“I finally get to meet you.”

King Walküter of Oberon was quite tall. Irena, who was not short for a woman, had to look up to see his face up close.

He looked exactly like Queen Silvia.

For a man, he had a pale face with blue eyes, delicate lips, and light lemon-colored blonde hair, the symbol of the royal family.

Since Irena didn’t participate in the capital’s social circles, she had never actually seen the late Queen Silvia, but she had seen her portrait.

The Duchess of Vermonte, strict in home education, invited a renowned etiquette teacher from the capital for her daughter.

The etiquette teacher brought several small portraits of key figures in the capital’s social circles to explain them, and Irena had seen the queen’s portrait several times to familiarize herself with her face.

She could understand why people said it was as if the queen had come back to life when they spoke of the young king.

And…

‘They certainly look alike.’

Perhaps because they had twin sisters, the queen and princess, as mothers, there seemed to be some physical similarities with Kaian as well.

Tall stature, a solid and firm-looking build that seemed to exude pressure.

Especially since he was dressed to receive guests, wearing a robe with ermine fur trimmed at the collar over his formal attire, one could naturally sense that the man’s hidden body was thoroughly trained.

‘The day has come for Vermonte to set foot in my castle.’

However, he was definitely a different type from Kaian.

‘And as my guest, no less.’

Unlike her brother-in-law, who had greeted her with a furrowed brow at their first meeting, as if speaking nonsense to an enemy invader, King Walküter, with his handsome face and smile, seemed even more radiant than the crown on his head.

Irena calmly bent her knees, lowered her body, and bowed her head.

“I greet Your Majesty the King. I am Irena of Vermonte.”

“You must have had a difficult journey.”

“Not at all. How could I not be honored to rest my feet on this precious invitation during my long journey back to Valmont from Rowen?”

Walküter showed courtesy to Irena.

It would have been no problem for a man of high status, namely Duke Kaian, to speak down to Irena, a duke’s daughter.

For a man of such august status as Walküter to use respectful expressions when speaking to a woman of lower status was generally understood as a sign of romantic interest.

Irena felt a bit flustered, but given Walküter’s overwhelmingly handsome appearance and the fact that being respected by such a man was not unpleasant, she smiled and behaved politely.

“To arrange such a meeting so suddenly. We had some trouble hurrying here from the north.”

As the Duke of Vermonte gestured to his attendants, men carrying large boxes set them down in front of Walküter.

“What is this?”

“A gift for the King of Oberon.”

It was finally time to showcase the overflowing wealth of Valmont.

If only that young brat from Temnes hadn’t tightened the food supply, the price of diamonds wouldn’t have fallen. Just thinking about it made the Duke of Vermonte want to cry tears of blood.

But in Valmont, the source of gems, they had created many tremendous treasures from things that came out of the ground just by digging.

Treasures that couldn’t be bought with money, not even with one or two gems.

Today, the Duke of Vermonte had made a big decision and brought armor made of platinum from the ducal treasure vault.

The dazzlingly shining armor looked more like a work of art than protective gear.

Diamonds were inlaid at various joints, making the whole thing sparkle.

“Oh. This is the first time I’ve seen such an item.”

Admiration shone in Walküter’s eyes as he examined it.

The reason Vermonte doesn’t play an active role in the capital is due to the special nature of the Valmont territory.

Therefore, while enjoying the status of a duke in the Oberon kingdom, the Duke of Vermonte wasn’t too keen on cowering before Walküter, who could be his son’s age.

When Walküter didn’t speak down to him, following Irena, the duke was already mentally debating whether to hold the wedding ceremony at the royal palace or at Valmont Castle, picking auspicious dates on his own.

“Let’s have our meal in the Hanging Garden.”

The Hanging Garden was one of the famous places within the royal castle.

It was known as the highest garden on the continent, an artificial garden created by bringing soil into the royal castle built to rule the world from the pinnacle of a vast plain atop a high hill.

The Hanging Garden could only be entered with the king’s permission. Only two keys to the garden entrance were made, and they were usually given to the queen as a wedding night gift when she entered the palace.

Even Irena was surprised at Walküter’s words.

‘A place I thought I could only see if I became queen.’

Being interested in flowers, she naturally knew about the Hanging Garden of Oberon Castle.

“This way.”

As the king moved to guide them personally, the Duke of Vermonte looked at her, unable to hide his delight.

However, Irena felt burdened and quickly followed the king, pretending not to notice her father’s expression.

The day before the territory’s autumn festival, Claudel was extremely busy.

It was the first time since coming to Rowen that she had been outside the castle until the slow southern sun was setting.

She had to wear a festival dress to dance in front of the lord and the territory’s people.

Because the territory festival was the biggest event of the year, she wore a skirt with a wide, puffy silhouette so that the gathered people could see it from afar.

Claudel was in the middle of her final dance practice, wearing layers of wide skirts around her waist, in the town square in front of the lord’s castle gate.

‘It’s heavy. It’s hard to even walk properly.’

From what she had heard, the skirt she actually had to wear tomorrow would have even more layers, which made her feel overwhelmed.

She had been practicing dance diligently all this time.

Originally, she should have attended a banquet on the third day after getting married to greet the duke’s vassals and relatives, but she couldn’t do that.

Claudel was not unaware of the rumors spreading in the castle about the lady who had come as a bride from Valmont.

‘Why did rumors spread that I’m a beauty?’

At first, they said she was ‘a flower wilted by rain.’

The rumors about Claudel’s appearance were extreme opposites.

So, to avoid making mistakes in front of people, she practiced a lot in various ways and tried to memorize everything, but because of the festival skirt, it seemed that no one would notice even if she just pretended to dance by bouncing up and down without actually dancing at all.

‘Could this be clothing for a fail-proof festival progression?’

She wondered to that extent.

When Claudel was taking a break, pretending to dance by just bouncing up and down, curious if anyone would notice whether she was dancing or not.

‘Really, no one notices.’

The question was resolved, but she felt empty, as if all her efforts had been in vain.

At that moment, a man carrying a large basket approached her.

“My lady. I greet you for the first time.”

“Who are you?”

“I am Berbrook Cranden, in charge of managing the orchards in Rowen territory.”

He was a tall, thin middle-aged man. He wore a hat pulled down and had a beard, and the basket he was holding was full of shiny red apples.

“I was on my way to the castle with the first harvest of apples this year, but I heard the lady was in the square, so I came to pay my respects.”

“Thank you.”

“Would you like to try one?”

The freshly picked apples looked fresh and crisp.

As Claudel reached out to pick one, Hannah next to her immediately wiped it with a handkerchief, split it in half, and offered it.

“Let me taste it.”

With a smile at the tangy apple scent, Claudel took a bite.

“It tastes good.”

“I will strive to offer the best fruit to the lady.”

Claudel had not encountered other vassals besides the butler since coming to the territory.

She had spent almost two months just in her bedroom, being bitten by a crocodile, then treating and recuperating from Herzol.

Because no one had approached her so politely until now, Claudel gratefully ate all the apples he had offered her.

She didn’t even think about the man in the hat looking at her with a longing gaze.

“Is the dance practice going well?”

As Kaian approached, Berbrook quickly bowed his head and stepped back.

“What brings you here?”

“I heard the lady was resting, so I came to pay my first respects.”

“I see. Is this the first harvest of the year?”

Berbrook answered as he looked at the apple basket.

“Yes, my lord.”

“The quality is good. It should make decent wine.”

“Well-aged apple wine is medicine, indeed. Then, I shall take my leave.”

As Berbrook naturally disappeared, Kaian asked her.

“How’s the dance practice? Don’t think you’ll make mistakes?”

“This is a secret, but because of this skirt, no one can see the dance movements.”

Kaian’s eyebrows went up.

“Really. I tried pretending to jump by just bending and straightening my knees. No one told me I was wrong.”

“Haha.”

Her quirky curiosity made Kaian laugh again today.

Claudel blankly stared at the face he showed only to her for a moment.

“But you can’t fool me. Let’s go.”

Claudel’s cheeks turned a delicate pink as she took his outstretched hand and stood up.

The reason for inviting them at such a late hour for dinner could be fully appreciated in the Hanging Garden.

What could compare to the experience of tasting rare foods while looking down at the brightly lit night view of the capital from a high place?

Even small butterflies and birds were flying around, showing off their beauty in places where flowers that don’t sleep at night bloomed.

Luxury wasn’t just about adorning the body with gold.

The Hanging Garden was invaluable beyond measure.

It was to the extent that one might think, this is something no one could imagine or enjoy.

If Irena, who had grown up without feeling any lack of anything in her life, thought so, it was understandable why rumors spread among those who occasionally visited the Hanging Garden by invitation of the king and queen.

Walküter’s gentle attitude continued throughout the meal, and the Duke of Vermonte and Irena used their ingrained social manners to carry on the conversation smoothly.

He even personally escorted the Duke of Vermonte and Irena to where they would board their carriage.

“Today was very enjoyable.”

Irena politely replied to Walküter’s words.

“Thank you for inviting us.”

“I was the one who was glad to be able to see the much-rumored duke’s daughter in person.”

The Duke of Vermonte, watching for an opportunity, interjected.

“Will there be another chance to meet?”

“Perhaps.”

The Duke of Vermonte’s eyes widened at the answer that left room for possibility.

Although Kaian always sharpened his tongue, calling the Duke of Vermonte a cunning old fox, Walküter was an extraordinary figure even to him.

The young king of twenty-five, the same age as Kaian, somehow made one feel a pressure as if he was sitting on top of everyone’s head.

The Duke of Vermonte felt a strange sensation that he couldn’t quite define, which was actually close to wariness towards a peer, though he couldn’t make that judgment himself.

Since Irena had lost her husband and was alone, it had been a great concern, so the Duke of Vermonte was simply delighted by Walküter’s favorable attitude.

‘For the king to leave room for possibility so casually.’

Nothing could be better when thinking about Irena’s future.

He could have suggested having a few more meals together, or made plans for later!

The Duke of Vermonte’s excitement showed no signs of subsiding, and Irena withdrew, inwardly bearing the burden and expectations of the king she had encountered today.

Walküter stood silently watching the carriage carrying the noble father and daughter of Valmont slowly descend the hill and disappear.

However, as he turned his body to go inside, the beautiful smile that had shone like an angel descended to earth with God’s favor just moments ago instantly disappeared, and his face became expressionless.

“It’s not that woman. Could it be that the woman I saw at the lake…”