Was that really all? Suddenly, an unfamiliar emotion wedged its way in. Nigel furrowed his brow.

“A cold.”

Nigel muttered to himself. She must be feverish. Just imagining that small, fragile woman coughing made him feel bad. He had heard she was weak since birth. They said she had delayed her debut due to chronic illness too. So was it really alright for her to go around here and there as a governess and to parties? Who would take responsibility if she collapsed again? To Nigel, Rosia was like a newborn fawn. A baby deer that needed to be watched anxiously, not knowing when it might fall and get hurt. Wait. His thoughts naturally came to a halt.

“She’s really a bothersome woman. To the point of being irritating.”

Rosia Berthe had consistently made Nigel uncomfortable in various ways from the start. Nigel closed the curtains irritably, finding even the sunset sea unpleasant to look at.

＊＊＊

When news spread that a delegation from the Southern Continent, the mysterious desert kingdom of Egon, would visit Wetzel, the kingdom quickly became abuzz. That the hostile desert people who disliked outsiders had organized a delegation for exchange — the Queen’s reputation improved daily. The impression strengthened that she was a queen implementing proper policies, unlike the incompetent former king.

Along with this, stories about the Berthe family also spread. Interest focused on what would happen to Rosia’s brothers imprisoned in Egon’s jail for the failure of their business in the Southern Continent.

Some said they would be released and return through this opportunity, while others said they should be sacrificed to show how cooperative the kingdom was in order to advance relations with the Southern Continent. Another group called them barbarians and didn’t welcome exchanges with the desert.

Rosia gathered such information through newspaper articles daily. Viscount Berthe was still just busy going around, not telling her anything. So she had no choice but to find out herself. Though she didn’t know how Count Owen knew to send it, after consistently drinking several cups of the tea he sent that was supposedly good for colds, she felt much better. It was fortunate at least that her physical condition wasn’t bad.

Anyway, there was still no definitive conclusion about the Berthe family’s sons. It felt like grasping at clouds, as things might not change even with the desert delegation’s visit. It felt like facing an enemy without even a form.

Rosia waited for contact from her brothers, but none of the letters arriving at the mansion bore their names. She asked through the nanny if perhaps only Father had received any, but Father also hadn’t received any letters. Even a short sentence saying they were safe would have made her feel much better.

As she spent each day anxiously like this, Betty visited the mansion. Betty clearly had the face of someone about to reveal some tremendous decision. Rosia vaguely thought what was coming had come. Betty stared at Rosia for a while before carefully opening her mouth.

“Rosie, I accepted the proposal.”

Rosia tightly gripped her now lukewarm teacup. It wasn’t surprising since Betty had already said she would accept the proposal before. Still, she hadn’t expected an answer to be given this quickly. Rosia barely hid her surprised look and said.

“Congratulations, Betty.”

“We’ll start wedding preparations soon.”

“Already?”

“I feel like we should finish quickly before our hearts change.”

Betty spoke vaguely and took a sip of tea. Hearts changing — whose heart was she talking about? Betty’s? Or Leo Palena’s? Rosia couldn’t bring herself to ask that question to her friend who had decided to marry. Instead, she asked the most important question.

“Have you told your parents?”

Given Betty’s personality, she probably hadn’t. Rosia had to ask even though she already knew the answer. Betty put down her teacup and smiled slightly.

“The newspaper article will probably come out first in a few days.”

“What will you do if they don’t approve, Betty?”

“My parents wouldn’t do that. The other party is the successor to the Minister of Finance, Rosie. What family would refuse?”

Betty raised her chin somewhat triumphantly. Her words were right. Probably no one would dislike a marquis family that had monopolized the position of royal Minister of Finance. Still though. Learning about their daughter’s marriage through the newspaper — just imagining it brought feelings of disappointment. Rosia stared directly into Betty’s eyes and asked again.

“What about Young Master Palena? What will you do about that family?”

“Actually, there’s a reason I haven’t told my parents yet.”

Betty’s expression hardened. She moved her lips several times before closing them again repeatedly.

“I’m pregnant, Rosia.”

Good heavens. Rosia tried not to drop the teacup she was holding. Her heart raced quickly, startled by the sudden words.

“Pregnant……”

“I mean I’m carrying Leo Palena’s child.”

Betty wore a gentle smile as if it was unclear when her expression had hardened. Rosia pondered for a long while, not knowing what to say. Should she congratulate her? Or should she worry? Surely not in that Lake Park forest…… This was the first time she had this kind of conversation with Betty. No, it had to be the first time. When Rosia couldn’t say anything with her confused face, Betty burst into soft laughter.

“Why are you so surprised, Rosie? It’s good news for me, so you should congratulate me. Do you know how much people envied when they heard about my relationship with Leo Palena? They said it was just temporary, that I would be abandoned soon. Well, such talk.”

“I had no idea……”

“Of course you wouldn’t know. I didn’t want to tell you because I was embarrassed.”

Betty gently wrapped her hands around Rosia’s hands placed on the table.

“I will definitely be happy, Rosia Berthe. You’ll believe me, right?”

“Do you love him?”

“I have to love him.”

Rosia blankly stared back at Betty before slowly nodding her head. In the end, everything was Betty’s choice. It wasn’t something where she could argue about right and wrong.

“Anyway, I’ll be busy for a while. We decided to have the wedding as soon as possible. It will be a very splendid wedding.”

Betty brightly smiled and patted the back of Rosia’s hand. Only then did Rosia awkwardly smile back and say “Congratulations.” Once her story was finished, Betty brought up a different topic.

“Are you okay? Still no news from your brothers? They say the delegation will visit the kingdom. Maybe your brothers will come with them then?”

Rosia chose her words carefully, not knowing how to answer. She really knew nothing. Neither news of her brothers, nor who was in the delegation.

“I’m not sure. There’s still no news.”

She ended up speaking honestly. There was no reason to hide since reality wouldn’t change even if she lied. Betty wore a sympathetic expression and gently rubbed the back of Rosia’s hand.

“I hope good news comes, Rosie.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Rosia lifted her other hand and lightly patted the back of Betty’s hand. The warmth of the touch was reassuring at least. Once Betty married, it would probably be difficult to meet often like now. If there was any consolation, it was that the Palena family was close to the palace so she could visit occasionally. Rosia barely held back her already lonely feelings and firmly held Betty’s hand.

As Betty said, just a few days later, news of the marriage between Young Master Palena and Lady Odor appeared on the front page of the newspaper. Though everyone knew about their casual romance, it caused quite a stir since no one had expected it would lead to marriage. A marriage between a miss from an ordinary viscount family and the heir to the Palena marquis family… Everyone was busy gossiping since Leo Palena, known for his womanizing, had moved from dating to marriage in such a short period.

Various speculations circulated, but since the couple started their wedding preparations so quietly, the exact reason remained unknown. The already busy kingdom preparing to welcome the delegation only grew busier.

The Palena family announced they would invite the delegation to the wedding. Because of this, the wedding would follow the kingdom’s traditional style. When Nigel heard this news, he clicked his tongue. These people only thought about using even their son’s wedding.

By the way, Betty Odor was Rosia’s friend. How would Rosia Berthe take this news? She wouldn’t be foolish enough to believe they were marrying for true love.

“Surely not.”

Though he thought she wasn’t that naive, a sudden doubt crept in. The Leo Palena that Nigel knew wasn’t someone who would decide his future while drunk on love. There must be some other problem. If Rosia were in front of him, Nigel would have sneered that even her closest friend had chosen someone without love. Would she try to retort precisely while blushing? Or would she choose silence, deeming it not worth responding to? Either way, Nigel wouldn’t like it. The face of Rosia Berthe that Nigel wanted was a little more……

“Your Highness, the ship departs soon. The carriage is waiting.”

Count Owen said while knocking on the door. Nigel neatly folded the newspaper, put it down, and stood up. It was still noon, so they would arrive at the kingdom before evening. Suddenly he wondered what Rosia Berthe was doing now. Rosia would attend Leo Palena and Betty Odor’s wedding. Since Nigel would also have to be there as Her Majesty the Queen’s fine ornament, reluctantly clapping, he was confident he would meet Rosia. He wanted to tell her then, looking straight at that pretty face.

Look at how the person you love chose first. That in the end, humans are weak and bound to choose the better option. What expression would Rosia Berthe make? It would be nice if she cried a little.