The Reason for Marriage

“Really? Where should we go? Just tell me. I will go anywhere in the world with you.”

Daniel smiled brightly, slightly kissing her lips as he swept her hair behind her ears, and continued in a tone of excitement.

“Well, shall we go to the garden? The flowers must have bloomed beautifully. Or should we go up to the roof and watch the sunset? Didn’t you say you liked it? Or not… It’s a little dangerous, but would you like to go to Amenity for a hidden trip? There are a lot of people who hold grudges against you, so I don’t really recommend it, but the palace is a little bit cramped indeed.”

“No,” Iveca shook her head slightly. In the midst of this, his hand couldn’t let her go, and also the fact that she liked his lips on her was a little bit pathetic. He must have acted knowing that she liked it. “Just… just the Judicial Bureau office,” she muttered meekly.

“Pardon?” asked Daniel.

“The road connecting the Judicial Affair Bureau and the Royal Palace…”

“Iveca,” Daniel frowned as if he was confused. “It’s the road that we go back and forth every day. I am always there to meet you.”

“That’s why I want to go there,” Ivece mumbled, “Because Your Highness came to pick me up every single day.”

“Then, what about it?” Daniel inquired.

“You always walk alone on the way to pick me up. It is such a one-sided thing… You will be lonely then.”

“On my way to the Judicial Bureau office, I’m not lonely at all thinking about the stories that I will tell Iveca on my way back. I’m sure we’ll walk this road together again.” Daniel looked at her and smiled quietly. “Did you like it?”

“Yes.”

Her answer came quickly. It was a thoughtless conversation, but Daniel looked at her endearingly and kept his silence for a moment before kissing her lips briefly again. “Thank you, Iveca,” he said with complete honesty, “thank you for saying that you like it. Please remember that.”

“Remember what?”

“Remember to tell me if you like something.”

The conversation went around strangely. When Iveca tilted her head, he held her hand and smiled affectionately.

“Let’s go for a walk. I promised you that I would do whatever you wanted.”

Iveca’s lips curled into a shy smile. After all, the time she spent with him was perfect and peaceful, as if she were looking at a beautiful painting. The feeling of desperate love, moments that seemed ethereal, a touch she never wanted to let go…

***

“The Queen is very unstable in terms of emotions right now. I’m not sure if it would be a good idea to see Your Majesty. I thought she just lost consciousness…”

Earlier, Iveca hadn’t actually fainted. When Sid and Reina didn’t act as she expected, Iveca faked her emotions. She was never the type to lose her composure, let alone collapse. However, when Sid and Reina hadn’t done what she wanted, she decided to drive the situation to the extreme. She had presumed wrongly, and so she had to acquire information.

Iveca had thought that Sid and Reina were capable of harming her, at least secretly, or the two would accidentally reveal information new to her in the midst of the turmoil. But they only spoke of things Iveca couldn’t understand. When she feigned losing consciousness, Sid and Reina didn’t even decide to call the attention of the medical staff.

After a few hours, Iveca woke up as if she had come to her senses and was soon greeted by Daniel. Her thoughts drifted to Sid and Reina’s conversation.

“I hate that the Queen is unhappy. That’s why I can’t trust His Majesty. What is he thinking exactly?”

Iveca deduced: It was certain that the Bureau of Investigation and the King were wary of each other over her.

“If His Majesty really loved Eve… Would things go this far?”

It was also certain that Daniel had a relationship with a woman named Eve.

“No matter what hypothesis you make, everything just doesn’t make sense.”

It was also a fact that the Bureau of Investigation couldn’t grasp the truth.

“Your Majesty.”

Iveca looked up at Daniel as she walked along the sunlit path. She could not have known his true feelings that neither the Bureau of Investigation could have grasped.

She liked her current daily life, like a well-wrapped gift, but thought she no longer wanted to remain in oblivion. If the secret that everyone wanted to hide surrounded herself, she would find out about it somehow. Alone, persistently, quietly.

“I have a nickname,” said Iveca.

“Nickname?” Daniel aske with an eyebrow perched.

“Yes. My friend gave it to me when I was young… It’s Eve.”