Recently, Adel was well aware that Valentin had been indifferent to the affairs of Castle Ansgar.

This was because the scope of matters requiring her confirmation had clearly increased.

Still, I heard that he never missed training in the training grounds…

Whatever it was, it wasn’t her business to be concerned about. Adel nodded calmly.

“I understand. I’ll check it now, please give it to me.”

Adel took the parchment with people’s names written on it from Yannik’s hand.

The name of the Knight Commander Gunther was missing, and the names of the knights Klaus and Joachim, who had handed her the trout, were on the list.

“It seems Sir Gunther’s name is missing. Did Hermann not say anything else about it?”

“Ah. Sir Gunther said he would remain at the castle this time. After all, didn’t we recruit a large number of new soldiers recently? It seems he judged that more time was needed to train those people to be useful.”

“The Knight Commander himself training the soldiers?”

“Even the butler tried to persuade him, but he gave a speech saying how could the knights fight with peace of mind on the battlefield if the castle’s defenses were inadequate.”

“Ah…”

If his will was that firm, it was understandable that his name wasn’t on the escort list.

It’s an undeniable fact that His Highness the Crown Prince detests Grand Duke Ansgar terribly, but the place they’re attending isn’t some backstreet gathering, but a banquet at the Imperial Palace.

Even if just for the eyes watching, they wouldn’t be able to stab each other within the Imperial Palace at least.

‘Though Sir Gunther’s words sound nice, he’s probably planning to weed out any subversive elements while directly observing the new recruit training. Since many people of unknown backgrounds have also applied.’

Although it was an unavoidable choice due to the urgency of reinforcing troops, it was reassuring for her if Gunther personally examined each one.

Adel carefully signed the bottom of the parchment with a quill pen soaked in ink.

She shook it vigorously to dry the ink while spread out, then rolled it up and returned it to Yannik. Yannik received the parchment, tucked it into his bosom, and lingered a bit more.

“…Um, well… Your Highness.”

Adel, who was holding old clothes received from Margaret and examining them in the sunlight, glanced back at Yannik.

“Do you have any more business?”

“Ah, well, that is…”

Yannik scratched his head as if very troubled.

Guessing the reason for his hesitation, the expression gradually disappeared from Adel’s face.

At the same time, the door of the women’s quarters opened with a click.

Adel froze like a small animal encountering a natural predator. Beyond the open door was a face she hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“…”

She could feel golden eyes persistently following her reaction.

Her suddenly shallow breath, the swelling of her throat, the trembling of her fingertips. The gaze that had lowered slowly rose again to meet hers.

In that suffocating confrontation, Yannik belatedly announced in a small voice:

“His Highness the Grand Duke has come to visit.”

The inner chamber, from which the maids packing luggage and even Yannik had all withdrawn, was rarely quiet.

It was a tense standoff with neither side opening their mouth first. At least that’s how Adel felt.

Barging into the women’s quarters must mean Valentin’s patience had dried up.

Adel carefully observed him while pretending not to.

“…”

Having skipped meals properly all this time, his gaunt face exuded a strangely decadent feeling.

His appearance was already inhumanly, excessively beautiful.

With gloominess added to that face, it now looked pitiable to the point of being detestable.

“…What brings you here?”

Sensing they might end up just glaring at each other’s faces forever, she barely managed to speak first.

Valentin’s gaze swept once over the places the maids had been hastily swept out of before they could tidy up.

The bag spread wide open, revealing its contents without concealment, and next to it neatly stacked clothes, worn belts and gloves…

Although she had recently gotten new clothes and accessories fitted, she was still more comfortable with the things she had used for a long time.

Adel realized his gaze was lingering for a long time on the worn-out gloves.

“You were, packing your luggage, I see.”

“If that’s what you came to say, there was no need for you to come all the way to the women’s quarters.”

“You can pack, moderately. We can buy what you need, in the capital.”

He continued speaking as if he hadn’t noticed her cold reaction.

“It’s fine.”

“…”

“More precisely, Your Highness has no reason to buy such things for me.”

Valentin tried to smile, but she ignored how his face fell several times at her rejection.

In fact, to tell the truth, she was still resentful of him.

Especially while recalling the voice asking if she no longer pitied him. What was the true meaning of those words anyway?

“Adel. I…”

As her eyes narrowed sharply, he hurriedly opened his mouth.

“I don’t want to, force anything on you. If there’s anything you want to do or, have, really anything…”

“What I want is Your Highness’s answer.”

“That’s…”

“How honest have you been with me all this time?”

He closed his mouth again. Adel coldly watched him struggling to smile.

“Adelheit. I, am…”

“Whatever you’re planning to do from now on, I won’t pity you. So please use a comfortable way of communicating.”

Because his stuttering symptom was getting worse and worse, Adel firmly requested.

It was because listening to him speak made her heart soften even when she really didn’t want it to.

Rather than wavering like that, it was far better to firmly imprint in her mind that this man didn’t even have a soul, that he was nothing but a demon.

But Valentin rejected her proposal.

“I don’t, want to.”

“Why?”

“There are no honorifics in, ritual speech. It’s like no one, thinks in honorifics. Because it’s a very efficient way of, communicating…”

“I don’t understand why that matters.”

“I want to res, pect you…”

Respect. A nice-sounding excuse. Adel gripped her skirt tightly until the back of her hand turned white.

“Is it out of such respect for me that you haven’t answered my question all this time?”

“Because you might get, hurt.”

“Not telling me is more hurtful. I, that day…”

Adel swallowed back the breath that had welled up numbly again.

“I thought Your Highness was really trying to kill me.”

Tears that suddenly welled up fell onto her white cheeks. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand in a daze.

Betrayal, anger, loathing, horror…

The emotions that surged when thinking of him were so hot and intense that she never imagined such a tender part would pour out from the very first words.

What was even more embarrassing was that once the tears started flowing, she couldn’t stop them at all.

“…”

Tears brimming in her eyes flowed down her cheeks and chin.

She just let them fall, unable to even think of wiping away the rest of her tears.

“Adel.”

Valentin was frozen with a face turned pale blue, like someone who had seen something they shouldn’t have.

After treating her like his own tongue all this time, now he seemed to have forgotten even the flexibility to wipe away her tears.

Perhaps such human emotions never existed in the first place.

In her blurred vision, she saw Valentin barely moving his lips.

“That wasn’t my, will… It was an, accident.”

“An accident.”

She almost burst out in hard laughter. His excuse didn’t deviate an inch from her expectations. To think she had been like this all this time just to hear such a crude excuse.

Adel wiped her wet eyelids a little more roughly. He reached out his hand as if to stop her.

“You’ll, hurt your eyes.”

When Adel flinched at that hand, Valentin froze like a statue.

The large hand that had stopped in mid-air eventually clenched as if scratching the air.

His face turning blue as if being strangled looked unfamiliar. He seemed to have even forgotten to breathe.

“Please don’t, cry…”

“…”

“It’s all, my fault.”

“What did you come here for?”

Adel wiped her cheeks again with the back of her hand as she turned away from him.

The words came out a little more easily once she turned away from Valentin.

It was shameful to have shown herself crying like a child, but anyway, once this victory banquet was over, they wouldn’t have to see each other’s faces for a while.

So it was fine.

“I haven’t forgotten the contract to help you. I plan to attend the victory banquet, and I won’t hold you back. If we need to appear as a loving couple publicly… I’ll comply accordingly.”

“That’s not, why I came.”

“Then why?”

“I wanted to, give you this.”

Adel raised her gaze slightly to see what ‘this’ was that he mentioned.

It was an intricately crafted dagger. The blade part was made of silver, and there was a blue-green jewel embedded near the handle.

The overall appearance looked like a miniaturized version of a bastard sword.

“…”

Adel reflexively took what he was handing over.

The dagger that had looked like a small stiletto in Valentin’s gloved hand was quite heavy and long in her hand.

Even when wrapped with both palms, the tip of the blade still poked out.

“What is this…”