“That’s something I don’t know either. In any case, I’ll lure the Saintess to the Capital, and when that happens, Your Highness can meet her.”

“You speak as if everything is very simple.”

Well, the Saintess seemed like she would do anything to obtain my divine power.

She would come to me.

From the Crown Prince’s perspective, I thought this was a proposal with no downsides.

“And… there’s one more thing.”

“One more thing?”

At the mention of an additional condition, the Crown Prince’s demeanor turned cold.

“Are you planning to solve all your wishes at once?”

“No, the request I’m making now will also benefit Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

“Please… persuade my husband.”

“The Duke?”

“As you know, my husband hasn’t left the Duke’s estate recently. He wasn’t like this before. Please persuade him to return to his former self.”

The Crown Prince stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. It was the kind of laughter that didn’t feel pleasant from the other person’s perspective.

“With this, I can’t help but grow even more suspicious of you, Duchess.”

“It’s nothing like an affair. Please refrain from making such misunderstandings like earlier.”

“Well, if you insist, I’ll assume it’s not an affair. Though I can’t be sure what the truth is.”

“…It really isn’t.”

“Is that all for our deal, or are you planning to add more wishes?”

His subtly sarcastic tone annoyed me, but I let it slide, thinking of him as merely a business partner.

“No, this is enough.”

“Very well. I’ll accept your proposal.”

“I promise to keep Your Highness’s secret about the Saintess safe.”

I nodded at him to show my trust.

“You’re surprisingly similar to the Duke. The way you conduct a clean transaction.”

The Crown Prince muttered, glancing toward the Saintess, seemingly eager to go to her.

“The Saintess might grow tired of waiting. She may even leave first. You should hurry.”

I joked lightly. Having achieved today’s goal, I felt lighter.

The Crown Prince was someone who could easily resolve the rumors about me. On top of that, he might even address the issue of Kyron staying confined to the Duke’s estate.

Of course, it was uncertain whether the Crown Prince’s persuasion would work, but at least I had secured his assistance.

My golden-spoon life was returning to its peaceful trajectory.

Now, whether the Saintess and the Crown Prince kissed or not was no longer my concern.

“As for me, I plan to watch the fireworks and head back home, so Your Highness should go ahead.”

The Saintess didn’t seem like someone with much patience. If he didn’t hurry, he might miss her.

But just as I was about to leave with a clean farewell, the Crown Prince stopped me.

“You can’t leave just yet, Duchess.”

“Pardon?”

The Crown Prince smiled slyly again. What was so amusing?

We had finished our conversation, and the fireworks were about to start. There was no time to waste lingering here.

“I have several magical tools, Duchess.”

What was he suddenly talking about?

“Among them is a tool for emergency summons.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Earlier… when I saw you struggling with a strange man, I judged it to be dangerous and used the emergency summons.”

“Pardon? Who did you summon…?”

“Well, this is awkward. While you asked me to get the Duke out of the estate, I’ve already called him here to your side.”

He called… Kyron?

“Before rescuing you, I used the magical tool to summon the Duke first, letting him know that his wife was on a romantic bridge with a strange man.”

What…?

‘This lunatic…?!’

“Y-You summoned my husband?”

If he thought I was in danger, he could’ve just helped me himself. Why did he have to call Kyron as well? And worse, tell him that “his wife is with a strange man”!

“I must maintain loyalty to my friend, mustn’t I?”

“L-Loyalty?”

“With the Duchess in trouble and with someone suspicious, how could I not inform the Duke?”

The Crown Prince smiled mischievously, clearly anticipating an entertaining show.

He should just go to the Saintess already. This guy.

I stood there, dumbfounded, as if I’d been struck on the back of my head.

“…It should be about time for him to arrive.”

The Crown Prince hummed a tune, glancing around as though waiting for a spectacle.

“I wonder what kind of face my friend will make.”

The Crown Prince wasn’t joking. He had truly called Kyron. My secret outing was no longer a secret.

Kyron’s face, sternly forbidding me from attending the fireworks, flashed before my eyes.

What kind of reaction would he have when he found out I had sneaked out anyway? Would he lock me up in the estate, preventing me from ever leaving again?

The lightness I had felt after accomplishing my goal plummeted into a heavy weight.

“Oh, here he comes!”

The Crown Prince, who had been watching me with amusement, suddenly exclaimed, looking into the distance. Reflexively, I turned my head.

Just as the Crown Prince said, Kyron was approaching.

Even among the crowd, he stood out unmistakably. Of course, he wasn’t hiding his face at all.

People glanced at him, whispering or stepping aside as he passed. Kyron paid no attention to the crowd, walking steadily toward me.

As the distance between us closed, it became clear that he had already spotted me among the throng.

“Oh, my friend seems very angry.”

The Crown Prince commented mockingly beside me. But I couldn’t respond to him. It was the first time I’d seen Kyron look this furious.

So he could make that expression.

At that moment, I realized that I had unconsciously believed Kyron would never show an angry face. That’s why seeing my husband like this came as a shocking surprise.

“I’d love to stay and watch more, but I don’t want to keep the Saintess waiting any longer, so I’ll take my leave.”

The Crown Prince seemed intent on slipping away without taking responsibility for the trouble he had caused. What a reckless man.

“Ekette.”

Kyron found me without hesitation in this sea of people.

“…What are you doing here?”

His tone was flat, but that only made it clearer that he was holding himself back.

Judging by his eyes, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he raised his voice right then and there.

“I told you, no fireworks.”

His voice sounded like he was struggling to suppress his anger as he scolded me.

As he approached, he grabbed my mask and almost ripped it off. My face was exposed to the world.

People who recognized us began to glance our way.

The Crown Prince had already left the scene. Coward.

“Where is that guy?”

“W-Who?”

“The bastard who was pestering you.”

The Crown Prince must have told him everything. Even the fact that a strange man had approached me.

“T-That man seemed to have mistaken me for someone else.”

Kyron didn’t seem to care about such details.

“Where is he?”

“…I-I don’t know.”

The fireworks were about to start, and the crowd was so dense that people kept bumping into my shoulders. I stumbled slightly.

Kyron sighed and grabbed my hand, pulling me along.

“Let’s go.”