Jeremi seemed to be quite uncomfortable in his clothes.

“Mr. Jeremi, is the attire very uncomfortable?”

“Yes, Duchess. It’s so uncomfortable that even moving my body feels strenuous. I’ve never worn such heavy and cumbersome clothes in my life.”

“Oh, really? But do you know this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Jeremi, you might not see it, but the attire suits you very well.”

Jeremi’s eyebrows, which were heavily furrowed just a moment ago, relaxed.

“It suits me well?”

“Yes. You look like a knight who just returned after defeating a dragon.”

Mentioning a dragon, both Sicar and Jeremi glanced at me simultaneously.

“With a dragon’s neck?”

“Yes. I heard many village maidens come during the coming-of-age festival. If they see Mr. Jeremi, I’m sure they’ll all want to request a dance.”

Sicar was now openly raising one corner of his mouth, looking at me. It seemed like he was saying, “Compliment more subtly.”

But there was nothing I could do. Going to the festival in that state, he would complain all day long. No woman would like such a man, especially considering that Roen was attracted to Kaizel because of his dignified appearance.

Someone once said that excess is as good as a deficiency. At least for Jeremi now, that saying didn’t seem to apply.

Jeremi, forgetting the discomfort he felt just a moment ago, straightened his shoulders, revealing a dignified expression.

“I’m not sure how to respond to the Duchess’s compliment. Since it’s getting late for the festival, you should go ahead.”

Saying that, Jeremi took the lead and walked away. Watching him from behind, I couldn’t help but laugh, but I quickly held it back when Sicar shot me a glance.

“Now I see you telling lies so easily.”

“No, strictly speaking, it wasn’t a lie. Mr. Jeremi in a knight’s attire really looked impressive.”

“Is it not a lie to say he looks like he just beheaded a dragon?”

Ah, that was certainly a lie. But well, what could I do? It was a white lie, after all.

“Thanks to that, Mr. Jeremi forgot about the discomfort of his clothes, didn’t he?”

I smiled sweetly at Sicar and then followed Jeremi. As I did, Sicar walked behind me, holding my hand and saying, “I’ve heard rumors that I’m a romantic duke who walks around holding his wife’s hand in Lecardor. So don’t let go of my hand.” Who spread that rumor? “But no one here is likely to recognize you.”

“But if by some very low chance someone recognizes me, especially a gossip-loving noble, they might try to find out the truth of the rumor.”

“Just say you want to hold my hand. I’ll hold it without any reservations then.”
Sicar glanced at me, only snorting without ever admitting that he liked me.

“You should have told me you wanted me to hold your hand. Honestly, I’ll be holding your hand frequently from now on.”

As if he wasn’t already holding my hand frequently.

“Come to think of it, you started holding my hand in the beginning, pretending to recall memories. Right? Because of that, others thought we were close and holding hands, and since then, you’ve been holding my hand frequently, pretending I should be seen as a romantic man. Isn’t that right? So, you’ve already held my hand enough.”

“But it seems that’s not enough, considering you’re asking for more.”

‘Ah. This is not even an open-ended interpretation. It’s completely my interpretation.’

“What are you talking about… I…”

“Really. You. Every morning, you were staring at my sleeping face. Isn’t it because you like me too much?”

“Oh, that…”

In the morning, while doing needlework, I had stared at Sicar’s handsome face. However, Sicar, who was not interested in his appearance, would likely consider it an excuse for me to look at him even if I said I did it because he looked handsome.

Of course, my heart raced, but like admiring a great piece of art, it was a natural phenomenon.

“That’s because… Your sleeping face while doing needlework all night looked charming.”

“That’s it. That’s it.”

“Huh? No, how can that be what you mean?”

“I’ve told you many times, I don’t get angry because you like me a lot.”

‘Me, getting angry. Me.’

Sicar, interpreting an open-ended ending that I couldn’t understand by my common sense, made me feel a little unfair. However, we had to end this conversation with an open-ended ending since Jeremi had to get on the carriage first.

When we arrived at the small village of Lepair, the entrance of the village was filled with a festive atmosphere.

As Grandma said, the village was so small that there were only a few households, and even if we called them local bachelors and maidens, there were not many.

However, it was said that at night, people from all over would gather, making the village bustling.

Jeremi seemed to be in a good mood when we arrived, as she looked around with a bright face.

“Wow. It’s my first time at a commoners’ festival, and it feels quite free-spirited, doesn’t it?”

Well, considering I had only attended noble festivals, with the king’s wedding being the only exception, they were glamorous and magnificent but very uncomfortable.