The highlight of the social season would undoubtedly be the jousting tournaments and hunting competitions. While waiting for spring to fully bloom, the nobles attended salons, picnics, tea parties, and reading gatherings to strengthen their connections. Hyacinth also dutifully attended most of the events, fulfilling her obligations as the flower of Tyche.

But there is a threshold for change and stimulation.

After about two weeks, she finally grew tired of people. However, Hyacinth Hener wasn’t a reckless child or a lone wolf who lived life alone, so she couldn’t just lock herself in her room.

Desperate for peaceful time, Hyacinth compromised by waking up early at dawn.

Thus, she woke up just before dawn, quietly sneaking out of bed on tiptoe. She didn’t want to wake her nanny, who must have been tired as well.

She found and put on a tunic, then quietly and carefully left the room without making a sound. She descended the stairs silently, and the door to the royal garden was right in front of her.

Hyacinth never ran. She moved at the maximum speed allowed by etiquette. Her skirt brushed against her legs with each step.

By then, she should have sensed it. The very unfamiliar sight she would encounter in the familiar and serene garden she finally reached. But Hyacinth, without any preparation, faced that scene.

A man was lying on a wooden bench engraved with the royal emblem. His left arm dangled down, his posture utterly lazy.

Hyacinth was speechless. She crossed her arms and looked down at the man, who crammed his large frame into the bench. It was an uncomfortable sight for the viewer. And that wasn’t all. The Duke of Trisel had gone a step further and placed a stray cat on his belly.

So you weren’t showing your face at any salons or reading gatherings, and you were doing this here.

“…….”

“…….”

Hyacinth tried to find words but gave up. The perceptive man must have noticed her approach, but the Duke didn’t move at all.

A man she really didn’t understand.

Meow!

The cat cried sharply. The man, still with his eyes closed, raised his hand and patted its back as if to soothe it. The cat, which had been hissing, gradually began to purr.

Hyacinth blinked a couple of times.

Let’s see. Gray fur, a strangely short and stubby tail. Even the messy whiskers.

The colors of memory revived.

That cat, the one that caused gardeners to worry by digging up tulip bulbs whenever it was bored. They said it had a nasty temper, but it’s so docile in front of this man.

Have you become a different cat while I wasn’t looking? Were you reborn? Huh? This makes me feel betrayed, you know?

Meow!

The cat cried irritably, as if to ask what she was staring at. Fortunately or unfortunately, its temper seemed unchanged.

“……Duke of Trisel.”

Hyacinth finally opened her mouth to call out to the man. The Duke sighed deeply in response to her call. Then he slowly got up from the bench and sat up straight. The cat, which had slipped off his belly, now settled on his lap.

“The night dew is cold.”

“…….”

“You didn’t stay here all night, did you?”

Hyacinth swallowed the truth that this was the Queen’s garden and access was restricted. If it were her aunt, she might have granted this handsome man permission.

“It’s not something for you to worry about, lady.”

“I’m not worried. I’m just concerned that rumors might spread that Tyche mistreats its guests.”

Ethan Erentis lifted one corner of his mouth in a slight smirk.

“I’m not one to talk much. Besides, isn’t this a place no one visits?”

“……?”

“So, it couldn’t have been me who’d start the malicious rumors.”

“That’s…… true.”

Is the sun rising over there? The dark corner of the sky was gradually brightening. Hyacinth, who briefly glanced eastward, fixed her gaze back on the man’s face.

Was he so disgusted by the sight of her? The man kept his eyes closed.

“So, have you been staying here all this time?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“The palace’s social circle is looking for you, Duke.”

“There are more than a few people looking for me. I don’t need to respond to every single request.”

With those words, the Duke tilted his head back as if he didn’t want to continue the conversation. His throat stood out prominently.

Taking advantage of the brief pause in the conversation, the cat meowed. It seemed to protest, as if not wanting its presence to be forgotten.

Hyacinth, glancing down to check the situation below, was once again surprised at the behavior of the supposedly fierce cat.

The cat wagged its short tail and kept rubbing against the man.

Who are you, really?

Whether it understood the observer’s curiosity or not, the cat continued to show affection to the man in its own way. It licked his fingers and rubbed its back against his palm.

The man merely placed his hand on the cat.

There was no petting or any sign of affection, which made Hyacinth feel inexplicably disappointed.

“……I heard it’s a fierce cat, but it seems to like you, Duke.”

“…….”

Yeah. I figured you wouldn’t answer.

Hyacinth contemplated why she was still standing there. Even though both the Duke and the cat were treating her coldly, why was she staying?

She should leave.

Although she reached a simple conclusion, Hyacinth couldn’t easily move her feet. Regret was a stronger shackle than she had thought. The most bewildering part was that she didn’t know where this emotion came from or where it was heading.

The blowing wind was filled with the scent of flowers.

It was sweet and fragrant. Come to think of it, it was the time when roses started to bloom one by one. The chill of the early morning had completely softened, so flowers would be blooming brightly everywhere.

Hyacinth quietly opened and closed her eyelids, trying to trace her emotions. She observed the man and the cat in the gradually brightening landscape.

Alternating between looking at the man and the animal, she carefully reached out her hand. She wanted to stroke its rough gray fur.

As she nervously extended her hand, meeting the cat’s sharp golden eyes, the man, who had been tilting his head back, slowly raised his head and looked straight at her. The distance was closer than she had thought, making Hyacinth freeze.

“I-I just, the cat, I mean, I just wanted to…… touch the cat….”

Embarrassingly, she stammered. This awkwardness only led to more embarrassment, making Hyacinth’s ears and cheeks turn red, as if soaked in rose water.

Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, unable to bear the feeling, the Duke’s quiet exhale and sudden movement brought his hand close.

He took her hand and placed it on the cat.

It wasn’t through gloves but a direct touch between bare skin. Hyacinth’s heart began to pound wildly.

The soft, fluffy fur she felt under her hand. The rough, hot palm touching her from above. His hand was full of calluses, befitting a knight who honed his sword.

The man’s hand was large, big enough to cover hers completely. Large and elegant…… beautiful.

Hyacinth held her breath, savoring the moment.

Too many stimuli were flooding in at once. For instance, the man’s face right in front of her, and the lively muscles of the cat’s back moving under their joined hands. The sensations were overwhelming.

And then it happened in an instant.

The cat suddenly growled and lashed out with its claws, and the Duke, pushing her hand away, took the scratch instead.

Blood dripped down.

At the very moment Hyacinth widened her eyes, the Duke grabbed the cat, which had assumed a hunting posture. The animal, caught by the scruff of its neck, flailed its legs and protested noisily. Its eyes were glaring fiercely.

“Your Highness!”

Hyacinth belatedly let out a sighing scream.

The Duke, indifferent to her fretting, merely glanced coldly at the cat. He kept looking at the animal until it flinched and calmed down, retracting its claws and starting to wag its tail. It even purred softly, annoyingly gentle.

“Your Highness…….”

“…….”

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault for being greedy…….”

The anxious Hyacinth took out a handkerchief from her pocket. But the Duke’s stern demeanor made her hesitate, unable to approach and constantly checking his mood.

Can I stop the bleeding?

No. More than that, what if the Duke dislikes my approach…….

She wanted his permission, but she was too afraid of being rejected to ask. Foolish. Pathetic.

The Duke let out a shallow sigh. Hyacinth flinched reflexively.

Such a small sound could sting so much. It felt like a tiny thorn was stuck under her nail. She bit the soft flesh inside her mouth and half-tore the handkerchief. Embarrassed by her pathetic behavior, her mind fogged up.

The man slowly stood up from the bench.

Holding the cat firmly with one hand, he extended his other hand to Hyacinth. The implicit gesture allowing her to stop the bleeding made Hyacinth manage a faint smile.

“Thank you.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

“You protected me.”

“That’s basic.”

Basic? Ah, the basics of chivalry.

Hyacinth carefully wrapped the handkerchief around his hand, making sure it wasn’t too tight or too loose. Despite her efforts, the result looked clumsy, which upset her. She wanted it to look nice. She tugged at the ends of the handkerchief, adjusting it here and there.