“Thank you for allowing me to visit. It’s modest, but this is my heart.”

“Uh… Yeah. Thanks.”

Goodness, his heart is incredibly large.

The bouquet, composed of flowers in rare colors I’d never seen before, looked expensive at first glance. As the first official visitor who came to visit, I personally received the bouquet as a gesture of courtesy. However, once I had it in my hands, it was so lush that I couldn’t see in front of me.

Trying not to stumble, I wobbled my short legs, and Cain chuckled as if finding it cute.

“As expected, flowers suit you extraordinarily well. It’s almost impossible to distinguish whether you are the flowers or the princess.”

“I know, right? Are you teasing me right now?”

“Why would I do that? I’m always sincere.”

Thinking of Cain as usual, I handed the heavy bouquet to Sione.

Observing me like a hawk, Cain, who had been discreetly watching, raised his head with a sly smile.

“It seems like you’ve grown a bit taller. It’s only been about a week.”

“Huh? I got taller? I had no idea.”

“You’re probably growing a bit every day. So much so that people around you might not even notice.”

In response to Cain’s words, the maids standing behind seemed to have realized something and clapped their hands as if they were in on some secret.

There seemed to be some hidden meaning behind their applause.

“Recently, I did think that the clothes I used to wear felt a bit short. I thought it was just a mood thing, but maybe it’s because I’ve grown taller!”

“Come to think of it, your way of speaking and intonation seem clearer than before. Even though we serve you up close, we didn’t notice… It’s a bit embarrassing.”

People nearby nodded their heads belatedly as if they had just found out.

But, in reality, I scratched my cheek, having not felt the change.

Perhaps due to the dramatic growth I had been through since my rebirth, the gradual reality of growing a little each day didn’t seem to register.

“At this rate, you’ll soon grow to be about this tall. I look forward to that day.”

“Hmph. Don’t regret saying that because I’ll be much taller than you.”

“That would be fine too. I don’t care about your appearance, Lady Bella. My feelings won’t change.”

When Cain uttered words almost like a confession, the maids behind giggled with delight.

Most of the reactions were romantic or fluttery, but as the person in question, I just felt a bit embarrassed.

There was no guarantee that he would act this way only toward me, and if I were to genuinely accept each of Cain’s actions, it would only tire me out.

“Anyway, I apologize for last time. I left without even saying hello, so it must have surprised you a bit.”

“It was a bit disappointing, but it’s okay. Thanks to that, we have the opportunity to meet again.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

“I can’t see the boy I saw last time. Was his name Raven? I was quite looking forward to meeting him again this time.”
“Why…? There’s no reason for you to meet him.”

“If he’s Lady Bella’s friend, he’s practically a close acquaintance to me. It wouldn’t hurt to build a bit more friendship.”

Recalling the strange tension between Cain and Raven last time, I squinted my eyes. Instead of saying there was no need to be close when inside the palace, I redirected the conversation elsewhere, thinking there was no need for such explanations.

“But why did you send a letter? I didn’t know you wanted to come to Rose Palace.”

In response to my question, Cain, with a slightly embarrassed expression, answered. Sione, who had been silently watching beside him, added an explanation.

“After the last banquet, we tried to arrange a separate meeting. However, visiting the closed palace turned out to be more challenging than expected. Despite formally requesting permission, we were repeatedly denied.”

“Yes. However, none of the families, including our Fernan family, received Lord’s permission. We were waiting for the lifting of the ban, planning to find an appropriate time. Fortunately, we met Lady Bella on that day. I considered it a sign from the gods and immediately returned to the mansion to write a letter.”

A sign from the gods, isn’t that a bit too grandiose? Nevertheless, I couldn’t find any false signs in Cain’s expression as he smiled gently at me.

“He’s staring at me so intently again.”

Though I could count on one hand the number of times our faces met, there were moments when Cain gazed at me as if he were obsessed with something. It was a gaze with such a blindly emotional intensity that one might suspect he was under some unbreakable spell.

“This encounter today had such a long wait. It’s an honor to officially meet Lady Bella like this.”

“But why go to such lengths just to meet me? It can’t be because you were bored, right?”

“If it’s alright with you, may I explain while walking through Rose Palace together? If possible, just Lady Bella and me.”

Sione looked at me with a worried expression, but I nodded confidently. After all, we were inside Rose Palace, and I instinctively knew that Cain wouldn’t harm me.