“It’s better to open it when you’re alone in the greenhouse.”

Realizing Johannes’s awkward expression only then, Rogelia, startled, closed her chest.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Apologizing to Rogelia, Johannes lowered his head with a bitter expression.

“You have to endure a lot, wearing men’s clothing and suppressing the fragrance. However, since Prince Aaron’s coronation ceremony is about a month away, you only need to endure until then.”

Responding with a smile mixed with an apologetic expression from Johannes, Rogelia replied.

“Now, wearing men’s clothing feels natural.”
Johannes faced Rogelia’s effortful bright smile with a bitter expression, responding with a wry smile.

“And there’s someone I want to introduce. Come in.”

Responding to Johannes’s call, as if she had been nearby, a woman approached without any visible signs.

The woman had bright auburn curly hair like the sunset, dressed in maid attire.

“I’m Eva Leclaire. I have faithfully served as a loyal servant to the Yukiliod Marquis for generations.”

When Rogelia looked at Johannes with a puzzled expression, he smiled and continued.

“Among those who know you’re both a woman and the Marquis’s beloved, it’s just me, the butler, and this maid, Eva. Eva will assist you in many ways as your personal maid.”

With Johannes’s words as the conclusion, the maid named Eva bowed energetically.

“Pleased to meet you, Lady Rogelia! Please feel free to call me Eva! By the way, Sir Evan, the butler, is my father, and Sir Logan, the aide, is my older brother.”

It was surprising that the somewhat gruff aide Logan had such a cute younger sister.

“Nice to meet you, Eva.”

“Oh, Miss. Feel free to call me.”

“Yeah…”

For her, who had never had a personal maid before, this situation felt quite awkward.

Even when she was treated as the Marquis’s beloved, she received the treatment befitting a beloved, not as a maid…

Unlike the awkward Rogelia, Eva was very friendly and lively.

“By the way, today is the day the upper echelons of the Benub Kingdom come in. Would you like to go and see?”

Unlike most countries with medieval European cultures, Benub was a country in the south with completely different skin tones and cultures.

When the country mentioned in the original novel that she had only heard about was brought up, Rogelia looked at Johannes with curious eyes.

Seeing her curiosity, Johannes, who noticed her expression, smiled and replied.

“If you’re with Eva, it’s okay to occasionally go out.”

With Johannes’s approval, Eva and Rogelia eagerly prepared for the outing.

Despite saying it was an outing, there was no need for Rogelia, who was already disguised as a man, to dress up.

After a brief preparation, the two of them boarded a carriage and could head to the Felton Port where the upper echelons of the Benub Kingdom had arrived.

“Miss, no, Master, seeing you like this, you really look handsome. A charming young star style that any beloved would fall for at first sight!”

In response to Eva’s lively words, Rogelia awkwardly smiled.

Although she had seen many beloveds cry in Rugbelzet, she decided not to reveal it.

“Will they bring art pieces or paintings from the upper echelons?”

“Yes! If you see them, your eyes will surely be dazzled. There are so many strange and wonderful things that you haven’t seen in Rugbelzet or Laphelios!”

Eva, who said so, leaned close and whispered as if revealing a great secret.

“I even saw a sculpture made of cat feces. I don’t know how squishy and cute it was!”
A sculpture made of cat feces… While that particular piece didn’t appeal to her, memories of the artworks mentioned in the original novel about Benub crossed Rogelia’s mind, making her heart flutter for the first time in a while.

Arriving at Felton Port in just one hour, the two descended into the bustling harbor square.

Since the Baltazar Hotel was located a bit far from the busy square, Rogelia looked around with reassurance.

Indeed, the harbor square seemed quite different from the one she had seen yesterday, possibly due to the arrival of the upper echelons of Benub.

Among the people dressed not in medieval European attire but in refreshing Middle Eastern-style clothing, some appeared quite untidy.

“Master, please look here!”

Eva, who was excited, gestured energetically toward a table full of Benub’s accessories.

Approaching her as if unable to resist, Rogelia turned her steps away when her attention was caught by a captivating painting.

It was a painting of a Middle Eastern-dressed woman breastfeeding a child.

Having dealt with various famous artworks, Rogelia felt a sensory tingling just by looking at the painting.

Unconsciously drawn to the painting, Rogelia, who had approached it as if bewitched, asked the Benub merchant organizing the table.

“Um, how much is this painting?”

The merchant, who seemed to still be organizing the table, looked perplexed at Rogelia’s question as he gazed at the nearby painting.

“Hmm? That painting is not for sale.”

They brought a painting that’s not for sale? How could that be… Shall I try bargaining?

Rogelia confidently spoke with a determined expression.

“I’ll give you 50 vels for it.”

The merchant, taken aback by Rogelia’s words from the beginning, looked even more confused.

“Even if you say that…”

“100 vels.”

Anticipating that Rogelia would call up to 100 vels, the man, whose eyes widened at the unexpected demand, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Well, then, ask that guy over there. He’s the one who brought this painting.”

Pointing to a silver-haired man dressed in Benub attire who was admiring the Laphelios merchant table, the merchant suggested.

Approaching him with the determination to buy the painting, Rogelia, who had agreed to 100 vels, opened her mouth firmly.

“Excuse me.”

However, the man either couldn’t hear her voice, or he didn’t recognize it as someone calling him, and he quickly turned in the other direction.

In a hurry, Rogelia, who had firmly grabbed his wrist, exclaimed in embarrassment.

“Excuse me!”

Only then did the man turn around, looking down at her who had grabbed his wrist.

With tanned, healthy skin that gleamed with a burnished color, he wore Benub-style attire that revealed his chest and upper body.

With sparkling silver hair, the man with ruby-like red eyes looked down at her leisurely.

“Hmm… It’s the first time I’ve been grabbed by a woman.”

Saying so, the man with an intriguing air narrowed his ruby-red eyes.