Throughout breakfast, Lea stole glances at Akkia. The strange dream she had that night turned out to be real.

The thought that it wasn’t mere desire but reality made Lea’s face flush again.

‘I can’t look him in the face.’

It was then that she was fixated on a mere dish.

“Lea. Are you listening?”

“Yes. Yes?!”

Startled by Akkia’s voice calling her, Lea responded.

“As soon as breakfast is over, we must go straight to the palace.”

“Ah. Yes. Have a good trip.”

Lea blanched at the Duke’s mention of going to the palace.

‘Good.’

She had been anxious about being in the same house and wondered how to step outside.

The Duke takes the initiative to go out. But once again, Lea’s wishes were not fulfilled.

“What do you mean? You have to come with me.”

“…I have to?”

“Why? Do you dislike it?”

‘Yes. I dislike it. I very much dislike it!’ Almost blurted out, but she forced a smile.

“No, why would I dislike it? Haha.”

What can you do? If the boss orders, you have to obey.

Thus, after breakfast, the two headed straight to the palace. The carriage slowed down as if it had reached its destination and then stopped.

“We have arrived.”

Akkia gestured for the dazed Lea, who was still sitting in the carriage, to come out. She stepped out of the carriage, opened by the coachman, and walked into the palace.

Soon, someone who appeared to be a palace servant stood before them.

“You’ve had a long journey, Your Grace.”

Akkia nodded to the servant who bowed respectfully.

“Let’s go to the audience chamber.”

Just as the two were about to follow the servant, he blocked Lea’s path.

“From here on, only those granted permission by His Majesty may enter.”

Lea thought this was rather fortunate; she could escape being with the Duke.

“I have no choice. Your Grace, I will turn back here…”

But the Duke scribbled something on a piece of paper.

Lea had to swallow a sigh at the note that shattered her inflated hopes.

“Yes, understood.”

With those words, Akkia moved his steps into the palace. Only when the Duke was out of sight did Lea begin to look around.

The palace she had just entered was overwhelmingly magnificent and imposing.

“Shall we go to the garden first?”

Thinking that the palace’s herbal garden might contain rare herbs, Lea moved her steps.

“Wow.”

She swallowed her awe as she stared at the large greenhouse built with transparent windows. The rumors that they had gathered all the world’s rare herbs seemed true.

Standing at the entrance, Lea was startled by the sight of a tree.

“Is this a Reparatio tree!?”

A rare tree unavailable in the Empire. The sap of the tree was almost a cureall, a valuable herb.

“So, there’s only one tree in the Empire, and it’s here in the palace.”

Lea was feeling the grandeur of the palace. Exiting the greenhouse, she noticed a bronze sculpture placed outside in the garden.

The wolf standing beside what seemed to be the goddess Helena, the snake wrapped around her staff, and even the hawk sitting next to her.

She had never seen such intricate and delicate art in her life.

Just as Lea approached and started examining the sculpture, a male voice came from behind.

“It’s a statue made with the founding myth of the Croatea Empire as a motif. It captures the loyalty of the three founding families, so to speak.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Lea turned around. A familiar man entered her field of vision.

“You are…!”

The man she had met in an alley during her previous visit to the capital.

The knight who had saved her from almost being sold into slavery by human traffickers.
Lea recognized the man in an instant and felt her cheeks flush. He also seemed to recognize Lea, gracing her with the same smile as before.

“To meet again in a place like this. It must be fate.”

Under the dazzling sun, his golden hair shimmered.

It was the same hair color as the Count, yet it somehow emitted a different shade. Realizing she was staring intently at the man, Lea suddenly snapped out of it.

“I’m, I’m sorry! I was lost in thought.”

Lea hastily greeted the man with proper decorum.

“It’s an honor to meet you again, Sir.”

Whether it was her greeting or the title ‘Sir’ that surprised him, the man’s blue eyes widened gradually.

Soon, a casual laugh broke the silence.

“Ha, hahaha. Yes, the honor is mine, Lady.”

His smile was gentle and charming, but Lea tilted her head, puzzled. She couldn’t understand why he was laughing.

‘Did my greeting amuse him? Or is he not a knight?’

However, the man was dressed in a casual outfit, and a sword hung at his waist, as if he’d just stepped off a battlefield.

“If I had more time, I’d love to give you a tour of the palace.”

Just as the man’s mellifluous voice filled the air, someone seemed to approach hastily from a distance.

Realizing this, he let out an awkward laugh.

“It seems they’ve already found me.”

A man who appeared to be a servant approached, panting.

“Are you here? You must go at once. A scorpion has arrived…!”

“Stop.”