Kai sensed something was off. Maybe it was because the Duchess had arrived and put him in a bad mood. Or maybe something was genuinely wrong.

When Keith told Kai he needed to get ready, he also mentioned that the princess who was coming would be staying in the pavilion with Kaileon.

Normally, guests stay at the castle, just like everyone else. Besides, it wasn’t even certain that the princess would actually become engaged to Kaileon.

Furthermore, the possibility that Kaileon’s prospective fiancée was a tool the Duchess was using to control him made Kai uneasy. That’s why Kai found it strange that his prospective fiancée would be living with him.

Even so, he had asked Peoni, Lily, and Woni to prepare a room for the princess. Kai had already purchased the finest furniture for her, along with beautiful room decorations.

Coincidentally, at one of the supermarkets on Earth, there was a collection of furniture and room decorations for girls themed around royal princesses, made with high-quality materials. When all the furniture arrived, the three girls were absolutely amazed. In their opinion, they had never seen furniture as beautiful as this. With its elegant ivory color, accented by soft baby pink, all the furniture and decorations looked as if they belonged to the king’s beloved princess.

But that was just the opinion of Peoni, Lily, and Woni—who were, after all, just ordinary people. It wasn’t certain that all the furniture Kai bought would be better than the furniture in the princess’s actual room back in the Kingdom of Nagreize.

Kai was nervous, worried that the room his three servants were arranging wouldn’t please his fiancée-to-be.

Kai simply didn’t want something as trivial as that to give the Duchess a reason to make a scene with him.

But the total cost of all the furniture and decorations, when added up, was around fifty thousand dollars for earth prices. So, Kai was fairly confident that everything would be just fine.

That afternoon, Kai was ready, along with the others, to welcome the Duchess and his fiancée.

Even Justine and Jessica were there. The Duke, however, couldn’t attend because he had to handle important matters with Keith and Jean. Kai was alone, with only Laura standing by his side.

Laura kept chattering about how she couldn’t wait to see who Kaileon’s fiancé was, since the Duchess had deliberately not provided any clear information about his identity. Everyone was just speculating to their hearts’ content. Kai couldn’t listen to any of it, as his mind was already filled with all sorts of thoughts. He even had to calm himself down with his favorite coffee-flavored candy.

"What’s that? I want some," Laura said, loud enough for Jessica and Justine to hear as well.

In the end, Kai had to give them coffee candy too—but the milk coffee variety, so the coffee flavor wouldn’t be too strong. None of them were familiar with the taste of coffee yet. But when it came to tea, every kind of tea existed in that world, especially on the Green Continent, which was indeed the world’s largest tea-producing region. From regular tea made with the finest tea leaves to green tea, black tea, chamomile tea, rose tea, and others. Except for butterfly pea flower tea—for some reason, that tea wasn’t available in Nagreize yet.

When the horse-drawn carriage finally arrived, Kai still felt something was off. The prospective fiancée who arrived didn’t bring many belongings—just one large bag, and even that wasn’t all that big. Furthermore, not a single maid accompanied the girl.

The girl was all alone, her appearance very simple—a stark contrast to the Duchess’s opulent look.

Even Laura and Jessica were surprised to see her.

"Angeline, that’s your fiancé, Kaileon. And Kaileon, take care of her right away—I’m exhausted and want to rest," said the Duchess.

Hearing the woman’s words, everyone dispersed from the castle, leaving only Kaileon, Laura, and Angeline behind. Justine wanted to stay as well, but after catching her mother’s gaze, he had no choice but to follow them into the castle.

"Let me carry your bag, Princess Angeline," said Kai. He was surprised all over again because the large bag Angeline was carrying wasn’t as heavy as it looked. Clearly, it wasn’t very full.

After all, she’s the king’s daughter, right?

"Ahem! I’m Laura Maustrine, Kaileon’s cousin. Nice to meet you, Princess Angeline... I had absolutely no idea there was a princess in the Kingdom of Nagreize named Angeline, haha. I guess I’m just not very well-connected, huh? How are Princess Anabelle and Princess Lizella?" asked Laura, who was indeed quite friendly to everyone.

In fact, Laura’s presence there made the atmosphere much more cheerful.

Angeline, who was a bit shy, then replied in a soft and polite voice.

"They’re both doing well, Lady Laura... and I do rarely attend social gatherings because my health isn’t very good."

"Ooohh, no wonder you’re so skinny. Don’t worry, Kaileon’s a great cook. I’m also going to the pavilion to have dinner with him—dinner’s already been prepared, right, Kaileon? What are you cooking today?" asked Laura, who was still cheerful, even though she clearly knew something was wrong.

How could the Duchess be so presumptuous with Kaileon’s fiancée? After all, Angeline was the king’s daughter.

Kai also knew that Laura’s attitude was just a cover for her shock, so he would try to cover it up too—so Angeline wouldn’t be embarrassed.

"That’s rude, Laura, but today I have a whole roasted duck, fried chicken with a sweet-and-spicy coating, I also have blueberry cheesecake, I have meat pizza with mozzarella cheese... I have plenty of food because I had to welcome Princess Angeline—everyone’s been waiting for you, Princess. Come on, let’s hurry to the pavilion," said Kai.

Angeline smiled to herself. She had been sad because the Duchess had treated her poorly during the journey. When they arrived in front of the castle, she had simply been left behind.

During the trip, the Duchess began to show her true colors. She revealed the truth about Kaileon—that he was the son of a concubine and that she disliked him. The woman also said she would stay in the pavilion with Kaileon, and that Kaileon would be responsible for all her needs. She also said other terrible things about Kaileon.

During the journey, Angeline was extremely stressed hearing all of that.

But when she got off the carriage and saw Kaileon in person, she began to believe that everything would be all right.

Kaileon’s smile at her was very sincere, and he treated Angeline well.

Laura’s attitude also made Angeline feel welcome there. Gradually, a broad smile finally appeared on Angeline’s beautiful face.

Even so, that didn’t mean Angeline’s worries vanished just like that. Because even to get to the pavilion, they had to walk.

But the roads were in excellent condition, so the journey was easy. There were even many magical lights lining the roadside. So even though they were passing through the forest to reach the pavilion in the middle of it, the journey was quite pleasant and felt safe.

Those worries quickly vanished when Angeline saw several people lined up in front of the pavilion, wearing simple yet beautiful dresses. There were also well-dressed young boys. Everyone was so well-dressed that Angeline didn’t think they were servants until Laura explained that they were all Kaileon’s servants at the pavilion.

The servants greeted Angeline warmly, and a maid immediately accompanied her to see her new room.

Angeline was astonished when she saw her room in the pavilion.

It far exceeded her expectations—it was so beautiful that she thought it might not be real.

"I bought all the furniture here myself, but I’m not sure if my taste suits you, Princess Angeline. If anything isn’t to your liking, you can tell me—Princess?" Kai was startled when Angeline suddenly burst into tears the moment she saw her room.

Laura, quick to react, immediately hugged Angeline, trying to calm her down.

Everyone panicked, afraid that the room didn’t meet Angeline’s wishes.

But what Angeline said next made them both relieved and worried.

"This is the first time I’ve been welcomed and felt appreciated. This room is so beautiful—is all of this really for me?" Angeline asked.

Kai and Laura exchanged a quiet glance, sensing something odd about Angeline’s words—specifically, her remark that this was the first time she’d ever felt welcomed and appreciated.

"Of course this room is for you, princess... we arranged it just for you. We’re so glad you like it," said Lily.

Angeline’s sobs could be heard again, but this time they were tears of joy. She hoped none of it was a lie. Well, even if it were a lie, Angeline was still happy. She had never been treated this well before; she was glad she’d decided to leave the kingdom, which had made her feel like she was starving inside a gilded cage.