In that short time, witnesses reported that Cecilia had eaten orange juice, grilled chestnuts, and dried persimmons. They all unanimously said Cecilia looked incredibly happy, and her face never lost its smile during that time.
In Edrísh’s mind, her smile was vividly drawn.

“Seems like she’s having a very enjoyable day.”

Even as a fugitive, she looked so peaceful and happy.

By now, it might be better to take it slow and catch Cecilia for her sake.

Edrísh mumbled softly while looking up at the sky. Come to think of it, the sunlight and the wind were just perfect for a stroll outside.

A smile, reminiscent of Cecilia, appeared on his face.

Passing by a place where compliments were given to a woman washing laundry for her beautiful hair, Edrísh also smelled the flower scent that Cecilia had enjoyed for a while.

Looking at a cat lazily resting, he wondered if Cecilia had petted it on her way.

After walking for a while, they found themselves on the outskirts of the market. The bustling crowd had diminished, and naturally, there were no more witnesses who knew Cecilia’s whereabouts.

Edrísh squinted his eyes and looked around. If there were no witnesses, he had to rely solely on his instincts to find Cecilia.

At that moment, a small childcare facility entered Edrísh’s sight.

“Has the place you recently decided to sponsor from the palace been this one?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then she must have gone there. Cecilia likes children.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Is it really the Lord?”

“Hush, be quiet! You’ll get caught like that!”

“Eek!”

The murmuring children fell silent and cowered as Edrísh’s sharp gaze passed by.

“Fetch the director.”

At Edrísh’s brief command, one of the frozen children hurriedly ran off. After a short while, the child reappeared with a woman.

“Greetings to Your Lordship.”

“Did the queen visit this place?”

Despite the direct question, the woman didn’t appear flustered and nodded her head.

“Yes, she came and left just now.”

“What did she do when she was here?”

“She shared some interesting stories with the orphanage children. They also had a snack together.”

“After that, do you know where she went?”

“Well, I mentioned there are small eateries to the east. She seemed interested in that direction. Did she not go there?”

“I see.”

Edrísh stood up right away. While it would have been nice to follow Cecilia’s footsteps and see her day, he now wanted to see her in person.

Because he had something to say while hugging her.

However, the woman approached Edrísh once again and spoke.

“Excuse me, Lord Edrísh Artigraado. I apologize for my presumption. Do you happen to remember me? We met on the train…”

Edrísh’s eyebrows raised sharply. It was undoubtedly a face he had seen before. Although she looked much more sophisticated and had a darker complexion now, it was clearly her.

“The mother of the baby.”

Memories from a long time ago flashed back like it happened yesterday. The time spent alone with Cecilia on the train for the first time, when he didn’t even know if he loved her.
Without a guardian, Cecilia and Terminus wandered the train for a while to find the mother of the abandoned child. Strangely, the face of that baby, who used to cry whenever Edrísh held him, was vivid in his memory.

“You remember. At that time, I was very impolite, not knowing you were His Lordship. The child has grown this much now.”

As she reached out her hand, a girl with her hair tied into two braids came forward and shook hands. Still intimidated by Edrísh, she looked up at him with wary eyes.

“If I had left our child behind at that time, I would have lived in hell forever. Really… Living with gratitude for the help you’ve given me throughout my life. Wondering how to repay the favor, I established an orphanage to help other children. I can’t express my gratitude enough, but once again, thank you so much.”

“It’s what Cecilia did.”

“I know Your Lordship has also been of great help.”

This time, Edrísh did not refute. It was a fact that Cecilia had done it. At that time, he wasn’t very willing to do so.

However, seeing the small kindness he had reluctantly given grow and come back made it a pleasant experience for him too.

“It’s done. I’m going to meet Cecilia now.”

“It hasn’t been long since you left, so you’ll be able to meet her soon.”

Without hesitation, Edrísh opened the door of the childcare facility and stepped outside. Even though he had seen Cecilia sleeping this morning, the thought of meeting her made his heart pound as if he were meeting his first love after several years.