“Princess! Where did you go! You fell asleep in the garden again, didn’t you?! His Highness the Second Prince has returned.”

“I heard on the way. Where is he?”

“He’s in the main gate square, talking with the prince.”

Velia nodded and hurriedly changed her clothes.

She felt that her current attire was a little inadequate to present to him, as she’d been outside.

“Princess. How about this?”

“Hmm. Do you have something in a darker shade? Too bright a color might look like I dressed up deliberately.”

“Huh. No matter what you wear, you’ll look dressed up…….”

Ignoring the maid’s words, Velia chose a slightly darker blue dress. It was a suitable choice, not too flashy yet not too plain.

Satisfied, Velia adjusted her dress and quickly headed towards the main gate.

As the maid had said, Herald and Khaled were there, conversing. Behind them was the corpse of a creature loaded onto a large carriage.

“Hahaha. You’re truly impressive!”

“Not at all. I was just lucky. I was only worried about my elder brother Raul…….”

Khaled made a modest remark.

Herald seemed to like this side of Khaled.

He had been absolutely repulsive when the rumor of him being Velia’s lover had surfaced. But now, he seemed manly, had a mildmannered personality, and exceptional abilities.

Thinking back, he felt like he had thought Khaled was better than Prince Raul from the start.

“Weren’t you the reason Prince Raul could return safely?”

“I’m really glad that my brother is safe.”

Khaled brazenly blurted out words he didn’t mean.

Unaware of this, Herald was moved, considering him a warmhearted person.

Herald was truly a good person. But being too good a person was worrisome.

Velia, who had been observing this, casually approached them.

“Brother. Khaled.”

“Velia! Where have you been? Prince Khaled has returned after subduing the Alarag and even saved Prince Raul!”

“Oh my! When His Highness the First Prince was worried, it was fortunate that Khaled followed him! We were really lucky!”

Velia also brazenly joined the sham. She had to do at least this much to be considered his lover.

Looking at Velia, Khaled burst out laughing as if he were really happy. Then, naturally, he extended his hand towards Velia.

Velia, accustomed to it, prepared herself mentally to be embraced by him.

‘……Huh?’

But she didn’t feel any contact from him even as she waited.

When she looked at him in surprise, she saw Khaled retracting the hand he had stretched out.

“Khaled?”

As Velia tilted her head and approached Khaled,

He stepped back in surprise with a start.

‘Huh?!’
She approached with a welcoming heart, but was unexpectedly upset by his avoidance.

“…What’s the matter?”

He had always tried to touch her somehow!

It was startling that he, who had always been like that, suddenly rejected her.

Yet even noticing Velia’s mood, Khaled could not reach out.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Khaled clenched his fist.

He had just finished the expulsion and hadn’t bathed for days. Moreover, his clothes were stained with monster’s blood and sap, and he thought it smelled a bit musty.

He couldn’t embrace Velia in this state. However, wasn’t Velia right in front of him, reaching out and looking at him! Ignoring this felt harder than dealing with monsters.

Khaled’s pupils shook rapidly.

“Velia. I can’t come to you because my clothes are dirty.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t washed for days…….”

So it was because of this!?

Velia was somewhat angry at Khaled’s words.

She couldn’t express precisely why she was angry, but her mood was spoiled.

She was upset that he rejected her outstretched hand, and she was disappointed that Khaled didn’t rush over when he saw her, and it was annoying that he couldn’t approach her because his clothes were dirty and he hadn’t bathed.

‘What, really…….’

She was bewildered at why her heart was complicated over such a trivial matter.

What did it mean to feel upset because he didn’t approach her immediately even though she thought of their relationship as purely contractual?

After hurriedly collecting her confused feelings, when Velia looked at Khaled.

‘Ah, really!’

His face, even more upset than hers, looked slumped, and her heart weakens again. Eventually, Velia sighed slightly and approached Khaled.

“Velia!”

Khaled called out to Velia in surprise, but Velia ignored him and hugged Khaled tightly.

“Because your clothes will get dirty…….”

Khaled pushed away Velia’s hand, but Velia was steadfast.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“But…….”

“You’ve worked hard. I’m glad you came back safely.”

At Velia’s words, Khaled’s heart pounded heavily.

It was already the limit just because she approached him first.

“I’m back.”

Khaled reached out with a hesitant hand and held Velia tightly.

Then he buried his face in her neck and took a deep breath.

It felt like his lungs were opening.

“I missed you, Velia.”

Even though the words ‘me too’ did not come back, it didn’t matter.

The fact that she approached him first.

The sight of her looking at his dirty self and saying it didn’t matter.

That was enough of an answer.

Khaled somehow felt a distant feeling that he needed Velia.

“I really, really missed you.”