Though it was said to be a temporary residence, Millay’s mansion was by no means shabby. While less luxurious compared to other noble family mansions, it was spacious and practical.

Layla, guided into the mansion by Lilburn, who claimed to be Millay’s adjutant, was inwardly impressed by the unexpectedly large and well-appointed interior.

A spacious hall that could host a small party, an open staircase, and a gallery with railings clearly visible up to the third floor, along with several rooms that could accommodate dozens of people.

Looking up at the chandelier reflecting candlelight above her head, Layla thought absentmindedly.

‘Is Lord Millay… an extremely wealthy man?’

It was a bit surprising how he could afford such a nice house in a foreign country where he wouldn’t stay long, and have enough wealth to frequent the royal court.

As she continued these musings, she suddenly felt her interest might be too materialistic and tried to calm her thoughts.

It was then, as they were climbing the stairs to the second floor, that Lilburn addressed Layla. Though he had been quite flustered when he first discovered her in the carriage, he now spoke in a rather businesslike tone, having regained his composure.

“There aren’t many rooms suitable for a princess to stay in, so we may need to clear one out, but could you wait in an empty room for a while?”

Layla raised her gaze to meet Lilburn’s eyes.

Considering how surprised he had been when opening the carriage door, it seemed unlikely that Millay had given any specific instructions, so it was surprising that he was offering to clear a room.

Shaking her head, Layla replied calmly.

“I can sleep in any room, it’s fine.”

She had come here almost on impulse, almost as if pushed. Although Millay had repeatedly urged her to flee, she guessed she would probably have to return to the royal palace where Reynold was tomorrow.

No, perhaps returning immediately would be the right thing to do.

Millay, who had spirited her away from the palace, might find himself in great trouble. Layla was a foreign princess invited by the royal family here. Even in her own estimation, she was entangled in complex interests.

If it were to escalate into a diplomatic issue, it would be difficult to ignore the possibility of an incident erupting beyond the scope of what a marquis could resolve.

Perhaps the man before her was making similar calculations.

But strangely, neither Millay nor Lilburn seemed to care about that fact at all.

Lilburn, who had been staring at Layla’s face with an oddly intense gaze, continued his own speech without responding to Layla’s reply about the room being fine.

“…You’ll need to change clothes, so I’ll assign a maid to assist you.”

“There are maids here?”

Millay hadn’t brought a wife or female partner to the party. If so, there should be no reason to bring maids to a foreign country.

Surprised, she asked, and Lilburn lightly shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s how things turned out.”

It was an indirect way of saying he wouldn’t explain in detail. Layla quickly caught on and just slightly bowed her head in gratitude.

In fact, Lilburn’s attitude was impeccably gentlemanly, but Layla was perceptive enough to vaguely sense it.

He seemed to disapprove of her presence.

It was understandable, if understandable.

She was clearly a troublesome presence. The only place in this Filmer where she should be was the royal palace; to be honest, she was not someone who should appear here at all.

‘The marquis and Lilburn might end up fighting because of me…’

Layla was secretly glancing at Lilburn when their eyes met. Startled, Lilburn opened the door in front of him.

“You can stay here for a while.”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

Following his gesture, Layla awkwardly nodded and stepped inside.

After lighting a suitable room on the second floor and telling Layla to wait, Lilburn closed the door and went somewhere.

Left alone so suddenly, Layla scanned the unfamiliar space with her eyes.

Inside, there was only a simple bed standing alone, with no other furniture at all.

Being a temporary residence, it must have been difficult to pay attention to every unnecessary room. Thinking about it that way, even having a bed might be unexpected.

Layla carefully lowered herself onto the bed, which didn’t have a single wrinkle. Then, looking down at her unsightly appearance, she blushed.

She had forgotten for a moment, but her state was terrible.

Her dress was disheveled, her feet were black with dirt. Though she couldn’t see it, her hair must be a mess too.

Layla felt her hair with her hand and removed the hair ornament that had been awkwardly placed.

Even with just the faint candlelight in the dark room, the crystals of the hair ornament sparkled from multiple angles.

Layla’s eyes unfocused for a moment as she reflected on the day’s events.

She wondered what her use really was.

‘Coming here to escape without any plan.’

But even if she could go back in time, could she refuse the hand Millay had extended in that moment?

The answer was ‘no.’

She didn’t actually want to marry Reynold. She would rather remain just the unwanted princess of a small kingdom.

Fading away together in a crumbling kingdom seemed better than her current situation.

But a bird trapped in a cage that has forgotten how to flap its wings cannot fly in the sky even when released outside.

In a manner of speaking, she was a bird that had forgotten how to flap its wings. Unable to live alone.

“What are you thinking about so intently?”

Startled by the unexpected question, Layla turned her head towards the door. The door was wide open, and a noblewoman was approaching Layla through it.

Layla stood up abruptly. It was a reflexive action.

“You are…”

“I am Maeve Hereford, who serves His Lordship the Marquis, Princess Wessex.”

Maeve, who had briefly recited her self-introduction, bowed politely with her hands folded in front of her stomach. Then she smiled gently at Layla. As Layla awkwardly smiled back, she naturally gestured towards the door.

“You look very tired… The room has been assigned, but I think it would be better for you to soak in warm water first.”

Though she cited fatigue as the reason, in reality, seeing her current state, it would have been impossible not to recommend a bath.

Layla silently followed her. The maids who came with Maeve also hurried behind Layla, suggesting that the mansion had more than just a few servants.

Millay’s mansion was not even a standalone building. Going down to the first floor and opening the side door, following the stone path and passing through a garden with a fresh scent of grass, there was a small annex. The bathing facilities were separately equipped in that annex.

‘To rent such a house temporarily in a foreign country.’

Just how much wealth does one need to live like this?

Out of pure curiosity, Layla was absorbed in observing even after entering the annex.

In fact, it had been too long since she had come to a foreign country, or to someone else’s house.

Since the Wessex family had established a country after gaining independence from Hankin, she had rarely left the royal palace except for major national events.

But perhaps her behavior was too obvious? She heard Maeve chuckling softly beside her.

“Princess, through this door.”

“Ah, thank you, Maeve…”

Seeing that they had already arrived at the bathroom, Layla willingly stepped inside.

The bathroom was clean but clearly showed signs of use. As she stepped on the slightly wet tiles, her feet, which had been slightly injured from running without shoes, stung. She unconsciously furrowed her brow, and Maeve looked down at her feet with a surprised expression.

Maeve quickly seated Layla in a nearby chair and examined her feet.

“Oh my, Princess… Did you come all the way from the palace to here with these feet? Without even wearing shoes?”

It seemed she hadn’t noticed Layla’s feet earlier. Layla glanced around nervously. She felt awkward, thinking that the maids might be wondering what kind of person this princess was to be in such a pitiful state.

Layla wiggled her toes embarrassedly and answered.

“It’s fine. I took off my shoes because the building was shaking due to the earthquake, and then there was a fire, so I forgot to put them back on in the rush to get out.”

“Are you alright elsewhere?”

“Um, yes. Thanks to the marquis taking care of me.”

At that, Maeve shook her head. Her next words were quite firm.

“No, if he had really taken care of you properly, I… His Lordship should have carried you here, even if he had to do it himself.”

“Is that so…?”

The atmosphere of her words somehow felt like Maeve was criticizing Millay. From that one comment, Layla realized that the two had been together for a very long time and were quite comfortable with each other.

“Of course. When our lord returns, I will make sure to teach him exactly how to escort a beautiful lady. So please forgive his shortcomings.”

Layla smiled softly at Maeve’s words.

Maeve’s response, deliberately lowering her master, really put Layla at ease.

Listening to the conversation, she truly felt like she had become a precious guest here.

Due to her injured feet, she couldn’t take a long bath. Instead, under Maeve’s careful hands, Layla regained some semblance of tidiness.

For some reason, clean new clothes and shoes were also prepared, and after changing into them, she headed to the room that was said to be assigned to her.

While walking down the hallway, she thought the atmosphere of the mansion was strangely different from before visiting the annex, and soon learned why.

In front of her room, Marquis Millay, the owner of the mansion, was waiting.