The imperial city, where the mood of summer had settled quite well, was bustling with the approaching National Foundation Day.

The inner gates, usually closed, opened as numerous nobles and envoys from neighboring kingdoms announced their entry into the palace.

The grandest and most sacred festival of the empire.

At this time, waiting for the grand imperial banquet hall erected in the middle of the garden full of forget-me-nots to open, people were everywhere in the palace, and it was noisy.

“You called for me, Your Highness.”

Except for the Crown Prince’s office.

Jeffrey, who had been watching people freely entering and exiting the Crown Prince’s garden through the window, turned his head.

Kedilen, who came in, gave a brief bow to his gaze. Jeffrey’s dry lips moved slightly as he stared at him, then curved into a smile.

As the dryness disappeared and a smooth smile appeared, Kedilen swallowed.

Jeffrey nodded and turned around. After offering him a seat, Jeffrey approached with a teapot.

“It seems like it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Three months, perhaps?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Sitting down and tilting the teapot towards the teacup, he glanced at Kedilen.

He noticed his cheeks, flushed with abundance, quite different from the past few months when he had been wandering after his wife’s disappearance.

Even though news of Ludmila’s escape had come and the imminent war had fizzled out, he remained calm.

The most fundamental reason why he wanted Ludmila in the first place.

After all, it was because she could bring the image needed for the family’s revival and business success, but now it could be resolved even without Ludmila.

Whether Kedilen wanted it or not, he had finally taken off.

As much as he had once hit rock bottom, he soared even higher, enjoying greater glory and business success than in the past.

I heard he’s busy expanding his business scale.

While showing such a businesslike side, he also displayed a longing for his wife whenever he attended banquets.

Jeffrey felt a renewed sense of awe whenever he saw him with his keen eye for practicality.

“I heard you’ve been busy lately. Lots of work. I should have called you earlier to apologize before I got busy, please understand that I couldn’t.”

“Apology… you say?”

Jeffrey raised his teacup as he watched him frown, not seeming to understand what he meant.

“Even though the Marchioness left Habertz of her own accord, I should have held the Duke responsible, but I didn’t. I heard the Marquis was disappointed with my decision in many ways, wasn’t he?”

“Ah, if it’s about that, it’s fine. I’ve already forgotten about it.”

“I’m glad to hear that. As expected, the Marquis is broad-minded. More than that-.”

Jeffrey, who had been smiling softly while tilting his teacup, narrowed his eyes and trailed off.

Seeming to think he had beaten around the bush enough, he placed the teacup on the coaster and leaned back in his chair.

“I called you because I wanted to ask a favor.”

Kedilen’s body twitched slightly at the word ‘favor’.

It was instinct that nothing good would come from being involved with the Crown Prince, but the moment the Crown Prince uttered the word ‘favor’, it was a situation that couldn’t be refused.

At that word, which was no different from coercion, Kedilen swallowed a short sigh.

“Please tell me.”

“You don’t need to be so tense. I just wanted to ask you to attend the flag-raising ceremony at this year’s National Foundation Day. Wasn’t the Erdi Marquis couple scheduled to attend this year’s flag-raising ceremony as planned?”

“That’s right. The talk fell through when the situation wasn’t good before.”

Jeffrey pulled the corners of his mouth as Kedilen smiled bitterly.

“I apologize for that part. Anyway, the point is this. I’d like the Marquis to be a symbol at this National Foundation Day. A symbol of the old nobility and the new nobility. Two divided factions uniting as one. As it happens, Baron Vex from the old nobility is also participating in the flag-raising ceremony, so it’s not a bad condition for the Marquis, is it?”

A glint appeared in Kedilen’s eyes.

If he were to participate in the flag-raising ceremony alongside the Speaker of the Lower House, his position would become even more solid.

It was a perfect opportunity to establish himself as the undisputed leader of the new nobility.

However, Jeffrey.

He felt that this cunning Crown Prince wasn’t making this proposal with good intentions. There must be some ulterior motive.

But even if he couldn’t grasp that hidden intent and scheme, the proposal was very sweet.

“I understand. I will participate.”

Kedilen bit into the bait that he couldn’t refuse. An indelible smile appeared on Jeffrey’s lips as he heard the answer.

“I look forward to your participation, Marquis.”

It was a smile mixed with an indecipherable impurity.

Benjamin’s steps, which had been combing through the palace, stopped when he spotted Aden staring blankly at the garden.

As his shoulders rose and fell once, exhaling a sigh of relief, Aden turned around as if aware of him.

Benjamin nodded his chin in greeting to Aden, who was staring at him intently, then approached him.

Standing next to Aden and looking down at what he was watching, a bewildered smile soon appeared on Benjamin’s lips.

What Aden had been looking at was a white flower with large leaves.

While it was an absurd scene that didn’t suit his friend at all, he suddenly recalled the past when Aden had fallen into silence while looking at white plum blossoms, so he couldn’t just burst into laughter.

Several months had passed since Ludmila disappeared.

Whenever he received reports related to Aden, Benjamin felt a deep uneasiness.

And a few days ago, when he set foot in the townhouse with the nobles of Habertz to participate in the National Foundation Day, he was able to grasp the substance of that uneasiness.

Something was broken in Aden.

Although his friend seemed perfectly normal and without any problems, his eyes couldn’t deceive.

Aden was enduring something. Patience beyond limits was holding its breath, disguised as tranquility.

And Benjamin knew all too well what the reason for that patience was.

Benjamin, who had been staring blankly at Aden, sighed softly and ran his hand through his hair.

“Cistus.”

“What?”

As Aden’s gaze rolled over, Benjamin nodded his chin.

“The flower, it’s called Cistus.”

Whether it was a joke of fate or not.

It was ridiculous that the flower he was looking at was the birth flower of his wife, Melena, but thanks to that, he could explain to Aden what that flower was.

Excluding the flower language, of course.

“It’s an interesting flower. It blooms in midsummer but burns up even in sunlight. That’s why it’s often grown as an ornamental plant, but you can’t easily see it on the streets. Want me to give you some? We’re growing them in the garden.”

Benjamin suggested, nodding his chin.

Aden, who had been staring at the flower with dry eyes, shook his head briefly.

As if he had already expected him to refuse, Benjamin didn’t make any further suggestions.

Aden, who turned around with a short breath, looked at Benjamin.

“The flag-raising ceremony was at 10 o’clock, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. If you’re thinking of skipping again, you’d better come to your senses. It’s okay to skip the banquet, but the flag-raising ceremony is very important. If you don’t want to create unnecessary trouble, you must attend without fail.”

Benjamin emphasized, glaring at him. The flag-raising ceremony was the highlight and most important event of the National Foundation Day.

It was such an important event that even the ailing Emperor would attend, so it was unthinkable for Aden to be absent.

Fortunately, it seemed he didn’t intend to go that far, as Aden burst into a small laugh and nodded, turning his body.

“Where are you going?”

“I have a private meeting with the Crown Prince for a moment.”

“What?”

Benjamin’s face crumpled at his words. It was a natural reaction for someone who had unpleasant memories with the Crown Prince.

Aden, who chuckled at that sight, loosened his bowtie.

“I’ll be back before the flag-raising ceremony, so don’t worry.”

“I’m more worried about what the Crown Prince might do than you not coming.”

“This event is more important to the Crown Prince than to me. He won’t be thinking of doing anything, so don’t worry.”

Knowing well that Jeffrey valued his position as Crown Prince and his own status more than anyone else, Benjamin just nodded without asking further.

Yet why did he feel uneasy?

Benjamin, who had been silently watching Aden wave his hand and walk away, bit his lip and scratched his head.

It was when a rosy carpet was spread long on the ground that Ludmila returned home after finishing the festival preparations in Tenant Village.

She gently declined Angar’s offer to escort her personally and set off on her own.

As she left the small mountain where festival preparations were in full swing and the lake came into view, Ludmila’s pace gradually slowed.

When she finally reached the lakeside, she stopped as if to admire the beautiful twilight scenery.

Ripples spread across the red lake with the sound of a gentle breeze.

Traces of emotion stirred in Ludmila’s red eyes as she silently gazed at that sight.

It was quite some time later that the wind that had been blowing strongly calmed down.

As the angry lake regained its tranquility, a small sigh escaped from Ludmila’s tightly closed lips in the silence that came like a lie.

“Ms. Ludmila?”

It was then that a voice calling her was heard. It was Mrs. Marybold, the wife of the son of the village chief of Tenant Village, who was in charge of the festival.

Ludmila turned her head, smiled sociably, and bowed her head.

Mrs. Marybold, who approached beside her, quietly laughed as she looked at the scenery Ludmila had been watching.

“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s beautiful.”

“I like it here too. The sunset reflected in the lake at this time is a sight you can’t see even if you pay for it.”

It was indeed a sight that couldn’t be created even for billions.

Ludmila nodded at the thought that it was a treasure bestowed by nature, and Mrs. Marybold looked at Ludmila with sociable eyes.

“Come to think of it, the National Foundation Day must be in full swing in the neighboring country now. My son went there to participate just recently.”

It was a terribly realistic word that awoke Ludmila’s spirit, which seemed to have fallen into a trance, enchanted by the scenery.

National Foundation Day. If there had been no problems, she would have ascended to the flag-raising ceremony with Kedilen this year.

Ludmila felt bitter as she thought about a future that would not happen, suddenly feeling empty.

When such thoughts and reflections came, it was always followed by Aden. Just that name.

“By the way, Ms. Ludmila, have you ever been to the National Foundation Day?”

At the innocent Mrs. Marybold’s question, Ludmila shook her head with a smile that erased her bitterness.

The Ludmila here had never been to the National Foundation Day, nor would she ever go.

From now on, she would live a life suited to village festivals like this, not grand imperial celebrations.

Ludmila, who once again reminded herself of her and Aden’s positions, whose paths had diverged, quietly gazed at the lake dyed by the twilight.