“You lowly creature! Are you walking around with your eyes closed?”

“I-I’m so sorry, miss!”

“What about my robe? What about my dress?! Do you know how much these cost? Because of you, my dress, robe, and makeup are all ruined, and you think a simple ‘sorry’ is enough?!”

“I-I’m truly sorry! I’ll pay for the cleaning costs, so please have mercy!”

“Cleaning costs? Are you telling me to wash and wear this dress that reeks of fish? Stop talking nonsense and compensate me with a new dress right now!”

The fisherman kept bowing his head and apologizing on his knees, but Danae seemed unsatisfied, stomping her feet and throwing a tantrum. Prince Justin’s brow furrowed as he watched her. Duke Yusten, noticing the prince’s expression, spoke to Danae.

“Danae, that’s enough. I’ll buy you new robes and dresses.”

“Father! You came at the right time! We must drag this lowly creature to the court immediately! Not only will he pay for the ruined robe and dress, but I’ll have his wrist cut off for daring to harm a noble lady like myself!”

“Oh no, please! Anything but that! Please show mercy!”

Despite the Duke’s attempts to stop her, Danae wouldn’t relent. The fisherman, pale-faced at her chilling threats, pleaded tearfully. It was quite a spectacle.

‘How can she act exactly the same as in my previous life?’

I sighed deeply. Then I stepped in front of the fisherman and said to Danae:

“Please stop this. He’s already apologized. Are you really going to drag him to court over something like this? Besides, you bumped into him because you weren’t watching where you were going. Shouldn’t you be the one apologizing?”

Danae’s eyes sharpened as she looked at me. She let out a scornful laugh and opened her mouth.

“Ha. Playing the good girl again. … You’re always up to something nasty behind people’s backs, yet you pretend to be an angel. It’s really irritating.”

“Danae, what are you saying?”

“Oh, forget it! I don’t want to hear your nagging, so just get out of my way!”

When I raised my voice slightly at her words, Danae roughly pushed me away with her palm. Then she walked towards where the carriage was parked without even bidding farewell to the prince.

Duke Yusten, flustered by his daughter’s behavior, apologized to the prince.

“Danae! Oh no! … I sincerely apologize, Your Highness. It’s all my fault for not raising my daughter properly.”

“…No need to apologize. The Duke’s daughter has reason to be upset, given that her dress is soaked and ruined.”

Prince Justin readily accepted the Duke’s apology. However, contrary to his words, his stern expression clearly revealed his discomfort. The Duke, who couldn’t miss the prince’s mood, hung his head like a guilty man. The atmosphere quickly became awkward.

Seizing the moment, I stepped between the Duke and the prince and said:

“I also sincerely apologize for Danae’s behavior, Your Highness. Please forgive her generously for my sake and my uncle’s. If you wish, I’ll even kneel right here.”

“…Ah, no. There’s no need for that. Why should you, when the Duke’s daughter did nothing wrong?”

“No. As her older sister, I bear great responsibility for not properly teaching her. …So please let me take responsibility.”

Prince Justin denied my words with bewilderment, but I shook my head firmly and apologized to him again. Then I turned to the Duke and said:

“I’ll have new formal attire and robes made for His Highness, then escort him to the palace. So please comfort Danae, uncle. Tell her to apologize to His Highness the next time she sees him.”

“Will you do that? Then I’ll leave it to you, child.”

“Don’t worry, uncle.”

The Duke looked at me with grateful eyes as he spoke. I smiled at him reassuringly. Then I turned to Prince Justin and said:

“Then Your Highness, will you follow me? I’ll take you to the shop of the best formal wear tailor in this empire.”

“…A-Alright. Then Duke Yusten, I’ll see you next time.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Soon, Duke Yusten bowed to the prince and walked towards the carriage where Danae was.

While the prince’s knights dispersed the gathered crowd, I pulled Prince Justin’s hood back over his head. Then, holding the end of the prince’s long robe sleeve, I led him out of the circle of people surrounding us and into a secluded alley.

Meanwhile.

After Duke Yusten and his daughter, Prince Justin, and Christine had left one by one, the fisherman who remained alone picked up the spilled fish with a gloomy face. He needed to sell all these fish to buy medicine for his sick child and bread for today’s food, but now it seemed he wouldn’t be able to sell even one. The fisherman let out deep sighs repeatedly.

At that moment, a man wearing a long robe who had been standing in front of a fruit shop approached him and said:

“Are you alright?”

“…How could I be alright?”

The fisherman replied in a gloomy voice. Then the robed man took something out of his pocket and abruptly held it out to him. It was a gold coin. Seeing this, the fisherman’s eyes widened as he asked:

“W-Why are you giving this to me…?”

“Lady Christine Yusten asked me to give this to you. She said it’s for the spilled fish.”

“R-Really? The Duke’s daughter did?”

The fisherman asked him, deeply moved. He nodded silently and placed the gold coin in the fisherman’s palm. The fisherman stared at the gold coin in disbelief for a moment, then clutched it tightly and exclaimed:

“Thank you! May the blessing of the merciful God be upon the angelic Lady Yusten!”

The fisherman bowed his head repeatedly as he thanked him.

The man waved his hand dismissively, then walked towards the alley where Christine and Prince Justin had disappeared earlier. A young man in shabby clothes who had been standing nearby followed behind him. He spoke to the man in the long robe walking ahead:

“I didn’t expect the exact situation Lady Christine Yusten described to actually happen. Your Grace.”

“Is that so? I’m not particularly surprised. This is the third time things have unfolded as she predicted, isn’t it?”

The man said this as he slightly pulled back his hood. A strikingly handsome face, like a masterpiece painting, was revealed. It was Elliot, the current Duke of Haven. He looked at the young man in shabby clothes, Oliver, the deputy commander of the White Knights and his aide, and asked:

“Have Duke Yusten and his daughter returned to their mansion?”

“Yes, I was just informed through a messenger that the carriage carrying the Duke and Lady Danae Yusten is heading towards their townhouse.”

“Tell them not to take their eyes off the Duke, his daughter, and his close associates until the plan is successfully completed. We can’t let one of them follow Lady Christine Yusten and Prince Justin and ruin the plan.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Don’t worry. Isn’t that why you and I are here right now, to prevent such a situation?”

Oliver answered in a glib voice. Elliot nodded slightly and then covered his face with the hood again. After that, he turned and quickly crossed the alley. Soon the short alley ended, revealing a street with a different scene. Elliot continued walking without pause.

Eventually, he spotted a high-end clothing store located at the end of the alley. Prince Justin and Christine were choosing fabrics in front of it with a man who appeared to be the shop owner. Elliot stood at the corner of the alley, observing them.

“I think this color would suit you well, Justin. Which color do you prefer, Your Highness?”

“…Ah. I’m quite clueless when it comes to these things. I don’t particularly have a preferred color.”

“Hmm, then shall we go with this?”

“An excellent choice, miss!”

Christine stood next to Prince Justin, holding various colored fabrics against his body. Her face seemed deep in thought, as if considering what would suit him best.

Elliot unknowingly furrowed his brow as he watched her and Prince Justin. As far as he knew, Christine’s real plan couldn’t be just choosing clothes for the prince, so he couldn’t quite understand why she was so earnestly selecting outfits.

Prince Justin’s behavior was also somewhat irritating. The way he stood close to her under the pretext of looking at fabrics, and how he occasionally glanced at her sideways, his ear tips turning red, made it seem like he had taken a liking to her. At this rate, it looked like the plan might be disrupted. Elliot clicked his tongue briefly.

Oliver, who was hiding with him, noticed his expression and asked:

“What’s wrong, Your Grace? Did you sense some suspicious presence that I failed to notice?”

“…No. It’s nothing.”

Elliot answered in a gruff voice, his gaze fixed on the two. Oliver tilted his head slightly in confusion. From what he could see, there was nothing suspicious around, and the situation seemed to be unfolding according to plan, so he couldn’t understand why Elliot suddenly showed signs of discomfort.

But he couldn’t let his guard down completely. His lord, a Sword Master, had keener senses than him, who had barely reached the Expert level. So he might be detecting some presence that Oliver had missed. Oliver became even more alert.

“Are you two a couple? To have a lover who chooses formal wear so meticulously, this gentleman must be very fortunate.”

At that moment, the merchant, with the fabrics Christine had chosen draped over his arms, looked at the two enviously as he spoke. Oliver noticed that the furrow between Elliot’s brows deepened even more.

‘…Oh?’