The scenery was quite different from what she saw inside the palace. In the distance, she could see all the way to the Naka Plains beyond the capital to the west. The wide-open view made it feel as if the cool night air was filling her lungs just by standing still.

Warm orange lights spread through every corner of the city, settling like branches reaching out in the darkness. Diana quietly took in the peaceful and beautiful sight of Erden.

“Your Highness, have you ever been down to the village?”

Ian, who had already settled down, patted the spot next to him and asked.

“I’ve been a few times. But only for official events, so I always traveled by carriage. I can’t really say I know it well.”

Unable to resist his urging, Diana sat down beside him.

“Hmm, then… ah, do you see that flower shop over there?”

To help her see better, Ian moved closer and pointed to a shop in the distance.

“That shop carries almost every kind of flower, regardless of the season. You should visit sometime. It’s a treat for both the eyes and the nose. Oh! And you must try that bakery over there. The baker presents a new bread every week and has never failed once. But you have to go early, since everything sells out fast. And as for that clothing shop in the alley, you should avoid the owner if you can…”

Diana gazed at Ian, who was happily talking.

The Erden he described was truly beautiful. During the day, it was filled with people’s energy, and at night, the Elten River, sparkling with starlight, guarded the sleeping city.

“It almost sounds like… you really care for this country, Lord Ian.”

“It’s a beautiful place.”

Ian answered with a gentle smile.

“……”

Following his gaze, Diana also took in the beautiful kingdom for a long moment.

She thought again about this man, whose true intentions she could never quite grasp, and about the heavy responsibility placed on her shoulders.

“I’m glad I brought you here.”

At those words, Diana turned to look at Ian. She wasn’t sure when it started, but she felt as if he had been watching her for some time.

“……”

Diana recalled the moment, just a little while ago, when she had unconsciously taken his hand.

The warmth of their joined hands still lingered vividly.

Maybe it was because she had loved him for so long. That habit was not so easily broken.

She’d never thought it would be easy. Still, she knew. In the end… someday she would have to let him go, just as he had once let her go.

“…Let’s go back now.”

She was the first to stand up as she spoke.

“This time, I should ride in front.”

“…Are you sure?”

Diana raised her eyebrows as if to ask what he meant.

“I heard from the stable master that Your Highness has never ridden a horse before. If you’re afraid, I can teach you slowly.”

“Hm?”

Diana’s eyebrows twitched, as if her pride had been wounded by his words.

Suddenly, she gathered up her skirt.

Whether Ian was surprised or not, she tied the shortened skirt with the ribbon at her waist, and with a feather-light motion, she leapt onto Yan.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you getting on?”

This time, Diana reached out her hand to Ian, who was looking up at her in surprise.

“Hold on tight.”

“…What?”

“Let’s go, Yan!”

As soon as Ian climbed up, Diana expertly pulled the reins. Yan dashed forward even more powerfully than when Ian had been riding alone.

Startled, Ian quickly wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, afraid she might fall.

But Diana laughed brightly as she cut through the wind.

As they galloped down along the ridge, the dazzling view of Erden beyond the castle walls once again filled her eyes.

In that fleeting moment, Diana felt complete freedom, so much so that she wished it could last forever. She sensed that this moment would remain in her memory for a long time.

“Do I still look like someone who’s afraid of horses?”

And in that instant, Ian too thought he saw something shining within her.

“……”

Without realizing it, he held her waist even tighter.

***

The next morning, the only sound in Diana’s study was the occasional rustle of her turning the newspaper pages.

But she couldn’t fully concentrate, thanks to the gaze fixed on her.

Annoyed, Diana finally set the newspaper down on the table.

“Okay, I said I’m sorry!”

But Jerome, with a sulky look, still didn’t say a word.

He was protesting because she had ditched him and run off the day before.

Diana sighed and leaned her head deeply against the sofa.

“If you’re not going to accept my apology, why are you here? There’s nothing on my schedule today for the first time in ages. Go out and meet someone if you’re bored. Go date someone.”

“Date? Why are you suddenly telling me to go date someone? You’ve never brought up that topic before… Wait. Don’t tell me, Your Highness, is it because of Lord Ian—?”

“Why are you bringing up Lord Ian again? I told you, it’s not like that.”

“If it’s not, why did you have me look into Lord Ian? That’s suspicious.”

“…So, did you find anything?”

Diana asked as if it was nothing.

“Yes. I looked into it, and he’s not adopted—he’s an illegitimate child.”

“…What do you mean?”

“They say Lord Ian is the illegitimate child of the Duke of Leheits. Apparently, there have always been rumors about his origins. The Leheits family is a southern noble house, but unlike most southerners, he’s very pale and has jet-black hair like a northerner. There have been all sorts of rumors.”

“……”

“I also thought he might have been adopted because of his looks, but there’s no record of adoption. All the southern informants say he’s definitely an illegitimate child. There’s been a rumor for ages that there’s a bastard in that family. And those emerald green eyes—he looks exactly like the duke.”

“That can’t be right…”

Ian wasn’t from Erden, but from the Kargen Empire, and his real father was definitely the Duke of Promes in the Empire.

His face, which was the spitting image of the Duke of Promes, was proof.

In her previous life, he had approached the Erden royal family by being adopted into an upper-class family as a child, so it was highly likely he had entered the kingdom the same way this time.

But now, they were saying he was not an adopted child of the Leheits family, but an illegitimate one.

“A family like the Leheits, who value honor more than life, would just let rumors about their son being illegitimate spread?”

It seemed the Leheits family was hiding something.

“Your Highness.”

Jerome, who had been watching Diana lost in thought, suddenly asked,

“Do you want me to date someone?”

“What? No, it’s just that you keep bothering me even on your days off. I thought maybe you were a workaholic.”

“Come on, when have I ever bothered you, Your Highness? And what aide ever gets a day off? I can only rest if you officially give me a holiday—”

“I’ll give you one now. Go home immediately.”

“……”

But Jerome pretended not to hear and dusted the window instead. Then, murmuring just loud enough to barely be heard,

“Anyway, I don’t date just anyone.”

Diana glanced at him with a face that said, “What are you talking about?” then turned her attention back to the newspaper.

“…I don’t date. Anyone.”

He gazed wistfully out the window as he muttered, and though Diana thought he looked a bit pathetic, she didn’t bother to say anything.

“I’ll attend the academy polo event next week.”

Instead, she handed him the newspaper she’d been reading.

“What?”

“I’m going. Read page three.”

“To commemorate the upcoming anniversary of the founding of the royal university, the campus polo club is hosting a charity match… You want to go to this event? Why are you so into horses lately?”

Jerome stopped reading the article halfway and asked in disbelief.

“I’ve always liked horses.”

Diana replied vaguely and picked up a newspaper from another publisher.

To Jerome, it looked like she wanted to go to the polo match because she was obsessed with horses, but Diana had another motive.

She planned to make as many public appearances as possible from now on.

She wanted people to recognize her as Princess Diana, soon to be crown princess, not just as Prince Louis’s younger sister.

That way, she might have a chance. A chance for her voice to carry enough weight that even the queen and the nobles couldn’t ignore her.

***

Time passed quickly, and soon the day of the match arrived.

Diana cleared her morning schedule and headed to the royal university before the match began.

She wanted to stop by Gilrod’s laboratory on campus.

Soon, a familiar building appeared—the royal pharmacology research center.

“Your Highness!”

Though her visit was unannounced, Gilrod greeted Diana warmly.

“You used to come often as a child. I never said anything, but I was a bit sad you stopped.”

“I didn’t want to disturb you, Teacher.”

Diana felt nostalgic seeing the laboratory, which hadn’t changed much since her childhood.

Pharmacology books lined the shelves, and various medicinal ingredients were neatly arranged on one side. Thanks to his meticulous care, there wasn’t a speck of dust in the lab.

As she looked around at the researchers focused on their work, Diana suddenly realized someone was missing.

“What about Ash? I don’t see him.”

She thought of Ash, the chief researcher.

Ever since his student days, whenever exams approached, he would turn pale as if covered in ash, so everyone called him Ash.

“He went north to study the local flora in my place. I have to stay by Her Majesty’s side.”

“Thank you for always working so hard.”

Instead of answering, Gilrod smiled and patted the back of Diana’s hand.

“What medicine are you making now?”

Diana asked, returning his smile as she looked at the white powder in front of him.

“It’s a medicine to reduce coughing. The main ingredient is extracted from an herb called Dallis.”

He put the carefully measured ingredients into the compounding device and produced a fine, white powder with a slight sheen.

Looking at the powder, Diana recalled that the medicine Queen Isabella took had a similar shine.

“How is Her Majesty’s condition these days?”

Right before the war with Kargen, the queen’s chronic illness had worsened dramatically. She wished they could do something before it got any worse.

“Haha, I can’t hide anything from you, can I? Actually, this medicine is for Her Majesty. Her coughing has become more frequent.”

“Shouldn’t you make more, then? Before it gets any worse.”

To Diana’s eyes, the amount Gilrod prepared looked far too little.

But Gilrod shook his head firmly.

“Medicines must be handled with care. If overused, resistance develops easily. Every treatment requires patience.”

She nodded reluctantly, though she couldn’t help feeling anxious.

“When I’m with you, Teacher, I lose track of time.”

Diana checked her watch as she spoke.

“I feel the same. Are you heading straight to the stadium?”

“So even you heard I’d be attending?”

“Haha, by now the whole university probably knows. More people are interested in you than you think, Your Highness.”

Gilrod laughed cheerfully and saw her off to the main entrance of the research center.

***

“Let’s go straight to the stadium.”

Diana said to Jerome, who was waiting in front of the research building.

“Aren’t you going with the dean?”

“It’s uncomfortable these days.”

“You say that like it was ever comfortable.”

She glared at him, and Jerome just shrugged.

When Diana arrived at the stadium, she marveled at the open scenery. Under the clear sky, the green grass stretched endlessly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen polo too. I haven’t been to this stadium since I graduated. Oh! There are snacks over there.”

“Why do you seem more excited than I am, when I’m the one who wanted to come?”

Even though the match was still a while away, the grassy area around the stands was already crowded with people.

“Your Highness, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”

While Jerome left to get snacks, someone approached Diana, who was left alone.