“……”

“……”

A silence enveloped the dim corridor, where only the minimum necessary lights were lit due to its current disuse.

Kisa and Seyerd walked for a while without saying anything on their way to the banquet hall.

At first, the lingering aftereffects of the conversation with Daniel weighed heavily on Kisa’s lips, but after a while, she became conscious of Seyerd and found it difficult to speak first.

‘Is he disappointed in me?’

In truth, from his perspective, Kisa’s actions today would be quite difficult to evaluate positively.

Despite Seyerd’s proper behavior, she had suddenly appeared at the charity banquet without notice, and to make matters worse, she was caught alone in an enclosed space with her ex-fiancé.

Though Seyerd probably wouldn’t blame her for it, it wasn’t a desirable situation by societal standards.

Wanting to avoid his gaze even a little, her footsteps naturally slowed. She intended to walk a few steps behind him.

It wasn’t particularly unusual when she walked with Daniel on their so-called strolls. As he walked faster than Kisa, he usually walked with his back to her.

But strangely, Seyerd was still beside Kisa. He had slowed his pace to match hers.

“……”

I see. He’s matching my pace. For some reason, a corner of her heart fluttered.

“Um.”

Just as Kisa, encouraged by the thought that he didn’t seem particularly disappointed in her, was about to speak first.

“This way.”

Suddenly, Seyerd put his arm around Kisa’s waist and led her in a different direction from where they had been heading.

Huh? Isn’t the banquet hall that way? With such questions in mind, Kisa allowed herself to be led by him.

A moment later, they arrived at a terrace overlooking the Habertz family garden.

“Why are we here…?”

“Was it unnecessary meddling?”

Seyerd smiled faintly at Kisa’s confused question. It wasn’t the social smile she had seen inside the banquet hall, but the casual one Kisa was familiar with.

“I thought it might be better to calm down in various ways.”

“Pardon? Ah.”

Kisa then recalled that just a few minutes ago, she had unleashed an unusually fierce anger without restraint for the first time in her life.

Come to think of it, Seyerd had arrived there not long after that. Could he have heard that thunderous shout on his way?

Thinking about it made her face flush, causing Kisa to lower her head.

“If you mean anger, it’s already subsided.”

“Why are you doing that?”

“I’m a bit embarrassed about something.”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

His tone suggested he genuinely didn’t understand.

“Well, you see… Actually, I was so angry earlier that I shouted at the top of my lungs without thinking. You heard that, didn’t you?”

Seyerd blinked quietly for a moment before answering.

“To answer your question first, I did hear some loud noise while looking for you, Princess.”

Indeed, Seyerd had mentioned hearing a loud noise when he first appeared in that room.

“However, perhaps due to the walls, I couldn’t make out the exact content. So you don’t need to worry about me having heard anything you might want to keep secret.”

“No, it’s not that I have anything particularly to hide from you, Seyerd. It’s just embarrassing that I shouted so loudly.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, it wasn’t very adult-like.”

“That’s not true, Kisa.”

Kisa couldn’t help but look up at him when he denied her words so directly, which was unlike him.

“Even adults can certainly shout when they’re angry or upset.”

He said gently, with a rather serious expression.

“It’s not a healthy habit to always suppress your emotions in any situation.”

This advice sounded new to Kisa’s ears.

Count Vanspelt had always taught his daughter to maintain her dignity as a noble no matter what happened. Fully exposing one’s emotions was considered ridiculous.

That was the general perception, which was why many nobles put on a smile even during arguments.

“A person’s patience is not infinite. If you only keep enduring, it might eventually explode into an uncontrollable situation, or it might be expressed in abnormal and unhealthy ways.”

Kisa found herself nodding unconsciously. Even though the logic went against common belief, coming from Seyerd’s mouth, it was easy to agree with.

“I see. Thank you for saying that.”

The embarrassment that had filled her heart until just moments ago had clearly subsided.

“Now that I hear it, I feel refreshed. It feels like a lot of long-held emotions have disappeared.”

Right after the broken engagement, after the heated exchange with Daniel in the reception room, a subtle depression had weighed down her entire body, but now she felt only lightness.

Could it be because she had finally spoken all the words she couldn’t say back then, shooting them at Daniel?

“…You’re really amazing. Somehow, talking with you always makes my worries lighter, Seyerd, just like last time.”

At Kisa’s sincere compliment, Seyerd scratched his cheek, seeming a bit embarrassed.

“You’re too kind. In truth, I’m merely repeating things I’ve seen and heard elsewhere in a plausible manner.”

“Aren’t you being too modest?”

“It’s true. As proof, even though I spoke to you as if I knew better, I’m not actually practicing it myself.”

“Really?”

“Yes, how should I put it.”

His reddish-brown eyes gazed into space for a moment.

“I tend to be rather dull when it comes to my own emotions. Often, I don’t realize it much at the time, and only later do I understand what I was feeling then. It’s happened quite a few times.”

This was new information about him that Kisa learned.

“So I’m a bit envious of you, Kisa. If only I could react to my own emotions in real-time like you do, I wouldn’t have created things to regret, which would have been nice.”

Those words implied that there might have been a specific regrettable incident in his past. Such a question arose, but she didn’t voice it. She was concerned it might seem like she was trying to pry.

‘Instead, though it might not be quite the same…’

Just as she was about to make a decision, a sneeze burst from Kisa’s mouth.

“Oh my, it’s quite chilly, isn’t it?”

Seyerd, his eyes widening, opened the terrace door and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I brought you out here unnecessarily.”

“N-No, that’s not true!”

“Anyway, let’s go back to the hall now.”

“……”

“Kisa?”

Seyerd looked with puzzlement at Kisa, who was standing still in her spot without moving.

“I’d like to talk with you a bit more here, if that’s alright.”

“With me?”

“Yes, is that not okay?”

Seeing Kisa ask with an uncertain voice, Seyerd soon relaxed his expression.

“Why wouldn’t it be? It would be my honor.”

Still, concerned about her catching a cold, he took off his own coat and draped it over Kisa’s shoulders.

The jacket with its luxurious lining carried Seyerd’s unique fresh scent.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Kisa opened her mouth.

“Thank you. I keep finding myself thanking you, Seyerd.”

“It’s nothing. Really.”

“It’s not nothing to me.”

“Please, don’t mind it.”

Having said that, Seyerd leaned against the railing and looked out at the night view of the brightly lit capital.

“More importantly, did you have something to tell me?”

“Yes, that’s right. I want to explain to you how I ended up arguing with Daniel there.”

Kisa spoke of the decision she had made earlier.

“We’re in the same boat now, aren’t we? And this is also related to our contract. So I should explain it sufficiently to you as well.”

He had the right to know why the woman he was engaged to marry was having an altercation with her ex-fiancé in a room.

“You don’t have to force yourself.”

“You’re wrong. I want to let you know.”

Although it wasn’t a pleasant story, she wanted Seyerd to hear it. She also wanted to boast that she was no longer depressed about Daniel, since Seyerd had comforted her before when she was feeling down about him.

“…Yes, actually, I wanted to hear it too.”

As if her feelings had been conveyed, Seyerd nodded.

“What happened with that man, Kisa?”

Meeting his eyes, which she had once felt had a strange power to draw words out of people, Kisa began to speak.

Despite it being quite a long story, thanks to the coat warming her body, she didn’t shiver from the cold.

“So that’s what happened.”

After the story ended, Seyerd lowered his gaze.

“The queen of Charmal, I had no idea.”

“I feel somewhat ashamed. To think such false rumors would spread because of that bastard Daniel.”

It’s definitely not a good label to be attached to a woman one is about to marry. But Seyerd shook his head.

“You don’t need to feel sorry towards me. How about you?”

“Me?”

“It’s a rumor that would be more than insulting, isn’t it?”

He’s not wrong. How many people would welcome rumors about being sold off to a lecherous old man?

However, Kisa was somewhat taken aback that Seyerd worried about her first.

“I’m fine. It’s a story that has only spread to a very small number of people, so this much is not really…”

At most, only Daniel, Melissa, and the princess knew about it.

“……”

Seyerd seemed displeased even after hearing Kisa’s answer. After being silent for a moment, he finally made a suggestion.

“Kisa, I’ve been thinking…”

After a while, even though he had finished speaking, Kisa didn’t know how to respond and just watched his expression.

“Why suddenly…?”

“I’ve been a bit dissatisfied with part of the original plan for a while.”

“You don’t have to do that if it’s for my sake!”

“It’s not for Kisa, but for me. I’m naturally a bit impatient.”

After giving this hard-to-believe reason, he suddenly took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

“It’s almost time for the banquet to end. Let’s hurry back.”

Kisa wondered if she should try to dissuade him more, but while his suggestion was surprising, it wasn’t unpleasant, so it was difficult to strongly oppose it.

A moment later, when the two arrived at the banquet hall, they were met with several pairs of eyes.

“Duke Hillan, where have you been all this time?”

Count Habertz approached Seyerd with quick steps.

“Everyone has been looking for you. We can’t miss the speech from the top donor.”

They had indeed arrived just in the nick of time.

“I apologize, everyone. There was an unavoidable circumstance…”

The Count and several others looked at the two latecomers with subtle expressions, but Seyerd began his speech without seeming to mind at all.

“Top donor. I’m very pleased to receive such an honorable title. Ah, and there’s one more piece of good news.”

With a calm face, he dropped a bombshell statement.

“I’ve recently become engaged.”