The banquet lasted for three days.

Of course, they didn’t party continuously without rest through the nights.

The first day was for welcoming guests, the second featured a light hunting competition, and the third night was the real “Spring Welcoming Ceremony.”

The grand hall, filled with flower fragrances, bustled with nobles who couldn’t attend the first two days and gathered just for the final day.

While this banquet served to showcase the Buchanan family’s impressive influence, it also promoted the spring specialties of Buchanan territory.

Not only the mansion, but the territory’s residents also eagerly displayed products showcasing their skills.

The various nobles enjoying the banquet spent lavishly on all sorts of specialties from Buchanan territory.

The apple wine, in particular, would become difficult to obtain after the banquet.

Nobles who couldn’t get apple wine drank excessively at the banquet to console themselves.

A night intoxicated with fragrances and wine.

It was late enough that children should have been asleep.

The young lady, upset that Rudels said he had to return to the capital right after the banquet, had disappeared.

Rudels was searching throughout the mansion for the prince and Philia.

“You should have told her earlier, Rudels.”

“I thought I’d stay at least another week too. How could I have known the professor would suddenly call for me?”

Rudels sighed deeply while searching under a pile of large rabbit dolls that Philia treasured.

“She wouldn’t have gone outside the mansion, would she? It’s getting dark.”

“Surely not. She wouldn’t go outside the mansion when it’s this dark.”

“……Sigh, I’m really aging because of that kid, aging.”

This wasn’t something a fourteen-year-old boy should say.

I don’t know where he picked it up, but his tone was quite serious.

Laedro ran his hand down his face in amusement and said indifferently,

“Wouldn’t it be better to split up and search? I’ll go to the second floor. Why don’t you keep searching the first floor?”

“Should we? Then bring her to the first-floor fountain if you find her. I’ll probably have to dance the waltz with her ten times to console her.”

“Sure, sure.”

After parting from Rudels, Karl headed straight for that room from before.

When he reached the door, the boy hesitated momentarily, remembering this was the lady’s private bedroom.

‘……But I’m sure she’ll be here.’

He couldn’t bring Rudels along because Philia didn’t seem to want him to discover her secret space.

On the other hand, he wondered how Rudels would feel later when he found out that his sister and his best friend had created a secret that only he didn’t know about.

‘……I’ll keep it a secret between Phili and me for now.’

Karl felt a childish pride as he quietly entered the Duchess’s private bedroom.

The room was quiet, seemingly empty.

The boy stood in front of the secret door with light steps and said,

“Hey, are you in there?”

No response.

After waiting briefly, Karl opened the door to the secret place.

Drrrk—

When the small door slid open sideways, he saw a girl inside who had been crying until her eyes were red.

“……Why did you come.”

The girl with swollen lips pouted and turned to sit sideways.

Karl bent down to enter.

“Why are you crying?”

Philia glared with her round eyes and grumbled.

“……You know why. Why ask?”

“Because Rudels said he’s leaving?”

“Yes. Rudels probably likes you more than me now.”

“Hmm, that’s definitely not true.”

“What would you know! Waaaaah!”

Karl felt awkward for a moment, then offered a tin of lemon candies he had brought in his pocket to comfort the crying Philia.

“……What’s this?”

“It’s candy my mother likes. My father specially brought it from far away, so it’s precious. There’s only one tin left, and he’ll have to go far away again to get more.”

“……So?”

“So I stole it because I thought you might cry.”

Philia stopped crying and opened her eyes wide at Karl’s words.

Karl’s mother was the Crown Princess.

That meant Karl had stolen something from the Crown Princess and was offering it to her.

“What if I get caught!”

“It’s okay. If I say I ate it, she won’t say anything. So, here. Try it. It’s really delicious.”

Karl said this while pushing a yellow lemon candy into Philia’s mouth.

With the rush of fragrance, Philia momentarily forgot she had been crying and chewed on the candy.

“Wow, it’s super delicious!”

“Here, you can have the rest too.”

“……Is that really okay?”

“Yes. After you finish these, let’s go out. Rudels said he’d dance the waltz with you ten times.”

Sniff.

Philia nodded while sniffling.

The girl, munching on her second candy, glanced at the prince standing by her side and whispered in a smaller voice,

“I’ll only dance with Rudels seven times.”

Karl glanced at the child with a look that asked what she meant, and Philia smiled brightly, meeting his eyes, and said,

“Because I’ll dance three times with you, Karl.”

“……That’s ridiculous, who said I’d dance with you?”

“You will, right? Probably? You like me.”

Philia smiled brightly again after saying that.

What a sassy little kid.

Karl flicked Philia’s reddened nose tip with his finger and lay back against the triangular cushion.

The secret hideout, built like a tiny attic, contained a small lamp, books, and piles of snacks.

In the cramped secret room, the music from the banquet drifted in faintly on the breeze, and the air was filled with the smell of the lemon candy the child was munching on.

‘I’m glad I came here.’

He would have regretted it if he had hesitated and didn’t come.

Just as Karl was thinking this and smirking to himself,

Click—

The door to the Duchess’s bedroom opened, and people entered.

Startled, Philia and Karl lowered their voices and peered through the crack in the door to see outside.

“……!”

Philia grabbed Karl’s clothes in surprise after checking outside.

Karl quickly put his finger to Philia’s lips.

‘Shh.’

They couldn’t make any sound.

Tension instantly filled the air.

The boy’s golden eyes immediately sharpened with alertness.

A thug was entering the room carrying the seemingly unconscious Duchess over his shoulder, while gripping the nape of a woman who appeared to be a maid.

It was an ominous scene.

Karl quickly gripped the dagger in his pocket while pulling Philia’s small shoulder close and embracing her.

He could feel the small shoulder in his palm trembling violently.

‘It’s okay.’

He held Philia tightly to reassure her.

The trembling maid laid the unconscious Duchess on the bed and began undressing her.

When her dress was removed and only a thin chemise remained, the man who had been urging the maid strangled her.

“Hup!”

Philia desperately covered her mouth to suppress a groan.

It was too cruel a murder scene for a young girl to witness.

Moreover, in front of this scene lay the girl’s mother, shamefully undressed.

‘……What should I do.’

Karl gritted his teeth and steadied his breathing.

The thug dragged the dead maid away, disappearing into the connecting room.

“Should we go out now?”

Philia asked Karl quietly while sobbing.

Karl shook his head.

“Not yet. Not yet.”

“But, Mother……!”

“Shh. The thug is still in the next room.”

“……”

No matter how much fire burned inside, they couldn’t rashly go outside.

Thinking coldly, despite his training in martial arts and swordsmanship, he was only 14 years old.

If a professional assassin or fighter had been deployed, a little kid like him would be subdued in less than 10 minutes.

‘Even if we scream, the music outside is too loud.’

And they wouldn’t let these two scream anyway.

So they had to wait for now.

If something truly terrible happened, it would be better for Karl to go out alone.

One wrong move could put Philia at risk of becoming a hostage or being sacrificed.

“Wait. Until someone comes, you can’t go out. Understand? If necessary, I’ll go.”

“But……”

While the two children whispered in their secret place, another set of footsteps approached.

The door flung open, and someone very familiar to Karl entered.

“……Geril?”

Crown Prince Richard stumbled in, appearing drunk.

Then, with furrowed eyes scanning the room, he discovered the Duchess sprawled on the bed.

“What, what’s this?”

Startled, he quickly backed away.

Just as he grabbed the doorknob to leave, a clicking sound indicated the door had been locked from outside.