“The same goes for when you thought they looked good together,” the prince continued. “You wondered whether the princess was a better fit for him than you. That made your chest seize up, didn’t it?”
“That’s true, but...I feel like that’s just the obvious, objective truth...”
“Don’t twist the story, Jeanette. Besides, there’s an easy way to tell if you’re feeling jealous. Do you want to watch those two dancing so closely again...or not?”
Jeanette pursed her lips tightly. His words made her realize that she didn’t want to see Lord Claus dancing with Meltia again.
“I-I...!” she stammered, unable to find the words. She herself had arranged for the princess to dance with Claus. How ridiculous of her to loathe the sight of it! “Ngh...”
The pathetic feeling of jealousy turned her mind into a mess. She wanted to say something, but nothing came out, and she just kept opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish.
Kyuriakris placed his large hand on top of her head.
“Don’t worry,” he told her. “No matter how good they look together, or how much fun they seem to be having, Claus has you. He doesn’t want anyone else. I bet he’s secretly thinking that you’re more beautiful than she is. You’re not inferior to that princess, so have some confidence in yourself.”
“Lord Kyuriakris...” Jeanette looked up at him. He gazed back at her softly. His comforting words slowly filled her chest with warmth.
“Still, I’ve been waiting for that feeling to finally sprout within you.”
“Sprout...?”
“Yes. I mean, you didn’t feel even an inkling of jealousy before the dance, right?”
“Oh...”
Jeanette recalled Kyuriakris asking her if she was okay with seeing Claus and Meltia dance together. At that moment, I would’ve never thought my chest would hurt just from seeing it... And yet here she was, feeling exactly that.
Kyuriakris patted her head to soothe her.
“Hey, it’s normal to feel jealous. In fact, it’s natural.”
“Natural...? Then do you also get jealous, Lord Kyuriakris?” she inquired, staring at him fixedly.
He had always said he wanted Jeanette as his wife. But while he often got irritated by Claus and Jeanette being romantic together, it always seemed somewhat jokey. While Jeanette felt the pain of jealousy, Kyuriakris had never expressed a similar sentiment.
Yet as soon as Jeanette asked that, the prince’s aura changed.
“Oh?” he hummed, his relaxed expression shifting into his usual predatory smile. “Could it be that you never picked up on my feelings? Did you think I proposed to you just for show, like some character in a novel?” He looked at her with eyes as sharp as a carnivore’s.
Jeanette had intended her question to come across as casual, but she realized she was playing with fire.
“No!” she negated quickly. “I didn’t think that at all!”
With a sense of urgency, Kyuriakris took a step closer to her.
“I felt jealous more times than I can count.”
Cornered by the balcony’s railing, Jeanette broke into a cold sweat as she gazed at the approaching prince.
“When you and he danced intimately together. When you shared the same carriage and returned to your joint home. When you kissed in front of everyone to celebrate your engagement. You think I didn’t feel jealous during all those times?”
“I... I’m...”
“Listen, Jeanette.”
Jeanette raised her hand to stop him from getting closer, but he just grabbed it.
“All those times made me seethe with jealousy. I suppressed my raging heart, stifled my wild breathing, and gritted my teeth so I could put up a cool, indifferent facade.” Kyuriakris drew so close to her that she could practically feel his breath on her skin, and she gulped. “Why do you think I went through all that effort to conceal my feelings?”
“B-Because you’re Lord Claus’s friend...?”
“No.”
“Then, um... Because you can’t openly show your feelings as a royal?”
“Wrong again.”
“Then why...?!” Jeanette asked, troubled.
For some reason, Kyuriakris laughed. His eyes turned kind again, as though he were soothing a child.
“Because if I let you see the extent of my jealousy, I’m sure you would’ve been troubled, just like you are now.”
“You’re...probably right...”
Whenever Kyuriakris got close to Jeanette, although he was pushy, it always felt as though he was joking around. He’d propose marriage to her, and then let her run away. This chain of events almost seemed like a prearranged joke. Even if it embarrassed Jeanette, she had a friendly relationship with him. However, if a prince like him were to seriously hit her with the full force of his jealousy...
I doubt we’d be able to maintain a friendship like we do now.
“I’m a royal. I take whatever I want. I was like that in my homeland, and in the beginning, I planned to take you for myself as well. But...” Kyuriakris paused for a moment. “After spending time with you, I realized that you only smiled your most radiant smile when you were with Claus.”
Jeanette blinked at these unexpected words.
“It’s not just that you enjoy your time with him,” he went on. “There’s that hint of shyness when you smile at him too. But you never look at me like that. If I truly stole you from him, I’m sure that smile would be lost too... And that thought made me realize that I don’t want to rob the woman I love of her smile.”
Kyuriakris’s long fingers scooped up Jeanette’s hair.
“Lord...Kyuriakris...” she murmured.
The prince lifted a lock of her hair to his lips and kissed it. She had no idea how to respond to his shocking confession. He’d “proposed” to her many times before now, but this was the first time she saw him so earnest and impassioned.