Time flowed steadily.

It was the third spring since Dana Rowen had arrived in Khalid, marking the first month of Yurhemia once again. Occasionally, letters arrived from Taras or Queen Bridget urging her to return to the capital, but Dana chose to remain in the north, citing her fondness for life in Khalid.

Originally, Dana had not been particularly close to Queen Bridget, but she made an effort to strengthen their relationship this time. As a result, Dana often wrote letters to the queen. These letters were filled with descriptions of her peaceful life in the north, and Bridget would respond appropriately. Perhaps Taras’s softened attitude toward his sister, who had not contracted with the divine beast, also influenced Queen Bridget.

Aside from that, there was no one in the capital who would deeply regret or mourn Dana’s absence, allowing the princess’s retreat in the north to continue smoothly.

From the outside, people might have thought the runaway princess was quietly residing in Khalid, but the reality was somewhat different. Dana was managing the Khalid estate, interacting with the northern lords, learning about the regional situation, and understanding the surrounding geopolitical landscape. She was particularly attentive to the situation in Heinz.

Even though considerable time had passed since Dana arrived in Khalid, no marriage proposal had come from the Heinz Kingdom. However, Dana could not feel completely at ease, as Prince Ergart had not yet become engaged to anyone else. For some reason, Queen Cladimien was leaving Prince Ergart unengaged, even though he should have been betrothed long ago.

Despite her anxiety, Dana reassured herself that as long as things remained as they were, there was no reason for the queen to arrange a marriage between her and Ergart, so there would be no engagement between Dana and Prince Ergart.

Having endured and persevered for three years, spring finally arrived, marking Dana’s twentieth birthday.

In the Rowen Kingdom, the festival of Yurhemia, the goddess of spring, was considered very important. The festival was celebrated on the first day of the first month of Yurhemia, the day of the goddess’s birth.

On that day, a large prayer meeting was held at the temple, and the nobility hosted banquets. However, during the past years, Dana had celebrated the festival of Yurhemia modestly within the castle, holding simple prayer meetings with the servants. As a princess who had failed to contract with the divine beast and retreated to the northern estate for recovery, she had lived quietly for three years.

This year, however, there was another reason for the change: a grand banquet was being planned, which kept her busy with preparations. This time, the princess’s birthday was to be celebrated with a grand party at Eluan Castle, inviting guests to commemorate her coming of age. It was the first grand banquet Dana had hosted since arriving in Khalid, making up for the lack of celebrations in previous years.

“The invitations have all been sent out.”

Hilda informed Dana, who was sitting in the drawing room. To avoid appearing overly engrossed in the northern social scene, Dana did not keep more maids than Hilda. Of course, she met northern lords and interacted with young ladies of her age, but that was the extent of her socializing.

Hilda, handing over the box of invitations to the head maid, smiled and said,

“By the way, it’s finally happening. Do you think the princess’s knight will come?”

“Don’t say such strange things.”

Dana blushed at Hilda’s outrageous and embarrassing imagination. Hilda wrinkled her nose playfully and smiled at Dana.

Less than a year after Dana arrived in Khalid, the name of a commoner knight began to circulate. Although it was a bit earlier than she remembered, Dana thought that since she had heard about Kaiden in the capital in the past, his name might have spread earlier in the north.

Around the time Dana turned eighteen, the commoner knight achieved great feats in Leonas. King Taras bestowed a title on the knight, and Kaiden became Baron Kaiden Leonas. It seemed to align with Dana’s memories. In fact, in the past, Dana had heard more about his appearance and character from the maids than about his accomplishments, so she did not know much about his achievements.

In any case, Kaiden Leonas continued to excel. Dana heard from Countess Vicar that Baron Leonas had been instrumental in subduing the monsters in the north and that the Leonas knights were also exceptional. Considering the reserved nature of the count, his words were nothing short of praise, marveling at how a young knight could lead the knights so skillfully and admirably.

Since Count Vicar and his son, who were likely to meet the knight directly, were not particularly perceptive, Dana refrained from mentioning him in their presence. She was also cautious about mentioning him in front of Countess Vicar, fearing how the news might reach the count or his son.

If the topic of the knight came up by chance, she pretended to listen indifferently, as if he were just an ordinary person. She was careful because she had heard that the knight had no interest in women. She couldn’t be sure how he would react to rumors of the princess’s interest.

However, to learn more about the knight, Dana had no choice but to rely on her maid Hilda’s ears and words. As a result, Hilda’s mind became filled with rosy fantasies about the northern knight whom the princess appeared to have a crush on.

“No matter how proud that knight is, and even if he ignores invitations from other families, he can’t possibly ignore the princess’s birthday banquet.”

That was something Dana fervently hoped for as well.

Though the princess used her recovery as an excuse to avoid many external activities, Hilda actively socialized with the northern ladies on her behalf. To assist the princess, who showed interest in the most prominent knight in the north, Hilda diligently gathered and relayed opinions and rumors about Kaiden Leonas circulating in the region.

The first thing Hilda shared was that Kaiden Leonas was exceptionally handsome. Dana was already aware of this, and it wasn’t the most crucial piece of information. Regardless of Kaiden Leonas’s appearance, his skills and loyalty to the kingdom were what Dana truly valued.

Next, Hilda mentioned that the knight was notoriously rude, ignoring young ladies who expressed interest in him without even bothering to reject them. It was said that this occurred more than once, and he didn’t even respond to invitations to banquets. This was somewhat concerning to Dana.

“Could it be that he’s not interested in women at all?”

Unable to hold back, the princess voiced her question, prompting Hilda to reassure her with a stifled laugh.

“From what I’ve heard, he’s equally indifferent to men. They say he’s ready to throw down the gauntlet at the slightest provocation. But I’ve also heard that the only knight he doesn’t dismiss outright is Sir Vicar.”

Dana nodded. That made sense, as Count Vicar was like an ancient tree in the north.

“As the princess of Rowen and the one Sir Vicar serves, that knight won’t be able to ignore you.”

Dana clicked her tongue at Hilda’s remark.

“I can’t keep him around by using my status like that.”

She would use her status to make a deal, but Dana held back the rest of her thoughts. Unaware of Dana’s inner turmoil, Hilda spoke with an excited expression.

“I suppose I need to review the jewelry for the banquet day. Will it be enough?”

“We’ve already gone over it several times. We agreed to review it again once the dress is complete.”

“Right, we need to check the dress again too. We can’t let the fit change or the look be altered in the meantime.”

“It’s only a few days. That won’t happen.”

Dana let out a small laugh, watching Hilda act as if she were the one coming of age.

“You said the knight doesn’t attend any banquets or dance, so does it really matter?”

Hilda widened her eyes and replied, “That’s why it’s even more important. You have to go looking your best and captivate him, becoming his first partner. You can do it, Princess.”

“Yeah…”

Dana nodded weakly, listening to Hilda’s simple dreams.

While Hilda imagined the beautiful princess catching the knight’s eye and dancing, forging a connection, Dana’s thoughts were different. She wasn’t just aiming to catch Kaiden Leonas’s eye and dance with him…

‘Proposal. I need to secure a proposal.’

She needed to negotiate a marriage deal and obtain a proposal from a man who, despite his exceptional skills and looks, seemed uninterested in women and solely focused on earning a title by hunting monsters.