“Excuse me…….”

Ryuel turned around without expectation.

There was no mistaking it. Her voice was different from Alice’s.

The woman, whose cheeks were slightly flushed, stammered as her entire face turned red upon facing Ryuel directly.

“Ex, excuse me, but would you like to have tea…….”

“I apologize for the intrusion. I’m expecting someone soon.”

That was the end of the conversation.

The woman seemed eager to say more, but Ryuel’s eyes were too hollow.

He merely turned his head and didn’t even look at her, leaving no excuse for her to hold on.

“I…… see. Then…….”

As the woman hesitantly walked away, Ryuel turned his gaze back to the river. He stood there for a long time.

Only at sunset did he finally leave.

Chapter 5

A few days later, Aristie, who had returned home after visiting the merchant guild, received delightful news.

Her irreplaceable friend Roselina was waiting in the drawing room.

“Rose!?”

Aristie’s face brightened with joy. She ran down the hallway without even changing her clothes, leaving the maid who brought the news behind.

And with a smile full of excitement, she burst into the drawing room.

“Rose!”

“Alice!”

As soon as Aristie and Roselina saw each other, they embraced and rejoiced in their reunion. After a brief separation, they rubbed cheeks while chattering and embraced again, pressing their foreheads together.

It was hard to let go of such a precious friend they hadn’t seen in a long time. Only after a long while did they separate, rubbing their reddened foreheads and laughing heartily.

“Oh my……. How long has it been, Rose.”

“Well, I came down the year after my debut in the social world, so it’s been about 5 years?”

“Has it already been that long? Time flies. Are you feeling better now?”

“Not entirely well, but better than before. I guess I’ll have to manage it for the rest of my life.”

“You certainly look much more lively than the last time I saw you. That’s a relief!”

Aristie looked at her friend with a face as happy as if she herself had recovered.

Roselina Evitz, the daughter of Count Hampton. She was a graceful woman with pink hair and sky-blue eyes.

But that wasn’t her original color. Her original colors were much darker and more vivid. Her hair was as red as roses, and her blue eyes were strikingly vivid, as if painted. Her skin wasn’t pale enough to show veins like now, but a healthy natural color.

However, one day she suddenly fell ill with a rare disease, and Roselina’s body lost not only its vitality but also its color. Her red hair faded to a pale apricot, and her eyes and skin underwent the same change.

The color of her entire body seemed to fade away completely.

—My goodness, how could such a terrible disease……!

Her desperate parents searched everywhere for a cure. But upon learning that it was such a rare disease and that a complete cure was impossible, they despaired.

Fortunately, it was somewhat manageable through natural therapy, excluding artificial means.

Thus, the Hampton family left the capital and moved to their rural estate. Since then, though they occasionally exchanged letters, it was deeply saddening for Aristie not to have the only friend who understood her by her side.

As time passed, Roselina came to the capital and unexpectedly visited her.

“When did you come up to the capital?”

“About a month ago.”

“What? How could you! You should have informed me as soon as you arrived!”

“I wanted to, but this wretched body made such a fuss after the long journey. I had to call a doctor, brew medicines, and even go into forced recuperation.”

“I see…….”

Aristie muttered as if she understood.

Compared to when she was very ill, she seemed to have improved, but Roselina didn’t look healthy.

The shadow of illness clung tenaciously to her friend’s features, as if it would never leave.

“In fact, my parents opposed me coming to the capital. But living in the countryside was suffocating enough that I could die from frustration before dying from illness. Can you imagine having ‘nature appreciation’ as most of your daily routine?”

“Oh, come on. You could take walks…… or draw…….”

“Right, that’s it! Walking in harmony with nature. Painting landscapes while feeling nature. Looking back over the past 5 years, it was truly a life of a person in nature. Me, who was born a city person.”

“Phew, that must have been tough. Considering your personality.”

“Right? If I could farm, it might be different, but look at my arms. Could I even hold a spade properly, let alone a plow? At my age, I’m being praised for handling a spoon well.”

Aristie laughed, holding her belly for the first time in a while. Roselina’s witty tongue hadn’t changed despite the passage of time.

After grumbling for a while, Roselina asked about Aristie’s recent news.

“How about you? I heard you’re preparing for the imperial wedding. How are things with His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Well, you know. His Majesty is always busy, and I’m busy in my own way…….”

Aristie glossed over it.

Though she had no secrets with Roselina, she hesitated to bring up Estelle’s story to a friend she hadn’t seen in a long time.

She had no intention of mentioning Ryuel.

Fortunately, Roselina didn’t ask further. Instead, she gave advice with a raised corner of her mouth.

“Enjoy living separately. Once you’re married and living together, the second act of life begins.”

“You talk as if you’ve been married.”

“Of course. I have three imaginary husbands born from my mind, you know? And even more children.”

“Pfft, I’m sure.”

“Oh! And by the way, even if you become Empress, I’ll still speak to you informally when we’re alone.”

“Of course. The thought of you speaking formally to me is unimaginable.”

The two continued their lively chatter even after the maid brought tea. As if that wasn’t enough, Roselina urged Aristie to go shopping together since they hadn’t met in a long time.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Walking around outside?”

Aristie asked worriedly, and Roselina gave her a sidelong glance.

“What do you mean? If I were going to stay cooped up at home, I wouldn’t have come to the capital in the first place.”

“Still…….”

“Don’t worry. I’m fine with that much. Instead, the butler will accompany us. It was under that condition that my parents allowed me to go out.”

“……Alright, fine. But since the sun will set soon, let’s keep it simple.”

Having reached an agreement, they headed to the bustling street by carriage.

Whether it was true that she had only been recuperating since coming to the capital, Roselina looked around everywhere like a country girl who’s new to the city.

She would browse new dresses in a boutique and then quickly head out to explore accessory shops. So much so that Roselina’s butler apologized to Aristie.

As dusk settled, the two sat at an outdoor table in a café to rest. Roselina grumbled as she massaged her swollen calves.

“Isn’t it shameless to be exhausted after walking just this much?”

“Are you angry at your calves right now?”

“Yes. I’m fine, but they never listen to me. At this rate, it’s dereliction of duty…….”

Suddenly, with an “Oh!” Roselina closed her mouth, adjusted her skirt, and neatly put on her shoes.

“What is it?”

Aristie looked at her with a puzzled face. Roselina’s gaze was fixed unwaveringly across the street.

Even when she spoke again, her gaze didn’t waver an inch from her target.

“Alice, look at that man.”

“What? Who?”

“That silver-haired man over there! The one shining like an elf among the squid.”

‘Silver-haired?’

Feeling a sense of unease, Aristie’s gaze followed Roselina’s.

Sure enough, there was Ryuel, walking down the street, chatting with his classmates.

‘To meet again, of all times!’

Aristie’s eyes widened like grapes.

It seemed like fate.

To meet in such unexpected situations was astonishing.

And in different places, neither having deliberately sought the other.

“Oh my, he’s looking this way.”

Roselina whispered. As she said, Ryuel, feeling their gaze, was now looking in their direction.

Ryuel widened his eyes as much as Aristie did, then said something to his classmates. They patted his shoulder and walked away, leaving him.

“Eek! He’s coming over here! Right, he’s coming to us, isn’t he?”

Roselina exclaimed in a small, high-pitched voice. Having lived in the countryside, perhaps she hadn’t seen many attractive men, and she was excited.

……No, even if there were attractive men, Ryuel was special.

While Aristie clutched her dress in bewilderment, Ryuel was already in front of her, looking down warmly.

“We meet here, Lady Aristie.”

If they had been alone, he would have surely called her ‘Alice.’

But Aristie had company, and Ryuel understood her situation well.

So, while addressing her by name, he restrained his expression of delight. It was his way of considering Aristie’s position.

“Yes…….”

While Aristie was pondering what to say, Roselina interrupted with a voice Aristie had never heard before.

“Oh my, you know each other?”