I secretly hoped for an answer like “I’d be grateful if you could escort me.”

If she wanted, he could ride in the carriage together to her home… Russell Junior was fully willing to do so.

“Of course.”

Olivia smiled brightly, cutting his expectations in half. Russell Junior, embarrassed, scratched his head.

“I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Not at all. I’m glad you’re feeling better. If by any chance you have any problems or difficult situations, don’t hesitate to tell me. If you, Miss Blanchet, could rely on me comfortably…”

Just as Russell Junior, wanting to attract Olivia’s favor, was about to put into practice what he had read in an editorial column on ‘What is Chivalry’, he saw a black carriage gliding into the path between the shrubs over her shoulder.

Russell Junior’s face immediately crumpled.

Olivia, puzzled, slowly turned her head.

The ‘R’ initial logo of Lancaster, with two Rs back-to-back, glinted golden in a patch of sunlight falling through the leaves.

“Edgar?”

His name reflexively flowed from Olivia’s lips.

The person who alighted from the carriage was indeed Edgar.

At his unexpected appearance, Olivia’s heart calmed. It had been like this for a while.

Feeling reassured and peaceful. And when he suddenly showed up like this… happy.

“Did you practice well?”

The man who walked straight up and stopped in front of her asked with a handsome smile.

His attire of a boater hat, white trousers, and a thin blue-tinged shirt with neatly rolled-up sleeves evoked the image of a breezy early summer beach.

“Of course. But what brings you here?”

Olivia asked, watching the gray-blue eyes curve under thick, straight eyebrows.

“We have somewhere to go together.”

“Pardon?”

Olivia tilted her head slightly.

“Let’s get in first. We’ll take my carriage.”

Edgar extended his arm with a grin.

“Where are you trying to kidnap me to?”

She asked playfully.

“Let’s say, a place where you become an angel.”

A place where a brazen temptress becomes an angel.

“Is there such a place in this world?”

When Olivia exaggeratedly widened her eyes, Edgar burst into laughter.

His charming laughter shattered into the clear sunlight, sounding like white waves breaking.

“If you’re curious, shall we go?”

Olivia willingly placed her hand on the man’s arm. Then she turned to Russell Junior.

“Thank you again for today, Coach. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“It’s nothing. You seem to have urgent business, so please go ahead, Miss Blanchet.”

It was time for the fox who had been playing king in the tiger’s absence to be deflated.

Standing between the two people treating him like he was invisible was so embarrassing and pitiful.

As soon as he gave his farewell greeting, Russell Junior quickly stepped back.

“Where are you going?”

At that moment, Edgar’s languid voice clung to Russell Junior’s nape like a hawk’s talons snatching prey.

“Ah, my father is looking for me. It was nice to see you. Well then.”

Recalling the embarrassment he suffered last time, Russell Junior hesitated before quickly turning around.

“You get in too.”

Russell Junior, horrified, swallowed a gasp of air and turned back.

“Why.”

“Would you feel more at ease if you knew?”

Edgar’s voice grew lower as he stared at Russell Junior.

The eyes that had been smiling so easily at Olivia now deepened like a dark cave.

His wandering gaze, subtly avoiding eye contact, inadvertently met Olivia’s.

Somehow, she seemed to look at him with pity.

“If you really want me that badly. I have no choice but to go along.”

Russell Junior reluctantly put his foot on the carriage step, trying to maintain his last shred of dignity, but Edgar cut him off mid-sentence.

“You want to ride in here?”

“…”

A murderous gaze, completely at odds with the kind voice, pressed down heavily on Russell Junior.

“Surely not. …I’m just closing the door for you.”

Russell Junior, removing his foot faster than light, took a step back as Edgar leisurely got into the carriage.

After Russell Junior politely closed the door, the carriage soon departed. The Dickson family carriage followed close behind. For a while, the sound of “Damn it” echoed outside the carriage window.

The Queen Theresa dropped anchor.

The wind was quite strong on the deck. Johan narrowed his eyes and surveyed the skyline of Litten, where high-rise buildings competed to soar upwards.

In the distance, the upper floors of the Leopold Hotel came into view first, overtaking the clock tower, the capital’s landmark. The sight was quite pleasing.

“So this is where you were?”

Catherine approached, holding down her fluttering hat brim with both hands as if to keep it from flying away in the sea breeze.

She was with Princess Krantz. The princess’s cream-colored dress repeatedly billowed and deflated like a sail in the sea wind.

“I was about to come get you.”

Johan said indifferently, his gaze fixed on the glittering golden buildings.

“It was stuffy inside.”

Catherine smiled brightly and turned her gaze to the dock.

“Anne said she’d come to greet us… Ah! There she is. Anne!”

Catherine, who had been looking down at the ship below with one hand on the deck railing, shouted and waved her hand widely.

Johan’s gaze followed Catherine’s hand towards the land. The Princess of Britt seemed to have seen Catherine too, as she was waving back in this direction.

“Olivia Blanchet, the shameless woman who covets not only the necklace worn by Princess Anblyn but also the princess’s former lover, Lancaster Marquis. One wonders if even her tennis is not just following the princess”

The article from a newspaper suddenly came to mind.

Johan silently looked down at the princess.

Had the woman who was his wife envied such noble bloodlines?

If so, it would have been somewhat understandable. Except for Edgar Lancaster Lancelot, of course.

Just then, there was a sound of the lower part of the gangway, which had been descending with a mechanical noise, touching the ground. A moment later, the captain, having completed preparations for disembarkation, reported to Johan.

“The preparations are complete.”

Johan, nodding his head lightly, raised the hand that had been loosely resting in his pants pocket to check the time. Irene’s gaze, which had been standing like a picture, fell on Johan’s wrist. Johan turned his body.

“Shall we go?”

A voice devoid of any particular emotion scattered in the wind. Irene silently placed her hand on the arm Johan extended.

“Welcome, Catherine.”

The princesses of both countries, Anblyn and Catherine, hugged each other with delight. Camera flashes went off noisily here and there.

Even as he moved along the path cleared by attendants controlling the reporters and welcoming crowd, Johan’s gaze slowly wandered around the surroundings.

As if searching for someone.

Catherine boarded Anblyn’s carriage. The carriage carrying Johan and Irene followed behind the ornate carriage, heading towards the Britt Palace.

In the full summer, a new wind began to blow over the roofs of the carriages racing along their respective paths.

The vast expanse of grassland showed no signs of ending. They had left the city area long ago, and Olivia still didn’t know their destination.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

That leisurely smile after making someone so curious was truly annoying, but Olivia turned her head back to the window.

The seemingly endless field came to an end, and the carriage entered a quiet pathway.

The scent of fir trees was refreshing.

The carriage, which had been particularly bumpy on the unpaved dirt road, began to slow down as the fir tree path was coming to an end.

When the carriage finally came to a complete stop, it was in front of a modest building with a white cross on its bell tower.

“…This is?”

Olivia asked cautiously, peering out the window.

“It’s an orphanage sponsored by the Lancaster family.”

So why here? That was Olivia’s question. Her gaze, withdrawn from beyond the glass window, turned to Edgar.

“Being on the receiving end doesn’t suit my nature.”

He said nonchalantly.

The faint smile that had been on Edgar’s face disappeared, revealing his characteristic coolness.

“If they use the media to tear you down, I’ll use that to rebuild your image.”

Edgar tended to be generous towards former lovers. But if they provoked him like this, it was a different story.

The tarnishing of Olivia Blanchet’s image was Anblyn’s declaration of war or warning to Edgar.

He had many measures he could take.

He could expose Anblyn’s private life or question the fairness of the competitions she had won so far, and if he wanted to, he could even reveal to the world how the princess had divorced and returned.

But he chose this mild method, setting aside all those easy ways, for one reason only: for Olivia’s sake.

Because she wouldn’t want that.

At some point, Edgar’s mind began to revolve with her at the top.

Of course, it was merely consideration for her as Lancaster’s sponsored player who would shine at this Dumblin Championship, without any personal feelings.

“Let’s get out.”

Edgar, who had gotten out first, extended his hand politely. With a smile back on his face.

“So, we’ve come to do volunteer work. At the angel’s house. To look good?”

“Do you dislike it?”

Olivia had intended not to respond at all, but if she had to do something, rather than slinging mud at each other…

“I like it.”

After a brief hesitation, Olivia took Edgar’s hand and got out of the carriage.

Wow! With a bright cheer, short children ran up and surrounded Olivia.

The children’s eyes, looking up at her, sparkled innocently. True to the name ‘Angel’s House’, all the children’s faces were pure and good.

Olivia stroked the soft hair of a little girl. She too had lost her parents when she was about this age. What had her eyes looked like then?

“Hello. I’m Olivia.”

The child smiles brightly with two missing bottom teeth. She couldn’t remember clearly, but she hadn’t shone like this star.

“Hello. I’m Rosetta.”

The voice, with the wind whistling through the gap of the missing front teeth, was too cute. Olivia couldn’t help but hug the child tightly and laugh.

Whether it was the sunlight pouring over the woman that was dazzling, or Olivia’s smile, Edgar silently gazed at the woman who was like the early summer sun.

May this loveliness, this peacefulness be well captured in the photos.

With Edgar’s wish, the summer afternoon faded away.