Ines grinned.

“Well, it seemed like this was the only thing I could do…”

At that moment, Louis came back to Ines with a distressed look. Ines instinctively bent down and examined Louis’s complexion.

“What’s wrong?”

Without answering, Louis pointed with her finger to a pile of grass. Among the two cats, Lenora, who was relatively larger, seemed to have struggled a bit in the garden, but Alba hid motionless under the pile of grass.

“I guess bringing them here was my greed.”

Charlotte then accepted Louis’s words.

“Alba hasn’t been feeling well during our journey here. She keeps vomiting and sleeping a lot. So, Her Highness was worried more than I thought.”

Ines quietly embraced Louis and patted her back. Louis leaned heavily against Ines’s small body, seeking comfort.

“It’s not greed. It’s natural to want to be together because we love each other. You’ll adapt soon and be okay. And perhaps, parting with Her Highness might have been sadder than being sick.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes, of course. And soon, Her Majesty will provide a very good physician for them.”

“But she must be too busy right now.”

“You agreed to have lunch together today. When you mention it then, she’ll be happy to help with a grateful heart.”

“But I’m not sure if it’s okay to make such a request. Ruling a country is said to be very difficult.”

“Your Highness.”

When Ines affectionately called her, Louis raised her head brightly. Ines’s heart swelled with warmth at the sight of the golden eyes she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Do you not know why Her Majesty came all the way here?”

“…”

“To protect you.”

“Me…?”

“You haven’t forgotten?”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

Louis seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. However, that time was not long.

“Ines is right.”

“Yes, so Your Highness, what is precious to you will surely be protected by Her Majesty. It’s not like a lord, but Her Majesty is such a person.”

At those words, Louis scrutinized Ines from head to toe. Ines, under her serious gaze, checked her body as if something was on her.

“Does my clothes look strange?”

There were no restrictions on the attire of palace maids. Only certain colors, such as purple, red, gold, and black, were strictly prohibited.

There were even more color restrictions for the priestesses. Skirts couldn’t trail on the ground, and sleeves were the same. Lace or excessive decoration was, of course, not allowed.

As a result, most wore dresses with simple designs in various shades of light or dark blue, green, and ivory.

While not all of them wore the same design, a closer look revealed Ines’s status. She wasn’t wearing the same dress as the maids, but her position could be easily recognized.

“No, no.”

Ines considered that Louis found it strange because it wasn’t the attire of a temple maid.

At that moment, the Grand Chateau castle’s bellkeeper appeared to take Louis. Saying they needed to go, Louis hugged Ines again.

“You’ll be here?”

“…Yes.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Take your time.”

Watching Louis leave with the bellkeeper, Ines grabbed Charlotte.

“Um…”

“Yes, don’t worry. I’ll find a way to inform Lord Noah of Miss Ines’s news no matter what.”

Charlotte understood Ines’s request even before she asked. Seeing her relieved, Charlotte hurriedly added.

“Thank you.”

“I need to go quickly. Since I can’t enter the castle, I’ll first ask the bellkeeper. If there’s anything I can convey to the castle on behalf of Miss Ines, it will be delivered.”

Ines nodded and watched until the two disappeared. Then, she hurriedly returned to her room to find Casey. Since Casey, like Ines, had nothing to do, she often stayed in her room.
However, for some reason, her figure was not visible in the room. Ines moved back to the stairs to find Casey. The chief maid’s room was on the same floor as the secretary maids. However, their rooms were at opposite ends of the corridor, and they used different stairs.

However, someone who shouldn’t be seen from there was visible.

“Heidi…?”

She might have seen it wrong since she was already far from Casey’s room. However, Heidi was significantly taller than other women, and her movements were faster compared to her stature. There was no woman as large as her in the palace.

But why was Heidi, the secretary maid, near Casey’s room? Ines quietly observed what she was doing for a moment.

Heidi looked around for a moment, then eventually entered Casey’s room. Perhaps she came for an errand. However, her movements didn’t seem natural for such a task.

Moreover, it was right not to enter if she found out that there was no one inside the room. Even if she accidentally entered, it was common sense to leave quickly.

But even after counting to ten in her mind, Heidi didn’t reveal herself outside.

“What’s going on?”

The moment Ines tried to move again to go to Casey’s room, Heidi showed herself. Ines scrutinized her closely, but there was no change from when she entered.

Ines thought she should meet Casey first.