“For your advice about the dessert earlier. Thanks to you, I was able to spend an enjoyable time with the Princess the day before yesterday. I wanted to thank you sooner, but you weren’t around. I heard you weren’t feeling well. Are you better now?”

Seeing his kind and gentle voice, his slightly concerned yet never excessive expression, Bella relaxed a bit and answered.

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“I’m glad. I’d like to send you a small gift in return. Miss Carta, what do you like?”

“No need, Your Highness. I appreciate your kind words, but you don’t have to give me anything.”

“But I’m too grateful for that. Then I’ll choose something appropriate and send it to you, so look forward to a surprise gift.”

Leon’s smile as he said this made him look quite handsome. Bella lightly placed her hand on her chest.

‘Ah, how warm.’

Yes, this was what a male lead in this game should be like. Only the first two guys were a bit strange; the other three were definitely normal.

“By the way, please keep it a secret from the Princess that I received advice from you. That’s why I called you out separately.”

“Yes, of course.”

Bella, now at ease, smiled shyly.

***

The tea party with music ended in the early afternoon. This was because there would be a ball in the evening.

Before the ball began, Natalie changed into an evening dress and fixed her hair. While inserting new hair ornaments, Bella looked at Natalie’s perfectly dressed figure through the mirror.

‘She’s so beautiful, really.’

A contented smile naturally formed on her lips. This, too, was another form of healing for Bella. It felt like playing the game.

As their eyes met through the mirror, Natalie spoke.

“You’re not asking today?”

“Pardon? About what?”

“About whether I like any of the men.”

“…Ah.”

After everything she’d experienced these past few days, she had only thought about preventing trouble, not about asking who Natalie might like.

“Bella, what about you?”

“Me? What about me?”

“I think you have someone you like.”

“Wh-what? No, no. There’s no such person, Your Highness.”

Bella shook her head quickly as Blake’s face suddenly came to mind. Surely she hadn’t been caught sleeping with him. Her face instantly flushed red.

No matter if this was inside a game or a dream, Natalie was Bella’s master here. She didn’t want to become a maid who stole her mistress’s potential fiancé.

Even if she couldn’t undo what had already happened, she had no intention of being caught for it either.

Seeing Bella’s strong denial, Natalie chuckled.

“I meant Florian. I noticed you couldn’t take your eyes off him earlier.”

“Oh.”

So, it wasn’t about Blake. Bella inwardly sighed with relief.

“That was… because his voice was so wonderful. It was truly a beautiful song, wasn’t it?”

“Really? I see.”

Finding something amusing, Natalie laughed out loud at Bella’s response.

“Ah, right.”

As if suddenly remembering something, she moved away from the mirror toward her desk. She took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. After folding the paper and sealing it with wax, she handed it to Bella.

“Please deliver this.”

When Bella received the paper, she saw it was addressed to Grand Duke Everitt Myers.

“To-to Grand Duke Myers?”

“Yes. If he gives you a reply, bring it back. If not, you’re free to use the remaining time until the ball as you wish. My preparations are complete.”

Of all people, she had to deliver it to Everitt.

“…Someone else…”

“Hmm?”

She probably couldn’t ask someone else to do it instead. Bella bit her lip gently, trying to hide her troubled expression.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ll deliver it right away.”

“Good. Thank you.”

Upon arriving at Grand Duke Myers’s door, Bella took a deep breath before knocking. A low baritone voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

With a trembling heart, she opened the door and entered, only to find not an antechamber or drawing room, but a full-fledged office.

Bella was somewhat surprised by this unexpected scene and looked around the room. He had come to spend the summer eating, drinking, dancing, and falling in love, yet he still planned to work during his vacation?

Everitt, who had been reviewing documents piled on a large desk, looked up. Upon identifying his visitor, he wore an expression of interest. With a pen in hand, he tilted his head slightly and asked.

“What is it?”

“An errand from the Princess.”

Bella deliberately answered in a stiff tone. Everitt remained seated at his desk with his arms crossed as Bella approached reluctantly and placed the letter on the desk.

Everitt kept his head held high, only slightly lowering his eyes to look at the letter. His long black eyelashes were surprisingly long beneath his thick, straight eyebrows. Soon, his red eyes looked up at Bella. She flinched and averted her gaze, having been distracted by his eyelashes.

Everitt spoke in a cold voice.

“Thank you. Are you going to keep standing there?”

“I was told to wait in case you might give a reply.”

At that, Everitt picked up the letter. Breaking the wax seal with his thumb and unfolding the letter, his expression changed subtly.

After reading the short letter several times, Everitt gave a bitter smile, then brought the letter to the candle at the edge of the desk. The letter quickly caught fire and turned to ashes.

‘What could it say that made him burn it immediately? Is it confidential?’

There wasn’t a scene like this in the game, as far as she could remember.

While Bella was trying hard to recall her gameplay memories and deduce what might have been written, Everitt took out a blank piece of paper from his desk drawer.

His reply, like Natalie’s letter, wasn’t very long. He calmly blotted the reply to dry the ink. Then he melted wax over the candle, poured it onto the folded paper, and firmly pressed the seal of the ring he was wearing onto it.

After waiting a moment for the wax to cool, he handed the reply to Bella.

As Bella received it, Everitt picked up his pen and turned his attention back to the documents on his desk.

Despite her tension, nothing had happened. It seemed like the game was finally running properly.

Bella inwardly sighed with relief.

As she was about to turn away, she remembered that he had caught the culprit who had pushed her into the fountain, which ultimately led to that incident with Blake.

She should still thank him, after all.

She deliberately spoke lightly, dropping the comment casually.

“By the way, I heard that Your Grace caught that servant. Thanks to you, the real culprit was caught and everything ended well. Thank you for that. I’ll be going now.”

Everitt looked up. His brow was subtly furrowed.

“Ended well, you say?”

“The Princess identified the person behind the servant and even made them apologize to me…”

While Bella was wondering if she had misspoken, Everitt rose from his seat and approached her. He snatched the reply he had just given her from her hand and tore it up.

“I’ve changed my mind. I need to write it again. You’ll wait, of course?”

But he made no move to return to his desk; instead, he stepped even closer to Bella. His two red eyes swept over her heatedly. Bella clasped her hands together and took hesitant steps backward.

“Who are you?”

“Pardon? I’m Bella Cart… ah!”

As Bella tried to avoid his gaze, Everitt seized her chin with his large hand, forcing her to look up.