Contrary to the worries of the people at the ducal residence, the luncheon between Serena and the Crown Prince went smoothly. The two ate food made with fresh ingredients produced in Astel without much conversation, skipping dessert.

“A meal that feels sincere without being extravagant.”

Lucas said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. For a member of the royal family, this could be considered the highest praise.

“All ingredients are sourced from Astel. Pursuing nutrition and warmth rather than extravagance is the Astel way.”

When Serena proudly replied, Lucas nodded in rare agreement.

“The palace banquets are just flashy without substance. But I can’t say eating on the battlefield or while wandering is better.”

“So you’re saying our Astel is somewhat better.”

He shouldn’t have added the latter part if he meant to compliment, and at the end of the satisfying meal, their eyes met again.

“Well then, shall we see what the daily life of the Acting Duke of Astel is like?”

Serena stood up first and bowed her head in courtesy.

“It might feel a bit busy to Your Highness.”

“More than the battlefield?”

With the tension already like this, the possibility of today passing peacefully was almost zero.

“Excuse me, but I’ll change my clothes before going out.”

“Why?”

“Because this dress isn’t suitable for horseback riding.”

Lucas showed a slightly surprised look at Serena’s calm answer.

“You ride horses yourself, my lady?”

“Yes. It’s faster and more convenient than a carriage. Taking care of Astel is so overwhelming that I need to save time like that.”

Before Lucas could say anything more, Serena slightly lifted her dress skirt, curtsied, and left the dining room.

“She always disappears first like this.”

Lucas muttered discontentedly, left alone.

He didn’t want to receive proper royal treatment at this point, but being used to others always paying respects to him and leaving only after getting his permission, Serena’s behavior seemed quite impudent.

“Well, just look at how unwelcoming she was from the start.”

If the palace etiquette or the noble ladies of society saw this behavior, they would have fainted in shock. Even for Lucas, who had seen and experienced many things while wandering here and there, it was unfamiliar, let alone for them.

“But there’s no other way.”

His soliloquy echoed lowly.

“Because I want it.”

If he had never known Serena, he might have married an ordinary, obedient lady who properly observed etiquette.

However, he had already developed an admiration for Serena, who had talked back to him and often ignored him since the engagement ceremony, and now that they met again, even her figure kept lingering in his eyes, so Lucas had only one answer.

“Now it has to be her.”

Lucas’s black eyes shone hotly with possessiveness and desire. Although Serena still tended to see Lucas as young, he had already become a full-grown man standing before her.

The past 6 years, during which he had trained himself without sending a single letter for fear that his firmly made resolve might come to nothing, certainly had meaning.

“It was worth the wait.”

In the meantime, Lucas had become a grown man, and Serena had become a much slimmer and more elegant woman than on their engagement day. In short, it also meant that now only Serena could be Lucas’s companion.

With the Crown Prince’s arrival, everyone at the ducal residence became busy.

In the kitchen, there was even a lady crying with emotion because the Crown Prince had praised the carefully prepared lunch, and Peter was diligently carrying out his special mission, while the rest of the employees were performing their roles more meticulously than usual.

“Miss, do you really have to ride a horse today?”

“Of course, His Highness asked to see my daily life.”

Of course, Anna was also busy, neatly gathering and tying Serena’s hair into a high ponytail.

“Otherwise, it would be disloyal.”

Serena added mischievously, still showing a childlike and innocent side.

“Anna, I have something for you to do.”

“Anything, miss.”

“When I leave the residence with His Highness, inform those with loose lips about his identity.”

Lucas being the Crown Prince was still a secret in the ducal residence. This was because he had maintained the setting of being a wandering knight of noble birth. But Serena would shatter that setting.

“Miss, if people know His Highness is here, won’t there be an enormous increase in troublesome matters?”

“Yes. That’s why.”

Now Anna understood Serena’s intention. Once the neighboring lords hear that the Crown Prince is here and start coming to flatter him, even he will get tired and leave soon. Serena was planning to encourage this.

“And make sure that news reaches Duke Farel as well. After all, he’s planted so many scouts in our territory that we don’t even need to make an effort.”

To Serena, even the Duke’s persistent marriage proposals were just a nuisance.

Recently, with the mindset that if they’re going to be a bother anyway, she might as well use them, she even had the Duke’s scouts help with farm work or odd jobs.

“If His Highness and His Grace the Duke were to clash…”

“That would be perfect.”

Serena smiled confidently. Though she had no luck with men in her past life, if she could now see two men fighting over her, it would be enjoyable.

Of course, the goal was to enjoy that pleasure briefly and then have them leave Astel due to their antagonism.

“If I can use this opportunity to drive both of them out of Astel, it would be to my advantage.”

“Don’t provoke them too much. Don’t forget that one of them is His Highness the Crown Prince.”

As Anna cautioned again, Serena nodded reassuringly. If it were just Serena’s personal matter, it would be worrying, but since the well-being of Astel depended on the royal family’s mood, Serena would know where to draw the line.

Two horses were waiting in front of the ducal mansion. One was the large black horse Lucas had ridden, and the other was the white horse Serena often rode.

“Your Highness, are you sure I shouldn’t accompany you?”

“What could happen in such a peaceful territory? Just do the task I assigned you properly.”

“Yes, sir.”

Cedric bowed his head and took a step back. Soon, Serena also arrived at the entrance, but her appearance was so different from before that not only Lucas but also Cedric looked surprised.

“I apologize for being late.”

Serena was wearing a much simpler and more comfortable dress than the one she had worn in the morning, and had removed her cumbersome gloves.

Although the fabric and workmanship of the dress were excellent, from a distance it looked almost like the attire of a commoner girl.

Moreover, with her platinum blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail, she looked like the female knights rumored to exist in distant parts of the continent, if one were to be in the Empire.

“Hmm, shall we go?”

Lucas, unconsciously glancing at Serena’s unfamiliar attire, deliberately tried to act nonchalant as he mounted his horse.

Then Serena also mounted her horse, and it was inwardly surprising to see her nimble figure mount in one swift motion without anyone’s help.

“First, we’ll inspect the overall farmland and hear the report from the farm manager. Then we need to meet the Astel Berry production manager, inspect the site, and check on the progress of the distillery facility construction.”

It was an extremely tight schedule. However, seeing Serena mount her horse with familiarity and recite the schedule, it didn’t seem like a daily routine made up just for Lucas.

“Then we’ll go to the school to finalize teacher selection and review the site for building a new windmill.”

And this wasn’t even all of it.

“We also need to inspect the festival grounds as there might be injuries due to the crowds at the harvest festival. You’ll be able to meet the Astel Knights then.”

It was a day’s schedule almost as packed as the Emperor’s official duties. Only then did Lucas somewhat understand why Serena wasn’t wearing the elegant riding attire of a noble lady.

With such a schedule, this wasn’t a noble lady’s pastime but a full-fledged lord’s day, and a very diligent lord at that.

“Of course, if Your Highness finds it boring or tiring, you can return anytime.”

“No, I’m already looking forward to the entire schedule.”

“Naturally, Sir Cedric will assist Your Highness, right? I don’t have anyone to separately assist you in my schedule.”

“If you can do it, I’ll be fine on my own.”

Crack, their eyes met again, then separated as Serena’s horse shook its head.

“Since Your Highness is unfamiliar with Astel’s geography, I’ll dare to take the lead.”

As Lucas nodded with a generous expression, Serena spurred her horse without hesitation. The white horse, much smaller than Lucas’s black steed, was seen crossing the ducal residence’s gate in an instant, riding the autumn wind.

“Is the schedule Her Ladyship just mentioned true?”

Cedric asked Peter, who had come to see off his master like himself.

“Yes. It’s even busier with the harvest festival approaching.”

A cloud of dust rose on the path where the two had disappeared. Cedric and Peter, who had seen them off, already felt a sense of kinship even though they had barely exchanged words.

“I hope today’s schedule goes smoothly…”

Cedric muttered to himself, thinking of Lucas’s stubborn nature.

“Indeed.”

Peter replied with the same sentiment.

“Sir Cedric, you must have a hard time. How about I offer you some tea?”

“It would be an honor. I heard you were once the captain of the Astel Knights?”

“That’s just a thing of the past.”

“I’d very much like to hear about it.”

The scheme planned by their two masters seemed likely to unfold naturally without much effort.

Anna, watching this scene from inside the entrance, smiled slightly and left to carry out her task. By now, the talkative ladies from the kitchen would be coming to gossip.

Anna’s few words would surely spread through the territory faster than the horses their masters had ridden away on.