“Wha… what?”

Startled by what Dame Greta had just said, I blinked in surprise.

“But, um, His Highness the Crown Prince will be returning to the royal palace tomorrow….”

“Oh my! His Grace is truly something.”

Seeing my bewildered expression, the nanny quickly interjected.

“With such great care, the royal family will have no doubt about His Grace’s deep love.”

“If Baroness Allen, who is like a mother to the Lady, thinks so, His Grace will surely be pleased.”

Was it because of their resentment towards Michael? Dame Greta responded to the nanny’s overenthusiastic excitement with a firm smile.

Wait, if this is meant for Michael to see… But Michael is leaving soon.

Yet, I could only stammer, unable to articulate my thoughts properly. Since I didn’t know whether the aides were aware of my contractual relationship with Cedrion, I wasn’t sure how far my act should go.

“Oh my, this is really….”

So, I simply let my eyes dart around and lightly blushed.

“If I were Cedrion, truly, again and again….”

“Indeed, His Grace is so devoted that even I feel moved.”

The nanny finished the sentence I couldn’t bring myself to say out of guilt. She genuinely seemed touched by the situation.

Dame Greta wore a proud smile, and the maids of Norhart, who had been watching from the side, blushed and squealed amongst themselves.

‘Ah, so they’re trying to win over the sentiment of the people in the Grand Duke’s castle too.’

Yes. Though the noble and stubborn troublemaker had no interest in the opinions of the servants, it was better for even passing remarks to be received favorably.

‘And Cedrion said he still carries guilt over failing to protect the young Odelia back then….’

Yes. It must be that guilt, combined with political strategy, that was making him act so overprotective.

Even though I had resolved myself to think that way, my face still grew warm as I recalled the solid sensation of his nape when I had buried my face into it earlier.

‘Oh my, the Lady is so lovely even when she’s shy!’

‘Their bond already seems so strong!’

The maids’ excited squeals only grew louder.

Just as a warm atmosphere spread throughout the drawing room—

“Batti?”

“Myaaak!”

Hearing a cat’s shriek, I turned to see Angie tightly gripping the cat’s tail.

Where had the baby who used to cry and wail at the mere sight of the cat gone? Angie had been clinging to the cat all morning and hadn’t let go.

It had already been several hours.

“Nya, yaang, nyaang….”

Before long, the cat let out a pitiful wail. The baby’s merciless grip on her tail wasn’t loosening, and she seemed frustrated.

Watching this, I simply felt warmth in my heart. The sight of a baby and a cat together was always adorable.

Suppressing a smile, I approached Angie’s bed.

“Angie, you have to be nice to the kitty. If you grab her tail, it hurts.”

“Nyaa, kiing….”

As I drew closer, the cat’s face looked even more miserable. When I first arrived in this world, I had noticed that even a five-month-old baby could sigh—perhaps that’s why the cat’s expressions were also so rich.

“You have to be gentle and say, ‘Pretty kitty.’”

I softly scratched under the cat’s chin, and she purred, rubbing her face into my hand in pure bliss. Eventually, she started pressing her cheeks against my palm, her long whiskers twitching.

“Gettu-daak ma!”

“Nyak!”

“Angie!”

Suddenly, Angie smacked the cat’s head, startling me.

Was she jealous that my attention had shifted to the cat instead of her? Or was she venting her frustration at being separated from me onto the cat?

“Angie, you’ll hurt the kitty.”

“Moya!”

“Let’s try petting her gently with me, okay?”

“Noo!”

Just like the younger children at the orphanage in my past life, when Angie got upset, she would simply say ‘no’ to everything.

“Angie, do you not like the kitty?”

“Huuu….”

“Should we tell the kitty to go away, then?”

“Noo!”

The cat, as if understanding my words, perked up nervously, but Angie just pouted, her golden eyes shifting around.

She was still holding onto the cat’s tail tightly.

“Then, do you think the kitty is pretty?”

“Noo!”

Oh… so she doesn’t think she’s pretty.

“But the kitty is hurting, so let’s let go and tell her to leave, okay?”

“Noo….”

Angie’s tiny hand gripped the cat’s tail even tighter. The cat could no longer even cry properly, letting out a strangled purr instead.

“Then, I’ll give you this instead, okay?”

Saying so, I took off the shawl I was wearing and offered it to her—the beloved security shawl that Angie had cherished ever since she arrived at the Blue Roof Manor.

In the midst of the chaos of moving to Norhart, Angie’s obsession with the shawl had waned, but one could never be too sure.

Seeing the shawl, Angie brightened and reached out with her other hand.

“…Hush.”

With a sigh, she firmly grasped the cat’s tail with both hands.

Judging by the way Angie glared at and handled the cat, she didn’t seem to like her very much, yet, for some reason, she had been hugging the cat all morning without letting go.

“Make sure your mother doesn’t interact with the cat.”

Was Angie really, as Cedrion had said, keeping watch over the cat…?

While I was gazing down at Angie and the cat with a troubled expression, Angie, pursing her beak-like lips as if deep in thought, suddenly lunged forward—

“Nyaaak!”

“Pty!”

In an instant, she tackled the cat, hugging her tightly. Then she beamed as if seeking praise.

“Kitty!”

“Mm, kitty!”

“Pty…!”

“Is the kitty pretty?”

“Yes!”

Oh dear, what a fickle little one.

As Angie pressed down on the cat’s face, the cat kept looking at me as if pleading for help. Surely, she wasn’t sending out a distress signal…

‘Ah, babies and cats really are the perfect combination.’

But I was simply delighted to watch Angie roll around with the cat. It was so cute that, for the first time in ages, I felt the chest pains—almost forgotten thanks to Dame Gwendolyn’s new medicinal tea—completely fade away.

No, perhaps I had already felt it when Cedrion held me earlier…

‘Ugh, why is my mind wandering like this?’

Just as my face was about to turn red at the sudden intrusive thought—

“My Lady! Madame Cindy is on her way!”

Hearing Mila’s excited shout as she ran in, I immediately stood up, as if waiting for the distraction.

I needed to shake off these foolish thoughts.

“Angie, I’m going to meet a guest now. Be good and don’t hurt the kitty, okay?”

“Yes! Kitty pretty…!”

“That’s right, make sure to tell the kitty she’s pretty, okay?”

“Yes!”

Leaving Angie in Mila’s care, I headed to the dressing room.

***

“But Madame,”

“Yes, my Lady?”

“The dress I was fitted for was definitely more…”

…modest than this.

Of course, that dress was hardly plain, but compared to the one before me, it certainly had been.

At my remark, Madame Cindy smiled.

“His Grace insisted that nothing be lacking when it comes to adorning you, so he opened the treasury.”

“The treasury…?”

I blinked in surprise and looked at the gemstones embellishing the neckline of my dress.

No, no. Odelia was used to such things. Steeling my expression, I crafted an appropriate response.

“I was just caught off guard because the design changed.”

“Yes, but isn’t it much better?”

“It is. No wonder the light reflects off it so strongly.”

“The finest jewels from the Snow-White Mountains are stored in Norhart’s treasury. Every jeweler in Norhart shut down today just to set these pink garnets in time.”

“What…?”

“That’s how much Norhart’s haute couture industry is betting on you, my Lady.”

Madame Cindy winked as she adjusted my dress.

“After all, His Grace only ever wears that pile of scrap metal.”

“Pfft. That’s true.”

I chuckled, recalling Cedrion’s burly figure clad in his ever-present obsidian armor. Though he dressed comfortably inside the castle for Angie’s sake, he still always wore his armor when venturing out.

“Since the passing of the late Grand Duchess, it’s been dreadfully dull. There hasn’t been a proper trend in Norhart.”

It had been nearly ten years since Cedrion’s parents passed, and without someone to lead the social scene, Norhart’s fashion industry had suffered from a lack of excitement.

Judging by the twinkle in Madame Cindy’s eyes, she had high expectations for someone who had once dominated the royal capital’s social circles—namely, me.

Those expectations… would surely be disappointed.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, I fidgeted, adjusting my dress in the mirror.

Tonight’s banquet was being held in honor of Michael’s visit. Every noble in Norhart was attending, and as Cedrion’s fiancée, it would be my first official appearance, so I had to be meticulous.

The glossy, pearl-colored mikado silk dress was adorned with pink garnets of varying sizes along the bodice and skirt, and the hem was embroidered with traditional Norhart lace in a soft pink-beige hue.

A small tiara from the Grand Duchess’s treasury, with matching earrings and necklace.

The reflection in the mirror was practically a walking gemstone. Of course, the real highlight was Odelia’s beauty.

“Even without your makeup finished, you don’t pale in comparison to the jewels and dress… Oh, I feel inspired again!”

Feigning dizziness, Madame Cindy dramatically pulled out a notebook and began scribbling with fervor.

I had an ominous feeling that I would be seeing her much more frequently while living in Norhart.

“My Lady.”

At that moment, Dame Gwendolyn, who had been outside, approached me.

“His Grace has arrived.”

“Already?”

There was still an hour left before the banquet started.

Noting my puzzled expression, Dame Gwendolyn smirked knowingly.

“It seems he doesn’t want to miss even a moment of your radiant presence. This must be love.”