Despite my feeling burdened and strongly declining that there was no need, the Duchess refused my refusal.

Of course, now I couldn’t imagine my daily life without Countess Corhena. Since she became my maid, the engagement preparations progressed incredibly smoothly.

I will probably die without ever understanding those countless formalities.

That wasn’t all.

She was truly unrivaled in all matters of social circles.

From proper posture to etiquette, there were so many things to learn from her from start to finish.

“Fortunately, I’m also worried if today’s imperial visit might be burdensome for you.”

Of course, meeting the Emperor who had tried to kill me, and might try to kill me in the future, was naturally burdensome. But I felt I could endure it somehow if Ricardo was with me.

“You’ll stay by my side, won’t you?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then I’ll be fine.”

He was silent for a moment. There was a gentle light on his lips, but his eyes were as cool and unfeeling as when we first met.

Only then did I realize what Ricardo’s current behavior towards me meant. He was treating me thoroughly as his fiancée.

Like a very polite and skilled adult.

It didn’t take long to realize that this was the line he had properly drawn.

It wasn’t difficult to understand that this signal was the answer to the words Ricardo had uttered softly.

It was an extremely rational and wise decision, and a sophisticated response. Perhaps he regretted and felt sorry for his actions. So I should respect his decision.

Even to resent, one needed qualifications.

With that thought, I no longer felt resentful towards him. And once I decide, I don’t hesitate.

“Thank you for your concern, young master.”

I also answered neatly and threw my gaze out the window. There was no more eye contact or conversation or feelings to share between him and me.

Ricardo was doing his best in his position. Despite having no reason to do so.

My mind settled calmly as if the confused times of the past were a lie. So now my job was to play the role of a fiancée befitting the Rochester name. Even if it was just a 6-month time limit.

“Is there anything I should know before going to the Imperial Palace?”

I asked, still avoiding looking at him. He seemed to think for a moment but soon shook his head.

“Not particularly, nothing like that.”

Then the qualities I should have before going to the Imperial Palace would probably be courage and boldness. I took a long breath in and exhaled it all at once. And I called him a bit more cheerfully than usual.

“Young master.”

He answered my call with a smile.

“I’ll try not to disappoint you.”

“What?”

“This engagement. Of course, it’s not an engagement you want, but I’ll try to minimize the damage as much as possible.”

Ricardo just stared at me without saying anything. The smile that had been drawn on his lips until just now disappeared, but it wasn’t an unpleasant expression.

“I also want to repay you someday for saving me and my family.”

“You mean paying for your life?”

“Pardon?”

Remembering the night when I had almost threatened him to save our family, I bit my lower lip for a moment.

“Well, the situation was urgent then.”

“As you said, I’m currently paying for your life, so you don’t have any debt to repay me.”

“…”

“But I am curious. How were you thinking of repaying that debt? Perhaps…”

He raised one eyebrow slightly and tilted his head a little.

“I, I was going to think about that gradually.”

Feeling somehow that I needed to stop his mouth, I hurriedly added.

“And don’t worry about the engagement party preparations at all.”

Ricardo smiled and sat down, leisurely crossing his legs.

“Really?”

“It’s not a real engagement we’re doing for appearance’s sake anyway, it’s just a play with a slightly longer term. You just need to spare some time on the engagement day to stand next to me for a moment.”

He folded his arms and stretched his body a little longer. The traces of the young boy had completely disappeared, and a cynical expression and sharpened features were overlaid on top.

In front of him, when I rambled on, I often felt that everything I said seemed like nonsense. Whenever that happened, I instinctively straightened my back to avoid feeling intimidated.

“Not a real engagement for appearance’s sake?”

Moreover, when his solid and large shoulders moved slowly like now, I kept feeling overwhelmed by the imposing presence of that tall body. Whenever that happened, I reflexively straightened my posture.

“Yes, so I’ll stay quietly like air, and when the time comes, I’ll disappear as if swept away by the wind.”

The Duchess said she had already thought of a place for us to flee and stay when this engagement ends.

It’s one of the countries on a peninsula located in the southern part of the Dermeyer Empire, and she said that land, which can only be reached by boat across a vast strait, is far, far away from the Dermeyer Empire.

She said we could live there for a few years and then return to Lesotia after some time has passed.

The distance on the map the Duchess spread out was just a span, but she said it would probably take more than two weeks by boat.

“Like air… you’ll disappear.”

Ricardo, repeating my words, erased the light smile that had been on his lips. Then his atmosphere changed in an instant.

“Your hands are so small. Probably…”

He trailed off, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward, coming close to me.

My gaze that had been on his eyes slowly moved down. Past the nose to the lips, past the nape to the exposed white shoulders… I could hardly breathe properly under his gaze.

“The feet in those dainty shoes must be small too?”

“…”

“Yet with those small hands, you so easily crumple my decisions.”

With those final words, Ricardo buried himself deep in the chair and turned his gaze to the window. Clearly conveying that he had no intention of continuing this conversation with me.

If I had been my usual self, I would have pestered him about what decision of his I had crumpled. But I only moved my lips slightly before giving up.

Following his gaze outside, I saw leaves that had grown even more lush than a few days ago swaying in the spring breeze. The glossy leaves swaying while fully absorbing the sunlight quietly captivated my view.

“We’re almost there now, aren’t we?”

From when the carriage passed through the forest path and entered the plaza again, my heart started pounding once more. Ricardo nodded in affirmation.

“You said we’d be able to see the heirs of other ducal families when we go today, right?”

I carefully asked what I had been curious about all this time.

“Why… that?”

“I’m a bit nervous. I didn’t really get to see them properly back then. They’re quite famous even in the Duchy of Lesotia. I’ll have to pretend well that I’m seeing them for the first time.”

There was no answer from him, but I continued speaking.

“This is just simple curiosity, but…”

The three great ducal families of the Dermeyer Empire all have absolute power, but among them, Rochester clearly stood above the other two ducal families.

That was something I could fully understand from my previous experience. Although everyone’s manners in dealing with them were no different, if this were the wild, it felt like Ricardo’s rank would clearly be the highest.

Of course, I vaguely knew the reason for that.

The reason why the Rochester ducal family could have absolute power superiority over the other two ducal families was related to the range and relationship of their power demonstrations.

Rochester’s power applies to everyone, but the powers of other ducal families don’t work on Rochester. That means Julian can’t erase Ricardo’s memories, and Walter can’t move through space while Ricardo is in control.

But even so.

“Chaplin controls space, and Parquin controls people’s memories, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But for Roche, is having eyes that discern truth all there is? Aren’t there any other powers? For example, flying in the sky, or moving objects freely without touching them, abilities like that?”

“Well…”

He asked with a truly puzzled look.

“Why would such trivial skills be necessary?”

“Ah…”

I see, you’re just that great.

To Ricardo, even the powers of the other two ducal families were merely trivial skills.

I chose to just keep my mouth shut quietly. After all, the lofty worldview of great people couldn’t be grasped by the narrow vision of ordinary people.

I hoped we might have an unexpected accident on the way and never reach the Imperial Palace, but our carriage drove on without hindrance. It was a late spring, or early summer afternoon where the scenery passing by the window was dreamlike beautiful.

Today’s outfit that the Duchess gifted me along with matching jewels was an overall bluish dress. She also enclosed a short letter with the dress, which said that the color of the outfit I’m wearing now would become my unique color this year.

So it was added that no noblewoman would dare to use a bluish dress this social season.