Had the Duke and she been diligently fooling around all this time?

Was the Duke not only interested in her but also treating her as a potential marriage partner?

Wait a moment…

He was thinking about marriage without even dating?

No wonder her head was spinning.

“Sigh.”

Rose, feeling her legs lose strength, sat down abruptly.

Covering her face with both hands, Rose’s reddened face peeked through her fingers.

“What on earth is this?”

Rose lowered her head and cooled down her red-hot face.

Without realizing her own feelings, if she had accepted the Duke’s proposal…

She might have rejected the Duke’s confession.

Couples in love are now nauseating.

If that had happened, her relationship with the Duke would have ended completely.

“I’m relieved to know my feelings now, rather than later…”

Rose was relieved to have realized her feelings now.

There was no desire to distance herself from the Duke due to a trivial misunderstanding.

Just as she had declared war on Nervan, she was now determined to reveal her feelings.

Hiding feelings of affection was impossible for Rose’s personality.

Whether she liked it or not, her style was to show everything on her face.

If it weren’t for Nervan, it would have taken her a long time to realize this situation.

She had always considered the Duke as a non-romantic figure.

Despite Nervan being detestable, he was the one who made Rose realize her feelings.

In an attempt to drive Rose away, he unintentionally played the role of Cupid.

Rose recalled the kind face the Duke had shown her.

Somehow, her feverish feelings returned.

With her head bowed, Rose murmured to herself.

“It’s still not certain. I need to confirm with the Duke first.”

Rose slowly got up. Then she moved toward her personal palace.

She wanted to freshen up a bit before meeting the Duke.

Although she wanted to ask him many things right away, it wasn’t the right situation.

Her usual face looked dull today. And why was her hair so disheveled?

It seemed that standing in the windy garden for a long time had caused this.

“Squeak [Dash] Squeak [Dash] Squeak.”

“Hmm?”

It felt like she heard a whistle, was it an illusion?

Rose looked around. However, not even the sound of the wind could be heard.

When she started to move away, the whistling sound came again.

“Squeak [Dash] Squeak [Dash] Squeak.”

Like a signal being given, the whistling sound.

It seemed like a familiar situation.

Hadn’t this happened before?

“The day I met Duke Artem and was returning, it seems similar to the signal I gave to Serun.”

The whistling sound, heard in harmony with the rhythm.

“No way… Serun?”

Rose turned her head toward the giant castle wall.

The person giving signals outside the castle wall seemed like Serun.
She looked outside through a small hole in the castle wall.

In the tiny hole where only one finger could fit, she saw a familiar person.

It wasn’t Serun.

“G-Gwen?!”

Gwen, who was anxiously looking around, had an old woman and a young man of Rose’s age by his side.

It was clear they were his wife and son.

From their appearance, it was evident that things were not good.

Gwen looked disheveled and his clothes were extremely dirty.

Not only had he not washed, but it seemed like he hadn’t changed his clothes for several days.

It was clear he had been running away from someone.

A name popped into Rose’s mind.

Cedric.

He must have been up to something with Gwen.

Rose shouted towards him, “Gwen! Wait a moment!”

As Rose’s voice reached them, the faces of Gwen’s group brightened.

Rose quickly went out through the main gate.

Although the knights tried to follow Rose who was leaving without an escort, she firmly told them, “Wait here for just 5 minutes; I’ll be back.”

Ignoring their words, Rose rushed towards the place where Gwen and his group had been just moments ago.

However, there was no one there.

“Huh… Why is no one here?”

Certainly, Gwen was there just a moment ago.

Rose looked around for traces of Gwen.

Suddenly, the Gwen group appeared out of nowhere in the empty air.

“Ack!”

Startled, Rose unintentionally screamed.

She calmed her surprised emotions and looked at Gwen.

“Gwen, what happened? Why did you appear out of thin air?”

“I used this to hide my body.”

Gwen held out a shabby blanket and said, “It’s a magical item. When you cover yourself with it, you can conceal your appearance.”

He used this blanket to hide while waiting for Rose under the castle wall and when he came out of the water.

“Nice to see you again like this, Lady Rose.”

Gwen’s eyes looking at Rose were moist.

Many emotions were mixed in his words.

Seeing Gwen’s shabby appearance, Rose also felt uneasy.

“These are my wife and son.”

Rose exchanged light greetings with them.

“Gwen, are you okay? How long have you been here?”

Gwen, who looked younger than his age, now seemed much older.

“I arrived early this morning.”

“Are you being chased by Cedric?”

“…Yes.”

Gwen’s eyes, weakly lowered, were filled with sadness.

“I’ll help you.”