Despite his best efforts to appear nonchalant, he couldn’t control the soft smile that crept onto his face, or the kindness that was inadvertently revealed from his tone of voice. Wellen’s earlier efforts to encourage Kael to smile had been unnecessary, as Kael’s desire to treat Irene kindly made him unconsciously treat her with warmth.

“I like it because the weather is nicer here,” Irene replied dryly. Though she chose to ignore Kael’s earlier coldness, she remained cognizant of his tone and answered with short responses. She wasn’t a talkative person by nature, and this held especially true when she was in front of her superiors.

“It’s still winter here and yet you think it’s nicer here… That’s understandable since Theorin’s winters are extremely cold.”

“It’s also the reason why we start our wars in winter.”

Kael nodded thoughtfully as he studied Irene’s face. He hadn’t been able to get a proper look at her the night before, but in the daylight it was clear that she’d lost significant weight. Peeling his worried gaze away from her, he rang the bell beside him to signal that their meal should be served. “Theorin’s people are strong in winter battles, which is rare. Won’t you miss it?” he asked.

“Does that matter?”

“For you, the winter here must be lukewarm.”

“I feel fortunate to have e to the Empire.”

Unbothered by Irene’s concise but apathetic response, Kael bantered with a mischievous look, “There’s nothing good about leaving one’s home country.”

“Some things can only be achieved by leaving.”

“So, what did you gain?”

“Days where I have nothing to do and…” Irene trailed off, and whispered the rest of her unfinished sentence in her thoughts, ‘Time that I don’t know how I’m supposed to spend.’ She couldn’t bring herself to voice it aloud because she loathed sounding weak. It was enough to show her weakness in front of Marie alone. Instead, she matched Kael’s gaze and resumed in a clear tone, “Days where I have nothing to do and time I can spend lazing away. The days spent in Theorin were too busy.”

Irene’s hesitation hadn’t escaped Kael’s eyes, but he didn’t press her. With a faint smirk, he replied, “Indeed, I’ve heard about how famous you are. I also know that Theorin’s wars have continued without end in recent years. Now, let’s start eating. The palace chef is very skilled and the desserts are particularly excellent.”

Impeccably decorated appetizers of fresh vegetables, grown with care in the greenhouse, and appetite-stimulating hot soup had been placed in front of them. Kael gestured to Irene to pick up her utensils and dig in. “Tell me if there’s something that you like and I’ll inform the kitchen,” he added, as he scooped up a spoonful of the savory smelling soup.

“I see…” Irene replied, as she suddenly realized the appetizer had been set on the table. “There’s nothing that I dislike.”

The sweet gaze the crown prince directed at her puzzled Irene. ‘He’s different from yesterday… But in what way? I think his tone of voice was already like that, but…’ What Irene couldn’t have known was that Kael spoke to her in a tone he never used with others—especially women. He usually adopted a sharp tone when speaking with women out of fear of giving them false hope should he address them kindly. Unable to express her feelings or question Kael on it, Irene pushed aside her thoughts and held her spoon. Still, she couldn’t quite shake off the strange feeling.