Layla walked down the street accompanied by four knights and a handmaiden. She had considered taking a carriage, but today she wanted to take a walk and clear her head.

The weather was just right.

By now, surely the young lady’s mood has lifted. The handmaiden thought as much and asked Layla,

“My lady, where would you like to go today?”

However, Layla’s expression was indifferent. She did not seem to have anything particular in mind that she wanted to do.

It was too late to send word ahead to visit another noble’s residence, so even if she went, there would be nothing worthwhile to do.

“Hmm, I’m in a bad mood because of what happened yesterday…”

She had been in a foul mood all this time because of the prince and his strange behavior. The thought of how difficult it was to cater to his whims made her sigh repeatedly.

Layla’s brooding went on for quite some time. As she spent a long while thinking about what might lift her spirits again, the handmaiden carefully offered a suggestion.

“How about some delicious food? You could also have a tea time.”

It seemed to sound like a welcome suggestion.

“All right. I should have brunch and enjoy some leisure.”

At her prim tone, the handmaiden smiled brightly and nodded.

“Yes! I’ll go arrange a table right away!”

It was fair to say that Prince Rohide the day before had been quite strange.

Of course, him being strange was nothing new, but what she could say with certainty was that yesterday, in particular, he had been even more, far more strange.

Layla mulled over that unpleasant moment, left the knights standing outside the restaurant, and went inside.

This restaurant was a place that had recently become fashionable among nobles.

Part of the appeal was the delicious food, but the main reason for its popularity was that it had private rooms.

It was a restaurant that had a keen understanding of the nature of nobles, who enjoyed making a show of having special and discreet meetings.

Layla had often used the private rooms with other ladies as well, and lately she had also stopped by when she wanted to flaunt the fact that she needed time alone.

It was a way of showing that she had things to contemplate while savoring the atmosphere in solitude. That was the kind of behavior that had recently been praised as ‘very admirable.’

Of course, she did have things on her mind.

Why had Rohide made that strange expression at the end and immediately returned to the palace?

For someone who had dismissed his knights and rushed out of the mansion in such a hurry, what he had been looking at was nothing remarkable.

Just Vincent Rogato. Had he really run off like that just to see him?

But had he and the young Viscount Rogato been that close? As far as she could tell, the two of them were not in a relationship that would warrant running like that simply at the sight of someone’s back.

The eyes she had seen on Rohide yesterday had held a deep sense of bewilderment.

Like that stormy day from very early childhood.

She had thought things had calmed down after that, and yet here he was, acting strangely again.

Just as Layla was wondering whether she should report his behavior to His Majesty once more, a familiar gray head caught her eye.

Her blue eyes widened in an instant.

There is an old saying that even a monster appears when you speak of it. To think he would appear right before her eyes just as she was thinking of Vincent.

What an unbelievable coincidence.

Layla smirked. Knowing full well that he had not a single friend, she wondered who on earth he had dragged along to a place like this.

On top of that, he was sitting in an open seat rather than a private room. Anyone who saw him might not even know he was a noble.

Thinking to herself that he was indeed someone who did not suit her, Layla was making her way to her reserved table when something caught her eye.

A blazing head of red hair and a gloomy head of purple hair.

Startled for a moment, Layla spun around abruptly.

There stood the one who was meant to become her personal guard mage in the future. And the commoner whose name she could not even remember, who was to fight with a sword.

‘Why… are you two with Rogato?’

Even after arriving at her reserved table, Layla stood frozen for a long while without sitting down.

Whether her handmaiden was sending her worried glances or not, Layla, seething with rage, clutched her head and screamed.

“Aaaargh!”

“Ah, my lady! Are you all right?”

She was not all right.

‘Vincent Rogato, that wretch, is supposed to have eyes only for me. Thoroughly isolated, without a single friend!’

But the traitor, and the mage who was supposed to become her handmaiden, and the nameless swordswoman. They had all known each other?

She had had no idea whatsoever.

The orb she had seen in childhood had told her nothing at all about such connections.

The orb she had found on the day she had been sulking because Rohide was being cold to her. Inside it was the future she had been dreaming of all this time.

After tasting the very reality she had always wanted, where everyone adored her, Layla had changed completely.

She was destined to become a queen praised by all. Like a fairy tale that always ended happily.

In fact, there were times when fragments of conversations she had glimpsed inside the orb came to pass in reality, so she had no choice but to believe in it.

Except for one person.

‘The prince… that wretch Rohide should have been head over heels for me by now. Wasn’t he supposed to fall for me once he enrolled at the academy!’

Everything related to Rohide had not gone according to plan. He had disliked her from before, and continued to do so right up to the present.

That was why Layla had grown anxious.

The reason she had rushed to enroll at the academy even before she had come of age was precisely because of Rohide.

Because the academy life the orb had shown her was happiness itself. Men quarreling over her. And among them was Rohide.

She had been so eager to see that scene soon.

It had been so long ago in her childhood that she had forgotten much of what the orb had shown her, and much of it had grown hazy. It was also uncertain exactly when Rohide would open his heart.

But what was certain was that she had never once seen those three loners gathered together inside the orb.

Besides Rohide, there were now three more people who differed from what the orb had shown. So of course she had no choice but to feel uneasy.

“My lady, are you all right?”

Layla came to her senses at her handmaiden’s words. She took a deep breath and said,

“I noticed some academy enrollees outside. I would like to suggest dining together.”

At those words, the handmaiden immediately tidied up her lady’s disheveled hair. Layla continued her explanation as she received that attention.

“I am the prince’s fiancée, so I have heard quite a lot about the academy. I would like to share various things with them.”

“Oh my! How generous of you.”

Layla smiled, her mood lifted by her handmaiden’s agreement.

The handmaiden paid no mind to her lady having acted strangely for a moment. Thinking to herself that this was what a true handmaiden looked like.

She finished tidying Layla’s hair and immediately headed to the table where Vincent was sitting.

Left alone, Layla thought to herself.

Perhaps those three had simply met by chance because of the academy enrollment. Setting aside the fact that Vincent had no social skills.

The red-haired one being a commoner struck her as slightly odd, but aside from that, there was nothing else to think differently about.

The handmaiden who returned shortly afterward had a sour expression.

“They are… declining.”

“What?”

Layla let out a scoff as if she could not believe it.

Even if she did not know that woman who was the knight commander, Nelly Jeffney and Vincent Rogato, the two of you will surely regret this.

They were people who would be clinging to her at the academy they would all soon attend.

This was clearly just a small mishap that had occurred simply because they had not yet seen her face in person.

“I shall go myself then.”

“What? That is a bit…”

“What is the matter? One must always be generous. Especially someone like me, who will be the future empress. No, the future queen.”

The handmaiden hid her unease at Layla’s words and nodded.

She immediately followed behind Layla as she stepped out of the private room.

Upon arriving at the table where the three were sitting, Layla smiled brightly and opened her mouth.

“Fufu, hello there. Good morning.”

She spread laughter that was like that of an angel. Enough to give the illusion that the entire restaurant had grown warmer.

Yet not a single person spared a glance at Layla.

***

The reason was that Adele had fallen into the most serious deliberation of her life.

“You two, what should I do?”

It was a matter grave enough to furrow her brow.

She had to decide whether to order a reasonable five dishes, or six so that each person could eat two.

As the one being treated, Adele knew in her conscience that she should order five.

However, there was a slight hope that if she ordered six, and someone was too full and left something behind, she might be able to take care of the leftovers herself.

They were rich kids either way, so should she properly take advantage of that? Or should she act according to her conscience?

There were two people watching Adele, who was making a serious expression and agonizing over the decision, as though she were adorable.

It was Vincent and Nelly.