Ever since the incident in the courtyard—the one where Duke Adrian touched my hair, and the King saw everything—something had been... off.



And by off, I meant His Majesty was acting downright bizarre.



At first, I thought I was imagining it.

1. He kept looking at me. Not the usual you-better-bring-my-tea-on-time look. A different kind of look.

2. He asked for tea LESS. (Suspicious. Very suspicious.)

3. He ignored Lady Celeste's usual reports. (Highly unusual. She was livid.)



But the final confirmation that something was definitely wrong?



He started hovering.



I first noticed it in the halls. As I walked to the kitchens, I felt it—the heavy presence behind me.



I turned my head slowly. There he was.



The King.



Just... walking behind me.



I froze.



He continued walking.



I picked up my pace.



He also picked up his pace.



I side-eyed a passing guard.



The guard looked equally horrified.



I internally screamed.



As if things weren't already stressful enough, Lady Celeste decided to worsen my existence. I was delivering tea to the nobles' parlor when she suddenly called out to me.



"Thalia," she purred.



I froze.



My instincts screamed. Danger.



I turned slowly. "Yes, my Lady?"



She smiled, too sweetly.



"I heard an interesting rumor."



I resisted the urge to throw the teapot at her.



"...What rumor?" I asked cautiously.



Her eyes gleamed.



"That His Majesty has taken a particular interest in his tea maid."



The entire parlor went silent.



I nearly dropped the tray.



Lady Celeste tilted her head. "Surely," she continued, "it's only coincidence that the King has been paying you... extra attention?"



I fought every instinct to look over my shoulder. I could feel the King's gaze from across the room. Lady Celeste's smile sharpened.



"The court is very curious, you see," she added. "Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea."



I exhaled sharply.



"My Lady," I said, smiling ever so sweetly, "His Majesty is simply a man who enjoys good tea."



Her expression flickered.



I pressed on.



"I do, however, understand your concern," I added thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should... train others to handle His Majesty's tea, so I am not burdened with such—"



A voice cut through the air.



"Unnecessary."



Everyone whipped around. Standing at the entrance, expression unreadable, golden eyes fixed directly on me—



Was the King.



The moment His Majesty left, the real disaster started. Because somehow, Cassian, Adrian, and Damian all found out about Lady Celeste's 'rumor.'



And instead of ignoring it like rational human beings, they each decided that NOW was the perfect time to make my life miserable.



"Well, well, well..." Cassian who was grinning like a lunatic while leaning against the doorway. "Who knew you'd be so popular?"



"Tch. I don't see what the fuss is about." There was also Duke Adrian.



"I think it's fascinating." And also Lord Damian.



And then?



It got worse.



Because suddenly, everything became a competition.



Cassian started 'randomly' appearing when I was working. Duke Adrian started scowling at me even more than usual. Lord Damian started throwing suspiciously thoughtful compliments my way.



I was five seconds away from throwing myself out a window.



And then—



It got EVEN WORSE.



It had been a long day of suffering. And then I saw him.



The King, seated at his desk, looking... exhausted.



His usual rigid posture was slightly slouched. His hand rested against his temple.



I had never seen him look... humanly tired before. For some reason, it bothered me.



Before I could stop myself, I spoke.



"Your Majesty," I blurted out. "You look tense."



He looked up, surprised.



I gulped. "Do you... um. Need a massage?"



The room fell into silence.



I mentally screamed.



WHY DID I SAY THAT?!



I expected him to dismiss me immediately.



But instead—



"...Massage?" he echoed.



I nodded weakly. "Yes. I used to get them all the time in my previous life—uh, I mean, I know techniques that might help..."



The King studied me. Then, to my horror—



He turned his chair slightly and gestured.



"...Go ahead."



I froze.



"Huh?"



He closed his eyes. "Proceed."



I had officially dug my own grave. With shaky hands, I stepped forward and hesitantly placed my hands on his shoulders. His muscles were tense.



I gulped.



I had meant to give him a basic shoulder rub and escape.



But then—



PING!

[New Skill Acquired: Royal Massage Techniques (Lv.1)]

Your hands have learned the art of relieving tension. Your massages now have a 20% chance to reduce a person's stress.



I stared in horror. I had accidentally unlocked a massage skill.



And now I had to actually do it.



The moment I finished, I practically fled the room. Only to run straight into Adrian.



"Where were you?" he asked immediately.



I froze. "N-Nowhere." His eyes narrowed.



Then, very slowly, his gaze lowered.



To my hands. To the slight redness on my fingertips from kneading too much pressure.



His entire expression darkened.



"...You touched him," Adrian muttered.



My soul left my body.



"Wait, I—"



Before I could explain, another voice cut in.



"She did what?" Cassian.



And then—



"How scandalous." Damian.



I was so done. And just when I thought things couldn't possibly get worse— I heard a very familiar, very unreadable voice behind me.



"Thalia," the King's voice cut through the air. I slowly turned.



And there he was.



Watching.



Again.