When Edwin declared it, Olivia couldn’t just put down her hand as before.

She was fine just a moment ago. She muttered to herself, twiddling her fingertips.

She tried to lift the corners of her mouth, but as they approached the duchy, she couldn’t hide the tension.

“……Or are you nervous?”

Edwin’s voice was somehow playful. Olivia, about to pout at his sudden teasing, blinked at Edwin’s face.

He always had a smiling face, but now Edwin was sparkling even more. Staring intently to find the cause of this jewellike radiance, Olivia hesitated and then spoke.

“Don’t tell me. Edwin, are you nervous now?”

“Of course. It’s been a long time since I’ve returned.”

Caught off guard by Edwin’s easy response, Olivia chastised herself for her lack of consideration.

She knew well that he had only fought in wars, but why hadn’t she thought that he too would have been away from the duchy for a long time?

Olivia looked at Edwin’s face anew.

Thinking about it, Edwin was really returning to his land after a long time. She felt a strange sense of kinship, and a little guilt for not considering Edwin while she was only thinking of adapting herself.

Olivia relaxed and looked outside. In the meantime, Edwin wrapped a robe over his uniform. It was not of fine embroidery, but that awkward and gaudy patterned robe.

It was the robe he was wearing when Olivia first saw him.

“Is that robe special?”

“If I don’t wear it, I’ll get nagged at, so it’s special in that way?”

Nagged? In this place without a bell, Olivia wondered who would nag Edwin and smiled a bit.

As the majestic and solid walls drew closer, the splendid flower necklaces hanging on the outside of the walls caught her eye.
The lively atmosphere of Vicander territory, welcoming the Duke’s return after a long absence, was palpable.

The iron gates, which seemed like they would never open, swung wide, and the carriage entered Vicander territory. As the heart thumped fiercely, a loud cheer poured towards the carriage.

Startled, Olivia looked outside the carriage. A procession stretched along the road from the castle gate, and the faces of the people were all bright.

This was the first welcome procession of this kind. The nervous Olivia soon nodded at Edwin.

It was quite something, considering that the war hero didn’t even have a victory ceremony. He might have thought that such a procession in his territory was only natural.

“Please wave your hand outside quickly.”

Olivia spoke to Edwin, thinking of Sally.

The people standing there must have wanted to see Edwin as much as Sally, who wanted to see the war hero.

If I had known this, I would have told him to ride a horse instead of a carriage.

Just as Olivia was urging Edwin with a deep sense of regret,

“Miss, who received His Highness’s oath! Welcome to Vicander!”

A bold voice resounded from outside, making Olivia’s eyes widen. Edwin chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

“What are you doing? Not waving your hand outside.”

“Now…….”

Before I could even ask if I heard wrong, a boom— sound was followed by fireworks bursting in the clear sky. The letters formed by the beautiful sparkling fireworks were.

It was the first time Olivia had seen letters made with fireworks. She stared blankly at the letters, her mouth agape. Edwin murmured with a faint smile,

“Anyway, Bethany’s skill is as good as ever.”

“This isn’t a procession for Edwin?”

“Can’t you see? It’s a procession for Olivia.”

“It looks like a victory ceremony.”

“The people of Vicander have already had a victory ceremony more than ten times. So wave your hand quickly.”

This was a first for such hospitality. As she didn’t know what to do and her mind went blank, Edwin looked at Olivia, opened the window, and waved his hand outside.

In a motion that seemed to say, “Follow me,” Olivia slowly waved her hand. Wa— the cheers grew even louder.

The beginning with Vicander, filled with tension, was uplifting to the point where her heart felt heavy.