“I am simply admiring her on my own. Miss Lucian had no idea this flower even existed until just a moment ago.”

Ah, that was exactly what I had been about to say. That we had barely met, and that I hadn’t known this flower existed at all.

I should have been the one to say it, but because Roned said it with a flush on his face, the eyes of the people gathered around began to sparkle even more.

Even Hanna’s.

While I seethed inside and tried to figure out how to make it clear that Roned and I had no connection whatsoever, Roned made an enticing proposal.

“I have a greenhouse I used while developing the flower. It’s quite large and well worth seeing. I was already planning to visit with some classmates soon, and it would be a great honor if Miss Lucian would join us.”

Roned looked down at me with those vivid red eyes full of expectation. At a glance, it was a sight dazzling enough to leave one breathless, but somehow, to me, it was still nothing but unsettling.

“That sounds right. It would make for a fine first occasion to visit the home of a distant relative in a foreign land.”

I put weight on the word “first,” but it would mean nothing to the onlookers watching the scene. They were not fixating on the word “first” but on the phrase “ardent admirer” that Delmir had used.

Even so, it didn’t matter. If words couldn’t get through, I would show them instead.

How convenient of you to invite me directly. Let’s see how you enjoy a little humiliation, you ardent admirer.

Not wanting to create any secrets, I told Heliones about the encounter with Roned the moment he stopped by the lodgings.

As I talked, the indignation and absurdity of it all made my voice rise without my realizing it, but Heliones listened with a calmer demeanor than I expected.

“So I said I would go! I thought of a much more effective way to put the rumors to rest than trying to explain in words that we have no connection.”

“What method is that?”

At Heliones’s composed question, I answered with a meaningful smile.

“I plan to bring a companion.”

I savored the sight of Heliones’s composed face crumbling in a strange and fleeting way for just a moment, then immediately cleared up the misunderstanding.

“Not an actual companion. I need a gentleman to escort me through the greenhouse that day.”

“Ah?”

Heliones, who had been making an odd expression and had half-risen from his chair, sank back down with a rather blank look on his face.

He seemed quite startled by his former wife’s rather bold statement. Well, it’s not as though one can simply conjure up a companion on demand.

“I have no intention of ever marrying again. To be honest, I have no interest in romance or anything of that sort either. So please don’t worry. Your Majesty’s former wife will not get caught up in any frivolous scandal.”

“No, I, that’s, that wasn’t…”

“I know. My wording was a bit open to misunderstanding.”

He must have caught my mischievous look that said it was half a joke, because Heliones raised a hand and pressed it to his chest. Those hands, always so steady, were trembling faintly.

He had only just become Emperor, so of course he would be sensitive about his reputation. I had been careless. What kind of joke was that to make.

“I’m sorry. I was only joking…”

“Not at all. I simply have no sense of humor. There is no need to apologize. Please feel free to joke with me whenever you like. I will get used to it!”

Heliones, treating this like some great matter, had already steadied his trembling hands and gave a firm nod with a resolute look in his eyes. I understood his determination, but he ought to stop there. Two more jokes like that and the Emperor’s heart might not survive.

“Yes. I will.”

I gave an appropriately agreeable response so Heliones wouldn’t feel embarrassed, then got to the point.

“Someone from abroad, or someone with no ties to the capital, would probably be best. Being associated with me doesn’t tend to generate good rumors, after all. Might there be any retired military men among your acquaintances who could be asked to serve as an escort? I don’t know anyone here at all…”

Half a day would be enough. Just enough time to cast a shadow over Roned’s triumphant smile and silence Delmir’s circle.

But I had no one around me suitable for such a delicate request. The only people I knew in the capital were Heliones, my Emperor and former husband, and Roned.

I felt bad asking him for help when he was already so busy, but since this was partly about keeping myself from getting tangled up with Roned and becoming fodder for gossip, I decided to ask for his help just this once.

I couldn’t very well bring up compensation when asking a gentleman for an escort, but once the matter was settled, I intended to offer something appropriate without making it feel burdensome.

Heliones listened to my request and made a slightly odd expression, that is, he couldn’t keep his lips still and they moved in a peculiar way, and he fell briefly silent as though turning something over in his mind.

“Hmm. A suitable gentleman does come to mind. There is nothing to worry about. I will prepare everything perfectly.”

What was there to prepare? All he needed to do was introduce me to one person.

But Heliones’s grey eyes were sparkling with a brightness I hadn’t seen in a long time, so I simply thanked him for agreeing to help and left it at that.

Somehow, the matter kept growing larger.

The capital was home to several newspapers, and most of them were pillars of the press covering major domestic and foreign issues.

But people’s tastes varied, and to meet that demand, there were naturally publications that dealt exclusively in gossip. They wrote primarily about rumors circulating in the capital, scandals among the nobility, mysteries like the disappearance of a gypsy girl, and on days when there was nothing worth writing about, they put out irregular publications that only appeared when there was something to print.

These irregular one- or two-page publications were sold on the streets by newsboys for a few coins, and they sold like wildfire regardless of social standing.

But I, having grown weary of being someone’s gossip material after years of living as a princess and then as someone’s wife, felt little interest in such publications. I would rather spend that time reading a proper newspaper, painting, or reading a book.

Even so, today I had no choice but to pay attention to the gossip sheet that Hanna and Lucinda came running in with.

It was because of the sensational headline printed in large bold letters at the top: “What is the nature of the relationship between Young Lord Roned of House Iledn and the princess of fallen Rodencia?”

The article began with the fact that Roned had created a flower named after me and ended with a personal commentary concluding that something was surely going on between the two of us.

Yellow journalism has always been known for spinning a chance glance into a full story, but this was unexpected.

This had happened only yesterday. How many witnesses could there have been for an article this detailed to appear so quickly?

On a hunch, I dug through the newspapers I had been saving and found the article written about Heliones and Delmir. The gossip sheet carried no byline, but the writing style, ending sentences in negatively framed questions, was identical.

I didn’t want to suspect anyone without evidence, but my suspicion kept drifting toward Delmir’s side.

Had she hired a journalist? What did she stand to gain from running an article like this?

I was someone who would soon be a complete stranger to Heliones even on paper. If I, with no backing whatsoever, became embroiled in a scandal with House Iledn, it would cause more trouble for House Iledn than for me. So why go to the trouble?

I truly could not make sense of it.

The article was bothersome, but it was a scandal that would fade within a few days regardless. Well, they could go ahead and print Roned’s dumbfounded face as the illustration for all I cared.

Three days passed. During that time, I kept my distance from newspapers and gossip sheets and steadied my nerves. I spent the time picturing, over and over, the scene of myself walking into the greenhouse on the arm of a gentleman with the most composed expression I could manage.

From among the clothes hanging in the wardrobe since my arrival in the capital, I chose an empire-waist dress made of pale yellow silk muslin. It was a dress with a silhouette that flowed smoothly along the body’s curves, giving a neat yet elegant impression. Over the dress, which fit like something made to order, I fastened the emerald necklace I had received from Heliones on his birthday.

At the time of our divorce, I had left the Gertil family estate with almost nothing, but I had taken the birthday gifts I received during the two years Heliones and I were married. This necklace was one of them.

I swept the hair at my temples back into a half-updo, put on a wide-brimmed bonnet, pulled on lace gloves, and picked up my parasol. I was ready to go out.

Having lived quite modestly for two years, I found all this preparation rather tiresome, but I endured it, thinking of the Emperor’s reputation, which was directly tied to my own.

When the morning was about half gone, the carriage Heliones had sent arrived in front of the lodgings. There was no one inside, and when I asked the coachman, it seemed the gentleman who would be escorting me was heading directly to the greenhouse. It was a little unnerving to meet without so much as an introduction beforehand, right at the greenhouse entrance, but I trusted Heliones’s thoroughness and climbed into the carriage without a word of complaint.

“Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen the inside of a carriage this lavish before.”

Hanna’s eyes went wide at the sight of the carriage interior, its walls papered in gold-leaf decoration.

We were only going on a picnic of sorts, an hour’s carriage ride from the capital, and yet the carriage Heliones had sent felt excessively grand.

The four-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses was a spectacle of extravagance inside and out, white with gold trim throughout.

“I know. It’s been a very long time since I’ve ridden in something like this myself.”

At this rate, never mind the scandal, there would be rumors about the Emperor’s former wife living in excessive luxury.

I looked at Elren with an expression that said I found it all rather overwhelming, but Elren returned only his usual gentle, serene smile.

“Oh, look at that field over there! It’s all green!”

The moment we left the capital, the scenery changed at once. The vast fields were full of pale blue-green crops planted in spring and growing vigorously, and among them, farmers worked in the summer sun, sweating as they cleared the weeds.