Chapter 4.2

Early in the morning, a convoy of carriages, led by knights assigned as escorts, departed from the Grand Duke’s castle.  

The atmosphere in the carriage was one of excitement—or at least, it should have been.  

The journey marked a vacation—a rare break from the usual routine. And not just any vacation, but one with the Grand Duke himself.  

Of course, it wasn’t a private trip for just the two of them, but that wasn’t something to dwell on for now.  

Their final destination was Anes Island, renowned as one of the most beautiful resort locations.  

The plan was to travel by carriage to the small port city of Aden, located at the edge of Castia’s territory, and then transfer to a ship to continue the journey.  

However, there was one thing that threatened to dampen the otherwise joyous mood.  

That was Bianca’s piercing gaze, which felt as though it could not only stab but outright bore a hole through the person it targeted.  

Inside the carriage, Bianca sat directly across from Helio.  

From the moment the journey began, she hadn’t spoken a single word. Instead, she had been glaring at him relentlessly.  

And why had it come to this?  

It all started just as they were about to board the carriage.  

“Why don’t the four of us ride together? His Majesty encouraged us to take this vacation together, partly so we could get to know each other better, didn’t he?”

It was Bianca who had made the suggestion.  

Although it was unclear why she had suddenly proposed it, it felt awkward to refuse, so they ended up in the same carriage.  

‘If this was how it was going to be, why did she even suggest riding together?’  

Unable to endure the awkwardness any longer, Helio was the first to break the silence.  

“Ahem. Ahem. Anes Island, huh? I’ve only ever heard about it, but this will be my first time going. Have any of you been there before?”  

“This is my first time visiting Anes Island too. They say it’s breathtakingly beautiful, so I’m really looking forward to it.” 

Lady Diana replied. Her voice carried a tone of relief, as if she was glad someone had finally spoken.  

“You mean to tell me neither of you have been there before? I’ve been there several times since I was a child. I liked it so much that my father even considered buying the island.”

Bianca said, her chin slightly raised as she spoke with an air of pride.  

Her tone always began with boasting and ended with showing off, so Helio had grown used to it by now. He nodded absentmindedly, while Lady Diana clapped her hands and chimed in enthusiastically.  

“Oh my, I’m so jealous! My father insists on going to Bliss Beach every year, so I haven’t had the chance to visit many other places.”  

Bianca’s face turned bright red in an instant.  

Bliss Beach was none other than the private beach owned by the Imperial Family.  

In other words, entry was impossible without an invitation from the Emperor himself.  

It was a place anyone would want to visit, but only a select few ever could. For those who had been there even once, it was a source of pride and honor for their family.  

And now, judging by Bianca’s reaction, it was clear she had never been there.  

“Pfft.”  

Helio couldn’t help but laugh, despite trying to hold it in. Bianca’s entire body trembled with suppressed anger, which only made it harder to stifle his amusement.  

Ah, I had made a mistake.  

Bianca’s glare grew even sharper.  

“Ahem. What about you, Lady Adelina? Have you ever been to Anes Island?” 

Helio quickly redirected the conversation to Lady Adelina, hoping to avoid further trouble.  

“…My father took me to many places, but I’ve never been to Anes Island before.” 

Lady Adelina replied.  

At this point, Helio briefly considered whether he should boast about his own father, but before he could decide, Bianca suddenly cut in.  

“By the way, Lady Elena, isn’t this the worst possible time for you to be taking a trip? I heard there was quite the commotion recently. Has it all been resolved?”

From Bianca’s triumphant expression, it became clear why she had suggested sharing the carriage.  

She had wanted to say those words, and she wanted to say them in front of everyone.  

The “commotion” she referred to was about Evan.  

Since many had witnessed the incident, and Evan had made such a spectacle, it was only natural that the story had reached Bianca’s ears as well.  

“Oh, everything has been resolved. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but it was all lies from the start.” 

Elena replied.  

“My, it seems you still don’t know.” 

Bianca said, her eyebrows drooping downward, though her expression was far from sympathetic.  

“What… do you mean?”  

“I only found out because a friend from the capital sent me a letter, but it seems some very unpleasant rumors about you, Lady Elena, have spread far and wide. They say the number of men you’ve toyed with isn’t small. Oh, dear, should I not have said anything? I was just worried about you.”  

Bianca made no effort to hide the smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.  

You… don’t even have friends.  

Elena didn’t know who would bother writing a letter to spread such gossip, but at least one thing Evan had said turned out to be true.  

The part about rumors spreading in the capital.  

She had assumed it was all lies, but perhaps Evan was behind everything.  

If so, why would he go to such lengths?  

“That, too… will all come to light. It’s utter nonsense, after all. Even the Grand Duke didn’t believe a word of it.” 

Elena said firmly.  

At her final remark, Bianca’s expression twisted into an ugly grimace.  

“That’s right. Such baseless rumors will eventually be exposed for what they are. Let’s take this opportunity to forget all the unpleasantness and enjoy ourselves. I’m sure the Grand Duke approved of this trip with that intention in mind.” 

Lady Diana said, clasping her hands tightly in support.  

“Thank you, Lady Diana.” 

Elena replied.  

Diana had been the first to console her when she heard about the situation.  

Before Elena could fully savor the comfort, Bianca interjected again with a scoff.  

“I hope it does get cleared up. Though, it would have been better if there hadn’t been any reason for such rumors to arise in the first place.”  

Bianca’s words were laced with thorns, as if implying that Elena was to blame for the whole ordeal.  

With that mocking remark, Elena turned her head to look out the window.  

She could have argued back as much as she wanted, but she didn’t want to waste any more of her emotions on something so pointless.  

Yes, it was enough that the people she cared about believed in her.  

After that, the carriage fell into complete silence until they reached their destination.  

The carriage ran for several hours before arriving at the port city of Aden.  

As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, the salty scent of the sea carried by the wind greeted them.  

It had been a long time since Elena had seen the ocean. Feeling the cool breeze and gazing at the vast horizon, the suffocating weight in her chest seemed to ease a little.  

At the pier, several large and small ships were docked.  

From here, they would have to switch to a ship and travel for another two hours to reach Anes Island.  

“Did everyone have a comfortable journey?”  

Dean, who had stepped out of the carriage ahead of them, approached and asked.  

It had been very, extremely uncomfortable, but that was due to the person she had shared the carriage with, not the carriage itself. So, Elena simply nodded in silence.  

“There are still about two hours left until the ship we need to board departs. Until then, you can rest in the carriage a bit longer or explore the nearby area if you’d like.”  

The streets were lined with a variety of stalls.  

Elena had already been eager to look around, so she quickly raised her hand.  

“Then I’ll take a look around nearby. Lady Diana, would you like to come along?”  

“Sure.”  

“I’ll join too.” 

Adelina said eagerly, perhaps feeling stifled from being in the carriage.  

“I’ll stay and rest.”  

No one had asked Bianca.  

Bianca, who had remained in the carriage, spoke curtly through the window before quickly drawing the curtain shut.  

It seemed neither of them wanted to be around the other.  

“Then I’ll accompany you all as well. While this area is relatively safe, one can never be too cautious.” 

Dean said.  

Dean, who had left to briefly report to the Grand Duke, returned much sooner than expected—and to Elena’s surprise, he brought the Grand Duke with him.  

“Are you joining us for sightseeing, Grand Duke?” 

“It’s not sightseeing, it’s an inspection.” 

The Grand Duke replied.  

Behind him, Dean gave Elena a sly wink.  

Dean, what a capable man.  

No wonder he was the chief aide.  

Efficient! Praiseworthy!  

Elena secretly gave him a thumbs-up.  

And at that moment, she saw it.  

Through a small gap in the curtains, Bianca was peeking outside.  

She kept biting and releasing her lips, looking visibly anxious.  

Well, well. She never expected the Grand Duke to join, did she? Neither did I.  

That must be nerve-wracking for her.  

If it were Elena, she would have immediately burst out with, ‘Oh, I’ve changed my mind. I’d like to explore after all,’ and joined them.  

But Bianca couldn’t do that.  

Since Bianca herself had declared she would rest, unless someone explicitly invited her, there was no way her pride would allow her to step out of the carriage.  

Of course, knowing this, Elena had absolutely no intention of inviting her—not even in her wildest dreams.  

When their eyes met, Elena pulled the corners of her lips up as much as possible, as if she were having the time of her life. And truthfully, she was quite delighted.  

“Grand Duke, let’s go quickly!”  

She deliberately grabbed the Grand Duke’s arm and tugged at it.  

With a sharp swish, the curtain of the carriage was drawn shut in irritation. The moment it closed, Elena felt as though the weight pressing on her chest had been lifted.