As they stepped onto the grounds of the estate, Kaelion lowered his gaze to his petite wife, who was walking beside him.

A few days earlier, Rosetta had predicted that the storage room at the Cold Palace was a trap waiting to be revealed.

Everything had unfolded exactly as she had foretold.

Rumors had quietly spread through noble society that Vivianne had infiltrated the Cold Palace storage room and been seriously injured by the Imperial Knight, Akalt Blanchea.

The information that Eleanor had brought him had been false.

Whether the Emperor had deliberately deceived her or she had fallen victim to someone else’s scheme, Kaelion could not tell.

What he did know was this.

Rosetta had seen the danger long before anyone else.

With remarkable precision, she redirected the blade intended for him towards her enemies.

As he looked at her, he felt a faint sense of admiration stir within him.

Once again, Rosetta had proven herself to be far more formidable than anyone realized.

“I merely let it slip that there seemed to be a stockpile of toner in the Cold Palace storage room.”

Rosetta had changed the course of events with just one remark.

Surprisingly, the Emperor did not retract his declaration that Vivianne would become Empress.

However, it was clear that the incident had caused a slight rift in the Emperor’s relationship with the Montero family.

For now, it was nothing more than a hairline fracture.

But one day, that crack would widen beyond repair, shattering everything.

“You really need to be careful tomorrow.”

No weapons were permitted inside the Imperial Palace.

“The Emperor may take an interest in you.”

When Kaelion first met Aiden, he spoke as though he despised the Grand Duchess, deliberately doing so.

But that might not be enough.

To maintain the appearance of a troubled marriage, Rosetta and Kaelion agreed to enter the ballroom together and then split up.

“Sir Silvaren will be with me.”

Just as when Rosetta had infiltrated the Imperial Palace before, Louis would secretly accompany her, concealed beneath the Veil of the Void.

“Even so. Be careful.”

Rosetta stopped walking and turned to face him.

“Your Highness is always worrying about me.”

“You’re my wife.”

Rosetta lowered her head slightly.

Then she reached out and lightly caught the edge of his sleeve.

“Me too.”

“Hm?”

“I worry about Your Highness too.”

“…”

‘What if my husband goes out to hunt monsters and gets badly hurt? What if the Emperor tries to do something terrible to my husband? What if my husband loses sleep worrying about Mother?’

Rosetta lifted her head again and met Kaelion’s eyes.

“I’m always worrying about things like that.”

Her words filled Kaelion’s chest with warmth.

An emotion he could not quite put into words gathered heavily inside him and surged upward.

“We spend all our time worrying about each other, don’t we?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Why would Your Highness be sorry?”

Rosetta’s smile was bright and utterly sincere.

“I like it. Having someone who worries about me the same way I worry about them.”

“Mm.”

“They say that the only people with no worries are those in their graves. But we have a few too many, don’t we? Still, it’s all right. There was a time when we couldn’t go to parties or buy lots of dresses. Now, however, we’re going to a party tomorrow, and I have enough money to buy as many dresses as I want.”

“…”

“We’re getting better, little by little. One day, instead of carrying worries this heavy, we’ll have the kind of worries that seem a little silly to other people. Because I can look forward to that day, I’m happy.”

She was dazzling.

So dazzling it made him dizzy.

Kaelion thought he might go blind, yet he could not take his eyes off her.

As though bewitched, he gazed at her and murmured,

“Lottie, you’re… an adult.”

Rosetta burst into bright laughter.

“Of course I am. I’ve been an adult all along.”

***

“I thought I was Her Highness’s guard.”

Because Veloa refused to leave even late into the night, Louis let out a sigh.

“I can guard her well too.”

Veloa kept putting on the Cloak of the Void and taking it off again.

“Sir Edelgar, it’s late. If a lady remains in a man’s room at this hour…”

Before Louis could finish, Veloa burst into loud laughter.

“A lady? Commander, could you please stop saying such strange things?”

“…Then please leave my room so I won’t have to say such strange things.”

“Commander, our lord loves Her Highness, doesn’t he? What do you think Her Highness feels?”

Watching Veloa sit down on the sofa as though settling in for a serious conversation, Louis let out a deep sigh.

“I have no desire to discuss their affection at this hour.”

“I always get sentimental around this time. Don’t you, Commander?”

“Leave, Sir Edelgar.”

“You know, from what I can tell, Her Highness seems to like Our Lord, too. If they both like each other, why don’t they kiss?”

“…”

“Your Highness, you are truly beautiful. Since she arrived in the capital, I haven’t seen a woman as lovely as her. Everyone at this party will fall for her, won’t they? But what if some worthless scoundrel becomes smitten with her and tries to seduce her?”

Veloa frowned.

“Maybe I really should go with her and kill him…”

“Sir Edelgar. Her Highness will not be swayed just because some worthless scoundrel tries to seduce her.”

“Right? It seems that way to you too, doesn’t it, Commander? Her Highness likes our lord a lot, right? Then why don’t they kiss?”

Louis silently glared at Veloa before speaking.

“Why, exactly, are you so concerned about whether our lord and Her Highness kiss?”

“Well, you see.”

Veloa leaned forward and lowered her voice.

Wondering if there was some legitimate reason, Louis listened.

“You know those situations. You know, when you’re watching the person you admire in a romantic situation, feeling anxious for them, and then quickly looking away when they finally kiss.”

“…”

“If Her Highness is upset because she doesn’t understand Our Lord’s feelings, you should offer her some discreet advice. Alternatively, you could casually let Our Lord know that Her Highness is upset. I would love to be involved in that sort of situation. It’s the kind of situation every guard knight dreams of.”

Louis straightened up, blaming himself for being foolish enough to listen.

“Sir Edelgar, guard knights do not dream of such things.”

“What? Then what do they dream of?”

“…Do guard knights need dreams? A guard knight simply does his duty and protects the person he’s assigned to.”

“Ah, that’s far too bleak. And boring.”

“Leave, Sir Edelgar. Let’s get some sleep.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Veloa stood up to leave, Louis finally let out a sigh of relief.

However, just as she grabbed the doorknob, she turned back around.

“But, Commander! What if—just hypothetically—Her Highness doesn’t love our Lord as a man? What if she only likes him as a friend? Even though they’re married, do you think they’ll kiss?”

Without answering, Louis simply pointed at the door with his index finger.

Veloa grinned.

“Getting shy, are we?”

“…”

***

“Is that rumor really true? They say the Marquis of Montero’s daughter was sneaking around the Imperial Palace and ended up badly injured.”

“It’s true. I heard Marquis Montero even bought Celea to appease His Majesty. Supposedly, he purchased a rather large piece.”

“Then the Imperial Lady will probably be wearing jewelry made from a large Celea today.”

“Do you really think Lady Montero will become Empress? She’s already causing problems before she’s even been crowned.”

“She probably will. Among all the families considered for the position of Empress, the Montero family is still the strongest candidate.”

“Have you heard about the Grand Duke? They say he’ll be attending this party.”

“What a shameless man! After what he did to the late emperor, how can he have the audacity to show his face here?”

“I’ve always wondered why His Majesty allowed a man like that to live.”

“I heard the Grand Duchy is poor. What do you think the Grand Duchess will wear?”

“They say the Grand Duchess causes the Grand Duke endless trouble. Then again, she’s Rosetta Montero. Well, not Montero anymore.”

“I saw the Grand Duchess at the festival a few days ago.”

“Really? What was she doing?”

“She was walking around with a maid and a single knight, buying all sorts of things.”

“What kinds of things?”

“Scarves woven by commoners. Boots with strange designs. Things like that.”

“Oh my. How pitiful.”

There were plenty of topics to discuss at this year’s Imperial Harvest Festival party.

As the nobles entered the grand ballroom, they naturally formed small groups and eagerly exchanged stories and rumors about the latest events to captivate the capital.

Eleanor was no exception.

She, too, found herself surrounded by old friends.

Before entering the convent, she had been a noblewoman like them.

Most of her friends had since married into various noble families.

Yet when they reunited after so many years, the passage of time seemed to melt away.

They felt as though they had returned to the carefree days of their youth, chatting comfortably, laughing freely, and speaking without restraint.

“Eli, it’s been so long. Do you know how upset I was when you disappeared without a word?”

“Have you been well? You’re still as beautiful as ever.”

They consciously avoided mentioning Kaelion.

Eleanor understood the consideration behind their silence.

“I’m sorry. I was frightened back then.”

“Well, it wasn’t exactly an ordinary situation. But I’m still glad you came back. I was worried you’d end up spending the rest of your life there.”

“What was the convent like? Was it difficult?”

“Everyone was very kind to me. I was comfortable there.”

Even while talking to her friends, Eleanor’s attention remained fixed on the entrance to the ballroom.