People passing by subtly noticed them, and their walking became noticeable.

As they approached, Princess Larratu seemed to tense. The thumping sound of her heart, audible even to me, felt like it was pounding.

Soon, the two became so close that even the freckles on their faces were visible.

Princess Larratu, taking a deep breath, smiled brightly, taking a step forward.

“Hello, Your Highness? Are you taking a stroll?”

Unlike the tea time a while ago, her manner was truly princess-like now. Her subtle smile was quite mature.

I wondered if it was okay for the princess to be so nervous, but contrary to expectations, the two conversed quite naturally.

“Are you exploring the kingdom? I can arrange people to accompany you.”

“No need. It’s just to take a breath of fresh air.”

“Oh, I see. It would be nice if you both could go and come back at ease.”
In response to the blunt reply, the princess nodded gracefully.

“Liorasen has many beautiful lands. I hope you have a pleasant journey.”

After saying that, she hesitated. It seemed like she wanted to add more, but Giovanni just nodded lightly and resumed walking.

His massive stature produced hefty footsteps.

I lowered my head along with Karsatuna. The sound of footsteps stopped in front of me.

‘…?’

“Don’t even say hello?”

I raised my head, wondering if he was talking to me. Princess Larratu, beside me, had her eyes wide open.

‘Oh no…’

Cold sweat broke out. Outwardly, I casually lifted the corner of my mouth and offered a polite greeting.

“I greet Your Highness.”

It was a strange situation. Giovanni, who usually didn’t pay much attention to greetings, even when different customs between the empire and the kingdom were mentioned.

I thought Giovanni, who I expected to just pass by, received the greeting but remained motionless.

His gaze was fixed on the ground.

‘What is he looking at?’

I also looked down. There was nothing there.

‘Oh, there’s mud on my shoes.’

The shoes that Jenny had struggled to choose for an hour. Among the few pairs of shoes I had, to be precise.

I thought I should clean them later, but shadows lengthened on the ground.

For a moment, I almost screamed. Giovanni, crouched in front of me, had just wiped off the mud from my shoes with his palm.

My ankle twitched, and my heart thumped.

“They’re clean now.”

I was breathless at his proud expression.

‘What’s this, all of a sudden? Is he obsessive-compulsive?’

It wasn’t just me. Everyone else remained stiff, but Giovanni rose casually, not caring about anything.

Everything was the same, except that my shoes were now clean.

Giovanni asked in a nonchalant manner, “What brings you to the palace?”

Instead of answering, I subtly gestured to Princess Larratu. She, belatedly regaining her composure, replied.

“I invited him to the tea party.”

“Tea party?”

“Igraine and I have become quite close. Thanks to him, I had a good time.”

Her gaze turned to me, and she bowed her head as a sign of honor.

“Next time, will Your Highness attend?”

‘…’

“My tea parties are quite enjoyable. And clean.”

Princess Larratu seemed to conclude that he had an obsession with cleanliness.

From her perspective, it must have been a courageous act. Everyone knew that King Hermann, being extremely cautious, was well aware that his beloved daughter was meeting a savage.

She even took such a risk.

In contrast, Giovanni’s response was brief.

“If circumstances permit.”

Although not a definite answer, the princess’s face brightened.

With a slight bow, I glanced at them discreetly. The sight of the two standing together evoked a strange impression.

‘Is this really the confirmation of the royal engagement?’

A real engagement between a princess and a prince. It was an entirely unexpected and new development.

Kichef, checking Princess Larratu’s departing group, cast a puzzled look at Giovanni.
When I rolled my eyes with something to say, Giovanni eventually spoke.

“What do you want to say?”

Kichef cleared his throat.

“It seems like the princess is interested in His Highness.”

“Is that so?”

Contrary to Giovanni’s indifferent response, Kichef let out a pleased laughter as if in a good mood.

“Won’t things turn upside down if the king finds out? After all, you’ve been trying so hard to separate His Highness and the princess. Thinking about the trembling beard makes me feel drunk even without drinking.”

“Don’t even think about playing pranks. Even if the king doesn’t like it, there’s no need to poke around in his feelings within the kingdom.”

“…Your words are proper.”

As if he had thought of playing a prank, a twinkle disappeared from Kichef’s eyes.

After staying silent for a while, Kichef, unable to hold it in, opened his mouth as if to say something.

“It seems you’ve become friendly with that crazy woman too.”

“Crazy woman?”

“That woman, whether it’s Igraine or Madraine.”

Although remembering the name, Giovanni found it strange to hear him speak. Giovanni couldn’t help but smirk at the absurdity.

“Don’t you like that woman?”

“Why would I like her? She performs tricks without seeing her face, and our first meeting wasn’t polite either. Considering even the missing cuff button! It’s undoubtedly a crazy woman.”

Expressing various complaints, Kichef raised his eyebrows.

“Is it necessary for you to be friendly with her, regardless of our circumstances?”

“Why worry about it?”

“Because you seem flawless.”

“Did I look like that?”

Giovanni tilted his head curiously. The image of him lowering his head silently, pretending not to know me, flashed in my mind. There was no memory of Giovanni doing something to the extent that Kichef would complain like this.