The weekend came quickly.

Dawn had barely broken when Enoch, having completed all preparations, was waiting for Luciella in the lobby. The carriage was already waiting as well.

“Please be careful getting in.”

Enoch escorted Luciella attentively. He was so worried she might hit her head that he even blocked the ceiling with his hand.

The carriage departed for the suburbs and arrived at the villa without taking long. They seemed to have ridden for about three or four hours, but the scenery had changed dramatically.

Unlike the capital bustling with countless crowds and buildings, the area around the marquis’s villa was filled with quiet forests, lakes, and natural flower fields that weren’t artificial.

“Wow……”

Luciella admired the prettier scenery than expected. Watching Luciella, Enoch carefully asked.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, very much.”

“I’m relieved.”

“Thank you for being so considerate.”

Luciella walked lightly across the grass. She even took off her shoes and stepped on the soil barefoot. The soft texture made her feel much more comfortable.

Doing this reminded her of old times.

‘We used to go to villas every summer with family……’

Though it had become a past she could never return to, nostalgia washed over her.

“If you’d like, boating on the lake is also possible.”

“Wow, really?”

Boating. It was something she hadn’t heard in a very long time.

‘When was my last boating trip……’

Even the memory was now faint. Even so, excited Luciella ran toward the lakeside.

“Can we ride now?”

“Of course.”

Several wooden boats were placed nearby. Enoch easily moved one boat to the lake without even calling servants. Then he carefully seated Luciella.

When Luciella sat down, Enoch naturally picked up the oars. Watching Enoch, surprised Luciella looked around.

“Oh, the boatman……”

“It’s fine. It’s more comfortable for me to do it directly.”

Enoch dissuaded Luciella from looking for a boatman, seeming really fine, and began rowing. His rowing skills were so excellent. The boat was heading toward the center of the lake in the blink of an eye.

“Isn’t it tiring?”

“Not at all.”

Enoch had even rolled up his shirt sleeves and was concentrating on rowing. The blazing sun quickly made him heat up. Beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

“You look very tired though……”

“Not at all.”

It was true. It was just a bit hot, but not particularly tiring.

“It’s fine to stay still around here. You don’t need to row anymore……”

“No, I’m really fine.”

“But you’re sweating so much.”

It felt uncomfortable to sit still and enjoy boating while ignoring Enoch who looked hot. Veins bulged all over his forearms, which were tense from rowing. It was like sitting on a bed of nails.

Finally, Luciella, who couldn’t stand it anymore, tried to snatch the oars from Enoch.

“You really can stop now. I’m uncomfortable because of this.”

“But……”

“We’re supposed to sit together and chat leisurely. Who rows so brutally like that?”

Feeling frustrated, Luciella poured out words unlike herself.

Generally, nobles’ boating meant leaving the oars to a boatman and having various conversations while looking at the scenery with the boat floating in a suitable place. But Enoch seemed not to know such things. He only rowed passionately like someone who had entered a rowing competition. Had he been a boatman in a previous life?

Eventually, Enoch, unable to resist the dissuasion, stopped rowing. But that didn’t mean he let go of the oars. He sat down gripping the oars tightly in his hands like they were something precious.

“How about putting those down beside you?”

Frustrated, Luciella reached out to snatch the oars.

But that was the moment.

“Oh, oh oh……!”

The boat, having lost balance from the series of large movements, swayed and capsized.

In the blink of an eye, both people fell into the lake. The sound of a splash echoed across the calm lakeside. Then the sound of splashing and Luciella’s voice mixed chaotically.

“Blub, cough, cough.”

“Your Highness!”

Enoch immediately stuck his head out and looked around, then swam hurriedly toward Luciella.

“Sa, save…… blub, cough!”

“Relax your strength.”

Enoch embraced the struggling Luciella with one arm and swam continuously toward shallow water. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to reach where their feet could touch.

“Are you alright?”

Enoch, who had come out of the water, asked while examining Luciella’s soaked body.

“Cough, cough…… I’m, I’m fine.”

“Let’s return to the villa first. You’ll catch a cold.”

Wind swept over her body, drenched in cold water. Goosebumps rose, and she trembled. Since it was early autumn, the wind was quite chilly.

Luciella, who had become like a drowned mouse, only made groaning sounds. Enoch wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hurried toward the villa.

The servants who saw the two people were surprised and hurriedly lit the fireplace. Enoch moved a sofa in front of the fireplace and immediately seated Luciella.

“You need to change clothes first.”

Enoch called the attending maid and requested a new dress for her. But there were only thin summer dresses.

Eventually, reluctantly, he brought his own long-sleeved shirt.

“This would be better.”

Then he immediately sent out the servants.

“Your Highness, excuse me.”

Her face had turned pale and she seemed not in her right mind from the cold. Enoch carefully reached his hands over her trembling body. He slowly removed the dress that was clinging to her bare skin.

“Hm……”

Even though her pale bare skin was completely revealed, Enoch didn’t waver much. He was blinded by the sense of mission that he had to change Luciella’s clothes immediately.

Fortunately, the dress she was wearing wasn’t very fancy, so it was easy to remove. A white long-sleeved shirt covered her body.

Enoch, feeling it still wasn’t enough, even wrapped her in a blanket. Only then did warmth and comfort envelop Luciella.

“Phew, what a scare……”

Enoch could also finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Luciella shook her head. Water still dripped from her long silver hair.

Enoch brought a towel and began slowly drying even her hair. In that situation, Luciella was blankly staring only at the flames in the fireplace.

“Thank you, Marquis.”

“Not at all, it was my fault for being stubborn in the first place……”

“Still.”

When the conversation ended, only the sound of firewood burning and the sound of rubbing hair with a towel echoed in the room.

Enoch focused on continuously squeezing the moisture from her hair. Doing this reminded him of the day he first met Luciella.

‘But Your Highness probably doesn’t remember.’

Though he felt disappointed inside, he didn’t show it. Enoch just silently did what he had to do.

When warmth rushed in, Luciella’s eyelids became heavy. She was nodding off, drowsy with sleep.

Her small head swayed back and forth. Then she would startle awake from sleep.

“Mm……”

“It’s fine, please sleep comfortably.”

“No.”

Luciella, who had come to her senses, reached out to feel the warm heat of the fireplace.

“Being like this reminded me briefly of when I was young.”

Luciella, drowsy from the warmth, muttered in a small voice.

“I fell into water when I was little……”

Her plump lips continued mumbling words.

“Back then, an unknown knight saved me.”

Hearing Luciella’s words, Enoch’s eyes widened. Then he asked innocently, pretending not to know anything.

“An unknown knight?”

“Ah, yes. He was really a kind person.”

“May I ask why?”

“Thinking about it now, it was really an absurd reason…… He helped me feed the fish secretly at night without the nanny knowing.”

“……”

“It was so long ago that I don’t remember his name or face…… but I often think about that knight who was there.”

Luciella said this while raising the corners of her mouth bashfully.

“Back then, why did that knight seem so cool, really……”

Enoch’s hands, which had been diligently drying her hair, stopped in mid-air. Was it emotion from the fact that Luciella hadn’t forgotten those days?

Unknown emotions welled up overwhelmingly and made his heart race.

He wanted to confess that he was that knight.

“What a coincidence.”

Enoch, who had been pondering briefly, opened his mouth.

“I have a similar experience too.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it was a very long time ago when I was dispatched to Bert Kingdom…… The princess there had fallen into water and was floundering.”

When Enoch spoke, Luciella immediately turned around. The two people’s gazes met. Even so, Enoch continued speaking.

“She said she couldn’t be caught by the nanny, so I helped her dry her clothes at my quarters……”

The longer Enoch’s story went on, the wider Luciella’s eyes opened.

“She even asked me to help feed the fish every night, which was so absurd.”

Her small mouth had also opened wide before she knew it. Luciella covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

“That’s a lie. Don’t, don’t joke around.”

“Ornamental fish look ugly when they’re fat or something…… So the palace servants gave them little food? She felt sorry for that, and for just such a reason, she was doing that at night not knowing it was dangerous, which was so funny……”

“That can’t be……”

“After I helped her so much, I didn’t know she wouldn’t remember my name or face. Your Highness.”

Enoch said this while giggling playfully. Luciella just shook her head like a fool, seeming not to believe it.

“How, how…… That’s a lie. How can that be?”

“Who knows.”

“Th, that knight back then was really……”

Surprised, she blinked her eyes rapidly and faced Enoch.

“That can’t be.”

Instead of answering, Enoch just shrugged his shoulders once.

‘How can such a thing……’

Her mind, which had been drowsy until just now, became clear instantly. Luciella sat blankly and examined Enoch’s face carefully.

Though her memory of him wasn’t clear, she still reminisced about that day’s events.