Calix and Selina arrived at the event grounds.

A vast crowd of residents from the territory had already gathered around the platform. At the sight of them, Selina’s mouth went painfully dry.

She had felt nervous at the banquet, too, overwhelmed by the number of people present, but this was on an entirely different scale. Unlike the nobles who had filled the ballroom, this crowd was overwhelming in a way she had never experienced before.

Calix stepped onto the platform first. Selina followed closely behind him and took her seat in the place that had been prepared for her.

‘Everyone is looking at me.’

Feeling as though she was being watched, Selina lowered her gaze to the ground.

Of course they would be curious. After all, the Grand Duke’s wife — or rather, a woman who had travelled all the way from the Empire — was bound to attract attention. She tried not to dwell on the way they were studying her as though she were an unfamiliar creature.

Until now, she had only ever experienced the Marquis’s scornful looks and the Marchioness’s cold, appraising gaze; eyes that relentlessly searched for faults.

Perhaps because of that, these stares did not feel like mere curiosity. Instead, it felt as though everyone was watching her with the same intent: to find something wrong with her.

“Well, then.”

The elderly man overseeing the event spoke with a broad, cheerful smile.

“It seems the Grand Duchess has personally prepared a gift for all of you!”

The crowd stirred when they heard the word ‘gift’.

Their expressions were not particularly bright, though. Selina could not tell whether this was because they had become accustomed to receiving gifts every year, or if they were wary of something made by a woman from the Empire.

‘What should I do…’

Watching the servants unload bundles of gifts from the carts, Selina clenched her hands tightly.

Her palms were slick with sweat, making her grip slippery. If she could, she would abandon the event and flee somewhere where she could be sure no one would find her.

Anxiety tightened its grip on her as she bit down on her lip without realizing it.

“There’s no need to be nervous.”

Calix spoke beside her, his voice flat and casual.

“The items listed are impeccable. To the point that I almost wondered if you’d secretly conducted a survey of the territory’s residents behind my back.”

“Ah…”

Without thinking, Selina let out a small sound of surprise.

‘I thought he hadn’t paid any attention to this event at all.’

He had checked every item on the list after all.

Realizing this softened Selina’s lingering disappointment, if only slightly.

Suddenly, she wanted to see Calix’s expression. She wanted to ask him what he was thinking and how he had noticed her nerves.

“Ah—no, that is—”

“Oh my goodness.”

At that moment, an exclamation rang out from somewhere nearby. It came from several other residents of the territory, different from the elderly man earlier, who were inspecting the gift bundles.

Selina’s shoulders stiffened.

She had chosen each item carefully, hoping the residents would like them. Now, however, as she saw the outcome unfolding before her eyes, her mouth went painfully dry.

Still, Calix had said it would be fine.

‘So at the very least… it won’t be a disaster.’

With her heart in her throat, Selina watched the residents’ reactions.

“How is it? Does it suit me well?”

“Haha! It suits you perfectly, sir! And what about this fan? Since it’s made of bamboo, it looks like it’ll last for more than a year.”

“I like the peaches the best. I’ve never seen anything this fresh before!”

As Selina listened to their lively exchange, light returned to her eyes.

‘They like what I prepared.’

It was the first time she had chosen gifts for someone, and she agonized over whether they would be well received. She questioned herself dozens of times.

There was even a night when she thought so hard about it that she forgot to eat and stayed awake until dawn.

But now, seeing the residents smiling so brightly, all those exhausting days seemed to melt away.

“It seems they like them.”

Selina whispered softly, just loud enough for Calix to hear.

“That’s more than just ‘liking,’”

Calix replied with a faint chuckle, the corner of his lips lifting. The gift bundles contained not only the items she had originally added to the list, but also rain cloaks in anticipation of the heavy summer rains, as well as insect-repellent tools.

Once they had received everything, the territory’s residents turned towards the platform where the Grand Ducal Couple were standing.

“Thank you, Your Grace!”

“Thank you, Grand Duchess!”

“Thank you so much. We’ll put them to good use.”

Watching the people offer their thanks with bright, animated expressions, a smile naturally spread across Selina’s lips.

‘So this is how it feels.’

Until now, Selina had only ever encountered scenes like this in fairy tales. Although she had imagined what it might feel like to help others, she had never truly understood it.

Now, she did.

Her cheeks flushing with excitement, she smiled shyly and sincerely to herself. Beside her, Calix observed her quietly, his expression unreadable.

As the preparations for the sweltering season drew to a close, Calix and the knights revealed their plan. They intended to offer comfort to bereaved families — those who had lost loved ones during the long war with the Empire.

“You stay here. Viktor will remain with you.”

Because of the nature of the matter, Selina, who was from the Empire, could not accompany them. While they were away, Calix left a group of guards behind to protect her and kept Viktor at her side.

“Me! Can’t I stay with milady?”

Alter raised his hand eagerly to ask, only to be rejected without hesitation.

“No.”

Alter tilted his head in confusion at Calix’s cold stare. He had no idea why Calix was looking at him like that. Zenfri, who had a vague understanding of the situation, was quietly delighted at the prospect of getting back double the five gold coins he had wagered.

“Then we’ll be on our way.”

Viktor, who would be staying behind, offered a salute toward the other knights.

‘I had something I wanted to say once this was over…’

Selina, who still had things she wanted to say to Calix, looked at him regretfully.

He had said it wouldn’t take long, though. He should be back soon, shouldn’t he?

Deciding to apologize for losing her temper last time when he returned, Selina headed back to the carriage with Viktor.

“His Grace said it would be fine for you to return to the Grand Ducal Castle first. What would you like to do?”

“Ah, I…”

Smiling softly at Viktor, Selina replied,

“I’d like to wait.”

“I’d like to look around nearby as well. Ever since I came to Thalia, I haven’t gone outside the Grand Ducal Castle even once.”

“…That must have been quite stifling for you.”

In that instant, the look in Viktor’s eyes changed.

Moments earlier, he had seemed stiff and purely professional, but when she mentioned that she had never left the castle grounds, a hint of sympathy appeared in his eyes. Soon after, he looked as though he would do anything for her.

“Is there somewhere you’d like to go? If you enjoy sweet desserts, please say the word. There’s a cake shop near the fountain that’s quite good.”

“C-cake is fine. I’m not really hungry, either.”

To be honest, she rarely ate cake to begin with.

After muttering under his breath that ‘women around Milady’s age don’t usually turn down cake’, Viktor swiftly moved on to another suggestion.

“Then how about browsing some of the new shops? They have everything—from bags to jewelry.”

“Thank you, but that’s all right.”

Selina waved her hands gently as she declined.

“…I apologize. I’m not very knowledgeable about what ladies like, compared to the other knights.”

Seeing Viktor slump suddenly made Selina feel as though she had done something terribly wrong.

Although she hadn’t spoken to Viktor much beforehand, she had found him to be far more thoughtful and considerate than she had anticipated.

“Then… would you like to take a walk near the fountain? I’ve been wanting to see that area.”

When Selina carefully suggested what she herself wanted, his dejected expression brightened at once.

“Yes, that would be wonderful. I’ll escort you.”

Viktor led Selina towards the plaza, where the fountain stood.

The path around the fountain was narrow, so the other soldiers could not follow them. This made Selina feel free from the surrounding gazes and she could finally breathe more easily.

Feeling slightly less tense, she asked a question that had been on her mind for a while.

“I was surprised to see how well you know the sorts of things women might like, Sir Viktor. Do you happen to have a wife?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that…”

The broad, bear-like man flushed shyly as he replied.

“My younger sister likes those things. She scolds me endlessly for knowing nothing, so I ended up learning a bit while trying to keep up…”

“Ah…”

She had expected him to be blunt and unfeeling, but he was actually gentle enough to look after his sister so well.

“Sir Viktor, you’re truly kind.”

Selina was praising him with a gentle smile when—

“Milady. Have you been well?”

Beyond the fountain in the plaza, two familiar figures approached her. They were the maids who had been expelled from the Grand Ducal Castle the previous week.

They lowered their heads and greeted her with solemn respect.

“After witnessing the kindness you showed today, we finally understood that you would never discriminate between the people of Thalia and the Empire.”

“We wanted to apologize for our rudeness back then. So we came, despite our shamelessness.”

Their demeanor was completely different to when Selina had last seen them, and she was taken aback by the change.

They said that sincerity could reach even the hardest of hearts—perhaps what she had shown them that day had truly softened theirs.

“Ah… it’s all right. Please don’t worry about it.”

Suppressing the quiet sense of pride rising within her, Selina accepted their apology.

Relief seemed to wash over the two women as they smiled at each other. Then they spoke to her again.

“Some of our friends who received your gifts today would like to thank you in person, milady. Would you be willing to come with us?”