It seems She has Become the First Love of the Impenetrable, Iron-Hearted Male Protagonist

Fortunately, it hadn’t been too late for treatment after returning from the mission, but he had to rest for a full two months to focus on recovery.

I wondered if the pain from the injured ankle had resurfaced.

“Don’t overdo it, since the subjugation is coming up.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. I’ll head inside now.”

“Your Highness, you’re late today.”

“Were you not gone yet?”

“Someone has to take care of the work you left behind, Your Highness.”

Nayton muttered with a sigh, glancing at the pile of paperwork.

“I see.”

Nayton gently rubbed his sunken eyes and, in an almost exasperated manner, pressed his forehead.

“Is that your answer? At least offer some words of encouragement…”

Ian, who had been unbuttoning his training uniform, froze. For some reason, Nayton’s voice seemed to get closer, so Ian abruptly looked up.

“Good grief.”

Just as Ian had predicted, Nayton, who had been standing by the bookshelf, was now right in front of him.

“You didn’t even flinch, but now you act surprised. By the way, why does your face look like that?”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

Nayton looked at Ian, briefly doubting whether the scratches on his face were only visible to him due to Ian’s casual expression.

“Did you get hurt on your face? I’ll call a doctor right away!”

“Nayton.”

At Ian’s soft call, Nayton, who had been flustered, turned to face him.

“Yes, Your Highness. What can I do for you?”

“You’re making a lot of noise, but you don’t seem in any hurry.”

Nayton, who had neatly folded his hands, gave a slight smile.

“Did it show that much?”

“And this is just a minor injury from sparring, so there’s no need to make a fuss.”

“Your Highness, to get hurt on your face, it seems there’s quite a skilled person in the order.”

“There is. A very skilled person.”

Nayton immediately thought of the hearty, broad-shouldered Gabriel. As he had guessed, it seemed that Ian wanted to make an impression, and Gabriel, the captain, was likely the one he had in mind.

‘As expected, Captain Gabriel is as remarkable as his reputation.’

“It seems like he’s really strong.”

“…He is strong.”

The thought of sparring with Rosevelia brought a smile to Ian’s face. The feeling of holding a real sword against hers was far more vivid than using a wooden practice sword.

The moment their swords clashed, a tension and strange thrill ran through his entire body.

He couldn’t remember the last time he was so immersed in something.

If the cost of that sparring was a mere wound, it seemed like a small price to pay.

“Still, you should treat it.”

Ian was about to raise his hand to his cheek but stopped. The memory of Rosevelia’s hand touching his face flashed in his mind.

In fact, he had been quite surprised when Rosevelia’s hand had brushed his cheek.

Her hand, far too delicate and soft to belong to someone who wielded a sword.

‘Even if she’s skilled, can someone who consistently holds a sword have hands so soft without calluses?’

“Is that possible?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.”

Ian, seemingly confused, rubbed his forehead and suddenly frowned.

‘But why was I angry?’

Though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, the emotion he had felt in that moment was undoubtedly one of frustration and unease.

Ian quietly looked at his own hands.

‘Her hands were so small too.’

He had noticed her small hands in the square before, but for some reason, they kept popping into his mind.

“Were they about this size?”

When he clenched his fist as tightly as he could, his hand became roughly the same size as Rosevelia’s. He stared at the small size with surprise, his eyes trembling slightly.

It was a curious and almost wondrous thing to think that someone so small in both hand and body could have a presence that was greater than anyone else’s.

“Your Highness, are you in pain?”

‘Am I in pain?’

The image of her face, filled with worry, caused his chest to tighten. Even when he loosened the buttons of his training uniform, the suffocating feeling in his throat wouldn’t go away.

“Leave the remaining paperwork on my desk and go, Nayton.”

He took a slow breath and pressed down on his chest, and soon, his discomfort seemed to vanish as if it had never been there.

“But the treatment… I’ll just bring the medicine and leave.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Ian, with his heavy eyelids closed, waited for Nayton’s footsteps to fade before sitting down in his chair. He then calmly began to sift through the documents Nayton had been organizing.

“Ed?”

As Ian’s eyes landed on the name “Ed” in the documents, they briefly flickered.

‘You’re planning to stay at the dorm tonight, Ed?’

Edwin Holton and Rosevelia Winters.

When Ian had started looking into her background in order to spar with her, the first thing he had learned was that these two were quite close.

‘Then we’ll go ahead, newbie.’

“We’ll go ahead…”

As he recalled the sight of the two walking so closely together, he suddenly tightened his grip. It wasn’t much, just a small, weak force, but the pen he was holding snapped in two.

“Why did this break? Is it an old pen?”

Looking down at the broken pen in bewilderment, Ian rummaged through his drawer to grab a new one.

The drawing-room was fairly warm, with the crackling sound of logs burning in the fireplace making it feel surprisingly pleasant.

Without realizing, Olivia found herself humming, trying to calm her breath.

“Did you speak to Rosevelia?”

“I think meeting a good match is a blessing for Rose, but do you not agree with me, brother?”

“It’s not that…”

Dylan trailed off as Olivia smiled faintly and flipped through the documents he had handed her.

“I knew you’d agree with me, brother. By the way, there are quite a few good suitors in the empire.”

“Really?”

Dylan responded with a slight smile. He had been asked to find potential suitors for Rosevelia, and now he was reviewing the best options.

At the front of the list was Linat Eliaser, who was considered the best match in the empire, with several other excellent suitors following.

As Olivia flipped through the pages, moving toward the less ideal candidates, her hand remained steady.

“I think this one is the right choice.”

Dylan’s eyes briefly shook. The person Olivia had chosen was the eldest son of a lesser noble family, listed on the last page.

“There are better suitors. Why choose him…?”

“Really? I think this man is fine.”

As Olivia studied the portrait with a satisfied smile, she appeared quite pleased.

“Is there a reason you chose him?”

“Why this man?”

His name was David Collin. While his appearance was fairly decent…

“David Collin has a reputation for womanizing.”

This detail had been added to the document, so it was clear Olivia had chosen him with full awareness of it.

“He might be a good match, and rumors about him could just be exaggerations. Many women admire David Collin, and others may have spread rumors maliciously to eliminate competition.”

“Olivia, do you really have to go this far?”

Olivia’s smile faded slightly as her gaze became more fixed.

“Oh, brother. If someone overheard, they’d think I’m doing something harmful to Rosevelia.”

“From what I’ve learned, the rumors don’t seem entirely baseless.”

Although he had included David, a lesser nobleman’s eldest son, who was still unmarried, on the list, Olivia had placed him at the very back.

“There’s nothing wrong if it’s true.”

“Olivia.”

“I think a man who is experienced with women would be a good match for Rose. Someone who knows how to lead her.”

“But…”

‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have included him at all.’

Dylan regretted it too late, but Olivia seemed to have already made up her mind.

“Please make sure he attends Caden’s birthday party, brother.”