After finishing breakfast through various twists and turns, Dewey came back.

“I’ve finished preparing for the outing, Master.”

Come to think of it, he did say earlier that he was preparing to go out.

“Are you going out?”

Dewey answered the question that flowed naturally like breathing without any particular consciousness.

“Yes. We’re going to check if the territory restoration is going well.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, the territory had become a mess due to the monster revolt.

Irene’s expression darkened as she recalled the fact she had momentarily forgotten.

Having seen with her own eyes how terrible and horrific that scene was, it came back even more vividly.

“I hope it gets restored quickly.”

And she wanted to see how much of the territory had been restored.

It seemed that only then could she erase that horrific image from her memory, even if just a little.

Kalos, wearing the coat Dewey handed him, asked Irene.

“Want to come along?”

“What? With me?”

“Weren’t you curious about how the territory situation is going?”

How did he know that?

Irene looked at Kalos in bewilderment, surprised that he had noticed what she had only thought to herself.

Kalos asked again while buttoning up.

“Are you coming along?”

“……”

If he’s asking again, it must mean he’s sincere, not just making small talk.

Still, feeling she should check, Irene cautiously asked back.

“Is it… okay? I’m not getting in the way, am I…?”

“Not at all.”

Kalos said firmly as he turned around.

“I’ll be waiting in the hall, so come down when you’re ready.”

*

Jessie, hearing the news that Irene was going out with Kalos, went back to Irene’s bedroom to help her prepare for the outing.

“This is all we have that’s suitable to wear right now.”

What Jessie brought after rummaging through the dressing room for a while was the clothes Irene had worn when she first came to Esper Castle.

I thought I was going to die soon when I was wearing those clothes.

Irene felt strange as she newly realized the fact that far from dying, she was living in luxury.

Jessie touched the fabric of the clothes and frowned.

“I’m worried it might be too thin to wear in this weather. It would be terrible if you caught a cold…”

“Can’t I wear different clothes then?”

Is there any reason I have to wear that?

When Irene asked in bewilderment, Jessie let out a deep sigh.

“I’d like to, but the Master told us to dress you as much like a commoner as possible.”

“I see.”

Although she didn’t know why she had to dress like a commoner, Irene nodded, figuring Kalos must have had a good reason for saying so.

“If he had told us in advance, we would have prepared… the Master, really…”

As Jessie grumbled with her lips pursed, Irene laughed awkwardly, feeling oddly guilty.

“It’s because I suddenly asked His Grace the Duke if I could go out… I’m sorry, Jessie.”

Jessie waved her hands in flustered denial.

“No, it’s not. If that’s the case, it can’t be helped. Will you change into these clothes for now? Meanwhile, I’ll look for a suitable coat.”

“Okay.”

Irene changed clothes behind the screen.

Wearing those clothes brought back memories and emotions from when she first came to Esper Castle more vividly, making her feel uneasy.

‘Is it really okay for me to stay like this?’

The question she had harbored since first setting foot in Esper Castle now had an answer.

‘It will be okay.’

Although it wasn’t certainty, she wasn’t as anxious as she had been then.

“My lady, are you done changing?”

“Yes.”

As Irene came out from behind the screen, Jessie held out the coat she had brought.

“I think this coat will do. I also brought some hair pins and other accessories, would you like to choose yourself?”

“I think it would be better not to wear accessories if we want to look like commoners.”

“Then let’s just use a hair pin. You’ll be riding a horse, so it would be cumbersome to have your hair down.”

So we’re riding horses, not a carriage.

But I can’t ride… I wonder if I’ll ride with Kalos like before.

Although a carriage is an enclosed space, it’s spacious enough to keep some distance from Kalos, but.

If we ride a horse together, not only can we not keep our distance, but we’ll have to be so close that I can feel his breathing.

It’s awkward enough just being close to Kalos.

Because of what happened yesterday, finding this situation even more awkward, Irene inwardly let out a deep sigh.

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have said I’d go along.

I’ve unnecessarily made things difficult in many ways by accepting.

“Please choose a hair pin, my lady.”

“Ah, yes.”

Although she felt deep regret, it was already water under the bridge.

Since she couldn’t say she wouldn’t go now, Irene humbly accepted the situation and chose a hair pin.

It needs to match the clothes I’m wearing now, so I should choose something as plain as possible.

What caught Irene’s eye as she looked around was the hair pin she had received as a dart prize at the Poyeonje.

I thought I had thrown it away, but it was kept.

As Irene picked up that hair pin, Jessie, who was combing her hair, said,

“That hair pin is too small to tie your hair, my lady. And it looks shabby with the gem missing.”

“I know.”

Although she couldn’t deny that it looked shabby.

Perhaps because it was the first thing she had obtained with her own power and she felt affection for it, Jessie’s words left a small scratch on Irene’s heart.

“I’ll use this one.”

But without showing it, she chose a different hair pin.

While Jessie was finishing her hair, Irene kept fiddling with that hair pin, and as soon as Jessie said she was done, she asked,

“Is it possible to fix this hair pin?”

Jessie glanced at the hair pin Irene was holding and answered.

“Well. In my opinion, it would be better to buy a new one than to fix it.”

Irene smiled faintly but stubbornly stated her opinion.

“It’s the first thing I obtained with my own hands, so I have affection for it. I really want to fix it.”

“Ah.”

Only then realizing her mistake, Jessie hurriedly apologized.

“I’m sorry, my lady. I didn’t know…”

“It’s okay. You didn’t know, so it’s understandable.”

How can she be so kind?

Moved by a demeanor so different from the women she had seen before, Jessie vigorously held out her hand.

“Give it here. I’ll take responsibility and get it fixed.”

“You don’t have to go to such trouble.”

“It’s no trouble. There are craftsmen in Esper territory skilled enough to perfectly mend even broken glass, so don’t worry and please give it to me.”

Irene had been worried that she might be making an unreasonable request, but hearing that reassured her.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Jessie.”

“Don’t worry.”

Jessie said resolutely as she took care of the hair pin.

“Shall we use the same mermaid’s tear gem as before for the hair pin?”

Irene was about to answer to do so, but.

Suddenly recalling Kalos’s purple eyes, she changed her words.

“Please use… amethyst.”

*

After seeing off Kalos and Irene, Jessie stopped by the repair shop of Esper Castle with the hair pin.

Being a novice in this area, she intended to seek help from someone knowledgeable.

“Is it possible to fix this?”

Anna, who oversees the repair shop, looked at the hair pin Jessie held out and said in bewilderment,

“The repair shop is for sewing, not for handling accessories, Jessie.”

“I know.”

She had asked just in case, but it was indeed impossible to fix it at the repair shop.

“Then do you know of any craftsman who could fix this? Anyone in Esper territory would be fine.”

“It looks like a cheap hair pin to me, why not just buy a new one instead of fixing it?”

Jessie smiled awkwardly as Anna said exactly what she had said to Irene.

“It’s an important item to the young lady.”

“Ah, that young lady.”

Although she didn’t know the exact reason why Kalos had brought Irene, Anna, vaguely aware that she was an important person, looked at the hair pin and thought deeply.

“Hmm. I do know of a workshop, but they’re not operating now so I can’t recommend it.”

“What? Why aren’t they operating?”

“Their workshop was destroyed during the monster revolt.”

Ah, such a sad story. Jessie’s expression darkened.

“Aren’t there any other workshops?”

“Well…”

“What interesting conversation are you having?”

“!”

Startled by Abel’s sudden voice, Jessie turned her head.

There stood Abel right behind her.

When did he arrive?

Both Jessie and Anna looked at Abel in surprise.

“…We greet the Lord of the Blue.”

“Ah, yes.”

As Jessie and Anna, belatedly coming to their senses, greeted him, Abel casually returned the greeting and asked,

“It sounds like you’re having some trouble. What’s the matter?”

Jessie, remembering how badly Abel had treated her before, judged that there was nothing good to come from telling him and tried to gloss over it, but.

“We were looking for a workshop to fix a hair pin.”

Anna, who knew nothing, spilled everything first.

At this, Jessie closed her eyes tightly in despair.

Abel tilted his head and asked again.

“What hair pin?”

“It’s the young la…”

“It’s my hair pin!”

Jessie, sensing a strong premonition that she shouldn’t tell Abel about Irene’s involvement, quickly interrupted Anna’s words.

“I have a very precious hair pin that’s broken… so I was looking for a place to fix it.”

“How badly is it broken? Show me.”

“……”

Please stop being so interested.

Jessie prayed earnestly inside as she showed the hair pin to Abel.

Abel took the hair pin completely and examined it from various angles before saying,

“I can fix something like this.”

“…What?”

What nonsense is this?

As Jessie looked at him in bewilderment, Abel grinned.

“I used to do some workshop work when I was bored in the past.”

“……”

“Trust me and leave it to me. I’ll fix it like new.”

Judging by how confidently he spoke, it didn’t seem to be a lie that he could fix it.

Still, entrusting it to Abel made her uneasy.

This felt like entrusting fish to a cat.

“If the Lord says so, why don’t you trust him and leave it to him, Jessie.”

Anna supported Abel’s words.

“Most workshops aren’t operating now anyway, so it would be hard to find a place to fix the hair pin.”

The additional words greatly shook Jessie’s heart.

He confidently said he would definitely fix it, but if he couldn’t, she wouldn’t be able to face Irene…

Jessie stared at the hair pin Abel was holding for a while, then finally nodded, swallowing a sigh inside.

“Then I’ll leave it in your care.”

*

A cool breeze passed by, brushing the nape of her neck exposed by her hair tied up high.

She had worried about the weather being cold since she was wearing thinner clothes than usual, but fortunately it wasn’t too cold.

“……”

Kalos’s chest against her back was more distracting than she had expected, but.

Knowing that if she showed she was conscious of it, Kalos would be uncomfortable too, Irene sat as calmly as possible.

That didn’t last long.

“…!”

Irene turned around in shock when a hand colder and rougher than the blowing wind touched her nape.