To the untrained eye, they would look like wealthy commoners or nobles out for a secret outing.

“If we look too ordinary, it’s troublesome. People tend to be kinder when you look moderately wealthy.”

“At this rate… Well, even if we get overcharged, it won’t be a significant amount.”

Adelia nodded, agreeing with Lucian’s thinking. Even if a single shop overcharged them, it wouldn’t make even a speck of difference.

“Shall we get in?”

Lucian opened the carriage door and extended his hand. Adelia took his hand and entered the carriage.

The carriage, made of dark walnut wood, had just two red velvet sofas.

‘Oh, that’s quite a high-quality wood. And good fabric too.’

Adelia naturally calculated the cost of the materials used in the carriage. Although the paint on the exterior looked crude, making the carriage appear not so expensive, the materials used inside were on par with luxury carriages.

Adelia sat on the plush sofa. The soft velvet felt good against her hand.

Soon after, Lucian boarded the carriage. As he sat opposite Adelia, the carriage door closed.

Neigh-

The sound of horses was heard, and the carriage slowly began to roll.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m planning to go to the largest shopping district. They say it’s quite festive these days since the sea fog has completely cleared.”

The Medellin region’s main sources of income were seafood and tourism. The winter sea had been famous for a long time, and for the past five years, many tourists had been coming to the temple where a saint was said to have received a revelation.

“In summer, tourism was difficult due to the waves and fog caused by white magic and the holy sword’s energy. By the time we leave, tourists will be increasing again.”

Adelia shrugged, saying it was thanks to them.

“Since there are fewer tourists at the temple now, would you like to visit there as well?”

“If it’s the local temple, is it the one where the saint appeared?”

Adelia tilted her head. Her eyes narrowed as she innocently tilted her head.

The saint. It had been bothering her for a while. Why was this figure, never mentioned even once in the original story, appearing so frequently now?

‘I should look into it when we get back.’

After briefly concluding her thoughts, Adelia smiled softly again, her eyes curving. She put aside what she couldn’t do now and focused on what was right in front of her.

‘It’s my first time at a temple. I wonder if it’s similar to a cathedral, with things like stained glass.’

Having never been to a church even in her previous life, she recalled images of cathedrals she had only seen in pictures.

The majestic statues and colorful sunlight streaming through the elaborate stained glass in the neat and clean interior. Thinking about it carefully, it didn’t seem like a bad sight.

“To be precise, it’s the temple where the saint is said to have received divine revelation.”

“It wouldn’t be bad to visit once.”

“Then let’s visit after dinner.”

Lucian had made all the plans for the outing. He had prepared the carriage and coachman, and provided information about the places to visit. For Adelia, it was truly an outing where she had only changed her clothes and come out.

“You seem familiar with this kind of outing.”

“I used to go on secret outings occasionally when I was in the imperial palace.”

“Your Highness went on secret outings?”

Adelia asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

At her big reaction, Lucian frowned as if unsure.

“Is that so surprising?”

“A little? You’re someone who’s buried in work just as much as I am, aren’t you?”

Adelia spoke honestly.

Befitting his position as Crown Prince, Lucian is responsible for many tasks. Though not as much as Adelia, he pours a considerable amount of time into his work.

‘I think he only worked in the original story too.’

She quickly searched through her memories, but while there were scenes of him spending time with family, there were no scenes of Lucian resting alone or going on secret outings.

Lucian was always either in his office or the training grounds, or spending time with his family. Even now that he’s in the imperial palace, it’s not much different.

When looking for him, people would either go to the princess or send someone to his office and training grounds.

“Not just me, but Father also occasionally goes on secret outings to rest.”

“Really? That’s unexpected.”

Adelia shrugged lightly upon learning this new fact. Although it was new information not in the original story, it wasn’t particularly important. She just noted that they also go on secret outings and moved on.

Lucian sighed softly at her indifferent attitude.

“When I first started receiving education as Crown Prince at age 7, the first thing Father taught me was about rest. He told me that no matter how important one’s position is, if you don’t rest, you’re bound to break down, so never skip personal rest time. He added that I shouldn’t be bound by my position and should play sometimes too.”

“……”

“Even I, who’ve been called Crown Prince since birth, sometimes feel overwhelmed by the weight I carry. Wouldn’t it be the same for you who became a guild master on your own? Occasionally, you should distance yourself from work and books and rest with ease.”

Was it because of the strange tears he saw on the first night, or because her words about never having rested sounded pitiful? Lucian, unlike usual, shared many stories. He was unaware that personal emotions were mixed in with his advice.

Adelia quietly listened to his story. When he finished speaking, she lowered her eyes slightly and smiled languidly. Her gently upturned lips seemed to contain both pleasure and a sense of futility.

“Rest requires leisure too. Your Highness received education step by step from age 7. His Majesty the Emperor, though not a Crown Prince, was educated as a prince. I had none of that. I had to achieve a lot in a short time.”

The memories and experiences from the original story? They were helpful enough, but there were more things that had to be started completely from scratch.

“What the standards here are, what the economic situation and market prices are like, how the guild system works. I had to figure out on my own what cultures exist, how to utilize my abilities, and how to employ people.”

Even with Conrad’s help, it wasn’t an easy path. What she thought based on memories from the original story and her previous life had to be packaged reasonably, and everything related to that had to be solved by herself.

Among those, the most difficult thing was…

‘The fact that I’ve entered a book and possessed a character.’

This was something that couldn’t be changed even with effort. Even people who go abroad suffer from homesickness, so how much worse must it have been for her, dropped into a world she had never fully experienced?

It took longer than expected to live nonchalantly. There was still anxiety nestled in a corner of her heart.

As the topic became heavy, the atmosphere in the carriage suddenly sank. Lucian’s face hardened, perhaps thinking he had touched on Adelia’s dark past.

“Of course, I agree that if you don’t rest, you’ll break down. And it’s right to say that sometimes you should distance yourself from work and books and rest easily.”

Adelia continued speaking with a sly smile, trying to lighten the stiffened atmosphere. Lucian’s grimly set face relaxed ever so slightly.

“Right now, even when I rest, it doesn’t feel like resting because my mind isn’t at ease. Working feels more comfortable than resting. I should rest after all the work is finished and everything is back in its place.”

Lucian frowned at those words. He showed signs of unease, fidgeting like someone who had made a mistake.

“It seems I’ve unnecessarily suggested this outing. If you wish, we can go back.”

“That’s what I mean when I’m resting alone. It’s different when I’m with someone else. Until now, for various reasons, I didn’t have time to rest or people to play with.”

Lady Adelia was someone who couldn’t go out much due to her weak constitution. So it was impossible to go somewhere in her original identity.

When she needed to go out, she would change her appearance, but she couldn’t stay out long for fear of being discovered by the people at the mansion.

As a result, she spent a lot of time alone, naturally keeping books and documents by her side.

She disliked large gatherings like parties, but she enjoyed social activities with a small number of people. Especially if it was with people close to her.

“If I really hated it, I would have run away already. Or I would have damaged the carriage wheels to prevent departure. You know my personality.”

“I do. You avoid things you don’t want to do or find worthless by making excuses or creating coincidences.”

Adelia chuckled at his low voice. She rested her elbow on the window frame, propped her chin, and fixed her gaze on the scenery outside.

The view of small, quaint houses clustered near the calm seaside was quiet and peaceful.