Those who were observing their appearance were feeling uncomfortable and were looking around nervously.

In front of their eyes, the prince and the princess of the Ronica Kingdom were having a lovers’ quarrel.

And it seemed that they themselves were the cause of it.

They quickly exchanged glances with each other.

And finally, Mia of the Count Juburk family, who lost the battle of wits, closed her eyes tightly and stepped forward.

“Um, Princess!”

Bellia turned her head at the sudden voice.

“You don’t have to worry about us!”

Mia shouted, including her inner thoughts of ‘So please spend some intimate time together, you two!’

But Bellia didn’t want to send them away like this after they had worked hard all day. So after thinking for a moment, she decided to persuade Callid to leave.

“I’m sorry, but could you go to the reception room first?”

Bellia asked a maid to guide them.

“Oh. Well…”

“I just feel bad about sending you away like this. I’ll be there soon.”

Unable to refuse Bellia’s suggestion to the end, the girls rolled their eyes and followed the maid to the reception room.

“Callid.”

And after confirming that they had disappeared from sight, Bellia called Callid in a soft voice.

“…Are you going to neglect me?”

Callid asked in a sulky voice.

“What do you mean by neglect?”

“What if your hunting dog gets tired of its owner’s indifference and breaks its leash to run away?”

Bellia was startled by his words and looked around quickly.

Fortunately, there was no one around.

“How can you say such things here!”

Bellia cautioned him, but Callid rather enjoyed her startled reaction and spoke with a pleased expression.

“Hm? You should keep a tight hold on my leash.”

Bellia responded, annoyed by his expression.

“That hunting dog has long been tamed and doesn’t need a leash.”

“Is that so?”

Callid approached Bellia one step closer with a dangerous look in his eyes.

Bellia didn’t avoid him and looked straight into Callid’s eyes.

Looking at her like that, Callid suddenly burst into laughter.

As Bellia was about to open her mouth in confusion.

“Mmph!”

In an instant, Callid kissed Bellia.

Bellia realized this was in the hallway and tapped his shoulders, but Callid rather pulled her in more deeply. It was a kiss after a long time.

‘The young ladies must be waiting in the reception room…’

At first, she had clearly intended to send him away firmly.

But the moment their lips met, it was as if her reason had been paralyzed and she couldn’t possibly push him away. In the end, Bellia closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Did you wait long?”

After sending Callid to his room, when Bellia hurriedly headed to the reception room, more time had passed than she thought.

“I’m so late. I’m really sorry.”

Bellia apologized to them with a remorseful heart. Everyone smiled and said it was okay.

They even seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.

Bellia thought that was quite fortunate and looked at the table as she sat down.

It seemed that the perceptive maids had served refreshments and tea well.

“No, it was nice to see you getting along so well with the Second Prince.”

Rachel said with a smile.

“Rather, it feels like we’ve interfered with your time together…”

“No! That’s not true.”

Bellia hurriedly denied her words.

But everyone here couldn’t forget the look in Callid’s eyes when he saw them.

It was a look full of meaning, telling them not to interfere and to leave quickly.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen the Second Prince make such an expression. Hehe.”

Rachel laughed, covering her mouth.

Bellia unknowingly blushed and pouted her lips.

“…I’m so embarrassed, I don’t know how to face you all.”

Bellia was really shy.

It felt like they had caught a glimpse of a truly private moment, not something intentionally shown.

And seeing Bellia like this, everyone thought the same thing in their hearts.

‘Cute.’

Although Bellia was pure and delicate, blushing like that gave off a different feeling.

They could surely guarantee that Callid must have fallen head over heels for this side of Bellia.

And it was certain that the Second Prince must have tried incredibly hard to monopolize this sight.

Rachel wanted to become friends with Bellia.

She had once accidentally seen Bellia taking care of children at an orphanage.

‘She’s really a good person.’

When she first saw Bellia’s face smiling as she took care of each and every marginalized child, she could tell that she truly adored them.

Rachel didn’t like insincere people.

Although there were many opinions that she wouldn’t know about the ways of the world because she had only grown up receiving love, on the contrary, because she had received so much sincere love, she could quickly distinguish insincere attitudes.

‘Princess Bellia knows how to pity people.’

That was a virtue not easily seen among the nobles of the empire.

Ever since she accidentally got to know Bellia at the orphanage, she had been watching her constantly, and unknowingly came to like her due to her consistent behavior.

And now it was time to make a decision in her heart.

“Princess.”

“Yes?”

Bellia, who was busy fanning herself to cool her heated face, looked at Rachel.

“I want to get closer to you, Princess.”

“Pardon?”

Actually, speaking like this would normally be a great disrespect.

But Rachel was certain. This would rather resonate more sincerely with Bellia.

“I want to become friends with you, Princess.”

“Pardon?”

Bellia’s eyes grew round.

“Can’t we be friends?”

Saying so, Rachel smiled very brightly.

[This is the timeline separator]

Bellia’s heart was pounding.

Even though she was lying in bed, she kept feeling like her body was floating.

‘Friends…’

To be honest, it was the first time she had heard the word friend.

There were always people around her. But if asked whether she could call them friends, she could shake her head without hesitation.

As a princess of a country, she often showed her face in social circles, but it felt like she was performing her duties as a princess, not feeling like she was chatting or playing with friends.

Then one day, when she suddenly looked around, there wasn’t a single person around her who she could call a friend.

The maids couldn’t be friends.

Even Closet and Herald weren’t friends.

‘It was the first time…’

For someone to say they wanted to be friends with her.

For some reason, her heart kept fluttering.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

Callid, who entered through the door connected to his room, asked Bellia.

Earlier she had gone off so coldly to others, but now her expression was softened as if something good had happened.

“Did something good happen?”

Callid approached Bellia, who was lying in bed, and stroked her hair.

“You look like there was some reward for leaving me behind.”

Although his touch was affectionate, only sulky words came out of his mouth.

Bellia glared at him and brushed off Callid’s hand.

“See? You’re unnecessarily harsh only to me.”

“Did you forget that you’re banned from entering my room today?”

Bellia glared at Callid with her eyes in a triangular shape.

But the opponent was Callid.

“A day has already passed, you know?”

“How could a day have passed…!”

Come to think of it, had it already passed midnight?

As Bellia blinked her eyes and looked at him, she saw a face smiling coolly.

“Right?”

How annoying.

Extremely so.

“So what made you smile so happily?”

Bellia didn’t answer.

Then Callid jumped onto the bed next to Bellia with an exaggerated gesture.

The bed shook greatly from the rebound.

“Eek!”

Bellia, who had been lying quietly and suddenly suffered misfortune, cried out in surprise.

Callid didn’t miss the opportunity and pulled Bellia into his arms.

“Let go.”

“No.”

Then he tightened his grip to prevent Bellia from escaping.

Bellia struggled for a moment but soon gave up and relaxed her whole body. She wouldn’t be able to win with strength anyway.

“You know, Callid.”

“Hmm?”

Bellia spoke while obediently nestled in his arms.

“…I think I’ve made a friend.”

It was just saying that she had made a friend, but somehow it felt a bit shy and the words coming out of her mouth felt awkward.

Callid looked down at Bellia with a puzzled expression.

But Bellia buried her face deeper in Callid’s chest, hiding her expression.

“…Hehe.”

As Bellia let out a childlike laugh, Callid opened his eyes wide and looked at Bellia nestled against him. It was a laugh he had never heard before.

“Is that so good?”

“Yes.”

Bellia fidgeted, embarrassed.

Then she whispered in a very small voice.

“It’s the first time someone has asked to be friends with me.”

When she first set foot in the empire as Raul’s rain, people approached her with full of goodwill, but it was never an equal relationship.

Perhaps Rachel’s desire to be friends with her might also involve some kind of vested interest.

But even so, in that moment, she felt sincerity in the words Rachel spoke to her, and she felt that it wasn’t about wanting to get closer for some benefit, but rather conveying her heart from an equal standpoint, person to person.

Bellia hoped that feeling wasn’t wrong.

“I was really, really happy.”

Bellia’s voice was moist.

It was her first friend.

Both in her previous life and in this life.

“I want to get along well with them.”

Callid seemed very curious about the details, so he adjusted his posture, tidied the hair stuck to Bellia’s face, and asked.

“Did you like them?”

“…They seem like good people.”

Seeing Bellia’s attitude, still unsure despite clearly liking them, Callid lightly kissed her forehead and said.

“If that’s what you think, then it must be so.”

As if that action was some kind of small ritual, somehow the thought that everything would be alright sprouted.

Bellia whispered quietly.

“I wonder if we could have been friends in my previous life too?”

If she hadn’t just followed Raul’s back and put up walls against them. If so, would there have been a different result?

The Bellia in her previous life had been too blind in some ways. Not even knowing that it was creating distance from those around her.

“Who knows. But what’s certain is that the current you is charming enough that anyone would want to be close to.”

“…Enough. Flattering me like that won’t get you anything.”

“I’m serious. So don’t miss opportunities by doubting unnecessarily, and enjoy your new life to the fullest.”

The only change in her behavior from before was that she had chosen Callid instead of Raul, but the surrounding environment was changing incomparably from then.

“Thank you. Somehow it feels like it’s all thanks to you.”

At Bellia’s thanks, Callid playfully wrinkled his eyes and said.

“Hmm. You should have more confidence.”

His voice was refreshing.

“It’s natural for others to see you that way since even I fell for you. You’re a sufficiently wonderful person.”

Listening to Callid’s words made her feel as if she were someone great.

Bellia quietly savored his words and then, overwhelmed by emotion, closed her eyes tightly and hugged Callid.