Like any other day, Jillian and Dion went to breakfast together with Theodore and their father, Ferid. That morning they had salmon for breakfast which was still very rare back then and only the nobles could eat that kind of fish.
'This fish is delicious, but it's a shame that only nobles eat it. If it's breed and eventually eaten by commoners, that would be a very good thing...' Jillian thought as she watched her food.
"What's wrong, don't you like it?" asked Dion who saw that his wife was only silently watching her food.
Ferid and Theodore immediately glanced at Jillian and looked at her in surprise as well as the servants in the dining room. Jillian was shocked to be looked at like that, Dion deliberately did it to make Jillian feel embarrassed.
'What a shitty husband!' Jillian thought irritably as she glanced at Dion who was smiling meaningfully at her.
"I like it, I'm just amazed by the softness and sweetness of this fish. I admire the chef who cooked it," Jillian replied. "Pass on my compliments to the chef. Tell him I really like it," she told one of the maid.
Hearing that, Dion immediately went back to eating his breakfast because he was a bit annoyed that Jillian could find a good reason to reply to him.
'Heh...'
They finished their breakfast and went off to do their own thing. Jillian and Dion went back to their room. As usual, Dion would read a book while Jillian sat in front of the dressing table to fix her hair.
Not long after, a servant called her and said there was someone who wanted to meet Jillian in the garden. The woman was curious, who wanted to meet her? There was no one she knew in the kingdom other than the Emperor, Theo and her annoying husband.
Without waiting long, she left the room leaving Dion alone. She went to the nearby park. She saw a man wearing a cloak and hood standing with his back to her. The man seemed to be busy with the flowers in the garden.
Jillian approached the man and stood behind him. "Are you looking for me? Who are you?" asked Jillian.
The man pulled his arm away from the flower he was touching, then got up from his kneeling position. "Right, I was looking for you. Don't you recognize me?"
Jillian's eyes narrowed, she felt familiar with the man's voice. But she couldn't remember who the man in front of her was. The man chuckled and removed his hood and turned to face Jillian, so she could get a clear view of his face.
A red-haired man with amber eyes, staring gently at Jillian. "Princess Lian..." he called with a smile.
Jillian's mouth opened to form the letter A because she was surprised, slowly the surprise turned into an overwhelming sense of joy. Unable to contain her longing, Jillian immediately hugged the man tightly.
"Aileen!!!" she exclaimed happily. "Aileen Aileen Aileen!!!"
"Hey hey, calm down a bit... You're just like a child." The man called Aileen gently rubbed Jillian's head.
At the same time, Dion who heard Jillian's voice from above their room immediately looked down. The window of their room was indeed directly connected to the garden near the building they lived in. Dion narrowed his eyes, seeing Jillian who was acting differently and even hugging a man in the garden.
"Who is that guy?" he murmured in surprise.
Jillian hugged Aileen tightly and buried her face. "I thought they killed you..."
"No, they didn't. They forgave me just like they did you."
The woman raised her head to look straight at Aileen and smiled. "I was so scared because I haven't seen you since then. I thought you were dead and now... I'm all alone here. I was so scared."
"But now I'm back. You don't have to be scared anymore.
"Yes, I'm glad you're back! Come, let's sit over there." Jillian pulled Aileen's hand to sit on the garden chair.
Aileen nodded and followed Jillian, briefly glancing up to where Dion was watching them. Instantly Dion gasped as Aileen realized he was watching him.
"How did he..."
From above, Dion continued to watch Jillian and Aileen who were chatting together. He felt so curious about the man he saw. He couldn't listen to their conversation from there, but judging from Jillian's expression, she was very happy. So was the red-haired man beside her.
"She never once smiled at me like that," Dion muttered.
Aileen continued to listen to Jillian's story about her marriage and her life in Keinheart Kingdom so far.
"Sometimes... I really miss Gracelya's palace. But here I am now, living as someone's wife..."
"I'm sorry I didn't come to your wedding back then. I should have come to cheer you up."
"It's okay," Jillian replied, turning to Aileen. "It wasn't the wedding I was expecting anyway. I can only do it for their happiness."
Aileen's eyes dropped at Jillian's words, he knew the woman next to him very well. He knew that Jillian would always prioritize other people's happiness over her own because she felt responsible for it. The man's hand reached for Jillian's hand and grasped it, as if he was giving his energy to Jillian.
"Everything will be fine. You have me now, I'll always be with you. I was honestly very surprised when I heard you were getting married, but I know you're doing it for the welfare of many people. And that's who you are."
"Thank you, Aileen. I know you're the only one who understands how I feel right now. You've always been like that." Jillian leaned against Aileen's shoulder. She seemed to be relieved by the man's arrival.
"Oh yeah... There's something I want to tell you."
The princess turned to Aileen and waited for what Aileen would tell her.
Dion, who was still watching, felt something strange about Aileen. He felt that there was something familiar about the man. He also chose to get down from there and catch up with the two of them to confirm something.
When Dion arrived at the park, he saw that Jillian looked happy about something. She was excited to hear what Aileen had told her.
"Really? Are you sure about that?!"
"Yes, that way I can continue to be with you. Are you happy?" asked Aileen.
"Of course I'm very happy!" replied Jillian.
Regardless of what they were talking about, Dion walked right up to them. "Here you are," he said pretending not to know.
"Dion? What are you doing here?"
"I was just walking around, I was bored in my room. Then I saw my wife alone with a man I didn't know. So who is he?"
Jillian turned to Aileen then both of them got up from the garden chairs. The blond man stood in front of them while watching Aileen. Both of his eyes squinted at the man. 'Wait... Those eyes...'
He tried to remember the pair of eyes he had seen from someone who had broken into their room. 'That's right... Those eyes, the same eyes!" she thought.
"I'll introduce him. This is Aileen Spencer, he used to be a commander in the Gracelya Kingdom, but from now on he will be my personal knight."