Adel froze at the sudden question. When she barely managed to turn her head to look at him, Valentin was quietly staring at her.

It seemed as if the usual facade of casual composure had been stripped away.

The bare face thus revealed looked withered without even a shred of composure.

When would she come to love him? Well, being close to Valentin did give her a deep sense of reassurance and intimacy.

Like a fish cherishing the sea, or a bird delighting in the wind. A new affection welling up from deep within naturally flowed towards him.

Though she knew nothing of love between men and women, could this be love?

Unlike her cautious nature, he was always confident and consistent.

It would be hard to believe in a human whose heart changed dozens of times a day, but he was not a human being.

He was a being who had lived and endured eternity.

Even if it was mere amusement to him, it could be close to a lifetime for her.

Above all, to lavish such intimate and blind affection so freely.

It was something even her parents couldn’t do, and even Grita found burdensome.

How could she dare refuse Valentin? The man who so easily fulfilled what she had longed for all her life.

Right now.

Someone seemed to whisper in her mind.

Embrace him right now. And tell him you love him.

The urge was so intense that she almost gave in without resistance.

In fact, unable to overcome the rising emotions, she took a step towards him.

Valentin was quietly looking down at her with an inscrutable expression.

He neither avoided her nor stepped forward to hold her.

“Valentin, I…”

Adel opened her mouth with fervent courage.

But the next moment, what came to her mind was Grita’s cynical face.

‘Men are always the same. They act like they’ll give you the world, but once they have a woman, they turn colder than the north wind.’

She hesitated for a moment. Grita’s voice grew louder and louder.

‘So, young lady, you must not trust men. They only know how to desire women, not how to cherish and love them.’

A soft shell grew back over her melted heart. It soon hardened like thorns.

It was as if she had just woken up from a hazy dream. How could she have thought, even for a moment, that she could give everything to him?

Sometimes her emotions felt unfamiliar. It felt just like a snowball about to start an avalanche.

Her feelings for him seemed just as sudden and growing too quickly.

She looked at Valentin, who was still waiting for her answer.

She tried to smile to dispel the awkward atmosphere, but it didn’t work well. She barely managed to open her dry lips.

“Maybe…”

“…”

“If… if you wait… a little…”

Valentin smiled brightly even at this barely squeezed out answer.

“Alright. It’s a promise.”

“Oh my, who on earth tied the waist sash like this…”

“Do you think this is beyond saving?”

Adel blushed as she received Margaret’s incredulous gaze. It felt unfair to be receiving such looks for something she hadn’t done, but Valentin had already left the room long ago.

Margaret clicked her tongue as she carefully tried to untie the sash, then frowned.

“The part that’s broken in the middle really can’t be fixed. We’ll have to carefully cut it with scissors.”

“Won’t that be too noticeable?”

“The fabric color is dark, and it’s velvet, so it won’t be easy to notice unless you look closely. If we tie the remaining strands well, it should be fine even if one strand is missing.”

Adel let out a sigh of relief.

Although the dress she was supposed to wear today was prepared, she didn’t want to ignore Valentin’s gift.

“Don’t worry too much, Your Highness.”

A maid who had just approached said as she set down tea on the nearby table.

“I’ll braid your hair beautifully and let it down. That will cover everything. You’re not going hunting directly today, are you?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Your hair is long and has a good texture, so normally you could just let it down, but it’s the hunting festival after all.”

The maid smiled as if to say not to worry. Then she picked up a comb and skillfully brushed out the hair.

She quickly and delicately braided the thick sections of hair, intertwining them with ribbons.

The baby hairs by the ears were curled into ringlets with a heated iron and left to hang.

“For the evening banquet, you can undo this and tie it up halfway lightly, it’ll look pretty.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

The maid smiled pleasantly and then briskly joined the other maids who were organizing the boxes.

These were Valentin’s gifts that the servants had piled up around noon.

There were handkerchiefs and gloves, and even several pairs of shoes that fit her small feet perfectly.

Of course, there were jewelry accessories and beautiful shimmering dresses in various colors.

The maids opened each box, showed it directly to Adel, and then neatly arranged them one by one.

‘I wonder how much money he spent…’

“His Majesty bestowed quite a large amount of gold this time.”

Seeing Adel’s worried expression, Margaret cautiously spoke up in defense of Valentin.

The news that the Emperor, who had extracted a hefty war reparation from Falsen, had given a mountain of gold coins to the Grand Duke of Ansgar was already known through the maids’ gossip.

Adel whispered carefully after confirming that the maids had moved away.

“Won’t this just make more people jealous?”

“I suppose so. It’s true that our Grand Duke contributed to ending the war, but they say no one has ever received such favor before. That’s probably why the rumors are even bigger…”

She couldn’t hide her uncomfortable feelings. The Emperor’s excessive favor always brought more harm than good.

Moreover, even though Valentin had regained the memories of the Grand Duke of Ansgar, he wasn’t human, so it would be difficult for him to perceive all the intentions of seasoned politicians.

Noticing Adel’s concern, Margaret spoke up cheerfully.

“Your Highness, please don’t think about anything and just focus on recovering. I think I said something unnecessary.”

“No, I begged you to tell me.”

“Of course, Your Highness had the right to know about this issue as well. More importantly, aren’t you hungry?”

“I don’t feel like it right now. I have no appetite, and I need to get in the carriage soon.”

“Still, it would be good if you ate some fruit at least. If you really don’t feel like it, I’ll bring you some dried figs. How about that?”

Adel hesitated a little. In truth, she had no appetite for anything they might bring, and her throat felt somewhat scratchy.

However, she was about to refuse but changed her mind and nodded.

“Then please bring me a little.”

Today, she had to stand alongside Valentin in front of the nobles. She needed to eat something and squeeze out whatever strength she had left.

She didn’t want to reveal to the world that the wife of such a splendid man was a weak woman without any energy.

Margaret got up from her seat with a grin.

“You’ve made a good decision. Eating anything helps you recover faster.”

Margaret left the room and soon returned carrying a wooden bowl piled high with dried figs and nuts.

Adel had to eat a handful of figs without leaving any under Margaret’s strict gaze.

“Your Highness.”

Maids carrying dresses and jewelry boxes in both hands entered the bedroom and displayed what they had brought.

“We’ve selected all the clothes and accessories for you to wear at the hunting festival. Please let us know if there’s anything else you’d like to pack separately.”

The hunting festival would last for the next three days.

The schedule involved setting up numerous tents in the clearing of the Schwarzwald Forest, the Emperor’s hunting ground, for eating, sleeping, hunting, and enjoying feasts under a large tent at night.

It was common practice to pack minimally, so noble ladies would pre-select their clothes and accessories like this. Having packed Sharlotte’s clothes for each hunting festival, this culture wasn’t completely unfamiliar.

Adel awkwardly examined the flamboyant southern-style dresses that Valentin had clearly had newly tailored this time, then nodded.

“I think this will be enough.”

In fact, it seemed more than enough, almost overflowing.

However, she couldn’t honestly say it was burdensome in front of the palace maids.

“If it’s not enough, we can always call merchants to Schwarzwald. Right, Adel?”

“Grand Duke.”

At the sudden voice, the maids startled and bowed deeply. Valentin was already standing in the doorway.

“The carriage is ready. We should hurry.”

He crossed the room and held out his hand to her, urging her.

As they descended the stairs, an impressive new carriage was waiting in front of the annex.

Adel looked at the carriage with perplexed eyes.

It wasn’t the barely adequate carriage they had ridden from Ansgar, but a luxurious new one with black exterior and silver decorations.

She carefully asked.

“Could this also be a gift from His Majesty?”

“That’s right.”

He answered nonchalantly, then opened the carriage door.

He supported her arm to help her climb in easily, then sat down opposite her. Soon, the carriage set off.

To add a little exaggeration, it felt as comfortable as if they were riding on clouds.

“Um, Valentin.”

“Yes, Adel.”

“Have you… perhaps heard about the rumors circulating in the palace recently?”