I just stopped thinking about it further. I realized that the more I recalled it, the more embarrassing it became.

Perhaps because I had been asleep for a while, night came early. When I came to my senses, it was already time for dinner.

‘Should I go, or not?’

I didn’t feel like facing Rashid again so soon. If I had just fallen asleep, it would have been fine, but knowing that he carried me in his arms and even changed my clothes himself made my face burn.

‘No, why did he do that?’

It was a bit strange. He kept finding fault with the things I bought, and it was somewhat unlike him. If you ask what’s ‘like Rashid’, it’s hard to explain, but this current behavior certainly isn’t it.

Perhaps if I were to say to him, ‘You, you’re not being yourself!’, he might reply, ‘What is being myself?’ Just like I did before….

This is precisely when those sentences should appear. How nice it would be if a story containing Rashid’s inner thoughts would pop up right now.

However, this strange ability was completely random, and I couldn’t use it at will even for a moment.

While I was contemplating what to do, Sylvester came directly to my room.

“My lady, His Grace is waiting for you.”

“Huh? Oh, tell him I’ll be there soon.”

I reluctantly went down to the dining room.

As always, the food was delicious. At least, it probably was.

In truth, throughout the meal, my soul was so elsewhere that I couldn’t tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose, or whether it was sweet or salty.

“Is it not to your liking?”

“What?! Oh, no. How could it be? It’s delicious.”

Startled by the sudden question, I hastily shoved a piece of steak into my mouth. Meat was always right. I sprinkled a bit of truffle salt prepared on the table over the meat. A fragrant aroma wafted up.

I glanced at Rashid for a moment. He was staring at me intently, as if he was checking how much I was eating. If this continued, I felt like holes would be bored into my head.

It’s bothering me. It’s really bothering me. Why does he keep doing things he never used to do?

Should I ask, or not? Ask, or not? I played a game of flower fortune-telling with the pieces of steak on my plate, eating them one by one.

‘Should I ask….’

The last piece of steak ended there.

Oh, whatever. If I’m this curious, I should just ask. I gathered my courage and opened my mouth.

“Rashid.”

“Yes, Alisa.”

“I heard you personally took me to my room. You didn’t have to do that, I’m sorry for troubling you.”

“It’s natural for a husband to take care of his wife, so it’s fine.”

Rashid picked up his glass and moistened his throat with champagne. He even looked somewhat refreshed. I glared at his brazen expression.

“But, didn’t we… agree not to do this? I thought you agreed… Suddenly doing this is a bit…”

Conscious of the servants moving around to serve, I avoided using the direct word ‘divorce’.

It was then that the sentence I had been desperately waiting for appeared.

「Teasing Alisa was quite enjoyable. Rashid thought her pouting was cute.」

Unfortunately, the content was a bit different from what I had expected.

A chill ran down my spine in that instant. What? What does this mean? What kind of situation is this turning into? My back felt cold. It was as if all the blood in my body had suddenly cooled, a chill sliding down my spine.

「Rashid suddenly recalled the butterfly he used to play with as a child.」

Butterfly… How did he play with the butterfly?

This time, I got goosebumps for a different reason. I couldn’t help but imagine a young Rashid tearing butterfly wings or making specimens.

I had momentarily forgotten, but he is a powerful magic swordsman. And a min-maxed one with the power of fire, at that.

Rashid didn’t seem to care about my two fists clenched tightly on the tablecloth or my pursed lips.

He grinned.

“Of course I did. Because that’s what you wanted. I’m just in the position of accepting it without particularly refusing if you sort things out on your own.”

Rashid rested his chin on his hand and looked at me intently as he spoke.

“So whether it will go as you wish or not, we still don’t know that, right?”

“This is different from what you promised!”

I couldn’t hold back and shouted.

“What’s different?”

Rashid calmly asked back. Is he trying to provoke me right now?

“You agreed to follow through if I did well.”

“That’s right. The conditions still remain the same. If you want it, sort out the situation on your own, and then request it from me, I won’t refuse.”

“It should be you who asks. That’s the only way it makes sense.”

“If a situation arises where that’s possible, I could consider it.”

Rashid smiled and tilted his head.

I hate it. I really hated his composed face. I knew I was the only one in a desperate situation, but it was irritating. For now, since Rashid doesn’t need a divorce, it looks like I’m the one begging, but it was clear that soon enough, he would want to be alone.

“That situation will come soon.”

Calm down. I answered as gently as possible, trying not to lose. I needed to maintain composure. To endure steadfastly through a journey with no known end, I needed perseverance.

It wasn’t easy to envision a good future for everyone alone, without anyone acknowledging it. I even felt a kind of loneliness.

If there really is a god in this world, wouldn’t that god be lonely? Knowing everything isn’t always a good thing. Living as an insider while having an observer’s eye was a strange and peculiar experience.

“The Founding Festival will come before such a situation.”

Rashid pointed out the upcoming schedule.

Right, the Founding Festival. The once-a-year festival held throughout the empire was approaching.

‘…What should I wear?’

Usually, this kind of worry comes from not having anything to wear, but this time, I was worried because I had too many options.

Just as I was lost in these thoughts, Sylvester entered carrying a box wrapped in black velvet.

“What’s this?”

“My gift to you.”

“A gift? Why?”

“Let’s call it a return gift.”

Ah, for the amber brooch? Well, if that’s the case.

I opened the box I received. What was inside was,

“…Didn’t you say it was a return gift for the brooch?”

It was too extravagant to be called that.

* * *

「…It was truly a grand start to the Founding Festival.」

‘I know, I know.’

I sighed deeply in the carriage heading towards the Imperial Palace. I was starting to resent these sentences that only stated the obvious.

Time flew by, and the day of the Founding Festival finally dawned.

Long ago, it’s said that this continent where five dragons lived was teeming with demonic beasts and dominated by other races.

Oppressed by them, humans lived difficult lives. Then Grandia and the heroes rose up valiantly, defeated the dragons, and finally established a country for humans. That is the Grandia Empire.

The event commemorating the founding of the empire was held in a grand and splendid manner. For a whole week, the imperial capital, Granrose, would be a city that never sleeps. A series of balls, concerts, and dance performances would be held at the Imperial Palace, and lavish dishes would grace the banquet tables.

In other words, it meant participating in all sorts of parties for a whole week.

‘I guess buying all those dresses was worth it after all.’

Madame Kruger visited the mansion again, carrying the remaining dresses. She talked on and on about how she got inspired by me and modified the designs of the dresses.

She had me stand for a long time, repeatedly dressing and undressing me. She went on endlessly about which dress was what, which shoes would match, and so on.

I chose one of them at random and got dressed. Without Louise around, there was no one to make a fuss about my appearance.

I wore a bright red ruby necklace around my neck. It was a gift from Rashid for the Founding Festival. It was such a large, clear, and sparkling ruby! Is this really a return gift for the brooch? It seems much more expensive than the brooch.

“This is really for me, right?”

When he gave me the gift, I asked him several times. I was excited because it was valuable enough to live comfortably for a few years if I took it with me when I divorced.