‘Let me get a look at that face of yours. If the opportunity presents itself, I’ll give you a good flick on the forehead. A very hard one.’ Adele’s eyes gleamed.

But in the current situation, simply wandering around the estate was extremely dangerous. Knocking out every single person she encountered was also not feasible.

So Adele chose to scale the walls. She immediately opened the window and hung from the terrace railing.

Vincent had already witnessed a great deal of her strange behavior by now. The boy waved his hand with a look of familiarity, bidding farewell to the brief parting.

The estate walls were built of red brick. Adele’s hair served as natural camouflage, making it look like an ordinary wall at a glance. On top of that, her green clothing blended well with the ivy.

Combined with her signature technique of erasing her presence, she became completely one with the wall. Even people who passed directly below her had no idea she was there.

‘Drawing rooms are usually on the first floor.’

Adele avoided people and moved across the entire wall like a lizard, making her way down to the first floor.

Checking the windows of the first floor one by one and searching for the drawing room, Adele spotted something and smiled.

It was a gleam of golden hair.

“Found you.”

Fortunately, the drawing room was momentarily free of servants.

Adele placed her hand on the window and vibrated it with precise, delicate control. With those minute movements, the latch gradually shifted, and the window opened at last.

Rohide had no idea the window had opened and was sipping at his warmed milk. Adele immediately launched herself into the drawing room, landed beautifully, and approached Rohide.

“You are……?”

Rohide, who had not heard a sound, spotted Adele and his eyes went wide. He seemed startled by her sudden appearance.

Seeing such a prince, Adele reflexively lowered her head and bent one knee.

‘Wait. He’s not my lord anymore.’

Fortunately, she straightened up before her knee fully touched the floor, so this was not kneeling. It was not showing deference. It was simply a brief warm-up stretch.

Adele thought so, made the most arrogant expression she could manage, and looked up at Rohide.

‘You little future tyrant. How shall I make you suffer?’

But the prince had come without even a guard knight? Adele looked around to confirm they were truly alone. But there was no guard to be seen who should have been stopping her.

This prince had truly come to the ducal estate alone.

Why such a modest visit? Had he really come just to enjoy a tea party, of all things? What would he do if something dangerous happened?

It was something she never could have imagined from the Rohide she knew.

Even for a simple tea party, to be a prince and come without a personal attendant or guard knight.

Rather than admiring Rohide’s unpretentious nature, Adele began to wonder about his ulterior motive.

This was not the kind of person he was. He was far too cunning for this.

Her eyes sharpened once more.

And Rohide, right before her, thought to himself.

Just what on earth was this person before him?

Watching those eyes, in which emotions shifted from moment to moment, there was something mysterious about them that made him feel as though he might be pulled inside. She looked young, and yet she was already giving off this kind of atmosphere, so she was surely no ordinary person.

Even he, who had seen and dealt with countless nobles from the moment he was born, had never encountered this type before.

In a way, she felt like someone as difficult to handle as his own father, the king of this kingdom.

Of course, that made no sense.

How could a child who looked even younger than himself carry such a degree of intimidating presence?

And he was curious about the meaning behind her initial movement. Rohide had assumed the child had bent her knees slightly and straightened them to gain momentum. Specifically, to headbutt him.

But fortunately, she seemed to have changed her mind, and the child corrected her posture. Rohide had for a moment imagined being headbutted by a tiny little girl and found himself flailing on his own, only to realize he had nearly toppled backward off his chair, and was thoroughly flustered.

In all his life until now, no one had ever surprised him like this.

Immediately after, the child looked around. She appeared to be searching for someone. When she seemed to realize that Rohide was alone in the drawing room, her eyes took on a chilling gleam, like a ferocious predator that had spotted its prey.

‘It must be…… my imagination?’

Not a single person had ever directed such an insolent gaze at the prince before. That was why Rohide could not quite identify exactly what kind of attitude Adele was showing him right now.

What he could say with certainty was that Adele was a dangerous person.

Rohide looked down at the young girl with chubby cheeks, his expression tense.

Did the Rogato family have a daughter?

As far as he knew, Vincent was an only child. And the little one before him bore not a single resemblance to Vincent. The same was true of Duke Usder.

Considering various possibilities, Adele could well be an unfamiliar intruder. A tiny one, but still.

Even so, for some reason, the fact that this little one was probably not Vincent’s family felt like a relief.

In truth, Vincent was not someone Rohide particularly liked. Yet the reason he had come to the ducal estate displaying familiarity, without even a servant or guard in tow, was quite simple.

It was to investigate the gust of wind from not long ago.

If he spoke honestly, no one would let him go. So he had used the excuse of building a rapport with the next duke, who would become an important connection in the future.

Having shown himself to be reliable on ordinary occasions, the king had sent him off without much suspicion.

Naturally, Rohide had not the slightest intention of becoming close with someone who might not even end up becoming a duke.

With adults gossiping so much about Vincent’s legitimacy, anyone who still remained unaware of it at this point was likely someone who simply did not think very deeply.

So his plan was to drink his milk at a leisurely pace, then slip away at the right moment to investigate the gust of wind.

Even if someone noticed he had disappeared from the palace, they would probably let it go by punishing the ducal estate for poor supervision. In that case, all the blame would fall on Vincent, the last person to have seen him.

That was precisely the kind of advantage that came with being a prince.

After that, they would certainly not leave him alone again, but that was fine.

Once he found the cause of the gust of wind, his interest in the world would disappear again anyway. Then he would return from being a curious boy to once again being the next king and Layla’s betrothed.

Yes, it was a very brief escape. That was the plan for today.

Yet strangely, this dangerous little girl had caught his eye.

Enough to make him forget even the gust of wind that had fascinated him.

How would this nameless child’s attitude change once she learned he was a prince?

Rohide imagined the child startling and hurriedly bowing her head, and let out a small laugh. Then he flinched, startled by the clear trace of a smile that remained on his own face.

‘I…… laughed? Genuinely?’

When was the last time he had laughed like this, rather than simply forcing the corners of his mouth upward?

Rohide’s expression was peculiar as he touched his own face. A face completely different from the one he wore around Layla. Rohide felt his heart beating.

It was perhaps an emotion he was feeling for the first time in his life. Rather than being unsettled by the unfamiliar feeling, it was thrilling.

Adele, having witnessed every single one of these shifting expressions, thought to herself.

‘This little brat is completely absorbed in playing the role of a fatally charming protagonist, all on his own again.’

That royal bra…… no, so that prince had been like this since childhood.

Adele clicked her tongue and shook her head.

She had thought the reason adult Rohide had such a warped personality was because he drank strong whiskey every day. She had been certain it was the aftereffects of alcoholism, but seeing him act this way even while drinking milk, the problem was simply the person himself.

He never once spoke a single word properly. He would always set a heavy atmosphere as though he had something important to say, then speak in very short, clipped words.

The interpretation had always been left to those beneath him, like Adele, and she had wanted to beg him to hire a translator.

‘Come to think of it, he only spoke at length when he was trying to stop me from resigning.’

Wretched creature. Odious thing.

Cunning as he was, why on earth had women gone into a frenzy over someone like that?

The same was true of Layla, beloved by all the world.

Layla Camel.