In case he had missed anything, he carefully reviewed his actions. However, he couldn’t find any behavior that could be misunderstood by her.
He had supported her or fetched water for her, but those were things anyone could do.
‘Is that what being affectionate means? Just that?’
Like a man in love, he was prepared to give his all for her. However, the current situation didn’t allow it. Once they returned to the kingdom, he planned to give her more than she could ever imagine.
It frustrated him that she simply thought of him as affectionate.
Unaware of his inner turmoil, Leticia continued to smile brightly.
His chest tightened. He was so earnest, yet she didn’t understand his true feelings.
“It seems you still don’t believe my words today.”
In the end, he blurted out without realizing it.
“Well then, I guess I have to try to kiss you again.”
“What?”
“You promised me yesterday, remember? You said you would believe me if I kissed you very gently.”
Leticia, who had been staring at him in a daze, swallowed hard.
“What did I say?”
Regardless of her response, Dietrian didn’t back down.
“You said that if I kissed you very gently, you would believe me. But it seems you didn’t like my kissing, so you didn’t believe me. So please give me another chance. This time, I’ll do it properly. I’ll keep kissing you repeatedly until you’re satisfied. So you must believe me this time. Please, give me a…!”
Dietrian didn’t finish his sentence. A small hand covered his mouth.
“S-s-stop!”
Blushing, Leticia stammered.
“I couldn’t have said, s-s-such strange things!”
Dietrian narrowed his eyes.
She wanted to deny it, but at the same time, a voice in her head reminded her.
‘What if she did?’
“Kiss me. Very gently, just like you really love me.”
“Then I’ll believe you.”
“Hurry.”
She hoped it was a dream, but the voices were too vivid to be a dream. Leticia, who had momentarily stopped breathing, let out a silent scream.
‘I must be crazy!’
Madness. That’s what it was. There was no doubt about it.
‘I’ll never drink again!’
But the alcohol she had already consumed couldn’t be undone.
“S-So, I mean, I was just too, too drunk…”
Stammering and making excuses, her face turned as red as a tomato. It was so red that it looked like it would burst at any moment.
“S-So, that’s why I said something really weird, because I was drunk.”
Dietrian, who had been trying to explain his sincerity until she believed him, fell silent. Her flustered expression was so adorable.
“It seems I lost my mind because of the alcohol.”
Her voice trembled like a baby bird, and tears welled up in her eyes.
If possible, he wanted to preserve this scene forever because it was so lovely.
Perhaps that’s why he felt the desire to surprise her even more. As he gazed at the teary-eyed Leticia, he thought,
‘I wonder if she’ll be even more surprised if I kiss her hand?’
Her palm was a very sensitive area, so she would undoubtedly be startled.
What if he firmly clasped her hand, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace without giving her a chance to push him away?
And if he kissed her lips again without letting her go.
‘She’ll be really surprised.’
He imagined her being startled, trembling like a little bird, not knowing what to do.
‘Maybe she’ll be so shocked that she’ll try to run away.’
But even so, he wouldn’t let her go. He would keep her in his arms, repeatedly kissing her until she was satisfied.
‘If only our lips could touch even more deeply.’
The thought filled him with anticipation.
Very deeply…
‘Stop.’
Dietrian abruptly halted the fleeting thought that had crossed his mind.
His heart thudded loudly. It felt like the blood coursing through his body had doubled in speed.
Dietrian took slow breaths, exhaling deliberately, and clenched his fist.
Leticia had no idea what he had just contemplated—the intense desire that lurked beneath his composed exterior, the depth of his longing to reach her.
“I-I’m really sorry!”
Her voice, which had momentarily grown distant, came closer. Leticia, looking bewildered like a helpless little bird, continued, “I won’t drink anymore, I promise! So, please, just ignore everything I did yesterday!”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
He slowly grasped her hand that had covered his mouth.
Suppressing the urge to pull her closer, he gently released her hand, reigning in his desire.
With a slightly hoarse voice, he said, “Don’t worry. I promised, didn’t I? I won’t do anything you don’t want.”
Finally, it became clear. The reason she couldn’t believe his sincerity.
‘It’s probably because she’s never experienced love.’
Having received only hatred throughout her life, she might not even consider the possibility that someone could love her.
He wished he could erase all her painful memories, but that was impossible.
‘In that case, there’s only one option left.’
He had to give her a new life.
“Leticia, please believe this one thing.”
He held her hand tenderly with both of his and looked at her earnestly.
“There will be nothing but good things from now on. I promise. Can you trust me?”
When they arrived in the kingdom, he would ensure that everyone would love her.
He would make every effort to heal all her wounds with overflowing affection.
Then, Leticia would eventually come to accept it—that she was deserving of love.
‘She’ll need time to believe my words.’
So, for today, he decided to stop here. It was regrettable, but he would postpone another confession to a later time.
“I’ll be back to fetch you soon. Take a rest for now.”
Dietrian gently pressed his lips to the back of her hand before releasing it, suppressing the fiery desire that rose like flames. He left the room, and as she stared at the closed door, Leticia, who had been in a daze, gasped and bit her lip.
Time, which had seemed to stand still, suddenly began to flow rapidly. Her face turned red, and even though there was no one here, she covered her mouth with her hand.
—
As soon as he stepped outside, Dietrian began to gather information about the situation. He immediately summoned Yulken and asked what had happened last night. However, Yulken’s response was beyond his imagination.
“She married me instead of the Saintess’s daughter?”
Dietrian was bewildered, and Yulken chuckled.
“I already figured it out. Why are you trying to hide it? It’s not a bad thing, you know.”
So, if Dietrian had to summarize what Yulken had said, it was like this:
Leticia, the benefactor who had saved Enoch, had married him instead of the Saintess’s daughter. The reason for this was that the Saintess’s daughter had refused to marry him.
The reason he had been angry at the banquet was because of the Saintess’s daughter, who had turned her hand over as if she were turning over the marriage proposal.
“I heard from Enoch. He said you recognized the benefactor at the wedding and even kissed her hand. Were you that happy?”
When a person is in shock, their words fail them. That’s exactly how Dietrian felt right now.
“First, let me gather my thoughts.”
His head was pounding. Dietrian waved his hand and finally opened his mouth.
“So, everyone is thinking like you, is that it?”
“Yes.”
“They all stayed up all night, waiting for us.”
“Hehe, who wouldn’t want to meet the Queen?”
“The reason they laughed so much as soon as we entered the Star Palace… could it be.”
“They did it because they wanted to. You two are such a great match.”
Yulken smiled contentedly.
“I thought I was looking at a painting.”
Then, he glanced at Dietrian surreptitiously.
“It seems like the Her Highness was quite surprised. Maybe she doesn’t like us? First impressions are the most important… We should have been more careful.”
“Haha.”
Dietrian laughed hollowly, still bewildered. Where did this colossal misunderstanding come from, and how could he fix it?
Well, it wasn’t all bad.
‘In a way, it might be a good thing.’
Regardless of the reason, his subordinates were welcoming Leticia with open arms. Their goodwill would undoubtedly be a great help to her. With their affection, they could heal her wounded self-esteem.
The problem was that this goodwill stemmed from a misunderstanding.
‘Will they still be friendly to her when they find out she’s the Saintess’ own daughter?’
Dietrian couldn’t be sure. Even if Enoch testified that she was the one who saved him, it might not be enough to completely dispel their doubts.
‘They’ll still have their suspicions.’
About her true feelings.
‘If we reveal her past, it might resolve the issue.’
If they could prove that she had suffered at the hands of Josephina all her life, and that the label of “murderer” was a cunning false accusation by Josephina.
‘The problem is the lack of trust.’
Someone might not even believe her past. They might think she had deceived not only Enoch but also Dietrian.
Those who harbored deep resentment towards Leticia, like Banessa, would be especially prone to such suspicions.
‘If, by any chance, they voice those suspicions in front of her…’
Leticia would undoubtedly be deeply wounded. Of course, Dietrian would have to be vigilant and rein them in, but it was still a concern.
“Human affairs are unpredictable.”
Therefore, he had to be cautious.
Dietrian didn’t want to take any risks when it came to Leticia’s safety. The image of Leticia he had just witnessed reinforced his determination.
No matter how many times she said she didn’t hate him, she was still deeply wounded, to the point where she couldn’t trust easily.
He didn’t want to expose her to any danger related to her past. The fear of what might happen if those who doubted her past met her was palpable, even without experiencing it firsthand.
‘But I can’t keep the truth hidden forever.’
Was this the nature of a crisis, to feel so helpless? Dietrian looked distressed, and Yulken, worried, asked, “Your Highness, is there some kind of problem?”
After studying his expression for a moment, Yulken, with a worried look, inquired as if suspecting something might be amiss.
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