In Carlos’s dressing room, Irene’s expression was a bit dark as she changed her clothes. Seeing that expression, Jessie stopped tying the dress ribbon and asked worriedly.

“What’s worrying you, Miss?”

Irene hesitated to tell Jessie before cautiously opening her mouth.

“I think… a misunderstanding has occurred.”

“What misunderstanding?”

“That is…”

Irene told Jessie about what had happened with the priest in the hallway a little while ago.

She told everything, even how Carlos had suddenly appeared and killed the priest.

“…I’m worried that His Grace might misunderstand that I accepted the priest’s proposal.”

She didn’t specifically say she was also worried about being killed like the priest.

And she didn’t say what she hadn’t said to Carlos either.

Jessie’s face stiffened after hearing the whole story. At a glance, she seemed angry, so Irene quickly added,

“I firmly rejected the priest’s proposal, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Jessie come to her senses, giving a short exclamation before smiling and shaking her head.

“I don’t worry about things like that. I trust you, Miss.”

Irene smiled without a word, feeling a prick of conscience.

“More than that, it’s despicable that a priest like that got angry at you, Miss. He deserved to die.”

A priest was a job welcomed anywhere, regardless of background or rank.

But calling him a priest ‘like that’, and saying he deserved to die for simply getting angry, was all beyond Irene’s understanding.

“If you meet such a guy again, don’t hold back and send a Fireball at him, Miss.”

“Fireball? Are you talking about magic?”

“Yes.”

Irene looked at Jessie, slowly blinking her eyes.

“Why do you say that, Miss?”

“…I don’t know how to use magic.”

“What? Uh, um…”

Startled by the response, Jessie stammered before laughing and changing the subject as if nothing had happened.

“The master will be waiting, so get ready and let’s go, Miss.”

When Irene came out after changing, Carlos was standing by the window, having a serious conversation with Duey.

Zerdeen was leisurely sitting on the sofa, sipping tea like a carefree man enjoying life.

Soon after spotting Irene, Zerdeen whistled.

“Wow, you looked like an angel descending from the sky earlier, now you look like a spring fairy born from a flower.”

Ordinarily, young ladies would blush and enjoy such words, but not Irene.

She looked at him with an impassive face, not feeling any thrill. It even seemed like she didn’t understand why Zerdeen was saying such things.

Zerdeen shrugged his shoulders, taken aback by the unexpected reaction.

“Well then. People who don’t know they’re pretty are more dangerous than those who do, but you’re the latter, so our master must be very worried.”

“Nonsense.”

Carlos sharply cut off, having finished his conversation with Duey, and sat across from Zerdeen.

And silently tapped the seat next to him. Everyone in the room knew he meant for Irene, though he didn’t say it explicitly.

Irene recognized it too, and sat next to him. After what had happened earlier, she didn’t want to upset Carlos in any way.

After filling Carlos’s tea cup, Duey filled Irene’s as well.

“Would Your Royal Highness like some more?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Having already had enough, Zerdeen waved his hand away.

Your Royal Highness? Only then did Irene realize Zerdeen’s status, and she looked at him in surprise.

Coincidentally, Zerdeen was looking at her, and their eyes met.

His golden eyes, slightly deeper than Irene’s, sparkled cheerfully.

“Shouldn’t you now greet me with respect, now that you know who I am?”

“So, I’m sorry……!”

As the flustered Irene started to rise, Carlos grabbed her arm.

His annoyed, purple eyes held a smiling face.

“I told you not to do such unnecessary things.”
Despite his fierce demeanor, Zerdin smiled unflinchingly and replied.

“It’s not a pointless act. Everything I said was necessary, Master.”

“This is necessary?”

“Yes. Since we are about to become family, I just played a joke to become closer since it felt too distant.”

Carlos snorted with laughter.

“You might think it’s a joke.”

Zerdin, struck by the truth, scratched his cheek and grinned awkwardly.

A joke? Irene stared at Zerdin in shock, and when their eyes met, Zerdin winked.

“I’m sorry. My joke was too much for the little lady.”

Who’s little?

“I’m not little.”

“Ha!”

When Irene protested in a small voice, Zerdin burst into laughter as if he had heard something amusing.

“Well, you are a bit big to be called little, but you’re not an adult, right?”

As Irene was about to reply that she was an adult, Carlos spoke first.

“She’s 20.”

“What?”

Zerdin pointed at Irene in surprise, his mouth agape.

“20 years old?”

Carlos kindly bent his finger and nodded.

“Huh.”

Then, Zerdin stared at Irene, his mouth agape.

“That face is 20 years old? You’re only three years younger than me? How is that possible? Does that make sense?”

Was it so surprising? Irene was bewildered but also worried about what Zerdin had said earlier.

That they were about to become family.