“I’ll be summoned soon.”

Judging by the piercing gazes, it seems I’ll have to act once again. While sending innocent eyes indicating that there’s no hidden agenda with Floria, Duchess Yeong-ae suddenly spoke, as if she recalled something.

“Come to think of it, I heard stories about Duke Ancel Yeong-ae. You rescued him, didn’t you?”

If it’s Duke Ancel Yeong-ae, she was the lady who fell into the lake during the royal hunting competition. Since then, rumors must have spread widely, and the noble ladies responded with exclamations and supportive comments.

“Oh, that’s right. I heard that story too!”

“Me too! If Your Highness didn’t discover her, it would have been a big problem.”

“They say you didn’t order anyone but jumped into the lake yourself to rescue her.”

“…Yes?”

“When that happened, everyone hesitated, so you went ahead. They say Your Highness personally swam to rescue Lady Yeong-ae, and the knights and guards couldn’t even lift their heads!”

“…Yes?!”

No, why did the rumor become so exaggerated?

“Because of that, you suffered from a severe cold, and His Highness the First Prince was very worried.”

“Yes, Your Highness didn’t leave the bed for a moment. I heard he even personally fed you soup.”

“Wow, you’re so affectionate.”

The noble ladies, forgetting that the subject of their conversation was right in front of them, blushed and babbled.

Of course, I couldn’t get out of bed for a while.

But that was because after receiving my confession, Kahrin let go as if loosening the reins… Hmm, putting that aside, I opened my mouth to correct the truth, as I had to rectify the situation where the truth was being distorted.

“I don’t know how such a rumor started.”

Covering my mouth with the fan, I made an awkward expression, and the noble ladies looked like they made a mistake. Seeing them embarrassed, I spoke while they were sulking.

“It wasn’t soup, it was fruit. His Highness personally peeled the fruit for me.”

“Yes?”

“Oh, how affectionate!”

The noble ladies, who had been huddled, cheered again. In this open culture, mentioning this much should be okay. If the happy married life of my husband and me becomes a topic, it will also help in the competition for the throne.

Sure enough, the eyes of the noble ladies were sparkling with envy.

Certainly, tonight, our couple will be the talk of the town in their dining room. It was natural that domestic nobles would pay attention to the words of a wife and mistress, and it would positively affect the situation.

‘Let’s keep quiet about Duchess Ancel Yeong-ae for now.’

After all, she could be saved because of me. Feeling a slight twinge of conscience, I decided to shamelessly toughen up. At that moment, a large hand wrapped around my waist, and a heavy weight leaned against my back. Without looking back, it was, of course, Kahrin.

“Excuse me, may I take my wife away now?”

The cheeks of the noble ladies, whose eye level rose, turned red. Lady Yeong-ae and the others, who were staring admiringly at Kahrin’s appearance up close, belatedly realized their rudeness, quickly lowered their gaze, and nodded their heads.
“Th-then, Your Highness!”

“Of course.”

Leaving behind the noble ladies who actively urged me to go with them, I received Kahrin’s escort and whispered to him.

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

Wondering if it was such an important matter to interrupt the conversation, which seemed to be an opportunity to build friendship with noble ladies, I asked. Kahrin lowered his head and whispered.

“No.”

With an eye that seemed to ask, “What’s going on?” I looked at him with a puzzled expression, and he chuckled softly.

“I like that look in your eyes, but there are too many eyes on us right now.”

In response to Kahrin’s words, I rolled my eyes slightly while pretending not to notice and could feel the many gazes watching us. I smiled broadly, keeping my lips still, and lightly teased him.

“Why did you really call me?”

“I missed you.”

“…….”

“Someone wanted to see you.”

When I turned to look at him with tightly closed lips, Kahrin, who belatedly spoke, took me to a nobleman. An elderly man with silver-white hair greeted me with a happy face. However, he was a stranger to me.

“Lord Lotri. A distant relative of Duchess Ancel Yeong-ae.”

Kahrin whispered in my ear.

We had just been talking about noble ladies and Duchess Ancel Yeong-ae, and another name popped up. I hesitated at Kahrin’s following words, thinking that this family might be more influential than I thought.

“He’s my great-uncle.”

Lord Lotri smiled kindly and greeted me with courtesy.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

“Hello, Lord Lotri.”

“As Leena Ancel’s granduncle, I wanted to express my gratitude for rescuing her. So, I took the liberty of requesting an audience.”

In just a few words, Lord Lotri’s benevolent character was revealed.

“My wife also cherishes Leena like her own child. She wanted to greet you in person, but her health is not good, so she couldn’t attend the garden party today.”