She added the embroidery simply because she thought the wrist area of the gloves looked a little plain and wanted to make them more decorative.

Her choice of lily pattern was purely a matter of personal preference.

“Yes. It’s my favorite flower.”

As she answered, Lianna studied Calix’s expression.

His face remained as stoic as ever, yet somehow he seemed unusually subdued.

Did he have unpleasant memories associated with lilies?

The thought puzzled her, and she tilted her head slightly.

“Your Highness… do you dislike lilies?”

If so, it was her mistake.

She should have researched his preferences more carefully.

After all, it was a gift for him, so she should have paid attention to every detail.

As Lianna silently reproached herself, Calix replied.

“It’s not that.”

“It looks like you don’t like them.”

“Does it?”

A faintly bittersweet smile touched Calix’s lips.

Seeing such an unusual and thoughtful expression on his face made her feel slightly unsettled.

Nevertheless, contrary to her concerns, she was relieved and happy to know that he liked the gift.

A quiet sense of pride warmed her chest.

She had half expected him to make a cutting remark about his high standards not appreciating something so crude and amateurish.

Then again, perhaps even a man as ill-tempered as Calix wasn’t heartless enough to say that to her face.

“How’s the size? Does it fit?”

“I believe so.”

Calix put on the gloves as he answered.

A smile of relief immediately spread across Lianna’s face.

She had taken the measurements by eye alone and had been worried that they might be wrong.

Thankfully, they were perfect.

Perhaps it was because those large hands had touched her so many times before.

They had shared moments that still made her cheeks warm whenever she thought about them.

But when had she become so familiar with those hands?

How well did she know them to be able to judge their size so accurately without ever taking a single measurement?

Realizing this left her feeling flustered, so she quickly pushed the thought aside before her face could grow any hotter.

“What are you thinking about to make that kind of face?”

Having removed and replaced his gloves, Calix stared directly at her.

There was no way he could have read her thoughts.

Yet his sharp gaze made her feel strangely guilty, as though she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t have been doing.

“It’s nothing.”

Lianna quickly shook her head.

If he heard what she had been thinking, he would undoubtedly start teasing her again with embarrassing remarks.

***

The following morning, Calix completed the final preparations for his journey to Regenburg.

The relentless snowfall that had blanketed the region for days finally came to an end. Although the roads were still icy, it was impossible to predict when the weather might change again. Since the skies were clear at that moment, he decided it was best to leave immediately.

Accompanied by his knights, Calix rode out of the castle gates.

Despite his repeated insistence that they did not need to see him off, Lianna had accompanied him all the way to the entrance, stubbornly refusing to turn back.

She stood there now, watching him prepare to leave, reluctant to turn back until the very last moment.

“Please travel safely.”

Even beneath her thick cloak, the cold had turned her cheeks bright red.

Calix clicked his tongue softly.

As if to say I told you not to come out here, he added a mild rebuke.

“Don’t do anything foolish while I’m gone.”

Lianna’s brows drew together slightly at the oddly patronizing tone, but she refrained from arguing.

There were too many eyes watching.

As a member of the royal family, she had to maintain a certain level of dignity.

“We’re leaving.”

Calix was amused by her attempt to appear composed. He let out a quiet chuckle and flicked the reins lightly.

His horse moved forward, carrying him away.

Lianna stood where she was, watching his retreating figure for a long time.

Only when he had disappeared into the distance, reduced to nothing more than a tiny speck on the horizon, did she finally turn back.

Upon returning to the palace, she shivered slightly and took off her fur cloak.

Having stood in the cold wind, the warmth inside felt especially comforting.

She made her way to the fireplace and held out her chilled hands towards the flames.

The fire crackled softly, and every so often a log popped, sending a shower of tiny sparks dancing into the air.

Gradually, warmth seeped back into her fingers, easing the lingering cold.

However, after standing there for a while, she was suddenly overcome by a strange feeling.

Something was missing.

Her gaze swept across the room.

The kitten was nowhere to be seen.

Before she went to see Calix off, it had been curled up on the sofa in front of the fireplace, lazily dozing in the warmth.

Now, the spot where it had been sleeping was empty.

Had it hidden itself under the bed, or squeezed into the narrow space between the furniture?

For a cat, neither of those would have been unusual.

Lianna searched everywhere the kitten could have crawled into.

She checked under the bed.

She opened the wardrobe and looked inside.

She even bent down and lifted the edges of the carpet, searching every corner she could think of.

Yet not a single trace of black fur appeared.

As the minutes passed, a sense of unease began to creep into her chest.

Growing increasingly worried, Lianna stepped out into the corridor.

Perhaps the kitten had slipped out through an open door when no one was looking.

This thought made her quicken her pace as she began searching beyond her room.

“The kitten, Your Highness?”

One of the guards on duty frowned thoughtfully as he repeated her question.

Lianna nodded vigorously.

“It’s a two-month-old kitten. Its fur is glossy black, and it has beautiful bright yellow eyes. Have you seen it?”

Hurrying through the corridors, she asked every guard and maid she encountered.

The answer was the same every time.

No one had seen the kitten.

Hoping that this time would be different, Lianna looked at the guard pleadingly.

After searching his memory, the guard suddenly spoke.

“Now that I think about it, I did hear some maids talking about a cat earlier.”

At once, Lianna’s face brightened.

“Where did they say they saw it?”

“When the maids approached, the cat got frightened and ran away. They had come from the direction of the Third Training Ground, so I suspect it’s somewhere around there.”

That was all she needed to hear.

Lianna was so grateful that she nearly grabbed the guard’s hand.

“Thank you so much for telling me.”

Promising to repay the favor properly later, Lianna hurried away.

Gathering the hem of her dress in her hands, she practically ran towards the training grounds.

Anyone who saw her would probably have disapproved of her unladylike behavior, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

She was far too worried.

The Third Training Ground was located a considerable distance from the one Calix usually used.

Unfamiliar with the route, she lost her way several times before finally finding it.

By the time she reached the entrance, she was breathing hard from her hurried pace, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

Before she could catch her breath, an angry voice rang out, sharp and unmistakable.

“How many times must I tell you? That is not the correct way to do it.”

A broad-shouldered middle-aged man was sternly reprimanding someone.

The person being scolded was kneeling on one knee with a sword planted into the ground for support.

“I’ll… try again.”

A young man with red hair staggered to his feet.

Lianna recognized him immediately.

She had never expected to find Kreset at the training ground, so his presence came as a surprise.

The middle-aged noble barked out another order.

“Shift your weight farther forward when you strike. Again! Your movements contain far too many unnecessary motions.”

Kreset swung his sword at the straw training dummy with all his might.

The blade cut through at an angle, but the strike was far from clean.

The middle-aged nobleman immediately frowned.

“Again.”

Without offering a word of praise, he ordered Kreset to do it again.

Sweat streamed down Kreset’s face as he repeatedly struck the dummy.

He put all his strength into each swing, yet it was clear that no amount of effort would satisfy the nobleman.

The man continued to shake his head in disapproval.

Lianna couldn’t bring herself to interrupt.

Instead, she quietly slipped behind a nearby pillar to hide from view.

What was she supposed to do?

The situation was far too awkward to suddenly reveal her presence.

But she couldn’t just turn around and leave either.

She was still worried about the kitten.

The guard had said it had been seen near the training grounds.

If that was true, she had no choice but to search there.

“Already exhausted? How do you expect to stand against the Grand Duke if you’re this weak?”

While Lianna hesitated, the nobleman continued to scold her.

Kreset lowered his head, his face flushing with humiliation.

Unable to defend himself, he simply stood there and endured it.

The middle-aged nobleman compared him to Calix at every turn.

Even Lianna found it painful to listen to.

The criticism was so harsh that it bordered on verbal *buse, yet Kreset never once argued back.

Seeing him stand there with his head bowed caused a pang of pain in her chest.

Eventually, the nobleman ordered Kreset to master everything he had been taught before their next lesson and then turned to leave.

Lianna remained hidden behind the pillar, waiting for him to pass.

Fortunately, he never noticed her.

Only when he had disappeared from sight did she realize that she had been holding her breath.

A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips as she pressed a hand against her chest.

She hadn’t done anything wrong.

And yet, for some reason, she couldn’t shake off the strange sense of unease lingering inside her.

Meanwhile, Kreset pulled himself up and wiped the sweat from his brow.

A dark shadow lingered on his face as he brushed the dirt off his clothes.

Lianna decided to wait until he had left to continue her search for the kitten.

It seemed like the considerate thing to do.

At the very least, it would spare him the embarrassment of knowing she had seen everything that had just happened.

The soft scrape of a sword sliding back into its scabbard echoed through the training ground.

He had clearly decided to leave.

A moment later, footsteps could be heard approaching.

The steady rhythm of boots striking the ground gradually drew closer.

Hidden behind the pillar, Lianna nervously twisted the hem of her dress between her fingers, silently hoping he would simply walk past without noticing her.

Then the footsteps stopped.

The sudden silence made her heart skip a beat.

“…”

What should she do?

After a brief moment of hesitation, she slowly lifted her head.

Just as she had feared, Kreset was standing right in front of her.

The instant their eyes met, making escape impossible, Kreset spoke in a startled voice.

“Your Grace?”