Yerpi momentarily lost her words at the standoff between the two.

The atmosphere had turned hostile even before anyone sat down.

‘This is no different from before.’

Though suddenly overwhelmed by anxiety, she quickly shook it off.

‘No. This is just the beginning.’

Yerpi calmed herself, scolding her own impatience.

Truthfully, even before preparing with Dante, she had worried whether Raymond might not show up at the meeting place.

But he had arrived earlier at the garden, waiting for them, and Yerpi considered his keeping of the promise as her first success.

“Shall we take our seats first?”

While Dante and Raymond glared at each other, the maids had finished preparing the picnic.

A charming blue-checkered blanket, a basket filled with bread and drinks, and a small low table.

In addition, various delicate and cute plates were set at the center of the garden, harmonizing with the flowerbeds.

Seeing this, Dante and Raymond each voiced their thoughts.

[Pretty.]

“…Feels like playing house.”

No sooner had they finished speaking than they glared at each other again.

Yerpi mediated between them and seated them. Dante climbed onto Yerpi’s lap, and though Raymond had made that comment, he silently took a seat across from them.

The picnic began in silence, and Yerpi was the first to break it.

“The weather is really nice. It’s a perfect day to enjoy a picnic.”

At her words, Raymond perked up his ears. The Duke and Dante simultaneously looked up at the sky Yerpi was gazing at.

The sky was blue, with white clouds floating high, blending pleasantly with the warm sunlight.

She had spoken to ease the stiff atmosphere, but indeed, the weather truly was wonderful.

A smile formed at the refreshing breeze. Raymond, watching Yerpi, opened his mouth.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

He also knew that the Duchess’s emotions affected the weather.

Proof of this was that before Yerpi arrived at the meeting place, the sky had been covered in gloomy clouds.

Her anxious thoughts, fearing Raymond might not come, had been reflected in the weather. But now, the sky was perfectly clear, not a speck of dust in sight.

“Of course. I’m out here with Your Grace and Dante.”

Raymond gazed endlessly at her face, which truly seemed joyful. The first to notice this was not Raymond himself, but Dante.

[Yerpi, I’m hungry.]

“Oh, right. Shall we eat?”

Yerpi’s attention turned to Dante. She began taking out the food from the basket with the maids.

Colorful sandwiches cut into small, cute shapes, mini hamburgers placed between round buns with vegetables.

Soft bread and butter prepared to be torn by hand, along with jam. In addition, various fruit juices and milk were neatly arranged.

As the sweet and savory aroma spread, Dante’s eyes sparkled with delight.

[So much…!]

Despite the voice, Raymond’s gaze was fixed on the basket. He seemed amazed that so much food could come from just one basket.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I prepared a little of everything.”

Still, she hadn’t prepared too many varieties, focusing on picnic-appropriate dishes.

Seeing the tablecloth quickly filled, Raymond asked.

“Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes. I made them with the maids, but still.”

Though she had worked hard since morning, the joy of preparing it herself outweighed the effort.

At her words, Raymond showed interest in the food. He began asking questions, inquiring about this bread, that type of jam.

“Is this just plain bread? And the one next to it?”

“The head chef said he used pumpkin to color it. The one beside it is made with red grain. Ah, I helped make this one.”

Yerpi kindly answered all his questions.

‘He really doesn’t know much about food.’

Suddenly, she recalled what the head chef once complained when she first met him—the Duke had absolutely no interest in food. But seeing Raymond today, it didn’t seem entirely true.

‘The head chef would be happy.’

If he knew Raymond was showing interest in bread, the head chef would surely be delighted. Finally learning the Duke’s food preferences, after all.

Yerpi observed what Raymond chose to eat. But she had the distinct impression he was especially favoring the sandwiches and bread she had personally touched.

He must like vegetable-filled bread. As Yerpi vaguely thought this, focusing on observing Raymond, Dante suddenly interrupted.

[Yerpi, feed me this bread. I can’t tear it well.]

“Oh, right. Which one do you mean?”

Dante instantly captured Yerpi’s full attention with a confident expression. But that only lasted a moment.

Before her, Dante acted meekly, like an innocent lamb. He obediently opened his mouth, and soft bread, neatly torn, was placed inside.

[Delicious. It’s sweet even without cream.]

Dante exclaimed in delight. The sight of the young dragon smiling sweetly made Yerpi and the maids blush.

Emboldened, Erka offered Dante some fruit, but the young dragon faithfully only accepted food from Yerpi.

“Oh, young master, you’re too adorable.”

Erka clutched her cheeks and collapsed in delight. The maids found even Dante’s picky behavior endearingly cute.

Is this the peace that food brings?

Yerpi savored the tranquility as she gently stroked under Dante’s chin. The young dragon resembled a cat in some ways, and loved nothing more than having his chin petted like this.

Curled contentedly in the Duchess’s arms, Dante purred softly.

[Yerpi is the best.]

It was pleasant to see the young dragon so relaxed. Yerpi, wearing a gentle smile, gently patted Dante’s back. At that moment, Raymond’s voice broke the peaceful flow.

“It should be ‘Your Grace,’ not ‘Yerpi.’ Seems I’ll need to assign a manners tutor.”

At those words, Dante opened his eyes and glared at Raymond. Growling fiercely, Dante soon began bristling his fur at Raymond.

[I’m a child!]

“Which is exactly why etiquette lessons are necessary.”

Sparks flew between the young dragon and the Duke. To Yerpi, who had been enjoying the calm, this situation was nothing but embarrassing.

In the blink of an eye, Raymond’s mood had soured.

‘Why is he throwing a tantrum again?’

She wasn’t sure if “tantrum” was the right word for the Duke, but she couldn’t think of any other way to describe it.

“He’s nearly ten already. Isn’t it natural to learn proper human conduct?”

[Lea…!]

Dante usually bared his fangs first, but this time he was overpowered by Raymond. Still, that was only natural.

There was an innate gap, and a difference in time. But the young dragon had his ultimate weapon and shield.

[Nyaaah, Yerpiii—!]

Dante clung to her, feigning tears. Watching this sudden shift in the young dragon’s stance, one of Raymond’s eyebrows twitched.

Yerpi saw the expression clearly, but she could only side with Dante.

“There, there, it’s alright. Your Grace, perhaps we should postpone Dante’s education for now?”

After all, the child’s heart wasn’t fully healed yet.

Faced with Yerpi speaking like this, Raymond couldn’t press further.

Heaving a sigh, he downed a gulp of cold drink. Seeing he said no more, she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had let it go.

But Dante, whose horns hadn’t yet lowered, whispered into Yerpi’s ear.

[Yerpi, Raymond doesn’t seem to have any intention of apologizing to me.]

“That can’t be.”

Seeing Yerpi and Dante whispering together, Raymond’s gaze hardened.

The atmosphere was turning awkward again. Hurriedly searching for a way to shift the mood, Yerpi noticed the dessert left in the basket.

“Dante, would you like to try this? I baked it myself.”

What she pulled out was a small oval-shaped cookie.

The dough had a hollow in the center, filled with peach jam before baking, resulting in a soft texture and a deliciously sweet taste.

[Yerpi made it yourself?]

“Yes. It’s my first time baking, but it turned out pretty good.”

Of course, she had received help from the head chef, but from kneading the dough to baking, her hands had touched every step.

Her words instantly captured both Dante’s and Raymond’s attention.

[I want to eat it!]

Dante grabbed Yerpi’s hand with both feet and took a big bite—*crunch*.

[Delicious!]

“Really? Have more.”

She adored Dante for enjoying her homemade cookies. As she kept feeding him, she also offered one to Raymond.

“Your Grace, please try it too.”

“…Alright.”

He took it, the one she had casually offered. Perhaps he had taken it to spare her embarrassment.

*Crunch.* The small cookie crumbled neatly between his tidy lips and teeth. Even without words, anticipation was unavoidable. After finishing the cookie, he met Yerpi’s gaze and said.

“It’s delicious.”

“Really? I’m glad.”

Even if it was just politeness, she was grateful. As if to prove her words true, Raymond voluntarily brought another cookie made by Yerpi to his mouth.

It made her happy just watching the cookie disappear into his mouth. She didn’t even notice her lap had gone quiet.

When she looked down at Dante again, the young dragon was staring at Raymond with wide, round eyes.

‘Why is Dante looking like that?’

His gaze was different from usual. But the moment she guessed why, Raymond stood up from his seat.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“Your Grace?”

Before the startled Yerpi could stop him, Raymond walked away. Too shocked to call after him, Yerpi looked down at the remaining cookies.

‘Did I make some mistake?’

Or had something inedible come out of the cookie?

It was Dante, of all people, who snapped the confused Yerpi back to reality.

[Yerpi, I think you should go after him.]

“Dante?”

When their eyes met, Dante averted his gaze. Lowering his eyes, he hesitantly began to speak.

“Well… Raymond is allergic to peaches.]