Hertian looked at Havel disapprovingly.

“Is the knight commander always prioritizing work? Lady, not eating properly in the morning and working so hard that she would starve at lunch?”

Havel, embarrassed by his words, hurriedly protested.

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Hmm. Anyway, it’s hard when no one in the palace leaves us alone. Right, Lady?”

Hertian jokingly teased for the first time since Eleanor.

Seeing his unfamiliar appearance, I understood.

‘Are the two really close?’

“Wait for the lady to finish her meal and take a good rest, Knight Commander.”

“What rest are you talking about!”

“Come, Lady. You must be very hungry. Let’s eat.”

I gave a brief nod to Havel and followed Hertian.

I was indeed hungry.

Tension from the palace office made me hungry.

All I had was a cup of tea handed to me by the palace instead.

“Did you bring a lot?”

I asked, looking at the picnic basket he was holding.

Hertian smiled, his eyes crinkling.

“Do you not know how big my hands are?”

“I didn’t know, but I’m glad to find out today.”

My body trembled at the thought of quickly devouring a sandwich.

Thus, we exited the palace and entered the spacious palace garden. There, colorful flowers in full bloom and gazebos made of gold were arranged harmoniously among lush green grass and bushes. It sparkled beautifully.

“Wow. There’s a place like this?”

“The palace originally has such places. I’ve only shown you unpleasant sights because of me.”

He tasted the bitterness in his mouth. It seemed he was thinking about the abandoned palace.

However, it wasn’t that I didn’t like the abandoned palace. There was a charm in the deserted buildings that had been left for a long time.

‘Still, well-maintained gardens are better.’

Neatly trimmed grass and various flowers filling the gaps were embroidered everywhere.

Brightly bloomed flowers emitted a faint, sweet scent as they swayed in the mountain breeze.

I sat down on the spot, inhaling the fragrance deeply.

“Is there a garden underground in the north?”

Suddenly, the warm garden located underground in the north came to mind.

It was warm enough to melt a frozen body in an instant due to the cold temperature in the north.

Now it felt somewhat distant.

While touching the tulips, I murmured.

“We can go back to the north, right?”
For some reason, the North feels too distant.

It seemed like I could never go back again.

“We should go.”

His energetic response reached me.

For some reason, even if I said I didn’t want to go, it felt like he would take me along.

“Let’s go after the duel ends in three days.”

I tidied up and stood up, facing him directly.

“Let’s not make it harder for ourselves and go back.”

“I promise.”

The firm promise filled a somehow empty heart.

At that moment, someone jumped into the quiet garden.

“May I, may I join you for a meal too?”

It was Havel.

He was breathing heavily, as if he had chased after us belatedly.

I looked at Hertian and asked.

“You said he brought a lot of sandwiches earlier, right?”

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The three people sat together amicably at the gazebo table.

Hertian brought many sandwiches, enough to fill the picnic bag to the brim.

Moreover, they were of various kinds.

“How did you make all of this?”

I exclaimed as I looked at the table filled with sandwiches that had grown like cherry tomatoes.

Hertian shrugged proudly.

“Of course, I naturally know what you like, Lady. But still, there might be something you want to eat specially today, so I brought them in different varieties.”

Even from an aesthetic perspective, it emitted a beautiful scent.

He seemed to be better at cooking than me, or even Betty.

“Where did you learn to cook?”

The cream pasta he had made in the North was excellent too.

I had occasionally asked Hertian to make it for me.

“Cooking is sincerity. If you make it while thinking about the person who will eat it, there’s nothing you can’t do, one step at a time.”

The food filled with sincerity was difficult to eat at first glance.

“If only I had a phone, I would have taken pictures. It’s a shame. How do we eat it now?”

At that moment, Hertian slightly flinched.

Oh no. He must think I said something strange again.

“Are you saying you’ll take pictures of the sandwiches with a handbag?”

He strangely accepted it as usual.

“No, I wouldn’t cruelly take pictures of the sandwiches I carefully made. Instead, I have to eat them deliciously.”

“Eat a lot, Lady.”

“Hertian, you should eat too. And Havel too.”

I glanced towards Havel, who was sitting next to me. I wondered if I should choose one for him. Hertian picked up a plate instead.

“I’ll take care of the Knight Commander. Lady, please enjoy.”

“Sure.”

Hertian chose one with salmon and tossed it to Havel, as if he were throwing it.

“Since Lady doesn’t like fish, it would be better if the Knight Commander handled this one.”

Adding an unnecessary explanation.