Shaken Feelings?

The way that unusual man seemed to be trying to protect her, and the fact that he looked like a foreigner, made Ian think he might be one of those who came with the Third Prince. More than that, the way he looked at Michelle didn’t seem ordinary.

“Um, Miss Michelle?”

“Ah, yes. Prince Ian.”

“Were you two talking about something funny?”

“Well, I just laughed without realizing… I’m sorry.”

“Oh, I think you misunderstood, I’m not particularly upset.”

It seemed she thought he was genuinely angry. Honestly, while he did feel a little disappointed, seeing a girl that age smiling beside another guy wasn’t exactly something unforgivable. Maybe it was because he still didn’t see Miss Michelle as a woman.

Of course, Ian knew she wasn’t a child. She was three years younger than him—so she was sixteen this year. That meant she had matured quite a bit. She had gotten prettier, too. Naturally, she would have developed a stronger emotional sensitivity as a young lady.

‘I must’ve been indifferent, and seeing another guy treating her kindly stirred her heart.’

There was no reason for Ian to feel jealous about this. From the start, they were only engaged by royal arrangement, and there wasn’t any deep emotional connection between us. Still, judging by that mysterious man’s actions, he definitely had feelings for Michelle.

‘Even so, I can’t help but feel like something is being taken away from me.’

That’s why he found the platinum-haired handsome man standing in front of him so unlikable. Just as Ian thought that, he heard him speak, as if he were cautioning him not to think that way.

“You shouldn’t say things like that. You’re only making Miss Michelle more uncomfortable.”

“Well, I don’t see any reason to listen to someone whose name I don’t even know.”

“How dare you…”

The man who had blocked his path earlier stepped forward again, but the platinum-haired man raised his hand to stop him. “How dare you”? Even though he looked like this, he was still a prince—and fairly popular at that. That’s not something he should hear from a foreigner.

‘Now this is getting annoying. Should I just break his leg or something?’

But Michelle was here, and there were likely eyes watching from around the garden, so Ian couldn’t act recklessly. He forced himself to stay calm. Meanwhile, he looked straight at the platinum-haired man and spoke.

“That man looks like your subordinate, and he’s terribly rude. You seem to be from the Magnia Empire—do people from your country come to foreign lands and speak to princes so brazenly?”

“No, of course not. I offer my apology. Larcen, be quiet and step back. Don’t interfere again.”

“Yes, my apologies.”

As the man quietly stepped back, the aura around the platinum-haired man intensified. There was something about him that felt overwhelming. He couldn’t help but wonder—who exactly was this man? Perhaps he was the son of a duke from the empire.

‘A duke’s son from the empire, huh? That would explain the confidence.’

“I suppose I should properly introduce myself.”

“If your identity is difficult to reveal, you don’t have to say anything right now.”

“No, I’ll say it. There’s nothing to hide.”

As he said that, he glanced over at Miss Michelle. That gaze—there was undeniable warmth in it. What had he seen in Michelle to look at her with such emotion? Come to think of it, a lot of time must have passed since the party started and I arrived here.

‘He must have spent quite a while with her while I was held up by nobles.’

Was this how he’d end up losing his fiancée to some stranger? Just as that thought crossed gus mind, the man began introducing himself with full confidence. But what he said was completely unexpected.

“Let me introduce myself. I am the Third Prince of the Magnia Empire—Jedic di Magnia.”

“Wait, what!?”

“So… you mean, you’re the Third Prince?”

Michelle looked quite shocked, and Ian was a little surprised. He knew he wasn’t ordinary, but Ian didn’t expect him to be the Third Prince. Then… who’s in the ballroom right now?

‘If the real prince is here, then those in the ballroom must just be his attendants?’

If they were the prince’s entourage, it made sense that our nobles would be flocking to them. But what was the prince doing here in this garden? Just as I thought that, the prince tilted his head and spoke to me.

“You don’t look all that surprised. Aren’t you shocked that I’m a prince?”

“No, I am surprised. I just didn’t expect you to be the Third Prince of the Magnia Empire.”

“You’re not very entertaining. I was hoping for a reaction more like Michelle’s.”

“Sorry I didn’t meet your expectations. Also, I apologize for my earlier rudeness. I didn’t realize you were a prince.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I didn’t state my identity in the first place.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“Is that all?”

“Well, yes. Were you expecting something more?”

Seeing Ian tilt his head in confusion, the Third Prince seemed to find him unusual. Normally, people would try to impress him. But Ian showed no real interest in his identity as a prince.

‘It seems like ever since I came to the Polia Kingdom, interesting things keep happening.’

“No, not really. For now, how about we calm Miss Michelle down first?”

“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”

Unlike Ian’s calm reaction, Michelle looked extremely pale upon learning that the man she’d been speaking with was the Third Prince of the Magnia Empire. It was understandable. Imagine chatting freely with someone, only to find out they’re royalty—it would be shocking.

“Y-Your Highness… I didn’t say anything inappropriate, did I?”

“Not at all. On the contrary, I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. Hahaha.”

“Th-thank you very much.”

‘What exactly is she thanking him for?’

Ian couldn’t help but think this whole situation felt like something out of a storybook. A prince hiding his identity, having a heartfelt conversation with a noble lady from another country, even showing signs of affection in his gaze. And that noble lady already had a fiancé.

‘If this were a real storybook, then I’d be the obstacle, wouldn’t I? That would be a bit much.’

Surely it wouldn’t go down that path… right? If it did, what choice would I have? As I was thinking this over, I realized I might be taking this all too seriously. After all, Michelle and the prince had only just met today—maybe she was just briefly swayed by emotion.

‘This is a problem. The fact that my only feeling is to root for the budding emotions of a young girl—that’s not what a fiancé should be feeling.’

Maybe this was the side effect of reincarnation. Everything looked so young now that he couldn’t see any girl as a woman. Even when it felt like he should just admit it, he found himself unable to. It’s not easy when your mind’s lived with reason for decades.

‘I suppose I should at least try.’

“It’s about time for the main character to appear. I should head into the ballroom now.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Goodbye…”

“Let’s meet again later, Miss Michelle.”

“Huh? Ah, yes. I mean… well…”

She looked flustered responding to the Third Prince, then looked at Ian and became even more flustered—clearly confused about her own feelings. The Third Prince smiled gently and walked across the garden, with Larcen, who had previously withdrawn, quietly following behind.

As they entered the ballroom, Michelle and Ian glanced at each other. Her expression was full of guilt. Yeah. Like a wife caught cheating, maybe?

‘Is it even cheating? No, we’re not married yet, so it’s not really cheating.’

“Um… I’m sorry.”

“I’d prefer if you stopped saying sorry all the time. Anyway, shall we head inside the ballroom as well?”

“Y-yeah. Let’s go in quickly.”

She took his hand, and they crossed the garden into the ballroom. Inside, the atmosphere had become even more chaotic than before. With the appearance of the Third Prince of the Empire, all attention had shifted in that direction.

Despite how unpleasant that prince was, at least the ballroom was more comfortable now, which was a relief. Ian spent the rest of the party chatting with Michelle, and finally, when it grew late, the event ended and everyone returned home.

Inside the car on the way back, Ian found himself unsure—should he sort out his feelings or give up entirely? As he pondered this, the car moved through the city, headed toward the estate.

After attending the party and arriving late in the evening, Prince Jedic entered the room prepared by the Polia Kingdom. He couldn’t help but click his tongue at the lavishness of the accommodations. It was nearly as ornate as a royal palace. From the wallpaper to the ceiling, everything looked like a work of art.

‘They say the Polia Kingdom is indulgent… The royal palace was one thing, but that Hall of Waves where the party was held was unbelievably extravagant.’

“Your Highness.”

“Larcen, did you find out what I asked for?”

“Yes, I looked into it through the embassy.”

Embassies often functioned as information hubs in foreign countries, so they had a lot of data. The Third Prince had requested information on the two people he met in the garden—Ian, and the young lady named Michelle who had caught his attention.

“Who should I start with?”

“Tell me about Prince Ian first. What kind of person is he?”

“Yes. Prince Ian is the ninth prince of the Polia King.”

“Ninth prince… that puts him low in the line of succession.”

“That’s true, but due to the recent deaths of other princes, his position has moved up. More importantly, Prince Ian is currently affiliated with the navy.”

“With the navy?”

At those words, Larcen nodded and began to explain. Before the war, Ian had neither influence nor attention. But during the recent war with the Doicheun Empire, he had achieved remarkable success and even received a newly created rank, Mustaq, and joined the navy.

“He captured a battleship from the Doicheun Empire?”

“Yes, it seems so. They’re calling him a war hero now. He’s quite popular. Though some are skeptical about how he captured it, what matters is that he currently commands the seized warship and is part of the 1st Fleet.”

“So, a prince who’s also a soldier.”

“Yes, and people are calling the ship he’s on the Miracle Ship.”

“The Miracle Ship? What’s that?”

“It’s never been hit in battle. Every shot supposedly missed.”

“That’s some incredible luck.”

“It may be. Recently, it was even attacked by a submarine torpedo, but they all turned out to be duds, and they managed to capture the sub.”

“He captured a submarine? That’s really lucky. Wasn’t the Doicheun Empire suspected of being behind that?”

“Yes, that’s the general assumption.”

“So everyone knows but pretends not to. The Doicheun Empire is quite devious. Developing something like a submarine to that extent…”

“That’s why our homeland is now focusing on developing submarines as well.”

“Of course. We can’t afford to fall behind. But still, that prince is unbelievably lucky.”

The Third Prince inwardly thought this must be a prince blessed by fortune.

“But it’s not just luck. Prince Ian was the first to devise the concept of trench warfare. He even thought of barbed wire defenses.”

“He did?”

“It’s apparently well-known among those in the know. They say he completely changed the paradigm of ground warfare.”

“So he’s not just lucky—he’s smart, too.”

The Third Prince spoke with admiration, and Larcen nodded in agreement. At the same time, he recalled the odd moment earlier—when Ian had shown no reaction to the pressure he emitted. Ian was clearly no ordinary man. He debated whether to mention this but decided against saying anything uncertain.

“Now then, tell me about Miss Michelle.”

“Miss Michelle is a young lady of the Count Nudelria Family. She’s the youngest daughter of Admiral Nudelria, who commands the 9th Fleet. And…”

As Larcen continued explaining, the Third Prince’s face gradually lit up with a smile. Seeing that, Larcen thought—did he truly have feelings for this girl named Michelle? If that were the case, this could be a very troubling development.

She already had a fiancé. And that fiancé was the same Prince Ian they just talked about. If his fiancée was taken away, how would he respond?

‘Wouldn’t he feel insulted?’

Given how unusual Prince Ian seemed, Larcen had a feeling something might happen—and that worried him.