pat my back, his face slightly flushed as he glared at Konrad.

"Don't say such ridiculous things in front of Aine!"

"I'm merely stating what I've observed over the years." Konrad shrugged.

Grabbing my glass of water, I emptied it to clear my throat and dislodge the meat. I warily looked at the two of them as I set it back down.

"Why can't you two get along for even one dinner?" I asked with a frown.

"I'll do that when you decide to break off your engagement to him." Allen replied immediately.

"I will not be accepting the annulment of our engagement, no matter what reason you throw at me." Konrad added with a slight smile, riling up Allen's blood pressure more.

"Seriously, you—! You’ve been engaged for more than two decades yet you still refuse to announce a wedding date. Don’t play my sister for a fool, Konrad. Break off the engagement if you have no plans of marrying her at all."

“I do have plans of marrying her, Allen, rest assured. However, there are still a lot of things I have to smooth out in order to give her a comfortable life as my Queen.”

“I’ve heard that phrase for six years already.”

“If you can convince my father to hand over the crown, I’ll marry Aine tomorrow.”

I sighed loudly, setting down the utensils and not making eye contact with any of them.

Listening to them bicker is giving me indigestion and I want to get out as soon as possible.

"I'll continue eating dinner in my quarters." I announced, making the two look at me at the same time.

"Why?" They asked at the same time.

'Because my first day as Aine is coming to an end, and the stress is piling up. I want some peace!' I internally screeched while keeping my expression neutral.

Konrad only stared at me before setting down his utensils as well, turning to look at Allen, ignoring my declaration as if I never uttered a word in the first place.

Gods, that’s annoying.

"I will do my best to hold back the Church from reaching Aine until you've sorted things out first. House Carran certainly has the influence and power but the Church won't really listen to you, right?"

Allen scrunched his nose while I only looked at them, confused.

"Why would the Church…?" I started to ask but trailed off when I noticed the smug Konrad and the extra annoyed Allen having a staring contest.

"You snooped around again, Your Royal Highness? That's very unbecoming of you." Allen said through gritted teeth.

"You think so? Did you really have plans on telling me later about her memories?"

Ah.