At that moment, Sabrina quietly listened to my words, but I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice her demeanor.

“Is that… how it usually is?”

I expected her to ask what I meant, but Sabrina just kept trying on the necklace and earrings like before. If anything, her attitude made me more anxious.

“No, I mean, is it normal to act so passionately and then suddenly cool off like that?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, this isn’t about me, it’s about my friend…”

Hearing a snicker, I turned my head and met Sabrina’s gaze head-on as she stared at me.

“Exactly how passionate was it and how did it cool off?”

“Well, you see…”

I hesitated greatly, but not for long. In truth, Sabrina was the only person I could confide in about these frustrating feelings.

“I’m saying, can a man who passionately kissed in a carriage on the way somewhere take a separate carriage on the way back?”

“Sounds like Ricardo.”

“W-what are you saying? I told you this is about my friend.”

“Friend, yeah right. What friends do you have here?”

Right, I should have been more careful about what to hide. She may have been terrible at arithmetic since childhood, but she was incredibly quick-witted. Besides, as she said, it didn’t make sense that I would have made friends here.

I let out a heavy sigh, hugged a pillow, and sat up in bed.

“No, I mean…”

As I recounted what happened last night, I felt embarrassed at times, but after sharing it with her, even briefly, I felt much lighter. Of course, I didn’t mention meeting Chaplin or Paquin.

Even with my rough explanation, Sabrina nodded as if she were an expert.

“Is that Ricardo’s answer?”

“Well, I guess you can’t say it’s not. He talks about spending the night together and calls me his woman, but he can’t actually do it in the current situation.”

“I see… Is that so?”

“Do you think Ricardo would keep you by his side given his circumstances? When he already has a woman he’s supposed to marry?”

“…”

“Our young lord might be willing to die for you, but he’d never be able to tell you to stay by his side along with another woman.”

“Why are you jumping to such conclusions? Why would Ricardo die for me?”

I pouted, feeling strange, and glared at Sabrina. I didn’t even want to imagine him dying for me.

“What I’m saying is that while other men in this world might do that, our young lord absolutely can’t. You and I know well that people’s original personalities don’t change even as they age, especially Ricardo.”

I know that well. That’s why I shouldn’t have done what I did yesterday. But still, when a man and woman are sitting in that position, isn’t the next step obvious?

Besides, he clearly knew I liked him, yet he didn’t let me go.

“But our young lord is quite unexpected.”

I felt a surge of emotion at her constant use of “our young lord,” but I quietly waited for Sabrina to continue. As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes Sabrina’s words kept me grounded.

“I didn’t think he was the type to feel impulses like that. How could he pounce on you first?”

I pressed my lips together for a moment. And Sabrina remarkably noticed my reaction.

“Don’t tell me you were the one who…”

Before she could finish, I cried out in a somewhat agitated voice.

“Y-yes! I made the first move. But really, the atmosphere was just…”

“Ha, I knew you’d cause a big incident someday. It’s fortunate our young lord is so kind.”

“What?”

The idea that Ricardo was kind was something I had never even considered.

“You haven’t seen your young lord again, have you?”

“No, of course not. The last time I saw him was from afar when you left Lesotia. Besides, would our young lord even agree to meet me? He probably doesn’t even remember me.”

“…”

“But he really grew up well. He was always exceptionally handsome, but now… It’s hard to believe such a man exists in this world.”

Right, that’s why she naturally says Ricardo is too kind. Sabrina always used to say that handsome men are inherently kind.

But if she had a proper conversation with him now, she’d know how ill-fitting the word “kind” is to describe him.

It’s not that he isn’t kind. It’s just that he grew up too frighteningly.

“Hmm…”

At that moment, an ominous-sounding sigh mixed with a nasal sound escaped from Sabrina.

“But this isn’t your first time, you know.”

“W-what?”

“Stealing Ricardo’s lips. This isn’t the first time.”

Why does Sabrina still remember such an old story?

I had nothing to say and just buried my face in the pillow I was hugging. As she said, there really was such a day.

It wasn’t as cruel a sensation as what happened in the carriage last night, but it was a tender experience that could be called my first kiss.

“Anyway, to sum it up, last night was a momentary impulse. You were wearing quite revealing clothes, it was raining heavily, it was dark, and it was just you and Ricardo in the carriage. End of story.”

How many stories have you ended just like that?

I clicked my tongue, severely reproaching myself for asking something unnecessary to this notorious player.

Then Sabrina put all the jewels she was holding on the dressing table and came closer to me. She sat down gently on the bed like before.

“Lienne.”

My gaze naturally lifted at the affectionate call of my name. When our eyes met, Sabrina reached out and caressed my cheek. A strong scent of roses, familiar from her, washed over me.

“That’s as far as it goes.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no future between you and Ricardo.”

I froze in place, unable to respond. Was it always this heart-wrenching to hear that there’s no future between us? From the beginning, we didn’t have anything that could be called a future, or even a past to look back on.

“Someone like me can meet, love, and break up as many times as I want, but…”

“…”

“You can’t. You’re not allowed to.”

You’ll be in unbearable pain for the rest of your life. Though she didn’t say it out loud, Sabrina’s eyes clearly conveyed the message to my ears.

“A relationship between a man and woman without certainty is a wound in itself.”

“Both to you and to our young lord.” Though her voice was gentle, it sounded like a stern warning to me.

Even for someone like me who always says it’s fine, if I get hurt one more time in this relationship with Ricardo, it will really be painful. Perhaps it will hurt much longer and more deeply than I can imagine.

So, that’s as far as it goes. Take care of yourself, that’s the wise thing to do.

It was a solemn command I was giving to myself.

The day after the party at Count Enehas’s mansion, Walter woke up in a refreshed mood. The memory of that day was completely erased, but such occurrences were familiar to him.

His original plan was to return using Chaplin’s power if any problems arose at Count Enehas’s mansion.

He was currently the hottest commodity in the marriage market, and it was natural for women to flock to him.

Walter found the whole situation horrendous. Especially, women with strong perfumes touching his body was as tormenting as immersing himself in a vat full of insects.

And yellow roses, of all things.

Who on earth created such a vulgar trend?

To Walter’s eyes, the women wearing yellow roses were no different from one-eyed witches floating around without feet.

According to the head butler, he had returned home safely, and upon prompt inquiry, no problems related to Walter had occurred at Count Enehas’s mansion.

The only somewhat surprising news he received was that the young lord of Rochester had become engaged. And not to Rochester’s saint, but to the woman who had helped with his manifestation.

‘But why on earth was I holding the Crown Prince’s hand in my bedroom?’

If there was one strange thing, it was the fact that he had returned home with the Crown Prince.

The head butler said there was no problem as it had been that way from the beginning.

He said that when he came to pick up Walter, the Crown Prince was already with him. So, he must have come here while shaking hands with the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was equally puzzled. Although they knew each other’s abilities, this was the first time they had directly experienced it, so it wasn’t incomprehensible for the Crown Prince to react that way.

The fact that those accompanying the Crown Prince came to the duke’s residence separately later made it clear that the Crown Prince had come here first, holding Walter’s hand.

But his peace was shattered by a young servant who had briefly visited Walter’s bedroom on the day in question.

“What do you mean by that? That day, the young master was with the Crown Prince.”