Alex ran his rough hand over his skin.

Of course, as a swordsman who had been through numerous battles, his skin could never be called smooth. The sensation at his fingertips was coarse and rugged.

However, it was different in texture from the skin he would have in the future. Especially since he rarely smiled, there were no wrinkles to be found around his eyes or mouth.

His gaze then shifted to his hair. The mirror reflected jet-black hair, darker than the night sky. Slicked back with oil, not a single strand of white hair was visible.

Finally, he examined his jaw.

Just a few months ago, he had carefully maintained a well-groomed beard, but now, it was gone. When he touched it, all he felt was smooth skin.

Of course, he could grow a beard if he wanted to.

However, noblemen typically didn’t grow beards until their children came of age. Alex was twenty-nine, and his daughter, Bella, was ten—so it wasn’t yet time for him to grow one.

‘Is that why she pushed me away back then?’

He recalled Elicity, who had been startled in the study and shoved him away.

At the time, Alex had thought she had done so because she didn’t love him. Though he hadn’t been devastated, he had felt somewhat dejected.

But now, knowing there was a different reason, he should have felt relieved. However, the problem was that this ‘other reason’ was something even he, with all his power, could never change—no matter how much the sky fell or the earth crumbled.

Alex sighed and rubbed his face with both hands.

To him, it didn’t matter what Elicity looked like—what was important was that he had her back in his life. Just seeing her bright smile made his heart race.

Yet, she insisted he was wrong. She said desiring a younger spouse was morally unacceptable.

Alex was truly baffled.

Even when he had first encountered Salita’s newly developed modern tank, he hadn’t been this taken aback.

He continued staring at the mirror, but when his aide called for him, he had no choice but to leave the bedroom.

***

“Nemilla, it’s just as I planned!”

Walking through the garden, Bella couldn’t contain herself and let out a delighted squeal, stomping her feet excitedly.

Finding her lady so adorable, Nemilla smiled warmly.

“Was this part of your plan, my lady?”

“Yes! Do you know how hard I worked to memorize the term ‘show-dow couple’ while reading the newspaper?”

“It’s ‘show-window couple.’”

“T-That’s not important.”

Bella waved her finger dismissively.

She had been playing in the dirt earlier, so her short, chubby fingers were still covered in sand.

“My lady, you’ll need to wash your hands before going inside. If they find out you were playing in the dirt, you’ll get scolded.”

“What’s wrong with dirt…?”

“No, my lady. Besides, I’ll be the one who gets scolded.”

“I don’t want that. I like you, Nemilla.”

Suppressing her irreverent urge to kiss her lady for being so adorable, Nemilla simply held out her hand again.

“The lord and lady’s meal likely isn’t over yet. Shall we take a stroll by the fountain? The Fula flowers are in full bloom.”

“Okay!”

And so, Bella and her nursemaid slowly walked back toward the mansion.

Near a gardener tending to the roses, there was a shadow—one a whole head taller than Bella. Her eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

“Oh? Who’s that?”

“Oh, my.”

Nemilla quickly grabbed Bella’s shoulders and turned her around.

“I forgot that boy was here. Shall we take another route? A noble lady shouldn’t associate with a lowly stable boy.”

“A lowly stable boy? Nemilla.”

Placing her hands on her hips, Bella mimicked her mother, Elicity, word for word.

“Even though there’s a class system, no job is more or less valuable than another! A stable boy is just as important as anyone else!!”

“Ah… That is true, my lady.”

She appeared to be putting on a solemn expression, but really, she just found Bella utterly adorable. Stifling a laugh, Nemilla continued.

“My lady, you are absolutely right. However, men and women should keep their distance. It wouldn’t be proper for a young lady and a young boy to be alone together in the garden without a proper chaperone. Neither I nor the gardener are formal guardians.”

“Hmm… That makes sense.”

Bella nodded obediently and continued walking.

But she was always curious about new servants, especially since they changed frequently. Besides, most of them were adults, so it was only natural for her to be intrigued by someone her own age.

Even as she walked in the opposite direction, she couldn’t help but glance back at the unfamiliar boy.

And then—

The boy turned around.

For a moment, Bella was completely mesmerized.

“Oh…”

A rosy blush bloomed on her cheeks.

***

After Alex rushed out of the dining room as if something were chasing him, Elicity sat there, bewildered, exchanging looks with the servants one by one.

Everyone had the same dumbfounded expression.

What on earth was wrong?

In any case, the conclusion was clear—she still hadn’t managed to bring up Bella’s assignment. And it was the hardest problem of all.

‘When on earth should I say it?’

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with the right moment. In the end, she decided to set aside the dilemma for now and left the dining room for the study.

“My lady, the young miss has arrived.”

“Oh!”

Just then, Bella entered Elicity’s study, having just returned from a stroll in the garden.

However, her expression was strange.

Bella looked completely dazed. Confused, Elicity glanced outside at the garden Bella had walked through.

It was a cool April morning, far from hot enough to cause heat exhaustion. Moreover, under the skilled hands of the gardener, vine flowers had formed a canopy overhead.

“Nemilla, why does my child look so absentminded? It doesn’t seem like the weather is particularly warm today.”

“Well…”

Elicity looked at Nemilla.

There was something guilty in her expression, making Elicity frown. At that moment, her daughter suddenly shouted.

“Mother! I want to learn horseback riding!!”

“Horseback riding?”

She had just returned from a walk in the garden—where had this sudden desire to ride horses come from?

Elicity turned to Nemilla again, silently questioning her.

But Nemilla hesitated, unable to speak easily. She only cast an anxious glance at Bella.

That meant only one thing: it was a topic she couldn’t discuss honestly while Bella was present.

“All right, my love. I’ll think about it, so go wash up with Nemilla first.”

After sending Bella away, Elicity later called Nemilla back to hear the full story.

And after learning the reason, Elicity didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“She wants to learn horseback riding because she’s fallen for a stable boy?”

Of course, noble young ladies typically studied various artistic subjects to cultivate refinement.

And there were limits to what Lady Fertel, the future tutor, could teach.

The current Royal Academy did not offer courses in etiquette or the arts.

So, for the subjects Fertel couldn’t cover, Elicity had planned to hire a noblewoman as a separate instructor… but horseback riding, of all things?

“Nemilla, isn’t horseback riding strictly for men?”

“Yes, but as you know, Her Highness the former princess enjoys horseback riding. And there are female knights in Zeroden as well. When the young lady asked why she couldn’t do the same, I had no response. I beg your forgiveness, madam.”

Elicity held her head in her hands.

After her regression, she had vowed to allow Bella anything that would make her happy. She couldn’t go back now and say that a noble lady must maintain her dignity and therefore couldn’t ride horses.

However, any action that deviated from the norm would inevitably invite gossip.

Elicity didn’t want her daughter to be hurt by that.

“I understand. For now, say nothing to Bella and take her measurements for the dress she’ll wear to the victory banquet. She’s growing so quickly that she’ll need a new one.”

“Understood.”

“And…”

Elicity hesitated before speaking.

“Bring me the stable boy.”

***

In truth, after her regression, the first thing Elicity did in secret was search for the young nobleman whom Bella had loved.

At the time, she had opposed their relationship not only because she wanted Bella to become queen but also because he was a fallen noble, making the gap in status too vast.

So she had thought that if she found him now and elevated his status, it would make things easier in the future if Bella still loved him.

However, in her past life, she had been too indifferent.

She didn’t remember the young man’s age, name, family—she couldn’t even recall what he looked like.

All that remained in her memory was the scene of her daughter crying as she professed her love for him.

Once again regretting her past coldness, Elicity had sworn that this time, she would never oppose Bella’s love.

‘But a stable boy…?’

A stable boy wasn’t even a commoner or a fallen noble—he was a lowborn servant. And in Madonia, marriage between nobles and commoners was strictly prohibited by law.

“There’s no way this could ever happen…”

As Elicity murmured to herself, a knock sounded at the door.

“Madam. It’s Celon. I’ve brought the stable boy as requested.”

“Let him in.”

The boy Celon led inside looked strangely familiar.

But more than that, what surprised her was how remarkably beautiful he was.

His platinum hair shimmered under the chandelier, and his silver-blue eyes gleamed. His pale, porcelain-like skin was stunning.

His delicate frame, which seemed more suited to holding a pen than a sword, didn’t match the image of a stable boy at all.

Yet, at the same time, there was an unexplainable intensity about him.

If her husband was an untamed storm, this boy was a deep, flowing current.

For a moment, Elicity felt overwhelmed—not with humiliation, but with admiration.

Not even the prince of the great kingdom of Salita had given her this impression before.

“Madam, it is an honor to meet you.”

His restrained movements and polished speech resembled those of a well-educated noble. Even his voice was pleasant, making Elicity struggle to conceal her surprise as she rose from her seat.

“All right. What is your name?”