The atmosphere in December had been strange lately.

After checking the event layout, I asked Odin, who was eating a brownie, in a subtle voice.

“Is it just my feeling? These past few days, it seems like something I don’t know about is happening.”

“Really?”

Odin raised his head with round eyes.

“Come to think of it, I also felt like I smelled something unusual, knowingly or unknowingly. Since I’m quick-witted, I’m probably right. I was about to mention it first, but you beat me to it.”

Cocoa powder was smeared all around Odin’s mouth as he spoke with grave seriousness.

I looked over Odin’s short legs and then offered him milk.

“…You knew, didn’t you? You seem to have gained more weight lately from eating so many snacks.”

“That’s what they call an optical illusion. Look closely.”

“Your belly is about to touch the desk.”

“It’s quite cute, isn’t it? With this adorable belly, I don’t need a cushion when I lie down.”

Odin proudly lay on his stomach and spoke, apparently having no intention of losing weight.

Well… he looks happy, so I guess it’s fine?

“Didn’t you manage your weight like this when you were a Grand Duke too?”

“Back then, well, it’s awkward to say this myself, but I had such an imposing physique and so much muscle that you would have been amazed if you saw me. I had to avoid unnecessarily sweet foods because gaining weight would make me less agile.”

“And now?”

“Don’t you know babies should be chubby to be cute?”

Odin rolled over with pride and wagged his tail gently.

I sighed softly while wiping the powder off Odin’s fur with a handkerchief.

“Too much weight is bad for your health, so just a little, okay?”

“Haha, I love this lazy life. Lounging around all day is the best! But why hasn’t Carlo returned from Novahans yet? Shouldn’t he be home once every three or four days?”

“Ah, he won’t be coming this week.”

Perhaps not next week either.

At my answer, Odin tried to sit up abruptly as if to ask what I meant, but his belly was too heavy, so he just lifted his head slightly.

“What do you mean?”

“I told him he doesn’t need to come for a while.”

Odin gaped with an increasingly bewildered expression, as if wondering why I would say such a thing.

“You don’t need to come often from now on.”

I spoke to Carlo before boarding the boat as he saw me off.

At the same time, his gaze sharpened like the sun emitting piercing light.

“Why.”

I didn’t want to make him go through unnecessary hardship, knowing the road from St. Berte to Novahans Islands was uneven and took half a day to travel.

“It’s too difficult for you.”

“That’s not a pleasant suggestion.”

Carlo said calmly as he pulled my hood deeper over my head and fastened the hook securely.

“So you don’t mind not seeing me for that long?”

How could that be possible?

For someone like me who needed to run far away from him, time spent together was incredibly precious and inevitably too short.

If I followed my heart, I would have begged and whined to stay by his side instead of returning to St. Berte.

But that would inconvenience the others in training, and it would also be irresponsible, causing problems for the charity event in December.

Also, I shouldn’t leave St. Berte Castle empty for too long while he was away.

And most importantly, coming all the way here had confirmed that traveling to St. Berte once every few days was an unbearable ordeal.

“That’s not it. Really.”

I shook my head, approached Carlo, and hugged him tightly.

As I buried my face in his cold uniform, his pleasant scent filled me completely from head to toe.

“I’ll write often. Don’t push yourself when you’re busy. If you get hurt anywhere, you’ll be in big trouble. Understood?”

When I looked up at him and smiled brightly, I saw Carlo’s displeased expression soften slightly.

However, he quickly furrowed his brow again.

“Ha.”

After letting out a curt sigh, he immediately wrapped both arms around me tightly.

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

His gaze looked somewhat dangerous as he stared into my eyes and whispered in a low voice.

“Because you know I can’t do anything when you’re like this.”

His pale blue eyes, filled with deep thoughts, looked down at me intently.

I tried to memorize his face, taking in every detail.

The man with brilliant golden hair and a cool yet decadent gaze that perfectly matched the languid atmosphere was urging me to answer.

“Is that so?”

When I smiled brightly, unable to move in his embrace, he let out a weak laugh.

“It’s been that way for quite some time.”

“Your Highness, Viscountess Swinton, Mrs. Garrison, and Mrs. Terris have arrived.”

Upon hearing the servant’s announcement, Medlin nodded quietly and approached me, speaking softly.

Coming to my senses, I couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across my face.

“The ladies have arrived?”

Pleased, I smiled broadly at Medlin as I asked, and she nodded gently in confirmation.

However, Odin was clearly displeased and immediately slapped the desk with his tail.

“You mean that Mariette woman is here? That annoying lady who keeps trying to hug me! Leave me behind. I’ll stay and play here.”

As Odin spoke while lying flat on his back with his belly exposed to the ceiling, I deliberately said to Medlin so he could hear:

“Medlin, I should take Odin with me. We need to show off this cute belly, don’t we?”

“Oh, Mariette would especially love it.”

“Let go! I don’t want to!”

After detaching Odin’s tiny paws one by one as he tried to cling to the table, I carried him in my arms and headed toward the spacious garden.

The ladies, dressed in beautiful gowns like the day I had seen them at St. Berte Castle, bent their knees in greeting with bright smiles.

“How have you been, Your Highness?”

“I’ve been well. Was your journey tiring?”

“It was nice to see various cities after such a long time.”

Mariette, who had been responding kindly, suddenly noticed Odin and widened her eyes.

Her gloved hand twitched slightly, as if she already wanted to hold him.

“My goodness, Odin… you’ve become so chubby. He’s even cuter now, Your Highness.”

“Would you like to hold him?”

“May I?”

Kyaak! Fearing I might hand him over to Mariette, Odin hissed and clung tightly to me.

“Ah… it seems difficult this time too. He must be very attached to Your Highness.”

“Indeed.”

I patted Odin’s back reassuringly and then took a seat at the table prepared in the garden.

The ladies explained that all their cities were far from St. Berte, taking considerable time to travel. They had all gathered at the Bonnie Hotel in Keddenshire and then changed to a single carriage, which had taken quite a while to arrive.

“If you arrived last night, you could have rested today and come tomorrow.”

“Not at all. We stayed at the famous St. Berte Plage Hotel, and one evening there completely refreshed us from our fatigue. It was my first time staying there, and it was the best city hotel I’ve ever visited. After taking a half-bath, my body felt even lighter.”

Jeanette, drinking the tea prepared at the table, praised the hotel where she was staying and added that she wanted to visit other hotels in St. Berte as well.

“I heard the young ladies are manning the sales booths this time. Aren’t they all like beautiful butterflies? How can they walk so lightly?”

“My knees hurt too much for that now.”

Mariette responded subtly to Jeanette’s comment as she lifted her teacup.

Louisa, who was smiling at the fragrant tea aroma, nodded in agreement.

“Me too. I wish Violet could have been here as well.”

“My daughter very much wanted to participate. You can’t imagine how disappointed she was. But she must do her best in her duty of serving Her Majesty the Empress.”

After Mariette finished speaking and sighed softly, I briefly held her hand to comfort her.

“How is Miss Violet doing?”

“She’s healthy and well. Violet is very fond of you, the Grand Duchess. She says she looks forward to seeing you again. But she seems a bit uncomfortable, so I’m keeping an eye on her, but please don’t worry.”

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s not so much something that happened to Violet… I don’t know much either, but it seems Her Majesty the Empress has been in a foul mood lately, perhaps due to some serious matter. So she only allows close ladies to serve her nearby, and even among the same dedicated ladies-in-waiting, those associated with the Grand Duke are kept at a distance.”

After hesitating briefly, Mariette lowered her voice and whispered astutely.

“Since Count Azanie visited Her Majesty the Empress, she has been plotting something while only contacting her closest confidants, but no one knows what. Everyone is puzzled about the selection of December as the charity event venue.”

“I feel the same way. But I’m worried that Miss Violet might be suffering emotionally…”

“I believe she’ll handle it well on her own. If I tell her that Your Highness was concerned about her, she’ll immediately cheer up.”

Mariette raised the corners of her mouth gently toward me.

The evil deeds of these people must all be revealed so that no more innocent people would be harmed.

For that, evidence of their crimes was needed.

I had tried to provoke Dillan, but he hadn’t brought any material evidence that would help, so I needed someone who could bring physical proof.

“We pay our respects, Your Highness.”

Just then, a group of young ladies appeared and greeted me with respectful curtsies.

Although I had been meeting numerous people who had been visiting December and greeting me for several days, this was the first time someone had approached me directly without going through Medlin.

I found it somewhat unexpected but looked at them with my usual smile.

At that moment, my body naturally flinched at the familiar face.

“Have you been well, Grand Duchess?”

Lily’s eyes gleamed coldly as she smiled.

“I’ve missed you.”