By Zephyria 
It didn’t take long for Noah to become an obedient puppet. Since he had only wasted a few years on unnecessary rebellion anyway, he felt more comfortable thinking that it had been destined from the beginning. Rather than truly complying and accepting, it was closer to a desperate resignation.
But as the saying goes, no one knows what lies ahead. It was at that moment that a faint glimmer of hope began to appear before Noah Hamilton, who was blocked from dying as he pleased and from running away to the end of the world.
“What are you doing, standing there so dumbly? Can’t you get out of the way right now, since you’re heavy?”
It was the first time in his life that he had met a human being who freely expressed negative emotions towards him.
“Excuse me? Are you talking to me?”
“Then is there another human being lying on top of me here besides you?”
“Ah……”
“Get out of the way. You’re annoying me.”
It was his first meeting with Grand Duke Graham, Carlisle Graham.
Quite some time had passed since the engagement ceremony, and before he knew it, the Royal Wedding was imminent. Adrian wanted to wear the Emperor’s crown and hold the Royal Wedding at the same time, the moment the aging Emperor completely breathed his last. It was an expression of his pure heart, wanting to place the Empress’s crown on his fiancé, whom he wouldn’t trade for the world, at the very moment he became Emperor.
When the court physicians predicted that the Emperor had only about a month left to live, Adrian gifted his fiancé, who had become increasingly gloomy and sensitive since puberty, with a short trip to the north to change his mood. The destination of the trip was confirmed as the north because Noah at that time had also watched a popular play with considerable interest. Adrian, thoughtfully remembering that fact, only hoped that Noah would be happy, even though he knew that he, as the Crown Prince, could not go to Graham’s territory with him due to the sensitive political situation.
Whether in the capital or in the north, it was all the same in God’s grasp, so it wouldn’t be much of a change of pace, but Noah readily agreed to Adrian’s suggestion. To the fiancé he didn’t particularly love, but who loved him more than anyone else. Therefore… Noah didn’t want to refuse the words of his fiancé, whom he wanted to love somehow. If he couldn’t love him, if he was going to deceive and hurt him because of it, he wanted to accommodate him in every other trivial matter.
“I heard the north is very cold, so be careful even when you go there. Okay?”
“…Yes.”
“When did you become so sedate, my little acorn? Now you even use honorifics.”
Adrian put aside all his busy schedules and personally escorted Noah to the border of the north. And until the very last moment of getting out of the carriage, he couldn’t help but worry, adjusting the collar of the thick cloak he had prepared in advance. When he was young, he seemed to have clung to this affectionate touch without any guilt or worry… Noah smiled, hiding his guilty feelings. It wasn’t a very skillful smile. With a light, bird-pecking kiss, Adrian left for the capital.
After arriving in the north and giving a brief greeting to Grand Duke Graham, Noah immediately locked himself in his room and stayed out of sight. Conscious of the poor relationship between the Imperial Family and the Grand Ducal Family, he chose not to wander around at all, lest his thoughtless actions cause even a small flaw for Adrian. It was Nicole who was once again heartbroken at the sight of his master seeming to wither away even more than when he was in the capital.
Nicole persuaded and pushed his master’s shoulder, saying that it might be dangerous for Young Master Noah Hamilton, the Crown Prince’s fiancé, to wander around, but Nicole Seymour’s status as a mere attendant wouldn’t be a problem at all. Since there were many magical items sent from time to time by the talented Sorcerer who had become the master of the magic tower, it was easy to change appearances.
Thus, Noah began to take his first proper steps into Graham Castle.
Even to a servant boy with an ordinary face, people still had plenty of basic kindness. Noah Hamilton felt much lighter just from that. While in the Ducal Palace, his shoulders strangely felt lighter, and Noah regained his vitality for the first time in a while.
He was cautious only on the first day, but as two, three days passed, Noah’s actions became bolder and bolder.
That day was exactly one week since Noah had started wandering around Graham Castle. He had gotten some refreshments from the kitchen and was going to read a book in the garden, which had a great view when looking down, but on the way to the garden, he accidentally bumped into a little boy.
The problem was that he was walking while reading the book he had been reading last night. Noah, who couldn’t see ahead and fell right on top of the child, hurriedly got up and was about to apologize.
“Why are you standing there so dumbly? It’s heavy, so get off me right now!”
A sharp voice burst out before Noah could.
Noah was momentarily stunned. He knew very well that it was quite a stupid thing to say, but…
“Excuse me? Are you talking to me?”
“Then is there another human besides you lying on top of me here?”
It was truly, truly the first time in his life that someone had acted like this towards him.
No matter what mistakes he made, no matter what wrongdoings he committed, the people in this world would unconditionally protect and love Noah Hamilton.
“Ah…”
“Get out of the way. You’re annoying me.”
The small hand that roughly pushed away Noah, who couldn’t adapt to the unfamiliar reaction and was still dazed, was quite firm. Noah was pushed away as he was pushed, but he couldn’t come to his senses until he remembered that the owner of the small figure disappearing at the end of the hallway, dusting off his clothes, was Young Master Carlisle, the master of this Ducal Palace, and then he burst into a refreshing laugh.
For some reason, it felt good.
From that day on, Noah persistently chased after Carlisle. Still pretending to be a servant.
Carlisle was also just a child who was prickly at first but craved affection, so the two quickly fell for each other. The only problem was that the feelings the two had for each other were completely different colors.
The short spring play was dazzlingly sweet. Noah fell for a stranger who didn’t love him for the first time and laughed without a care in the world for the first time in a long time. He was relieved to see that Carlisle’s small height didn’t grow every time he saw him.
The fact that the Graham Clan only grew noticeably when they became aware of their feelings for their imprinted partner was a secret to the outside world, but Noah had already heard about it from Adrian.
So, the appearance of the still cute little Carlisle was proof that he would never love him in the end. Noah quite liked Carlisle Graham, who didn’t love him. His heart was just light. Like the pollen of spring that swayed freely in the air.
The sweet time flowed like water. Not like a gently flowing stream, but quickly like a torrent of overflowing rainwater.
It didn’t seem like much time had passed, but before he knew it, it was time for Noah to leave. Until then, he had been planning not to reveal his identity to Carlisle until the end. He would soon be the Crown Princess, no, soon to be the Empress, and he didn’t want to cause trouble for Adrian by adding unnecessary rumors.
Thinking that way, on the day he was about to say goodbye to Carlisle, Carlisle seriously suggested to Noah, as if he had grown fond of him more than he had thought.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while… I’ll make a formal offer.”
“About what?”
“You… how about leaving Hamilton and working at Graham? I’ll give you a generous salary. Exactly twice, no, three times what you’re getting now. If it’s difficult to talk to Young Master Hamilton, I can tell him directly.”
A sincere, faintly trembling voice.
The moment he heard that voice, Noah was jolted awake. His height was still small, but the expression of the Little Duke, who had seemed like just a child when they first met, was quite determined. He instinctively realized that Carlisle hadn’t grown because Noah had hidden his true self, and that if he faced Noah’s true appearance in this state, the Graham Clan’s imprinting would take place immediately.
So, if there was a chance, it was only now. Before the complete imprinting took place. When the Little Duke hadn’t completely noticed his puppy love yet.
“…Before that, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
He had to betray him. He had to give him indelible wounds and hatred… He had to thoroughly trample on the budding flower of puppy love that hadn’t fully bloomed yet.