The butter was delivered to the Chief Chef without any issues.

I applauded the butter for withstanding the sweltering weather and joined in the final dinner preparations.

Grilling, cleaning, frying.

Just when I was about to say “I’m at my limit” to the seemingly endless kitchen work, it was finally over.

“Good job, everyone!”

The steak grilled with butter looked delicious, glistening with juices.

Along with salmon carpaccio, gambas as a side dish, carrot tart, and chocolate cake.

The Chief Chef patted his protruding belly and smiled contentedly.

“After finishing the rest of the dishes in a bit, you can go home!”

“Ugh……”

Robert made a dying sound as he slumped his head onto the kitchen table.

It seemed he was shocked that the work was not over yet.

“…Just kill me!”

“Robert. Don’t overreact.”

“Robert is always like that, I tell you.”

As the maids started going in and out of the kitchen carrying food to the dining room, we moved to sit in a corner of the kitchen.

Finally, it was time for a brief rest.

Everyone’s faces were flushed red from standing in front of the hot stove for so long.

“By the way, Heidi. Wasn’t it hard to go buy butter?”

“Yeah. I wanted to help. If it wasn’t so busy, I would have gone with you.”

I waved my hand at the fellow maids who expressed their sincere concern.

“No. It wasn’t exactly refreshing… but it was nice to take a walk of sorts.”

“Really? Did you find your way well?”

Robert, crouching next to me, hit the nail on the head.

Of course, I didn’t find it well, but is that important? What matters is that I returned to the mansion properly.

I shamelessly shook my head.

“No!”

“I thought so. Didn’t you get lost in the mansion?”

What does he take me for!

At least this I could say with confidence. I absolutely did not get lost in the mansion.

The problem was that I found my way too well.

I felt bitter again as the images of Dietrich and Ariana floated in my mind.

Unaware of my feelings, Robert and the other maids moved on to the topic of today’s guests.

“By the way, about Her Highness the Princess. Why did she suddenly come to the Delgado mansion?”

“I wonder. Could it be with young master Dietrich?”

At those words, Robert shook his finger side to side and sighed deeply.

“Sigh. How can you only think of that? The relationship between young master Dietrich and Princess Ariana is clearly political.”

“Robert. You view the world too rigidly. How could there be no feelings between such beautiful and handsome people when they see each other?”

Opinions were sharply divided. I didn’t want to take sides with either of them.

In fact, I didn’t want to hear this conversation at all. Eventually, I stood up abruptly.

Since they were still in the middle of moving food, it would take some time until the empty plates came back after the meal was over.

In the meantime, I was thinking of going to the training grounds for a run.

To escape from the petty jealousy and unnecessary gloom that kept stirring up my mind.

“Where are you going?”

“Training grounds!”

Robert called out from behind. I gave a brief reply and stormed out of the kitchen.

The sky, which had been red until I came to the kitchen, was now as black as my hair color.

“I wonder if there will be people at the training grounds.”

It might be empty since it was quite late.

Befitting a family known for swordsmanship, the Delgado family’s training grounds were state-of-the-art.

Lamps hung on the walls of the spacious sparring area were lit, and even at this late hour, occasional knight members could be seen training separately.

Arriving at the training grounds, I peeked inside from the entrance before stepping in.

The training grounds were quiet. The daytime vigor was gone, and I sighed as I blankly stared at the silent grounds.

“Haa……”

“You’ll make the ground cave in, kiddo.”

“Uncle Calt!”

Uncle Calt, who had just sheathed his sword, grinned and greeted me.

“It’s been a while, Heidi. Have you been busy?”

“It’s really been a long time, Uncle. I guess I’ve been a bit busy.”

“Haha, is that so? Is that why? You don’t look well.”

As expected of someone who handles swords, he seemed to have keenly read my mood.

“It’s not because I’m tired.”

“Then is someone giving you a hard time? If that’s the case, just say the word. Considering all the drinks and cookies you’ve brought me, I can give them a good scolding.”

I ended up laughing at his silly words meant to cheer me up.

The idea of Uncle, with his strong sense of chivalry, scolding someone to help me.

Unless a war broke out, that would never happen.

Seeing my laughter, Uncle Calt seemed relieved and laughed heartily, his Adam’s apple visible.

“You laughed, so that’s good. But what brings you to the training grounds at this hour?”

“I just thought I’d do some running. There’s no better place for running than the training grounds, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Do you want to run with me, Uncle?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m about to head home now. But some folks said they’d be coming soon.”

I tilted my head at the mention of people coming.

As question marks floated above my head, a bright female voice was heard from behind Uncle Calt.

“Vice Captain! We’re here!”

Followed by a calm voice.

“Haven’t you gone home yet?”

Uncle Calt glanced back and said.

“Ah, Heidi, this must be your first time seeing them? These are Allison and Noah, who just returned from volunteering in the flood-affected areas.”

“Huh? Who is this?”

The cheerful voice asked with a hint of laughter. The woman who appeared next to him was smiling brightly.

“This is Heidi. A maid working at the Delgado mansion.”

After briefly introducing me, Uncle patted the shoulders of the two standing next to him.

“You’ve returned safely. Good job.”

“Phew, I did all the hard work! Noah just slept every day.”

Allison, with her blonde hair tied up, seemed to have a very lively personality. She abruptly extended her hand towards me.

“Hello, miss! I’m Allison. A member of the Hareon Knights.”

“Hello. I’m Heidi.”

“Oh my, you’re so cute!”

Moreover, she seemed to have very, very good social skills.

Despite meeting for the first time, she suddenly hugged my shoulder and called out to the man standing next to her.

“Noah! I’ve never seen someone this pretty at the Delgado mansion before!”

“Allison. You’re making her uncomfortable. Let go a bit.”

It’s not that I’m uncomfortable…

I was just surprised by her overflowing energy. In contrast, the man called Noah seemed to lack energy compared to Allison.

After scolding Allison, Noah looked at me and nodded slightly in greeting.

“I’m Noah.”

I also bowed my head in response to his concise greeting.

“Well, now that everyone seems to have exchanged greetings, I’ll be off.”

Uncle Calt waved his hand casually and turned to leave.

The two, who had come to the training grounds to avoid falling behind in tomorrow’s training, naturally moved towards the sparring area, and Allison asked me.

“Heidi? What brings you to the training grounds?”

“Just… feeling a bit stuffy, so I thought I’d run around the training grounds.”

“Kyaa! How cute!”

Allison gave me a thumbs up, saying I was cute even though I hadn’t said much.

“When your head’s all tangled up, nothing’s better than exercise. Right, Noah?”

“Right.”

Noah seemed to be the taciturn type. Still, he answered Allison’s questions diligently.

The two briefly greeted me and headed into the sparring area.

Left alone, I took a deep breath while looking at the large field of the training grounds.

‘Alright. Let’s run!’

It wasn’t that hot while running around the training grounds. Running while feeling the lukewarm summer night breeze seemed to clear my head.

After about three laps, it was time to head back.

Dietrich, Princess Ariana, the Duchess, and Yurian would all have finished their meals by now.

I watched Allison and Noah sparring in the distance.

Their swordsmanship, matching each other without overexertion, was concise and beautiful.

‘They seem skilled.’

Having frequented the training grounds enough to memorize the faces of all the knight members, I could now roughly estimate their swordsmanship skills.

Listening to the vigorous shouts, I left the training grounds.

Unfamiliar faces from the Hareon Knights.

Strangely, I had a feeling I would keep running into them.

Only the clattering of tableware echoed in the dining room.

Princess Ariana broke the silence of the awkward atmosphere.

“This steak is really delicious. It’s one of the best meals I’ve had recently.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste. It seems our chef has shown some skill.”

Duchess Leriana responded appropriately.

As the formal exchange ended, the dining room was once again enveloped in silence.

Dietrich had barely touched his food.

Ariana observed Dietrich closely. Finding her gaze burdensome, he stood up first.

Sitting in this place for long was torturous in itself.

He had only pretended to dine together because Princess Ariana had come.

That much courtesy had to be maintained.

“I’ll excuse myself first.”

He had no intention of eating in the presence of the Duchess anyway.

He thought of the meals he had eaten in his office, chatting with Heidi.

Though not as special as this meal, he was able to eat with a light heart, laughing more than ever.

Dietrich stormed out of the dining room and headed straight for his office.

Princess or not, his patience had reached its limit.

He felt bloated even though he had barely eaten a few bites.

On his way to the office, he hesitated. If he went to the office like this, he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

He felt he needed to go to the training grounds and swing a sword to clear his mind.

He changed direction and started walking towards the entrance.

As he passed through the central hall of the entrance and stepped outside, it happened.

“Young master Dietrich!”

Hurried footsteps were heard.

He sighed deeply at the soft voice, smooth as a rolling jade bead.

It was Princess Ariana again, persistent as ever.

Princess Ariana’s blue hair was slightly disheveled as she ran, holding up the hem of her dress.

She looked quite urgent.

Her blue eyes settled calmly under Dietrich’s indifferent gaze.

After taking a short breath, Ariana placed her hand on her chest, curtsied gracefully, and said,

“Marry me.”