Chapter 68

Rafaella found the puzzle-solving incredibly fun.  

Because of that, she barely even touched her snack, staying focused on the puzzle the whole time.  

“All done!”  

Rafaella shouted as she placed the last puzzle piece.  

Clap, clap, clap.  

“Well done, Raffy.”  

Lia applauded and kissed Rafaella on the cheek.  

“But I only finished it because Mom and Dad did it with me.”  

Rafaella, a bit embarrassed, rubbed her nose.  

“You solved all the hard parts, Raffy.”  

Johann stroked his daughter’s hair from beside her.  

“Hehe. Let’s take this with us and do it together again!”  

Looking at the sky tinged with sunset, Rafaella picked up the puzzle of the six heroes with both hands.  

“Yes, let’s do that when we get home.”  

Because Johann had plans for the next day, they had to head back to the estate.  

They packed their things into the carriage again and left the villa.  

“I thought she only liked swords and riding, but she also likes sitting still and solving puzzles.”  

Johann carefully laid the sleeping Rafaella’s head on his thigh.  

“Right? I didn’t know Raffy could focus so well either.”  

Lia answered, watching the scene.  

“I’ll have to buy a few more puzzles.”  

He murmured as he touched his daughter’s hair.  

A gentle smile lingered on his lips.  

Lia looked at Rafaella’s neck.  

‘…The mark still hasn’t disappeared.’  

Even though her husband had changed so much, why was that mark still shining so ominously bright?  

Wasn’t the meaning of the mark supposed to change Rafaella’s future….  

Lia sighed inwardly.

* * *

“Are you writing invitations, Lucia?”  

The Crown Prince came to see his daughter in her drawing room.  

“…Yes.”  

Matthias’s daughter, Lucia, answered as she wrote carefully, letter by letter, on glossy, high-quality paper.  

“My daughter is already hosting tea parties. This father is so moved….”  

“Father! Please be quiet, I can’t concentrate.”  

Lucia raised her voice slightly, her eyes fixed on the stationery.  

“Ah, right. I shouldn’t interrupt.”  

Matthias closed his mouth and watched his daughter.  

‘Her eyes are pretty, her nose is pretty, her hands are pretty, and she’s so clever too!’  

Whose child could be so perfect?  

He was thinking like a doting parent.  

“Did you write an invitation for Rafaella too?”  

When Lucia finally finished the invitations, Matthias asked her.  

“Of course, I wrote hers first!”  

Lucia brushed aside her red hair, which had fallen forward.  

Her hair was as red as Matthias’s.  

“I want to meet the Duke’s daughter soon.”  

Her mother’s gray-blue eyes were filled with curiosity.  

“She’s a very cute and clever child. I’m sure you’ll get along well.”  

Matthias gently stroked his daughter’s hair.  

“I hope the tea party day comes soon.”  

Lucia murmured, swinging her feet.

* * *

The next day.

“…What?”  

“Mom, the Imperial Princess invited me to her tea party!”  

Rafaella burst in excitedly right after finishing her fencing lesson.  

“After class, Daddy came and told me. Look, the invitation!”  

With a flushed face, Rafaella showed the invitation to Lia.  

“……”  

With trembling hands, she took the invitation.  

The sender, ‘Lucia von Valerius,’ was written in neat handwriting.  

‘…Should she meet her?’  

In her previous life, Rafaella tried to harm Lucia and her lover and was captured and executed.  

Gulp.  

…The future will change.  

This time, maybe Rafaella wouldn’t become obsessed with Lucia’s lover.  

So much was changing, so maybe that would change too.  

Even so, Lia was afraid of Rafaella meeting Lucia so soon.  

‘If she keeps seeing her and becomes obsessed with her lover again….’  

Lia felt a chill on the back of her neck.  

She shook her head.  

Even if it did happen again, she wouldn’t try to assassinate a member of the Imperial Family like last time.  

Now she was here, and her husband had changed too.  

They would do their best to guide their child in the right direction.  

‘…Still, maybe it’s best to delay the meeting as much as possible.’  

She fell into thought.  

“…Mom?”  

Rafaella tilted her head.  

“Raffy, do you know where Daddy is right now?”  

“Yeah, he said he was sparring with the knights at the training grounds!”  

“Really?”  

Lia rang the bell to call Paula.  

“Paula, I have somewhere to go for a bit—can you wash Raffy for me?”  

“Of course, go take care of your business.”  

Leaving Rafaella to Paula, Lia headed for the training grounds.  

‘Is it possible to refuse the Imperial Princess’s tea party?’  

Probably not.  

But just in case.  

Walking quickly, Lia peeked into the training grounds to look for Johann.  

At that moment, Johann spotted her and came out from inside.  

“What brings you here? I sent Raffy away earlier.”  

He approached, wiping sweat from his face with a towel.  

“……”  

…This is crazy.  

Lia stepped back to avoid him as he came closer.  

His upper body was bare, fully revealing his solid physique.  

Sweat glistened between his well-toned muscles.  

…It was too much.  

‘Why is he shirtless?’  

Lia quickly lowered her gaze.  

And kept backing away.  

“Didn’t Raffy leave?”  

Not understanding, he came even closer and asked.  

The smell of sweat lightly brushed Lia’s nose.  

Gulp.  

Lia unconsciously swallowed hard.  

Her face grew hot.  

“…Please, don’t come any closer.”  

She finally managed to speak, raising both hands to her chest, her head bowed to hide her reddening face.  

“What? Oh… sorry. It must be the sweat.”  

He stepped back.  

That wasn’t it—your bare torso is just too much.  

“…Um. Could you, uh, put on a shirt?”  

Lia kept her eyes lowered and gestured at his body.  

“…Wait a moment.”  

Only then did Johann realize why Lia was avoiding him and turned away.  

His face was a little red as he went to put on his clothes.  

When he returned, he couldn’t meet Lia’s eyes.  

Lia was the same.  

“Ahem, I forgot I wasn’t wearing a shirt because I was sparring with the knights. Sorry about earlier.”  

He touched his face as he spoke.  

“…No, it’s fine, I came without warning.”  

“So, what brings you here?”  

“I, um, heard from Raffy. The Imperial Princess invited her to a tea party.”  

“Oh, that. Is there a problem?”  

“…Not exactly. But, um, is it possible to refuse the tea party?”  

“Why?”  

“Raffy is still young and not used to Imperial etiquette. I’m worried she might cause trouble for the Imperial Princess….”  

Even as she spoke, Lia knew it was a flimsy excuse.  

She had already met the Crown Prince just fine.  

“You worry about everything. Your daughter will do well.”  

His voice was filled with confidence in his daughter.  

“……”  

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Rafaella.  

“I’ll go with her and watch from a distance.”  

Knowing the past, she just wished Rafaella wouldn’t get too entangled with the Imperial Princess.  

Though that was impossible as the daughter of Duke Blumhart.  

“Sometimes, you seem to want to shield the child too much.”  

Johann raised an eyebrow.  

“…Am I being too much?”  

Lia muttered softly.  

Would it be all right to meet sooner rather than later?  

“Trust Rafaella. She’ll get along well with the other children and with the Imperial Princess too.”  

“…Yes.”  

Was I just being overly anxious?  

Her daughter’s terrible death had made her a coward.  

“Um, then, I’ll be going now.”  

“All right.”  

Lia turned away weakly.  

Seeing that, Johann felt a pang in his chest.  

Lia returned from the training grounds and had dinner with Rafaella.  

“Mom, Daddy said we’re going to buy puzzles together tomorrow.”  

Rafaella said as she lay down in bed.  

“Really?”  

“Yeah! He said I should pick them out myself, hehe.”  

Her face was flushed like a peach.  

“That’s great, Raffy.”  

Lia gently cupped her daughter’s cheeks.  

“I’m really, really happy! Daddy’s the best!”  

“Tell him that too, he’ll be happy to hear it.”  

“Mm-hmm! Mom, when I grow up, I want to marry someone like Daddy.”  

“…Someone like Daddy?”  

Lia stopped tucking in the blanket.  

“Yeah! Tall, cool, strong. And someone who’s nice to me!”  

Rafaella shouted, hugging her pillow tight.  

“Yes, Raffy. You should definitely marry someone like that. Someone who’s good to you, okay?”  

Not a man who doesn’t love you.  

“Mm!”  

“But, find someone even better than Daddy.”  

Not a foolish man who loses his memory.  

“All right?”  

Lia hugged her daughter.  

“Is there anyone better than Daddy?”  

“…There will be.”  

Maybe…?

* * *

A few days later, the day of Lucia the Imperial Princess’s tea party dawned.  

Rafaella woke up early, excited.  

She wanted to go and meet her soon, but she was also nervous with worry.  

‘…What if everyone hates me like Marco did?’