Chapter 4 (Part 5)

“So, you’re saying all they did was tell you not to look for her because she’s with the Grace family? And that it was only because Heldor begged them to send her there?”  

“Yes.”  

After Earl Plarad’s rampage, Rio realized the seriousness of the situation.  

Rio assumed that after the Earl left the Duke’s manor, he would head to the Baron’s manor. Knowing how much they had abused Reinis at the Baron’s household, he was certain they wouldn’t arrange a good marriage for her.

Moreover, having no affection for her, they would submit a marriage permit without any regard for Reinis’s wishes.  

“You need to get approval before they submit the marriage permit on their end.”

From observing her for some time, it was clear that Reinis had not approached with any malicious intent.  

Theodore’s gaze toward her was overflowing with affection, so there was no need to worry about that. However, the fact that the two of them knew so little about each other remained a concern, but there was no more time to delay.  

“Return to the Imperial Palace immediately and report to His Majesty. Once the results come in, I’ll send a message.”  

Leaving behind Theodore’s request, Rio returned to his room and began packing his belongings. As he finished packing everything, Rio realized something he had forgotten.  

“Oh… I didn’t even say goodbye to the lady before leaving.”  

At first, he had approached Theodore to figure out his intentions, but now he was rushing with all his heart to ensure that Reinis wouldn’t fall into the hands of scoundrels like the Martins or the Plarads.  

Looking at his neatly packed luggage, Rio gave a faint smile and pulled out paper and pen. He spent a long time pondering what to write.  

After finishing the letter, Rio went back to Theodore’s office.  

“I will deliver your marriage permit safely to His Majesty.”  

“I’m counting on you.”  

“In return, have breakfast with the lady tomorrow morning. I used to visit her room at the same time every day to eat together, and if she suddenly eats alone, she might feel lonely.”  

***

The next morning.

“How disappointing… Leaving without even saying goodbye…”  

Muttering to herself, Reinis picked up the letter Rio had left behind.  

Although they hadn’t spent a long time together, Reinis thought they had grown quite close during Rio’s stay at the Duke’s manor. However, the morning after the Earl’s arrival, Rio left without saying a word to her, leaving only a single letter.  

“Could it be… that he was disappointed in me because of the Earl…?”  

Worried, she couldn’t find the courage to check the contents of Rio’s letter.  

Seeing Reinis hesitating for a long time without opening the letter, Yuria, who had been quietly watching her, spoke cautiously.  

“Since Sir Rio left a letter, I don’t think he was disappointed in you, Miss. If you check what’s written, I think you’ll feel more at ease. Why don’t you take a look?”  

At Yuria’s words, Reinis swallowed dryly and slowly unfolded the letter. The elegant handwriting immediately caught her eye. Reinis’ hands trembled slightly as she tightly closed her eyes, as if she wasn’t fully prepared yet.  

‘Maybe he was kind to me just because he’s a friend of the Commander. No one would sincerely like someone like me… That’s why he might have left the letter out of courtesy. I shouldn’t expect too much. The less I expect, the less I’ll be hurt. Don’t expect anything…’  

As if reciting a spell, Reinis calmed her emotions and slowly opened her eyes.  

[Lady, I wanted to say goodbye in person, but due to urgent matters, I had to write this letter instead. Please forgive me.]

The first sentence caught her attention. The moment she read it, Reinis let out a sigh of relief, opened her eyes fully, and continued reading the letter.  

[When everything is settled, I’ll come to see you again, so even if you miss me terribly, please bear with it.]  

At the playful final remark, Reinis burst into laughter, shaking off not only her feelings of disappointment but also the tension she had been holding onto. Finally feeling at ease, she began to wonder what urgent matter had caused him to leave.  

“I hope it’s not something bad…”  

Murmuring to herself, Reinis’ gaze naturally turned toward the window.  

At that moment, there was a knock on her room door. At this hour, Rio would always come by to invite her to breakfast, but from today onward, Rio was no longer there.  

“Sir Rio is gone… Then who could it be?”  

Her curiosity was short-lived.  

“Lady, may I come in?”  

The voice that answered her question was polite yet warm.  

When Reinis granted permission to enter, the door opened.  

Seeing the small table in front of her, Theodore remembered that Rio had mentioned leaving behind a letter.  

“Are you upset that he left without saying goodbye?”  

“A little, but since he left a letter explaining he had urgent matters, I’m fine now.”  

When she answered with a bright smile, Theodore’s face lit up with a smile as well.  

“That’s a relief.”  

“But, what brings you to my room so early in the morning…?”  

When she trailed off with a puzzled expression, Theodore responded with an even warmer smile.  

“I wanted to have breakfast with you.”  

Thus, the two of them went down to the dining hall together and began their breakfast.  

***

For several days, Rio had been with them, so the atmosphere during their one-on-one meal time felt rather awkward. However, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.  

Though the quiet dining hall was filled only with the sound of utensils clinking, there was a certain excitement and joy in sharing a meal between Theodore and Reinis. Occasionally, simple conversations passed between them, though nothing particularly special was discussed.  

As the meal was coming to an end, dessert was placed in front of the two. At that moment, Theodore cleared his throat a couple of times before asking Reinis,  

“Do you have any plans after the meal?”  

“I wouldn’t call them plans, but… today, I’m supposed to go around meeting the servants with Sir Hel.”  

Reinis answered with a shy smile.  

At her response, Theodore recalled something Heldor had once reported to him.  

“I heard that Hel intended to introduce the servants to you, Lady. But I didn’t realize that was scheduled for today…”  

“By any chance… did I make a promise to do something with you today, Commander?”  

When Theodore trailed off, Reinis asked with a serious expression. Seeing her deeply worried over the possibility of forgetting an engagement with him, Theodore let out a soft laugh and replied,  

“You didn’t promise anything with me, but if you don’t have any plans, I thought we could go check on Ken’s condition together.”  

“Oh…”  

Letting out a short sigh, Reinis once again wore a serious expression, lost in thought.  

‘Meeting the servants of the Duke’s manor is important too… But this is the first time the Commander has asked me to do something together. What if I refuse and he never suggests anything to me again… Just like when Chloe stopped sending invitations for months after I declined her once.’  

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize she was letting out faint groans.  

Finding her endearing yet unable to leave her in such a state, Theodore cleared his throat a couple more times. Only then did Reinis snap out of her thoughts and lift her head to look at him.  

“I’ll talk to Hel and adjust the schedule. Since I’ve already made an appointment with the servants, that should take priority, don’t you think? Besides, going to check on Ken with me is something we can always do later.”  

With his kind words, the breakfast came to an end.  

After escorting her back to her room, Theodore returned to his office and immediately summoned Heldor.  

“I didn’t inform the servants because I wanted to show her their natural reactions when they meet the lady.”  

“Is that so? Then does that mean the servants still don’t know they’ll be meeting the lady?”  

“Yes. But why do you ask, Commander?”  

Even as Heldor questioned him, Theodore nodded and suddenly stood up from his seat.  

“Hel, until you’ve finished dealing with all of this today, don’t step out of the office.”  

“…What? W-Wait a moment, Commander! All of this? By myself?”  

Theodore answered Heldor’s question with a simple nod, then spoke as he exited the office.  

“Before the intruders return, I plan to have some time alone with the lady.”  

With those words—  

Bang—  

The office door shut firmly.  

As Theodore left the office, he thought he could hear Heldor’s scream echoing behind him, but he paid it no mind as he made his way to Reinis’s room.