The next day, in Fonete’s central plaza.

“The weather is nice~ My mood is nice~”

Edelle sat on the edge of the fountain, humming a little tune. Her modest green dress swayed with the movement of her tapping feet.

Everyone passing by looked fondly at her as she smiled brightly at each person.

“Edelle?”

Edelle turned her head at the familiar voice. Lucas was striding toward her with obvious delight on his face.

However, his expression quickly soured when he realized she was alone.

“You…… why are you here by yourself? Where’s Liam?”

“Liam’s on vacation. Today I had to come out alone.”

“Why take such a risk?”

“What risk is there? Anyone listening would think I was doing something extraordinary.”

Edelle burst into laughter as she watched Lucas’s green eyes twist into a scowl.

Her clear laughter eased his concern somewhat. He glanced at her reddish-brown wig and asked,

“Are you out looking for good restaurants?”

“No, I’m here for something else today. What about you?”

“Me? I’m on my way to the restaurant. The dishes have arrived.”

Lucas grinned as he casually pushed back his messy red hair. Edelle’s eyes widened, and she jumped to her feet.

“The order from Potano arrived already?”

“Yes, fortunately they sent it quickly.”

Potano, located in the Flint duchy in the southern part of the empire, was a town famous for its porcelain. It seemed the special tableware they ordered from the artisans there, engraved with the new restaurant’s name, had already arrived.

Edelle’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Lucas rubbed the back of his neck and asked,

“Want to come take a look?”

“Ah, I’d really love to.”

As the person who had suggested ordering custom tableware from Potano, Edelle desperately wanted to see the new dishes.

However, she had an even more important appointment today.

“I can’t because I have plans.”

“Plans?”

“I’m meeting someone.”

Lucas tilted his head at her vague response.

He knew everyone Edelle might meet alone in the shopping district. It was natural since he’d been friends with her for nearly ten years, especially considering she didn’t participate in social activities.

Yet she said “someone” instead of a name.

Lucas tried to hide his discomfort by forcing a curious tone.

“Who are you meeting?”

“Ah, well……”

“Edelle?”

A low voice cut between Edelle and Lucas as they stood facing each other. They both turned their heads simultaneously.

Eli, perfectly dressed from head to toe, approached with steady steps. Edelle turned toward him and greeted him warmly.

“You’re here?”

“I’m late.”

“No, I just came early.”

For some reason, she’d been in particularly high spirits today and had left the mansion earlier than usual. Eli looked down at Edelle’s bright smile, and his gaze lingered on her familiar wig.

“You’re wearing a wig.”

“Ah! I’m surprised you recognized me. It’s completely different from my natural hair color.”

“It looks like the same wig as last time.”

Eli replied calmly, as if there was no reason he wouldn’t recognize her.

Edelle easily realized that by “last time,” he meant their midnight encounter in the shopping district. Her violet eyes slid away discreetly.

“Ahaha…… I’m not sure which time you’re referring to.”

“Were you still pretending not to know?”

“……I thought you were going to keep pretending not to recognize me.”

“I can if that’s what you want.”

Eli’s gaze, now devoid of humor, fell on Lucas.

“And this is?”

“Ah, this is my friend. Lucas, say hello. This is His Highness the Grand Duke of Norton.”

“What?”

Lucas, who had been eyeing Eli warily, looked at Edelle in surprise. Edelle shrugged and repeated,

“I said, His Highness the Grand Duke of Norton.”

“……I’m Lucas Flint.”

Eli acknowledged the introduction with a simple nod. Then he turned to Edelle and asked,

“Will the young duke be joining us?”

“No, we just happened to run into each other. Lucas is busy with other matters these days.”

“Then let’s go, if we’re not going to stand here any longer.”

A pocket watch gleamed in Eli’s urging hand. Without hesitation, Edelle pushed Lucas away.

“I’ll see you later, Lucas!”

“Wait, Edelle!”

“Hurry and check the dishes! Remember, if there’s even a small crack, we can’t use them! And make sure the restaurant logo is properly colored all the way through!”

After giving Lucas these firm instructions, Edelle grabbed Eli’s arm and pulled him along. Eli’s blue eyes widened momentarily before quickly returning to their calm state.

“Edelle……!”

Instead of turning back to Lucas, Edelle merely waved her arm in the air. Lucas clenched his fist as he watched her retreating figure with dismay.

He too was aware that the Grand Duke of Norton had come to the capital. The news was being discussed everywhere, making it impossible not to know.

‘But how did Edelle……’

Edelle and the Grand Duke seemed unusually familiar with each other.

This fact made Lucas anxious. While Edelle was lovable enough for anyone to like her, she wasn’t someone who opened her heart to just anyone, which made the situation even more concerning.

Lucas took a deep breath. He could no longer wait for Edelle to look back at him.

***

“You seem to be on good terms with the young duke.”

Eli broke the silence as he followed Edelle into a quiet back alley. Edelle, delighted to be visiting the back alleys after a long time, maintained her brisk pace as she replied,

“I suppose so. We’ve been close since we were very young.”

“……Since you were young?”

“Hmm, since I was about thirteen?”

Edelle answered out of habit before searching her memory and confirming,

“We first met at the title conferment ceremony, so that sounds about right.”

Due to rapid urbanization, salt miners had disappeared, causing the empire to struggle with salt supply issues. The discontent of the empire’s salt-obsessed citizens grew quickly, and the Emperor declared he would grant a title to anyone who solved the problem.

It was an imperial command that no one dared to take on, but for Viscount Michelin, who had just returned from an expedition to the Eastern Continent, it was as easy as a slice of cake. When he brokered access to sea salt production sites in the Eastern Continent as an alternative to salt mines, the Emperor was overjoyed, declaring that his contribution to the empire exceeded that of any high noble.

Thus, the Michelin viscounty was elevated to a county. That was also when Edelle met Kyra and Lucas, children of ducal families.

“It seems like we’ve been together ever since. We were just starting to create the Michelin Survey then, so we saw each other almost daily, to be honest.”

“Was Sir Durant with you as well?”

“No way, Durant hung out with his own friends.”

No matter how much Durant adored Edelle, he wasn’t tactless enough to hang around with kids two years younger than him. Besides, for someone who didn’t enjoy social activities like parties or hunting, he had quite a few friends.

Edelle added with a hint of amusement,

“It was actually Kyra who suggested we create the Michelin Survey. So Kyra, Lucas, and I met frequently. We occasionally included Delilah too.”

“Delilah Atwood?”

“Oh, you even know the lady’s name?”

“She’s the Crown Prince’s cousin.”

Since the Atwood family was the Empress’s family, it was natural for Eli to be familiar with their lineage.

Edelle nodded and shared some good news with him.

“By the way, we’ll be able to serve Muir wine at the party!”

“Muir wine……”

Eli’s eyes widened. Even though he wasn’t fond of alcohol, he knew of Muir wine’s reputation.

The corners of Edelle’s mouth rose with satisfaction.

“I secured 22-year-old vintage wine. They say you can’t buy it even if you go to the Muir duchy.”

“……I suppose it was possible because you’re friends with the lady of that family.”

“Well, something like that.”

Edelle shrugged in agreement. Eli swallowed his smile as he observed her shoulders, which were clearly excited despite her attempt to appear nonchalant.

“I’m starting to think I made the right decision entrusting this to you, lady.”

“In about a minute, you’ll probably think it was an even better decision.”

Edelle giggled mysteriously and stopped in front of a small wooden door. Eli eyed the handle she was gripping with suspicion.

It was the source of the exotic aroma he had been smelling since they entered the alley. Seeing his wariness, Edelle grinned.

“Don’t worry, just come in!”