I blankly looked up at Dietrich while feeling the gentle breeze.

“I won’t get first place.”

Whoosh…

Dark green leaves rustled in the wind as silver-gray hair fluttered.

Underneath, turquoise eyes shimmered with a soft light.

A large hand came to rest on top of my head as I crouched down hugging my knees.

“Did you tell Yurian you’d cheer for him?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Did you say he’d get first place?”

“No, he said first would be difficult. He said he’d get second.”

At that, Dietrich let out a short laugh.

“I see. That’s an ambitious goal.”

“Isn’t it?”

Remembering Yurian’s cute determination, a smile crept onto my face.

Keeping my head tilted up to look at Dietrich was making my neck hurt.

As if sensing my discomfort, Dietrich came in front of me and knelt down.

“So, will you cheer for Yurian?”

I nodded vigorously at the question.

“Of course! I’d be proud if young master Yurian takes second place.”

“Then what about me.”

“Huh?”

Dietrich was calm as always. His even tone was so casual that I couldn’t catch the intent behind the question.

“So will you cheer for me?”

I stared at him blankly. Of course I would.

In this place full of strangers, Dietrich was the closest and friendliest person to me.

If I didn’t cheer for Dietrich, who else would I cheer for?

Without hesitation, I smiled lightly and answered.

“Yes!”

“Really? Then what place would you like me to get?”

At the question of what place I wanted him to get, I automatically stuck out my index finger before quickly pulling it back.

I almost made the same mistake as with Yurian earlier.

Getting first place meant marrying Princess Ariana, which absolutely couldn’t happen.

For the sake of the original story’s smooth progression, and for my current feelings too.

Besides, I couldn’t really picture Dietrich together with that beautiful princess over there.

I held up two fingers in a V sign.

“Second place!”

“So you want me to do better than Yurian.”

“Hmm, I guess that is what it means. Then how about third?”

As I playfully tried to extend one more finger, he suddenly grabbed my hand.

Then, furrowing his perfectly straight eyebrows, he said:

“Forget it. I’ll get second place.”

After declaring that resolutely, he abruptly stood up. Then, tapping Harpe, he said:

“I’ll be able to properly test if this sword is truly useful in this competition.”

Recognizing Harpe, my eyes widened.

Flaunting a beautiful deep green jewel, Harpe looked more noble than any other sword.

‘It’s amazing.’

Still seated, I instinctively looked Dietrich up and down.

The legendary sword at his waist matched perfectly with his tall figure.

Seeing my gaze, Dietrich frowned and stepped back.

“What’s with that perverted old man look?”

Perverted old man, really.

‘That’s quite an accurate description though.’

I squinted my eyes with a pleased expression.

Flinching, he hurriedly changed the subject.

“I should get going now.”

“Why? Is my gaze making you uncomfortable?”

Amused by Dietrich’s rare display of flustered behavior, I quickly stood up.

I had already forgotten about worrying whether Dietrich would end up with the princess just moments ago.

Despite his habit of blurting out mean comments and sometimes acting so annoying I wanted to flick his forehead, Dietrich could be cute at times like this.

The thrill of seeing surprise and confusion in those icy eyes.

Anyway, Dietrich Delgado was surprisingly fun to tease.

“What are you talking about? That kind of look doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Really? So you’re fine with me staring at you so flirtatiously like this?”

I gazed at him with eyes dripping with honey, making his straight nose scrunch up.

Undeterred, I moved closer and closer.

‘Ha! Look how flustered he is!’

I was having so much fun that I didn’t even realize I had gotten close enough to almost fall into his arms.

Standing on tiptoe and leaning my face in as close as possible, I could vividly feel him holding his breath.

He put his hand on my shoulder and whispered softly.

“Heidi. There are many eyes watching.”

“Oh my, what’s with that meaningful line?”

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

That’s enough. Knowing the joke would attract others’ attention if it went on too long, I quickly stepped back.

It was a bold move I could only make because we were in a secluded area with no people around.

Dietrich let out a big sigh. Then he sternly warned me.

“Don’t go wandering around again. Just rest here comfortably. And don’t cause any trouble, okay?”

“Okay, I got it.”

“And don’t catch the Duchess’s eye either. Thanks to Yurian’s tantrum about bringing you along today, she’ll be looking for any way to get you in trouble.”

Not forgetting to make a sarcastic comment about Yurian’s reckless behavior, he turned around.

I watched until he mounted the white horse prepared by the imperial palace and disappeared into the forest before sitting back down.

‘I have no intention of going over there either!’

I could see people gathered in small groups, covering their mouths with fans as they chatted.

And under the Delgado family tent, Duchess Leriana was visible with a serious expression.

She had been lost in thought alone since the Emperor’s bombshell announcement, avoiding even gossip with the other noble ladies.

Something seemed to be deeply bothering her.

Then she called over a maid beside her and whispered something.

The maid who had been listening obediently nodded and disappeared behind the tent.

‘What’s that about?’

Feeling something was off, I stared for a while in the direction the maid had gone, but there was nothing unusual.

Eventually, I turned my attention back to the people around me.

The people around the tent belonged to a world completely separate from mine.

The physical distance between me and those people now was incomparable to the actual distance between us.

Well, it’s not like I envied them or anything.

I had adapted quite well to life as a maid and made new friends too.

I was also maintaining good relationships with Dietrich and Yurian.

Aside from starting to be disliked by Duchess Leriana, my current life wasn’t bad at all.

The one downside was the lack of freedom.

If told not to stand out, I had to avoid standing out. If told to wait quietly, I had to wait quietly.

Though I was the type to do well at whatever I was told, I wanted to live my own life too.

I didn’t have any particular regrets about my previous life, so I wanted to properly shape this new life I’d been given with my own strength.

I was quietly holding onto that desire, unknown to anyone else.

So I planned to live more freely than anyone here, trying everything I wanted to do.

‘I’ll need a lot of money for that.’

Money was the issue no matter where you went.

In my previous life, and in my current life too, money was always the problem!

The money earned from working as a maid was limited.

Since room and board were provided and I had no family to support here, I was saving all my wages in a sack.

But the most fatal problem was:

Even if I saved for a lifetime, this money wouldn’t be enough to escape being a maid.

‘Sigh, whether then or now, being a wage slave is the same.’

I wonder if there’s a way to make big money.

As I continued these thoughts that Dietrich would point at me and call materialistic if he heard, I felt a gentle tapping on my shoulder and turned around.

“Excuse me, are you the maid who was with Lord Dietrich earlier?”

A beautiful woman with rosy apple-like cheeks was smiling gently.

The woman with blue hair braided to one side and blue eyes like the midsummer sea held out her hand.

Looking at my surprised face, she introduced herself.

“Hello. I’m Ariana Jeneger.”

Oh my god.

I stared blankly at Ariana’s enchanting face for a moment before coming to my senses.

I quickly stood up and bowed my head to her.

Though startled, I quickly regained my composure and racked my brain to figure out why Ariana had come.

While thinking, I introduced myself to Ariana.

“Beloved Princess Ariana Jeneger. I am Heidi, a maid of the Delgado ducal family.”

Is this the right way to say it?

I didn’t know the proper formal greeting, having never met someone of such noble status as a princess except for the Delgado family members.

“You can just call me Princess Ariana comfortably.”

Ariana Jeneger had an unpretentious personality rare to see in this world for someone of noble status.

Ariana, who told a maid she just met that formalities weren’t necessary, glanced at the spot next to me.

She seemed to want to sit down. But I hesitated to readily invite her to sit.

Ariana Jeneger wasn’t just any noble’s daughter. She was this empire’s princess.

I wasn’t sure if it was okay to just tell such a person to sit on the bare ground.

After hesitating a bit, I rummaged through my maid uniform skirt pockets wondering if I might have a handkerchief. But of course there was nothing.

I should have started carrying one since the time I couldn’t give Yurian a handkerchief before.

I looked at Ariana and said apologetically.

“Princess Ariana Jeneger.”

“You can just call me Princess Ariana.”

She showed no sign of annoyance at repeating the same thing.

Ariana looked at me with a gentle smile, as if waiting for me to continue.

“Then, Princess Ariana. Do you have something you’d like to say to me?”

“Umm… To be honest, there are a few things I’d like to ask.”

If that was the case, I couldn’t keep Ariana standing.

I patted the lush grass and carefully asked.

“Then would you like to sit here? I’m sorry I don’t have a handkerchief to spread out for you.”

“Is that alright? Thank you, Heidi.”

Though it was just a simple offer, Ariana sat down gracefully with a delighted expression.

Then with a kind face, she asked an unkind question.

“Miss Heidi, are you perhaps dreaming of rising above your station?”