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After that, I continued horseback riding practice with Alicia. I hadn’t realized it until I saw actors riding horses and galloping across the fields in dramas. I had hoped that with a few more rides, I could recreate such scenes myself, but no way. The more I rode, the more I realized that such a feat was almost impossible to even dream of.

“Judy, slow down a bit!”

I had already named the black horse, which felt like a comrade with whom I shared life and death. The name had a slightly cuter feel than the imposing aura it exuded, but it suited it quite well.

Although the riding club had already disbanded, we stayed behind and practiced for nearly a few hours. To be precise, Alicia was teaching me while I practiced alone. After practicing for a while, I had an unfounded confidence that my skills had improved to some extent.

“How is it? Doesn’t it seem much better than the first time?”

“Yes, you have really improved. I think you can handle a bit of galloping without difficulty now.”

Alicia clapped as if to praise my effort. Honestly, I felt that she deserved that applause. The fact that she managed to teach a clumsy person like Delis to this level made me think that perhaps her true calling was to be a teacher.

After what felt like a long riding session, we finally returned to the mansion as dusk fell. Once I got home, it felt like my whole body was crying out in fatigue. Victor, the butler, greeted me.

“My lady, you’re back.”

“Yes. Where is the Duke?”

“He just arrived and is in the bedroom.”

“He’s already here?”

“Yes.”

It was quite surprising news since it was rare for Roan to come home this early these days.

As usual, I headed to the bedroom to change my clothes after returning home.

At that moment, I saw someone in the right hallway silhouetted against the light.

Roan? Since he was facing me, it seemed he had spotted me as well. Roan quickly strode towards me with his long legs and stood in front of me.

“Roan, you’re home quite early today.”

“Yes. Did you just get back?”

“Yes, I arrived not too long ago.”

“Duchess.”

Roan’s lowered voice pierced my ears.

“Would you please tell me what happened now?”

“Pardon?”

I hadn’t expected him to still remember what had happened earlier today. His tenacious memory left me feeling defenseless.

“You’re not saying nothing happened, are you?”

“Well, something did happen, but it was really nothing significant.”

It was something I thought I could just brush off as someone barking up the wrong tree. Honestly, I didn’t want to talk about rumors that Roan and I were not getting along in front of him. Although Roan probably knew about such rumors circulating.

“I’m interested in that so-called ‘nothing’ that happened.”

His voice was firm and crisp. I knew that tone indicated Roan was in a certain mood.

“Uh.”

Seeing my hesitation, he sighed lightly and spoke.

“If you don’t want to tell me, I won’t ask any further.”

At his words, my gaze naturally shifted from where it had been avoiding him to Roan. I wondered if he was upset, but his face and tone showed no signs of irritation.

“However,”

Roan started again.

“Please know that I want to hear about you from your own lips. Don’t bottle things up. If there’s something you want to say, don’t hesitate to speak.”

“Okay.”

Though my response was brief, I couldn’t help but be surprised by his words.

They sounded offhand, but they hit home like a stone striking a frog, carrying a weight that wasn’t light for me. The fact that he had things he wanted to know about me and that I could feel his sincerity made me feel a little happy.

Then I remembered a question I’d wanted to ask since earlier in the day.

“But how did you know? That something was up with me, I mean.”

“Didn’t I mention before? Your complexion didn’t look good.”

“My complexion?”

“Yes. You looked like you had eaten something bad.”

It felt like he had euphemistically said my face looked rotten. Though my feelings were mixed, I decided to let it go.

“So, you were concerned about me?”

“…”

Roan turned away without responding to my joking question, smiling brightly.

“Roan? It was just a joke!”

I couldn’t catch up to Roan’s quick steps. His handsome figure had already disappeared down the opposite hallway. Jeez, a man who doesn’t understand jokes. I muttered in a nonchalant tone.

***

“Delis, what should we do now?”

At the moment, I was embroidering on a frame with the fairies. There was a buzz inside and outside the palace because a hunting competition was to be held in the royal forest in a few days. They say it happens every year around this time, and on that day, ladies and young women give handkerchiefs embroidered by themselves to their favorite men, as a sort of tradition. Naturally, I was embroidering a handkerchief for Roan. The only problem was,

“Why isn’t this coming out right?”

Although the pattern I intended to embroider was unmistakably an eagle, what was taking shape in my hands was questionable even as a bird.

“Hey guys, what does this look like?”

“A puppy.”

“Slime?”

“Isn’t it a kingfisher?”

“…”

I wondered whether I should be grateful to Frina for at least recognizing it as a bird. I glanced sideways at the fairies. They were embroidering angel wings, and it felt as if I could sense the breath of a master artisan.

One fairy was pushing the needle from behind the embroidery, another was guiding where to stitch, and the last one was pushing the needle in from the front. Their teamwork seemed flawless. I looked back at my work. Hmm…

“This is a mess.”

I admitted to myself that I had overestimated my abilities. In the end, I decided to embroider Roan’s name on the lower right corner of the handkerchief. It didn’t seem easy either, but it was simpler than an eagle.

“Done!”

After what felt like an endless struggle, I finally finished embroidering the name. The fairies, who had already completed their masterpiece of wing embroidery, were watching my work.

Even from my subjective point of view, it didn’t look well-made, but at least it wasn’t a total disaster… better than the eagle, anyway. At least Roan’s name was recognizable. Although it was slightly crooked looking like a right-handed person writing with their left hand…

“Effort is what matters in these things, haha.”

I rationalized it that way.

My interest in this hunting competition can be traced back to a newspaper I happened to come across, which was published by Navid, a well-known journalist in the Empire.

While skimming through the paper, a paragraph with an attached photo caught my eye. It seemed to be a supplement at the end of the newspaper.

“Three Popular Spots Nowadays According to Navid”

1. Pablo Square

2. The Clock Tower of Redegoz

3. Ellysia Falls

The Clock Tower of Redegoz. ‘Redegoz’ supposedly means ‘meeting’ in an ancient language of this world. So, it means the Clock Tower of Meeting. The first reason this place caught my attention was that it was mentioned in the novel. The clock tower appeared in the original story as the place where Grace and Roan met by chance.

Secondly, it had a rather romantic legend. It’s said that those who hear the bell at the top of the clock tower together will have their bond strengthened in a positive direction.

The bell rings only once a year, and the exact time changes each year, so no one knows when it will ring. It hadn’t rung yet this year. While I didn’t particularly expect to hear it, these reasons made the clock tower one of the places I wanted to visit in this world.

Also, since it was quite a distance from the capital, I had felt reluctant to suggest going there with Roan. We didn’t have much free time. However! This competition offered hope.

The first prize in this hunting competition includes a reward vacation and a hefty sum of money. This was the perfect opportunity. A chance to go on a trip together without having to worry! I had no doubt that Roan could easily take first place if he wanted to.

But would Roan want to win first place? Would he? Come to think of it, had he ever taken a vacation? Since I came here, I hadn’t seen him take one, and I didn’t recall the novel mentioning Roan taking a break either. If that were the case, it was almost at the level of a workaholic.

“Mary, has Roan ever taken a vacation?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Not even once?”

“As far as I know, yes.”

Wow. Whether it was because he didn’t have time to rest or he really loved working, it seemed clear that Roan wouldn’t see the need for winning a reward vacation. I decided to try persuading him.

***

“Roan, about the competition.”

I asked him during dinner.

“The competition, you mean the hunting competition?”

“Yes. I heard the first prize includes a reward vacation and prize money. What do you plan to do?”

“I was thinking of just doing it moderately.”

“Why?”

Roan spoke as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“I don’t want to expend too much energy on something like that.”

I had heard at parties that winning first place in the hunting competition was a dream for many noblemen. Why did he seem completely uninterested?

“Do you want me to win first place?”

“Yes! Don’t you think you need a break from the tiring routine?”

“Do you want a vacation?”

“That’s right!”

“Well, I could use a vacation, but I haven’t had one since I came to the palace, and I’m sure I could go for months, but with all the work I’ve been doing lately, I don’t think it would last more than a week.”

I didn’t expect he had never taken a vacation. It was so typical of Roan.

“Then why not take one this time?”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories