Jade ground his teeth as he spoke. The anger was directed at himself. Malek sighed. Even if he tried not to, seeing his current state made it impossible not to sigh.

Jade suddenly stood up from his seat like someone suffering from anxiety, worrying about what if Rosana was disappointed, and began spinning around the office. At his restless appearance, Malek offered a solution.

“I’ll contact the jeweler. You’ll need a ring to propose, won’t you? Originally it was scheduled to be made for the wedding day, but… if we pay extra, it can be completed quickly.”

“Good advice. Contact the jeweler!”

“Yes, understood.”

“Once the ring arrives, I’ll propose right away. I need to settle this before the wedding. I’ll carefully choose the ring myself…”

Watching him rattle off proposal plans one after another, Malek felt reassured and tried to carry out the orders. However, Jade’s last words stopped him in his tracks.

“That won’t do. Malek, prepare a bouquet.”

Malek drew a question mark above his head. Perhaps his impatience had gone too far—his sudden order to prepare a bouquet was puzzling. More than anything, even if they prepared a bouquet right now, there was no one to receive it.

“Your Majesty, Lady Rosana is currently at Lady Helpe’s…”

“I know. That’s why I’m telling you to prepare a bouquet.”

“…Are you planning to go meet Lady Rosana?”

You’re thinking of going with a bouquet… that must be it. Seeing his serious expression, he looked ready to run over immediately. Malek debated whether to stop him or not. Going to meet Lady Rosana with a bouquet—even married couples don’t do that often.

It was behavior befitting a doting husband.

But originally, the one whose heart burns moves. It wasn’t a bad thing for their relationship to grow closer. The debut ball alone had been enough, but the more often people saw the future empress being loved generously by the Emperor, the better.

“I’ll tell the gardener to prepare the most splendid and beautiful bouquet. However, Your Majesty.”

But he couldn’t tolerate throwing aside documents to go. Malek offered counsel.

“Would Lady Rosana truly be pleased if you went to meet her while abandoning work that protects national security?”

“…Can’t I just solve it quickly?”

Jade picked up his pen combatively.

* * *

Lily had invited several carefully selected young ladies. She planned to build connections for Rosana in advance out of concern. Fortunately, the young ladies didn’t refuse. 

Rather, several curious young ladies had sent letters to Lily first. Currently, Lily was the only person connected to Rosana.

“Everyone came so quickly. You haven’t been waiting long, have you?”

Rosana sat right next to Lily as she’d arranged, wearing an apologetic expression.

“Don’t worry. Everyone came quickly because they were curious about you, Rosana. Now that the guest of honor has arrived, shall we start the tea party in earnest?”

Simple refreshments and teacups were placed on the table.

“This is my first time having a tea party face-to-face with so many young ladies. I’d be grateful if you’d call me by my first name. I’m not fond of being called by my surname.”

They exchanged light greetings. Though the conversation lacked substance, she was grateful it contained no malice. The previous debut ball had been solely to introduce Rosana, but she’d barely spoken with the nobles. 

The nobles who’d been whispering had only approached Rosana near the very end, and with so many nobles showing interest at once, it had been overwhelming to respond to them all individually.

In the end, she’d had to signal Jade that it was enough. When Jade glared fiercely at those approaching to claim the seat beside her, even those who’d been about to speak retreated.

But the young ladies Lily said would be good to befriend had a different atmosphere. 

Each one overflowed with confidence and carried themselves proudly. And they boldly threw out questions right away.

“You’re amazing. Lady Rosana must be the only person who can control His Majesty with hand gestures.”

“N-no, I’m not.”

Rosana waved her hands to express denial, but it didn’t work on those who’d already witnessed it. She only smiled awkwardly and silently drank her tea.

“Ah, I was surprised too.”

“Given His Majesty’s temperament, we won’t be seeing those noblewomen at gatherings for a while.”

“That’s fortunate. It was always troublesome how they only spread bad rumors… It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say all the gossip came from them.”

“How hilarious they looked running out with their faces bright red after getting hit.”

“Of course. Would Lady Rosana, who even repelled the Ales envoy, be intimidated by such nobles?”

Lily cheekily smiled and brought up the envoy matter. Rosana humbled herself.

“It’s nothing impressive. I just used my position.”

“Most people can’t even properly use that position.”

At the tone telling her to be proud, Rosana smiled awkwardly. Talking face-to-face like this made her feel truly accepted.

“Whatever method you used, didn’t it benefit the empire? Then you should be proud.”

“Regarding both the envoy issue and the ball, my perspective has changed significantly. I’m sure everyone else’s has as well.”

They nodded in agreement.

“…Then I’m relieved. I haven’t tarnished his reputation.”

Gone was the elegant and confident person from the ball, replaced by someone embarrassed by praise. They’d realized too late that Rosana was someone pure yet bold when she needed to be. They felt even more guilty since they too had spread various rumors about Rosana.

“If you’re curious about anything or uncomfortable, please tell us anytime.”

“That’s right. Aren’t there many inconveniences due to the suddenly changed environment?”

The curious young ladies began asking questions one by one, and Rosana calmly answered them.

‘…They don’t seem to dislike me.’

Unlike in Astrot where she was treated like a sack of barley, this was a situation Rosana was leading. 

When questions crossed the line due to excessive enthusiasm or Rosana showed signs of embarrassment, Lily gently mediated.

“Oh my, is that so?”

“Yes. In Astrot, most women wear dresses.”

“When there’s a lot of activity, wearing pants is more comfortable though.”

One young lady said, looking down at her outfit.

“It’s not that there are no pants. For example, we wear pants when horseback riding. But there are disapproving looks. They think it’s unsuitable attire…”

“Isn’t what I do my own choice?”

“It’s different for each culture. That’s why I like the culture and atmosphere here. The fact that women also speak their minds freely, and above all, that they lead their families.”

“It’s merit-based. By the way, I heard from afar, but it really sounds like a suffocating place to live.”

The tea party was flowing smoothly. Then a maid came running from afar. At the undesirable behavior, Lily’s brow furrowed. The maid quickly whispered softly in Lily’s ear. 

Then her furrowed face smoothed with surprise and she lightly covered her mouth with an “oh my.” She clapped her hands lightly.

“Time’s up. We have many stories left, but today isn’t the only day.”

The young ladies tilted their heads. The ending atmosphere had arrived abruptly. But when they turned their heads where Lily glanced, they saw a familiar silhouette. Like Lily covering her mouth in surprise, the other young ladies did the same.

“What a shame.”

“Let’s talk again next time.”

They gave final greetings with winking eyes. Rosana tilted her head at the suddenly dispersing atmosphere. She had a sense of déjà vu. Hadn’t something like this happened just a few days ago?

“I didn’t know you’d be enjoying yourself this much.”

“Jade? How did you get here…!”

Rosana tilted her head back. Her eyes widened. A large bouquet was held in his hands. 

The bouquet of fresh, abundant roses was more than enough to fill her arms. At his casual gesture of handing over the bouquet, Rosana’s heart stirred.

“Is it strange that I came to find you?”

“No, but the bouquet in your arms…”

“It’s a bribe.”

“A bribe?”

“So you’ll overlook it even if there’s something disappointing…”

Rosana somehow ended up receiving the bouquet thr*st at her. The lush flowers were incredibly beautiful. And she heard the words “utmost devotion” from behind. 

Her face flushed, Rosana buried her face in the bouquet. The fragrant flower scent felt even sweeter.

“What is there for me to be disappointed about? More than that, you shouldn’t come like this…”

“Treating me like an uninvited guest. How cruel. Did you only want to see me?”

At Jade’s pitiful voice, the surrounding young ladies murmured. Rosana rolled her eyes, then swallowed a breath helplessly and reciprocated for the bouquet.

“I wanted to see you too.”

At the affectionate voice, Jade chuckled. The young ladies watched the two who’d already fallen into their own world.

“But if you were coming, you should have told me. Then I would have gone out…”

“I came because I wanted to meet you, so what would I do if you came out?”

Jade grabbed the waist of Rosana as she stood up and pulled her to stand right beside him. Since both her hands were occupied by the bouquet, she moved as Jade led.

“In that sense, I’ll be taking Rosana with me.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Watching the two leave, the young ladies didn’t end the tea party but chattered about their relationship.

“The other ladies were surprised.”

Rosana said, glancing at the young ladies still remaining.

“Surprised? Rather, they seemed entertained.”

“That’s…”

Having seen the sparkling eyes of those watching, Rosana couldn’t bring herself to refute.

“Shall I show them?”

“What? Show what…”

Rosana couldn’t stop the approaching face. From behind came a squeal full of excitement!

Startled, Rosana pushed against his chest, and the bouquet hit his chest. Petals fluttered down. His lips barely grazed past Rosana’s cheek. Jade rubbed his chest area, pretending it hurt.

“Rosana, that hurts.”

“…Don’t lie.”

Rosana turned her head sharply. She wanted to escape this place quickly. Her heart pounded like it would burst. Her heart flaunted its presence enough to pop out of her mouth.

Jade caught up to Rosana’s pace with his long legs. Rosana pretended not to notice Jade’s approaching hand.

“Is this why you came?”

“That’s part of it. I was worried whether you’d find your way back well.”

“…I’m not a child. I can find my way.”

Rosana’s expression turned sulky.

“You’ve never gone out alone before. I was worried about you.”

“What…!”

Rosana started to speak but stopped and thought carefully. As he said, this was her first time going out alone.

“There’s a carriage…”

“You trust the coachman? What if someone targeting you bribes the coachman? You don’t even know the way—how would you know if you’re going to the palace properly?”

Though the logic was sound, at words that were practically sophistry, Rosana was left speechless.

“…You have safety paranoia, Your Majesty. And Baron is there too.”

Jade shrugged.

“It’s too late after something happens. And a reply came from the ducal family. Your prediction was right. But didn’t you invite them too soon?”

“Really? But it can’t be helped. A mere wedding won’t change anything. I want to firmly imprint ‘myself’ on them.”

Rosana smiled leisurely.

“You’ll support me, won’t you?”