By Zephyria 
He had occasionally heard that women apply cosmetics to their nipples and the surrounding area to accentuate their sexual appeal.
But the breasts before me were not adorned; they were raw and unembellished. They were a vivid and beautiful shade of bright pink, as if dyed with crushed flower petals.
Tristan could not take his eyes off the protruding flesh. He knew it was an impudent act, yet he couldn’t help it.
When one encounters something unbelievably beautiful, don’t they become entranced? That was exactly how Tristan felt at that moment.
“Clothes?”
“…….”
“Oh, you mean that my chest is showing?”
Cecile realized what Tristan was referring to and shook her damp shirt.
As the shirt fluttered away from her body, only then did Tristan redirect his gaze. Perhaps realizing his rudeness, his neck flushed bright red, reaching all the way to his forehead.
“If I had something unusual attached, it would be one thing, but you must have the same thing, so what’s the problem?”
“It’s just… a bit embarrassing.”
“You’d be shocked if you saw the ones running around naked in the training grounds.”
Cecile muttered in disbelief and eventually burst into laughter. Tristan had known her to be quite serious, but in a previous life, he had only clashed with her and never realized she could be so amusing.
This was the first time Tristan had seen Cecile laugh so joyfully.
At first glance, she had seemed like a sensitive cat, difficult to approach, but now, with her laughter, she appeared to be nothing more than a fresh and vibrant twenty-year-old.
Tristan found himself staring blankly at Cecile before suddenly snapping back to reality. He quickly composed his expression and cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.
“Please go inside. You might catch a cold.”
“I’ll see you again soon.”
Cecile smiled sweetly, her eyes still sparkling with the remnants of laughter.
She brushed past Tristan first. Even drenched in sweat, she carried only a pleasant fragrance, not a hint of sour sweat.
Is this how royalty usually is? Watching her retreating figure, Tristan felt a bit puzzled.
‘“I’ll see you again soon” wasn’t just a casual greeting.’ Cecile Adrian truly appeared before Tristan again in less than a few hours. Or rather, to be precise, she came to see the Crown Prince.
On his first day in office, Tristan was so busy grasping his assigned duties that he thought his eyes were popping out when he saw Cecile.
It was a well-known fact that the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Empress was like walking on thin ice. Moreover, when he had met with Crown Prince Alexis, he had heard directly that the Crown Prince was keeping a close watch on the Empress.
Yet here was Cecile Adrian, the Empress’s bloodline, boldly showing her face in the office and sitting right down at the empty desk.
Even Crown Prince Alexis seemed to take it for granted, not even casting a glance in her direction.
The only one with a dazed expression was Tristan, while the attendants continued with their duties. No one explained anything to him, leaving him frozen in time.
Tristan’s eyes darted around. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t understand, so he finally had to muster the courage to ask a question.
“Your Highness, if I may, I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“Why is that person here?”
The blue eyes, which had been buried in paperwork, lifted slightly.
Alexis glanced at Cecile, who was sitting quietly in her place, and then returned to his documents as if it were no big deal. His indifferent voice followed.
“There’s no need to pay attention. Just think of her as a decoration.”
“You mean to ignore her…”
“It’s a command from the Emperor, so there’s nothing I can do. I can’t guarantee how long this will last. We can only leave her be until she decides to stop.”
“…Yes.”
“Therefore, it would be best for you to ignore her as well. You’re not so free as to be concerned about other matters, are you?”
A sharp remark followed. Tristan quickly gathered his scattered thoughts. Crown Prince Alexis was a difficult person to deal with. He wasn’t foolish enough to provoke his temper.
The office resumed its usual rhythm. While everyone fulfilled their assigned tasks, Cecile sat idly for two hours.
Just as Alexis had said, no one paid her any mind, treating her like an intangible presence.
During that time, Tristan figured out the reason for this strange standoff.
While there was a way to harass her until she left, doing so would surely lead to criticism for Crown Prince Alexis. Instead, it seemed to be a plan to treat Cecile like an invisible person to drain her strength.
The problem was that this method had no effect on Cecile at all. Even in a situation that could be perceived as insulting, she maintained her composure.
‘Both of them have unusual personalities. The Crown Prince, who is in a tense situation, and Cecile, who is steadfastly enduring it, are equally tough.’
As he secretly observed, Cecile’s eyes met his. With her arms crossed on the empty desk, she gave Tristan a bright smile.
Tristan responded with a slight smile of his own and let out a sigh.
Perhaps she was a little… pitiful.
About a week later, Tristan was gradually adapting to his role as the chief aide. He arrived at work early in the morning and stayed until sunset, buried in the office handling the tasks assigned by Crown Prince Alexis.
The work suited him well, but he couldn’t help but feel tense whenever Cecile appeared.
Cecile Adrian would invariably visit the Crown Prince’s office around the time the afternoon sun began to tilt. Today, she arrived, showcasing her sparkling face.
Honestly, it was hard to ignore her. How could one easily overlook such a beautiful face?
While the Crown Prince harbored negative feelings toward Cecile, to ordinary people, she was simply a delightful sight. Tristan felt the same way.
The ornate gold moldings and intricately crafted furniture around the walls could not compete with Cecile’s dazzling appearance.
No matter what decorations were present, Tristan found himself sighing inwardly every time Cecile appeared.
The main culprit for his distraction was still spending time in front of the empty desk today. It would be boring to do nothing for nearly two hours, yet she steadfastly remained at her desk without leaving.
“I’ll leave this to Cecile.”
Alexis handed over a bundle of parchment.
‘So he’s actually assigning something!’
This was the first directive given since he took on the role of chief aide. Feeling a bit embarrassed after such a long period of neglect, Tristan quickly unfolded the parchment.
The content was, of course, the easiest and most mundane task among the affairs Alexis handled. It was something that could be done or not done.
But still, it was something. Tristan passed the parchment to Cecile. Her small face lit up with a brighter smile than ever. Meeting her expectant expression, Tristan couldn’t help but smile back.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t worry.”
Cecile quickly skimmed the contents written on the parchment and nodded. Although he wondered if she could do it properly, she acted surprisingly smoothly. There was not a hint of hesitation in her hand as she transcribed something onto the blank paper.
Before long, Cecile came to see Alexis. She held out the parchment in both hands.
Her emerald eyes sparkled endlessly. With a confident expression, her face was filled with pride. She seemed eager for him to see what she had accomplished.
Alexis didn’t even glance at her. Even with the person in question standing right in front of him, he directed his aide.
“Check it.”
“Yes.”
Tristan hurriedly took the parchment from her. Just a quick glance was enough to elicit a gasp of admiration.
She had organized the disorganized content into a table for easier reading, and even added supplementary information in the notes section. The organized table had transformed into a project proposal.
“Really… excellent work.”
“Thank you.”
Tristan placed the parchment on the desk, urging Alexis to take a look. The indifferent gaze brushed over the parchment once before returning. It seemed like he could at least offer a compliment, but the Crown Prince’s heavy lips remained sealed.
Cecile stayed in front of the desk for about five more minutes. The proud expression on her face gradually faded, and the corners of her mouth began to droop.
“Is there nothing else you need me to do?”
“No.”
“…Yes.”
Cecile replied in a glum voice. She bit her lip tightly and gazed out the window at the sky. The day was already waning, and now she had nothing more to do. It was no different from being told to leave.
Ultimately, she resigned herself and turned to leave. Her retreating figure as she exited the office looked so drained that her shoulders slumped.
Tristan unconsciously turned his head to observe Cecile’s expression. As Cecile’s shadow slipped out of the office, his own face returned to its usual place. And then, he found himself locking eyes with the blue gaze that was staring at him intently.
“Didn’t I tell you to stop paying attention?”
“Oh, that is, I…”
“This is your final warning. Keep your gaze in check.”
Alexis’s brow furrowed slightly. He then revealed his displeasure as he picked up the parchment that Cecile had submitted.
He couldn’t even understand why he felt displeased with a capable chief aide. He simply shifted all the blame onto Cecile. It was the easiest and most reasonable thing to do.
Looking at the neatly written handwriting that matched her personality, Alexis let out a deep sigh.