Chapter 3

Three years later.

In the usual beautiful garden, we sat facing each other.

On the table were fragrant tea and delicious cake.

Eating sweets while viewing the cherry blossoms was a dream from my past life. Every time I came to the palace, I was delighted to have the homemade cake made by the palace chef, which could only be found here.

While I was thinking this and bringing the cake to my mouth, Adonis was holding his head.

No matter how many wonderful men he introduced me to, my heart remained unmoved.

To be fair, they were all good-natured people, so I became friends or acquaintances with them through Adonis. It was just that love never came.

The list of potential love interests that Adonis had created for "the poor minister who was a workaholic in his past life" unfortunately ended without lighting the spark of love in me, even with the last person.

"Why did it come to this...!"

"That's why I said you were being too reckless!"

In the first place, any man who would try to make a move on me, knowing I was the crown prince's fiancée, would be a hopeless womanizer, just like my former adjutant. The fact that Adonis only introduced me to decent men was a sign of failure.

I advised him many times, but he wouldn't listen, saying,

"Back then, you wouldn't let a scoundrel get close to a vague person like you now! Your family would be stripped of everything and scattered. I don't want to drag your family into the depths of misery just because I want revenge."

He also said,

"Once you fall in love, my revenge will be over. I'll celebrate the birth of a happy couple and dissolve the engagement, so please feel free to pursue love."

At this point, it seemed like he was just being stubborn. Just a stubborn man. He apparently wanted to call me 'this rutting chestnut horse!' at least once. When I suggested he say it now since I was listening, he lamented that revenge without catharsis wasn't revenge at all.

He had a real grudge, so he couldn't back down now. Since it wasn't a matter of life and death, I wished he would just back off.

***

"You're making a face like you're not to blame, but you're the root cause, aren't you? It's because you're so clueless about love."

While thinking that, I took a sip of tea.

"People have their strengths and weaknesses."

"When I said that in the past, you hit me and said, 'Shut up, you damn dog. You can only say that after making an effort to survive.'"

"That was a different era..."

"You were the exception."

No, there was such an era. I think there was. Because someone disappeared every day. It was normal for a face you saw yesterday to be gone today. That's why I made survival my top priority, and I trained my subordinates to survive. The fact that the old Adonis lived to be eighty was partly due to my teachings. I wanted to believe that.

"Anyway, you like romance novels, don't you? Why do you become as immobile as a stranded walrus when it comes to your own love life?"

"Ah, Your Highness, do you want to hear about recent recommendations!?"

"I think it's strange how your mood changes when the topic turns to books. Your eyes are three times wider than usual."

That's rude, they're only about twice as wide.

Reading is my favorite hobby in my second life. Sword training is more of a habit, something I do because I feel anxious if I don't, but I genuinely love reading. It might be the first hobby I've found, combining both my past and present lives.

"Please look at this. The heavy, sensual cover. The book I brought to lend you today is a recent release, 'The Flower of Lost Pleasure.'"

"The title alone gives me a bad feeling. The last book you recommended was about a love triangle, no, a hexagon of entangled passions, right?"

"Ah, 'The Dark Night's Hexagram.' That's a masterpiece, but this one is groundbreaking, based on the legend of the Holy Maiden."

"Churches have plenty of stories about the Holy Maiden's love."

Adonis, who rarely showed surprise, puffed out his chest.

"I said it's groundbreaking. This book reveals that the Holy Maiden actually loved someone other than a knight, a novel interpretation."

"That's too novel! I'm surprised it was even published."

"I was surprised it wasn't burned. It would have been burned three hundred years ago."

"Back then, the author would have been burned too. But the church's power has declined a lot compared to the past. It's about time."

I nodded in agreement. From what I knew, the church was a group that only told people to die for God. I really disliked them.

"This 'The Flower of Lost Pleasure' is a heartwarming story about a Holy Maiden caught in the power struggles of the royal family, struggling through a messy family conflict to be with the one she loves."

"Please have heartwarming moments outside of novels. And isn't this book also selling trouble to both the church and the royal family?"

"Freedom is a wonderful thing, Your Highness. Readers will be moved by the royal family's magnanimity."

"Well... I guess. The royal family's history is messy, after all. It adds realism to the story, especially since it's based on the Holy Maiden."

I tilted my head slightly.

If the Holy Maiden is involved in a messy story, wouldn't it be more about the church than the royal family?

Adonis smiled thinly.

"The royal family is of the Holy Maiden's bloodline. They have been trying to recreate the Holy Maiden's power for ages. They apparently conducted many inhumane experiments?"

I was shocked. Wasn't that a secret known only to the royal family? Is it okay to tell me? Is it because I'm the fiancée now?

Seeing my confusion, Adonis chuckled.

"Ha ha, just a joke. The royal family's records were all burned in the great war. What I said is just speculation. After all, they could do it, right? Power corrupts, and I'm no exception."

"Your Highness is a decent person. You were a bit of a rogue in the past, but..."

"Please don't dig up my dark past."

"But even back then, I relied on you. Around the fifth year."

"In my memory, it was the second year."

That's a memory lapse.

The second year was still pretty bad. I used to skip work and spend time in women's rooms, and my former self often caught me in the act. Thinking about this, I suddenly wondered.

"Your Highness, weren't you known as 'the man who changes lovers daily'?"

"Please forget that."

"I scolded my adjutant because of that."

"I was all bad. Call me a dog, and I'll bark, 'Woof.'"

"No, I'm not blaming you. I'm just a bit curious. Why does Your Highness encourage me to find true love? Didn't you have any serious relationships yourself?"

Adonis fell silent for a moment, then said in a muffled voice,

"...You just don't know."