In truth, her heart was fluttering just the same. Today was the first time she would meet him since that ‘historic night’ they spent in his room. There had been midterm exams at the Academy in between, and Ludwig had said he was busy with work that had piled up during his absence, so the education had been temporarily suspended.

It happened to be a very bright and beautiful day. Florencia’s heart pounded as if she were going on a date.

‘Who cares about grades! I can work hard next time!’

Without even looking closely at her grade report, she tossed it away, stuffed into some random book, and opened her wardrobe. Though all her modest dresses were quite similar, she spent an unusually long time choosing and put on the prettiest one she had.

As she was about to leave the room, Florencia hesitated a little before opening a drawer and taking out lip rouge to apply very lightly. That makeup item, the first she had ever owned, was a gift from Joseph’s wife when she came of age that spring. Charlotte, who had married Joseph and become Countess Hazel, was 5 years older than Florencia and couldn’t be said to treat her well, but she was the most favorable person in the family. Though she had just tossed it away like an unwanted free gift from a boutique she frequented, even that insignificant item held meaning as the only gift Florencia had ever received from her family.

It wasn’t a product with good color payoff, and the lip rouge felt awkward as she applied it for the first time, but looking in the mirror, she seemed a bit prettier and somewhat more grown-up, which excited her. She tucked a small bag containing her theology books and writing materials under one arm and left the dormitory with light steps.

* * *

“Lady, excuse me, but may I ask you something?”

“Yes……?! M-me?”

Just as she was about to cross the main road, a strange man approached her in front of the Academy’s main gate, and Florencia was startled. Looking around, coincidentally, there was no one else.

“Ah, I’ve frightened you, Lady. I apologize. I am Enoch Schmitt, the eldest son of Marquis Schmitt.”

Seeing Florencia step back in confusion, he revealed his identity with a friendly smile. Though not as tall as Ludwig, he was quite tall, a handsome man with neatly combed dark brown hair who didn’t look like a bad person.

“You seem to be a student at the Academy; do you happen to know where the newly built annex is? Actually, I came to meet my younger brother, but since I graduated, the interior seems to have changed a lot, making it hard to find. The Academy itself is quite vast too.”

“Ah, that place is a bit difficult to find. If you go around the back of that building you can see there and then turn right……”

Though Florencia was quite shy, her kind nature couldn’t ignore someone in trouble. While constantly avoiding eye contact, embarrassed even to look at a strange man’s face, she tried her best to explain the way she knew. Enoch stared at her as if entranced.

‘A lady I’ve never seen before—I wonder how old she is? What a cute and lovely lady.’

Wearing a clean white dress with a simple design and her hair tied with a light lemon-colored ribbon, she looked as refreshing as lemon sherbet cooling the summer heat. Looking at Florencia with eyes full of goodwill, Enoch unconsciously made a self-interested proposal.

“Lady, excuse me, but I’m not sure I understand from just hearing the directions. Could I trouble you to guide me?”

“Ah…… I was on my way out for an appointment, I’m sorry……”

“In that case, could you at least guide me part of the way?”

“……Then, I’ll guide you just halfway. From there, the path is simple, so it shouldn’t be difficult for you to find.”

“Thank you, Lady.”

At the point where the annex building he was looking for came into view in the distance, Florencia decided to turn back and pointed in that direction.

“That large building you can see over there. The left path is under maintenance so it’s blocked, but if you go around to the right, there’s a back entrance.”

“Ah, thank you so much.”

“Then, goodbye.”

“Excuse me, Lady, just a moment!”

Enoch, who had tried several times to speak to Florencia while walking but failed, called out urgently and stopped her.

“If I may, could I ask your name?”

“……Yes? My name? Why, why……”

Not knowing that this was an expression of romantic interest, Florencia stepped back like a frightened rabbit, wondering if she had done something wrong. The young man, who had fallen for her cute appearance at first sight, blushed slightly and said:

“I’m grateful for your help showing me the way…… If you don’t mind, I’d like to meet you again and treat you to a meal.”

“……I’m, I’m sorry!”

Though his impression was good and he seemed kind, not appearing to speak with bad intentions, Florencia was afraid of dealing with strangers in general. Though she knew it was impolite to turn her back on someone first, she tried to escape and avoid the situation.

“……Lady!”

Unfortunately, Florencia’s pace was rather slow, so she soon encountered Enoch, who had hurriedly chased after her.

“Please forgive my rudeness. This is meant as thanks and an apology, would you please accept it? Actually, I brought it for my brother, but I heard at a social gathering that it’s currently the most popular dessert among ladies in the capital.”

“……”

“Then I’ll be going now.”

Florencia opened the thick paper bag he had given her. Inside the bag, stamped with the logo of a famous dessert shop in the city, were delicious sugar cookies sold only there. With a sweetness that seemed to melt the tongue, decorated with cream of various colors, it was a new type of dessert that Florencia had never tried before.

“Wow……”

Florencia’s eyes, who loved sweet snacks, sparkled brightly. Walking through the streets at midday under the dazzling sunlight toward the Temple, she deliciously ate the cookies the man had given her. The taste that melted softly in her mouth was so delicious that it was worth having sticky palms. It would be nice to share with Michael…… But he said he wasn’t home as he was training before entering the knight school.

‘I heard you have to line up from early morning to buy these sugar cookies…… They’re also very expensive…… To give something like this to me, what a nice person!’

Moreover, he consistently addressed Florencia as ‘Lady.’ Though any man trained in basic etiquette would naturally act this way, for Florencia, who had never attended social gatherings and whose only experience with noble men was ill-mannered ones like Geoff, he seemed extremely polite and courteous.

Usually people saw her as a much younger lady than her actual age, but perhaps because she had applied lip rouge today, she appeared quite grown-up.

If that’s the case, then Father Ludwig too…… might see me a little differently?

That would be really nice…… Florencia quickened her steps toward the Temple.

Her silver hair, neatly tied in a single ponytail, swayed beautifully in the late summer sunlight, shimmering prettily.

Until then, it had just been the pleasant beginning of a day.

* * *

“I’m here, Father!”

“Laura, welcome.”

“Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

Father, I missed you…… These words lingered on the tip of her lips for quite some time, but she was too shy to say them and just smiled awkwardly instead.

Ludwig, whom she met after a long time, remained as kind as ever. Perhaps because it was their first meeting after what had happened, Florencia felt much closer to him than before. Although her studies weren’t going as well as before, it was truly a wonderful day.

They were studying theology using two types of textbooks simultaneously. One of the two books was also essential for the theology classes at the Academy, showing traces of her notes here and there. Ludwig suppressed a smile as he looked at the round handwriting that resembled the cute girl herself. Although the notes gradually disappeared toward the more recent pages, and Florencia was anxious about the possibility of him finding the parts where she had doodled while secretly thinking about him during class……

“Laura, do you understand the difference in the part we just discussed?”

“Um, I’m not sure…… They both seem the same to me……”

“I’ll explain it again.”

Ludwig kindly explained things again, as many times as needed, even when she didn’t understand the content of the book well. He was truly an impossibly enchanting handsome man. Every time he smiled, Florencia’s heart pounded incessantly. Ludwig had always been handsome, but it was puzzling why she had become particularly unable to keep her composure over the past few months.

The symptom of her face heating up while listening to his low voice explaining the scriptures was most severe today. Was it because she now knew what expressions his neat face made when embracing her, and how sensual a body resided beneath the ascetic priest’s uniform?

The problem arose when it was time for tea in the middle of the lesson. Ludwig brought delicious rum raisin cookies with the tea, but perhaps because she had eaten too many sweet snacks on her way, they didn’t go down well. Though they were certainly healthier snacks made with good ingredients directly at the Temple, after eating sugar cookies sweet enough to numb her tongue, the soft buttercream tasted somewhat bland……