Time passed, and before long it was evening.

Greta sat with a man in the dining hall, not Kendal.

Count Bollendo spoke as he cut into his dripping steak.

“Simple loyalty, you say. Did you confirm this from him yourself?”

“Yes. Things have gotten complicated.”

Greta responded in a dispassionate voice. She too, was cutting into her dripping steak. They were revisiting the conversation Greta and Kendal had had earlier.

“Hard to believe. I thought it was some romantic affair, but it was actually loyalty.”

“Whether such loyalty can be earned over mere matters like that.”

“A woman helping another woman… It’s a rare story in high society, isn’t it?”

Count Bollendo sarcastically chuckled. Just yesterday, a former friend of Princess Windsor died. A commoner who had died from jealousy, as if she wanted to kill the princess.

“Whether she’s untainted by the stain of high society, or less victimized.”

Count Bollendo shook his head at Greta’s mumbling. He put down his knife, half his steak still uneaten. The clinking sound of silverware echoed softly.

“Where is that woman now?”

“She’s been detained.”

“Will you kill her? The study is not yet complete.”

Count Bollendo asked, his tone as casual as if asking for another glass of wine. Greta, wiping her mouth with a napkin, lifted her head. Though she had wiped her lips, they were still noticeably flushed.

Greta chuckled and spoke, pitying Count Bollendo’s age.

“That’s no reason to keep Kendal alive.”

The west garden of Duke Windsor’s estate, bathed in the setting sun, was Yurisien’s favorite place. This was due to the poplar tree planted there during her childhood with Wergen.

That tree, even said to be blessed by a cleric, grew healthily regardless of soil or climate, and now provided Yurisien with shade.

A soft wind blew quietly, unsettling Yurisien’s tied-up black hair hanging over her shoulder. The sound of fluttering paper echoed in the wind. It was a letter Yurisien was reading for the fourth time.

“Do you like it that much?”

The odd hero of the grand plot was none other than Ivan. Just earlier, he had caught a flying pigeon, snatched the letter from it, and yelled, “Quickly take me to the captain, got it?!”

“At this rate, you love him more than some Prince Hiscliffe or whoever, don’t you?”

Ivan grumbled, lurking around Yurisien as ordered to protect her. Yurisien was astounded, there were numerous points to criticize but first and foremost,

“Sir Bilzeck. Are you truly the vice-commander of Eloniak’s Second Division?”

Daring to refer to the Prince so informally while serving directly under the Emperor, not to mention failing to display the dignity of a knight, was absurd. There was no need to discuss him leaning on a crutch or getting distracted by a butterfly and running off.

Upon Yurisien’s pointed question, Ivan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“As I told you earlier, don’t expect proper knightly behavior from me.”

“Even if that’s considered proper for a hero?”

“Even if that’s considered proper for a princess.”

Ivan’s expression turned serious, mimicking Yurisien’s own.

Yurisien shook her head, as if still unconvinced. She was close to rushing to Benjamin, who had disappeared instantly upon her arrival, to confront him.

‘Is attaching someone like that as my escort the best you could do?’

Of course, Benjamin’s answer would be predictable.

‘He may look like that, but he is certainly capable.’
Benjamin hadn’t struck me as someone who would attach a questionable person to me. Yurisien suddenly smiled. It wasn’t long since he’d known Benjamin, yet how could he predict his response and trust him so unconditionally?

“Perhaps I’m really a fool.”

Having been deceived by Hescliff, it wasn’t strange to doubt everyone. However, Wergen said this:

[If you bristle at everyone around you because you’ve been pushed and fell once, you’ll be nothing but a hedgehog. In the end, everyone will know that you’re hollow inside.]

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the world is made up of people and things. Once you start to fear people, you can do nothing.

[Instead of being scared and fearful, learn how to deal with people.]

That’s Windsor for you, Yurisien thought, wrapping up his thoughts when he heard an unexpected piece of advice.

[This is something my father realized in his life; it will surely help you.]

It was something a father would say to his daughter. So Yurisien could quickly shake off the thought that ‘maybe I’m too lax.’

“You don’t seem to have any intention to show respect anymore.”

“Why? I do say ‘sir’… sir.”

“That doesn’t necessarily imply respect…”

Yurisien responded with a drained voice. At this point, he might have given up on whatever Ivan had to say, but strangely, he didn’t want to.

[Learn how to deal with people.]

Was it because of Wergen’s teaching? Yurisien wanted to know how to deal with Ivan, whom Benjamin had attached as his escort for the future.

‘I doubt the crown prince would have given me Lord Viljeck for no reason.’

So Yurisien read the letter he had read four times one more time, put it carefully in the envelope, and said:

“Sit across from me.”

“Hmm.”

Ivan sat down without much thought. The way he sprawled out and rested his arms on the armrests was excessively unruly. Yurisien examined his face and abruptly said,

“Fine. Just stop showing respect.”

“Huh?”

“It feels like you’re mocking me by doing it poorly.”

“Hmm, is that so? Then you stop too. But won’t the Crown Prince scold us?”

“Do you think he won’t scold us for acting weirdly respectful?”

“True. That’s true. Then I won’t do it. You’re more flexible than I thought?”

Ivan cracked a smile. A refreshing energy exuded from his once stiff and rough face.

“Let’s become friends while we’re at it. You call me Ivan, and I’ll call you Yurisien. You’re twenty-two, after all. We’re the same age.”

“Yes, yes?”

“It’s not ‘yes.’ It’s ‘yeah.'”

“Ah… yeah.”

“Great, we’re friends. If the Crown Prince says anything, send him to me.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because we’re friends. Won’t you help a friend?”

Yurisien stared in awe at Ivan, who so brazenly made a request of him, who was clearly of royal blood.

To anyone watching, it seemed like Ivan was playing with Yurisien, but there was no malice, that was clear.

It didn’t make him particularly uncomfortable. More importantly, the effect of looking at someone who seemed relaxed even when facing him… was unexpectedly comforting.

“I’ll talk to him.”

“See, you can’t be a bad person.”

“What do you mean?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. There’s something like that.”

Ivan chuckled.

‘It seems the Crown Prince has said something to him.’

Thinking that, Yurisien fidgeted with the corner of the letter envelope and said,

“I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I’m really… a bad person.”

“Bad kids usually don’t admit they’re bad. Do you want to hear that? Alright, I’ll say it. I’ll say it.”

Ivan waved his hand dismissively.

“That’s not it!”

Yurisien couldn’t help but raise his voice. He then firmly shut his mouth, put down the letter envelope on the table, and gestured with his eyes.
“You said it earlier too. That you might like B more than Prince Hiscliffe. Actually… I’ve been thinking, maybe I’ve been unfaithful all this time.”

“No, wait. Wait, wait, wait.”

At Yurisien’s candid confession, Aiban abruptly stood up from his seat and interrupted. When Yurisien looked up at him, questioning why he was doing this, Aiban grabbed his forehead and said it was throbbing.

“You have no friends.”

“…….”

“You should have no friends.”

“…I thought we were friends.”

“No, not me. I’ve got this… sudden feeling. About what kind of person you are.”

“What kind of person am I?”

“You’re someone who can’t distinguish between seriousness and jokes, and you think seriously about everything. You struggle for a long time, digging yourself deeper, and then say, ‘I have to think logically, Yurisien!’ and try to handle everything on your own.”

At Aiban’s too accurate judgment, Yurisien was left speechless.