"I'm sorry, Your Highness Aelia, but I was actually the one who chose it."

Detecting whether an item was possessed by a malevolent spirit was difficult for anyone other than the Saintess or mages specializing in light and dark magic. So Elise immediately took the blame upon herself.

"Elise, it's not your fault."

Aelia naturally wouldn't blame her own maid.

The royal capital of Dikden was shielded by a barrier jointly erected by The Church and Aelia, blocking low-level spirits. Elise herself could sense mid-tier ones—failing to detect a high-tier spirit fluent in speech was understandable.

As for Luke… just one look at his clueless expression made it obvious he wasn't cut out for this.

Still, even if it wasn't Luke's doing, Aelia would pin her irritation on him. After all, his very existence felt like a mistake.

"I also believe Lord Luke didn't do it on purpose," Aelia said smoothly. "This music box is perfectly fine now. I'll cherish it."

Cherishing it? A lie. Truth was, she was tired of gifts from Elise and Luke—too bothersome.

Yet the more magnanimous Aelia acted, the guiltier Elise felt.

Once Aelia retired to her chamber, Elise swiftly left the palace and headed to the Hero's residence.

Luke wasn't asleep. He'd been lingering near the Saintess's palace, using his mind-reading ability to monitor the situation. So before Elise even moved, he was already waiting outside.

Spotting her, he flashed a delighted "I knew you'd come" smile and hurried forward.

"Elise! How'd it go? Did Her Highness like it?"

Seeing his earnest expression, the last trace of doubt in Elise's heart vanished completely.

"Something wrong again?" Luke asked, noticing her solemn face.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault." Elise bowed deeply and explained everything.

"Not your fault… It's just that Her Highness Aelia and I aren't meant to be," Luke murmured gloomily.

"No! That's not true!" Elise flustered instantly—she feared nothing more than Luke losing confidence. "It was my oversight! I'll make sure it never happens again. Trust me!"

"I know it was rare… but hasn't Her Highness lost patience already?"

"N-no… not at all…"

Elise knew Aelia wouldn't snap over trifles—her usual teaching demeanor proved that.

But after two failures, even future success would feel like a kid proudly showing a barely-passed test to Mom. Elise wanted equality between them, not a mother-son dynamic. In romance stories, the devoted "nice guy" side characters? Usually end up alone. "Domineering CEO" trope? Not Luke's style—and she wouldn't let her mistress be passive. Balance was key.

Then—*click*—inspiration struck.

She'd overlooked the obvious: Luke was the *renowned* Hero.

How? Years of endless battles. Mountains of corpses. Rivers of blood.

Even if Luke lacked elsewhere, his combat strength was undeniable.

If he showed Aelia he could be her pillar of security… closeness would follow.

"But doesn't that mean waiting until we adventure together?" Luke countered after hearing her plan.

"Ah…" Elise realized her armchair theory. With Aelia around, nearby dungeons were nearly cleared. Hard to find a stage for Luke now.

"My apologies. I was presumptuous. Let's pause a few days—once Her Highness forgets today's incident, we'll try again."

"Alright."

Luke agreed easily. Poor Elise would spend days guilt-ridden, brainstorming.

Though honestly? When she had *no* plan, she felt most at ease—Luke would sabotage any scheme anyway.

*(Still… this feels too childish.)*

Luke simply wanted payback for Aelia's past tricks. But petty annoyances barely scratched her. Far less effective than when he'd thwarted her plans before.

So when Elise suggested combat demonstration… an idea sparked.

*Lure the snake from its hole.*

…

Three days flew by. With duties cleared and no gifts from Luke or Elise, Aelia finally sank into her favorite leisure life:

Attending noble ladies' tea parties (free snacks included), strolling to soak in adoring gazes, or lazing in her chamber—reading, sunbathing, mirror-gazing, pondering if she was *the* most beautiful… or *herself*… or… well, *herself* again…

"Wait—! At this rate, I'll end up fighting the Demon King with that damn Hero!"

After a full day of slacking off, Aelia jolted awake the next morning.

The king delaying their departure was a blessing—but not forever.

Stuck with no new plan (and no one to consult), a royal messenger suddenly arrived: urgent summons.

*(Ugh, can't you see I'm busy? Seriously… is that old man calling me just to 'see' me again?)*

Smiling serenely while cursing inwardly, she followed the guards.

Inside the familiar council hall, Luke and ministers waited. Her heart skipped.

*(N-no… They're not sending me off already?! NOOOO—)*

Masking panic with grace, she glided to Luke's side and bowed. "Your Majesty."

"Aelia, perfect timing. We're discussing your joint training exercise with the Hero."

"Training exercise?"

"Precisely. Lord Luke proposed team-based drills in a nearby dungeon to synchronize before the official quest. Your thoughts?"

Relief washed over her—then a wicked idea bloomed.

Nearby dungeons were nearly risk-free; threats were beneath a Hero and Saintess's notice. Everyone, even the king, looked relaxed—almost pleased. Luke likely felt the same complacency.

*Perfect.*

If they "failed" in such a trivial dungeon… who'd believe Luke could protect her?

"I have no objections."

Aelia agreed instantly, sweetly.