The setting sun in the distance tinted Astel with a red glow. Lucas and Serena could finally catch their breath after climbing the hill.

Due to scheduling an overly ambitious itinerary to show Lucas her abilities, Serena was suddenly hit with intense fatigue.

“Was the last stop on this hill to show me Astel’s lights that shine even at night?”

Lucas calmly saw through Serena’s intentions. Serena deliberately hid her exhaustion and turned her head away, but Lucas took a step closer to her.

“This is my second time coming here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I came here before visiting the duke’s mansion.”

Serena stared at Lucas, surprised by his unexpected words.

“Wherever I go, once people know my identity, they’re busy hiding the true state of their domain and flattering me with pretense.”

“So you came to see all of Astel in advance?”

Lucas nodded.

“You can only see the true face of a place once darkness falls.”

By now, his insight could not be ignored.

“So how did Your Highness find Astel?”

“The lights were bright in every small house and smoke rose from every chimney. Just like the duke’s mansion.”

The prosperity of a domain did not necessarily lead to the happiness of its people.

Even in the wealthiest domains, most residents were tenant farmers, and the lord only collected taxes while neglecting the domain and indulging in luxury in the capital.

“If the duke’s mansion weren’t so large, it would be indistinguishable from the other villagers’ homes from this hill.”

“Should I take that as a compliment?”

Lucas smiled at her confident words.

“Yes. After spending the day together, I’ve solved the mystery of Astel’s abundance.”

“Mystery? Astel doesn’t have such…”

“Astel was special because Serena, the one currently in charge of the lord’s duties, is special.”

He was not just a stubborn man. His attitude of not looking down on her as a woman and acknowledging Serena’s achievements and abilities as they were was unexpected, but not unwelcome. Serena smiled softly.

“Since Your Highness has praised me, I’d like to offer a small gift in return.”

For the first time, the two people standing close together looked at the same place without bickering.

Serena’s slender white finger pointed to the northern sky, where an exceptionally bright star shone in the now completely dark sky.

“It’s the North Star. This is where the North Star appears largest and brightest.”

As Serena took a few steps towards the edge of the hill, Lucas followed. He didn’t bother mentioning that right now, the platinum hair fluttering before his eyes shone brighter than the North Star.

“And if we take one more step here…”

With a steep downhill slope right in front of her, her foot caught on a rock while looking at the sky, throwing off her balance.

“Ah!”

Serena instinctively squeezed her eyes shut at the sight of the downhill slope that looked almost like a cliff in the darkness.

“Oh my.”

Instead of tumbling down the hill, Serena felt the vivid sensation of strong, large arms.

“You should watch your step at night.”

Lucas’s low voice resonated in Serena’s ear, and his scent wafted strongly from his embrace as he easily held Serena with one arm.

Moreover, Serena could clearly feel the large, firm muscles on his back that she had unconsciously clung to.

“…Yes.”

After regaining her balance, Serena stiffly separated herself from his arms. It was truly fortunate that the surroundings were so dark that no one could see her flushed cheeks.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

As Lucas tried to approach, Serena quickly waved her hand.

“I’m fine, completely!”

The emotion Serena was feeling now was bewilderment. She never expected to feel him as a man after the engagement ceremony. She thought first impressions never changed no matter how much time passed.

“Hmm… Then, let’s head back.”

“Yes.”

Lucas’s firm upper body shimmered faintly in the moonlight as he easily mounted the large horse first.

Especially his back that Serena had unconsciously clung to earlier, his strong shoulders, and his overall thick and large upper body kept drawing her gaze.

“What, is there a problem?”

At Lucas’s oblivious question, Serena quickly shook her head and mounted her horse, spurring it on. By the time they reached the duke’s mansion, the cool autumn night breeze would surely cool the heat in her cheeks.

After barely touching her dinner and leaving early, Serena finished bathing and received Anna’s assistance.

“My lady, are you very tired? You’re unusually quiet today.”

Serena, who had returned to the duke’s mansion with an oddly stiff expression, was keeping her mouth shut, unlike usual. Since she wasn’t specifically complaining about the crown prince either, Anna couldn’t guess what the situation was.

“Did something bad happen…”

“No.”

Serena smiled faintly at Anna’s worried expression.

“Nothing bad happened. I’m just tired from scheduling a bit too ambitious of an itinerary.”

Knock knock, a knock sounded while Anna was brushing Serena’s hair again.

“I’m here to see the young lady.”

The head servant Peter bowed to Serena. Her mind had felt completely blank after the unexpected close contact with Lucas earlier, but seeing Peter’s face reminded her of today’s special mission.

“So, how did it go?”

Serena’s eyes sparkled again.

“Unexpectedly, Sir Cedric showed interest in me first, so I was able to converse with him about various topics all afternoon.”

Serena’s face brightened at the welcome news.

“So? Tell me anything you found out.”

Peter pondered for a moment. Eight-tenths of the conversation had been Cedric unilaterally recounting his past wars and tales of knightly valor, so he needed to filter it a bit.

“As you predicted, Your Highness sent carrier pigeons to His Majesty the Emperor at the Imperial Palace, and to His Holiness the Pope at the Papal State. The last one was… sent to Duke Astel, it seems.”

Learning the destination of the third carrier pigeon she had been curious about made her head even more complicated.

“How does he know where Father is?”

Serena asked with wide eyes. From the beginning, Duke Astel was a man like the wind, never staying in one place. Even Serena, his only family, didn’t know his whereabouts.

“From what I heard from Sir Cedric, His Highness has planted informants all over the continent to gather information. He said that information network is as intricate as a spider’s web, so the carrier pigeon will reach the Duke eventually, even if it takes some time.”

She should have known when he said he sent three carrier pigeons. To marry Serena, who claimed the engagement was invalid, he needed the power of those who had presided over the engagement ceremony at the time.

That is, the Emperor and Empress, Lucas’s parents, Serena’s father Roger, and the Pope who had declared the engagement in God’s name.

“I apologize, but Sir Cedric was very tight-lipped about matters concerning His Highness the Crown Prince, so I couldn’t find out the contents of the carrier pigeons.”

“It’s alright. I already know the contents.”

“Pardon?”

Serena shrugged at the puzzled Peter and Anna.

“He intends to prove that our engagement is valid.”

Serena felt like she had finally met a proper opponent after a very long time. Apart from the feelings between the two of them, Lucas’s response was meticulous and bold.

“He must have realized that bickering with me would be futile, so he only needs to have the engagement fact recognized again and there would be no problem.”

Hoo, Serena let out a short sigh. If it were yesterday, she would have cursed Lucas for such a cunning move, but Anna silently hid her bewilderment as she watched Serena sigh without saying a word.

“Ah, my lady. There’s one more thing to report. It seems the carrier pigeon His Highness sent to the Imperial family has already arrived.”

Considering the distance to the capital, it made sense that the Imperial Palace’s carrier pigeon would return first. However, even Serena couldn’t guess what contents might be written inside.

“I see. You may all withdraw.”

Left alone, Serena didn’t lie down in bed right away but headed to the window. When she opened the window, the white curtains fluttered in the wind, wafting a clear fragrance.

“It’s strange.”

Her soliloquy was tinged with much worry.

“Why am I? Come on.”

During dinner, while bathing, the moment of being held in Lucas’s arms kept popping up, making her lips dry and her cheeks flush for no reason.

“Be careful, he says? No, is that the appropriate thing to say in that situation?”

Serena still vividly remembered being held in one of his arms and clinging to his back. The thick, strong muscles and hot body temperature, even his breathing was clear from such a close distance.

“It feels like I’m the only one being foolish.”

Yet Lucas acted as if nothing had happened. Even though he had clearly seen Serena standing there in a daze.

“What, did he really just catch me without any meaning because someone was about to fall in front of him?”

Thinking that way, there was nothing wrong with Lucas’s actions.

Clearly Serena should feel the same, but she couldn’t understand why her cheeks flushed and why she felt angry at his nonchalant attitude every time the moment he held her came to mind.

“Right, I’m not some pitiful young lady, he could have just roughly caught me and that would have been fine.”

Serena had no reason to feel hurt. She had even less reason to be angry.

In this world, a young lady was truly a pitiful existence, and no matter how sudden the situation, it wasn’t proper to pull her into one’s arms so roughly, but hadn’t she refused to become pitiful?

“Right. I greeted a guest as the acting duchess, not as a young lady out for a stroll.”

It was ridiculous to think so much about one small action of Lucas’s, but it was also unbelievable that some part of her heart felt disappointed.

“Really. Why am I?”

Her grumbling voice rang out clearly like bells as she felt the pure night breeze. Serena closed her eyes for a moment, trying to feel the wind.

“Indeed… why is the young lady?”

Serena turned her head with a puzzled expression. Was it an auditory hallucination? There was no way Lucas could be here.

“Could it be you’re feeling disappointed in me?”

Yet the low voice still rang out clearly.