Josef had whimsically purchased ten dresses for Amelia and ordered a dressing room to be constructed, leaving the second-floor layout of the crown princess’s residence significantly altered.

The tea room, previously adjacent to Amelia’s bedroom, was transformed into a dressing room furnished with two large wardrobes, a display cabinet filled with hatboxes, a mirror, and a sofa.

The tea table from the tea room was moved to the study connected to the parlor. To avoid the inconvenience of walking back and forth, they removed the door connecting the two areas and hung curtains in the arched doorway, making it look like a single partitioned space. This change gave the previously cozy parlor a more spacious feel. Dana, who had come to learn how to make handkerchiefs as promised, remarked with a bewildered expression,

“I thought this was a different place.”

“My Lady, I don’t think I can crochet lace along the edges of a handkerchief as Helen does,” Dana confessed.

Amelia suggested that Dana learn lace-making from Helen, as she herself could barely manage to crochet a small flower even after working on a pattern all day. Helen, who possessed skills rivaling those of a seasoned guildmaster, was a far more suitable teacher.

At that very moment, Helen was effortlessly knitting an intricate lace pattern with her needles, as if she were making a scarf. Watching this, Dana seemed to lose her confidence and sat with a small piece of linen fabric on her lap, looking disheartened.

“No one can match Helen’s level of perfection from the start, Lady Dana,” Amelia said with a smile as she sat beside Betty, who was making a stomacher.

“How about starting with embroidered initials? It should only take you a few days to learn,” she suggested.

“Yes, My Lady. That sounds better,” Dana replied, nodding brightly at Amelia’s advice.

“I’d rather perfect a simpler design since Victor will be using it all the time…” Dana trailed off, blushing slightly as she mentioned Victor’s name. Her shy demeanor was a hallmark of a new romantic relationship.

“What kind of person is Sir Victor?” Betty, who had been quietly listening, asked. Even she, usually reserved, seemed curious about romantic stories.

“He’s the second son of Baron Blondel and a member of the Imperial Knights. At the hunting tournament, he promised to catch a deer just for me!” Dana gushed, her face glowing as she enumerated Victor’s virtues.

“He sounds like a fine gentleman,” Helen chimed in, encouraging Dana further.

“Yes, he really is! He’s also incredibly handsome! During my debutante, I thought His Highness the Crown Prince was the most dashing man. Everyone said so, too. But Victor is just as stunning!” Dana exclaimed, her enthusiasm apparent.

Amelia, smiling as she listened to Dana, froze momentarily. The mention of “His Highness the Crown Prince” brought back memories of his command to prepare a handkerchief for him.

When Josef had mentioned the handkerchief, Amelia had thought it was merely another item to be prepared for practical purposes, like reins or a quiver. However, Dana had recently explained a very different custom in Olstein.

“In Olstein, the handkerchief for the hunting tournament must be given by a romantic partner,” Dana had explained.

She detailed how, during wartime, people tied markers to saddles to distinguish horse owners, which evolved into a tradition where parents or lovers crafted handkerchiefs to pray for a soldier’s safety. This tradition extended to the spring hunting tournament hosted by the Emperor. Ladies made handkerchiefs for their betrothed, and noblewomen crafted them for knights under their estate’s banner. In return, the knights dedicated their hunted deer to the ladies.

Amelia had no reason to make a handkerchief for Josef. And yet, why…

“…”

“…My Lady?”

Dana’s voice pulled Amelia from her reverie.

“…Yes?”

“What do you think?”

“…I’m sorry. My thoughts wandered for a moment,” Amelia admitted.

“Oh, honestly!” Dana said playfully before repeating her question.

“Don’t you think His Highness the Crown Prince is probably the most handsome man in Olstein? I can’t speak for other kingdoms, but…”

The unexpected turn in the conversation left Amelia confused, as she had missed much of it.

“…But isn’t Olstein now part of the Empire?” she responded with a slightly off-topic remark, which made Dana burst into laughter.

“My Lady, what were you so deeply lost in thought about?”

Amelia smiled wordlessly, unwilling to answer honestly. Her throat felt dry, as if it had been coated in sand.

****

The day of the hunting tournament dawned bright and clear, as though the rain from the previous day had been a lie.

Amelia wore the pink outing dress Josef had purchased and foisted upon her a few days prior, paired with a small straw hat. Over the dress, she added a lavish stomacher crafted by Betty—an adjustment made in response to Josef’s complaint that the neckline was too low.

To reach the hunting grounds where the tournament was held, they needed to travel by carriage. Dana, embarrassed to cheer for Victor alone, had convinced Amelia to accompany her.

“Lady Amelia, I’ll go check if the carriage has arrived,” Betty said after carefully inspecting the knot of Amelia’s braided hair beneath the hat. As Betty left the room, Amelia slipped a handkerchief into the pocket hidden within her skirt.

The handkerchief was for her own use. She had never made the one Josef had ordered.

“…”

Even now, Amelia couldn’t decipher Josef’s intentions. Yet she hadn’t bothered to ask. If his purpose had truly been to have her make the handkerchief, he would undoubtedly insist with relentless arguments until he got his way. There was no need to engage in a battle she was sure to lose.

She knew there would inevitably be consequences for her refusal. However, she wasn’t willing to invest effort into something she found unjustifiable—especially not for Josef.

“Lady Amelia…”

Betty’s voice broke Amelia’s train of thought.

—

The procession of carriages halted near the hunting grounds. Stepping down from the carriage with Dana, Amelia occasionally felt eyes upon her.

“Good morning,” greeted some who passed and met her gaze. After her debutante, Amelia had grown familiar with the faces of nobles who frequently attended imperial events.

Exchanging polite nods, she headed toward the spectator seats, which were arranged in a semicircle with tiered rows to provide a view of the horses and knights preparing for the hunt. Large parasols stood here and there, offering shade from the sun.

“Lady Amelia, this way,” said a knight in ceremonial guard uniform, guiding Amelia and Dana to seats toward the front middle of the stands.

“Oh, thank you,” Dana said, barely concealing her delight at being escorted by the dashing knight. Amelia, however, felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as though she had been ushered to assigned seating in a similar manner before.

“Lady Amelia, is that where His Majesty will be sitting?” Dana whispered, leaning closer. Amelia turned her gaze to where Dana was pointing. At the highest position stood a grand chair with an imposing backrest and armrests. A step below, side by side, were seats for Josef and Marika.

“It seems so,” Amelia replied.

“My brother mentioned that His Highness the Crown Prince wouldn’t be participating in the tournament this year,” Dana added.

From Josef’s attire, Dana’s words appeared accurate. He was dressed in a formal black uniform, with every button fastened up to his neck. His jet-black hair was impeccably slicked back.

Josef’s gaze briefly met Amelia’s before he turned away with an impassive expression.

“Oh, look! There’s Victor!” Dana exclaimed, drawing Amelia’s attention. Participants already mounted on horseback were scattered across the grounds, preparing to start. They wore uniforms of the Imperial Knights or Guards, or cloaks bearing the crests of their respective houses.

Victor, a robust member of the Imperial Knights with sun-kissed skin beneath his golden hair, stood out. Amelia recognized him immediately, as his gaze was fixed intently on Dana.

“That’s him, right?” Amelia said with a smile, causing Dana’s face to flush red. Victor, noticing Dana, tipped his head briefly before turning and mounting his horse with practiced ease. A handkerchief was visibly tied to his saddle.

“It looks like he’s using the handkerchief you made, Dana,” Amelia remarked.

“…”

Dana only nodded, her face still glowing with a mix of shyness and happiness. Embarrassed by Amelia’s knowing smile, she began fanning herself and changed the subject.

“Look, there’s my brother!” she said, pointing to Henrik, who was at the back of the group. A handkerchief also adorned his saddle, fluttering against the massive frame of his horse in a surprisingly dainty manner.

“Did you make that one too?” Amelia asked.

“No, Marika already gave him one,” Dana replied, shaking her head.

It made sense. If Josef wasn’t participating, Henrik, as the captain of the guard, would traditionally dedicate his catch to Marika.

“Until last year, His Highness used to join the hunt too, but my brother said he suddenly decided not to this year. I wonder why?”

Dana’s curiosity was interrupted as the emperor entered the spectator stands. Nobles began rising from their seats one by one in respect. Amelia stood alongside Dana, her gaze naturally following the emperor’s movements. Her eyes inevitably landed on Josef.

Amelia suddenly felt that, from her position, she had a clearer view of Josef in the audience than of the hunting grounds themselves.