“The day before yesterday was not good, but today will be different.”

Alejandro said resolutely as soon as he got into the carriage. Unlike the day before yesterday when he returned without properly seeing the armor, today Alejandro’s face was full of determination from the start of the journey to the merchant guild.

Nerea smiled leisurely. Whether it was because of the soft back support or the thought of seeing her armor again, she was in a good mood.

“It’s okay. Seeing that you couldn’t stop Miss Lancaster from entering your room, I guess she’s a good friend to Johnny.”

“What?”

“Ah. Aren’t you feeling jealous?”

Alejandro blinked, stunned by the words spoken jokingly. Then he raised his chin and spoke with full confidence.

“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, I’m Johnny Hamilton’s best friend.”

“But Johnny ran after Miss Lancaster at that time.”

The small and chubby Alejandro and the slightly bigger and chubby Johnny.

Nerea always thought of them as a combination of burst bread and puffy bread. A determined burst bread and a plump, soft puffy bread.

Sometimes they would hug each other in perfect harmony, and other times they would grumble at each other pretending to be sharp when something didn’t match. She had often swallowed her laughter watching them.

It was the same now.

“You must have seen it wrong, sir.”

“That can’t be. My eyesight is excellent.”

“It has nothing to do with eyesight. You don’t have any friends, sir.”

Ugh. Nerea glared at Alejandro, who had hit the nail on the head.

The young face looked just like a child when glared at. The jet-black eyes smiled languidly, as if teasing the young knight.

“That’s not true. I have friends too.”

“Ah, is that so? Who are they?”

Alejandro smiled kindly at the defiant tone. He had already heard from Heather that she hadn’t interacted with anyone.

But seeing the knight’s pretty eyes, like mist on a lake, rolling around in contemplation, Alejandro’s heart softened. He was about to say he would accept any name she mentioned.

“David Illauser…?”

Alejandro’s expression involuntarily hardened at the name muttered uncertainly.

“No way.”

His voice was fierce as he spoke through gritted teeth.

“… You’re not talking about that ill-mannered fool who grabbed your wrist so rudely, are you?”

“Oh.”

Nerea let out a meaningless exclamation.

I had forgotten about that. That guy was that David.

The face of the person in her hazy memory came into focus. Nerea shrugged.

What she actually remembered was Alejandro coming to get her, trembling, and the stars pouring through the window.

“Our Count. You’re not sleeping well, they say? I can make you relax completely and sleep soundly in one room.”

It was a dreamy night. It was also during a time when days continued where it seemed like screams and terrible smells would linger as soon as she closed her eyes.

She had been drunk to forget her suffering, and at that moment, the words promising to put her to sleep at once sounded more tempting than what the knight who rudely grabbed her wrist was babbling about.

“C-Count, it’s time for you to go to bed now!”

Alejandro, who had bravely come forward, held out his hand to Nerea while trembling. Despite his small stature, his rather large hand was full of calluses.

Looking at that hand, Nerea laughed and kicked the back of her fellow knight. She remembered the muffled scream and the fellow knight turning to look at her. Although he was making advances, they hadn’t been on bad terms until then. True to his reputation of being able to only float his mouth even if he fell into water, he was just an extremely frivolous guy.

“Go. It’s time for me to go to bed.”

But the place the servant guided her to was not the bed, but a makeshift bathroom.

The wooden bathtub, from somewhere, was full of steaming water. Even then, bathing service was said to be the servant’s greatest honor. Alejandro really didn’t leave and turned around to offer a large white towel to wrap around her body.

He waited for Nerea to take the white cloth, wrap it around her body, and enter the tub.

And only after the splash of water did he turn back to Nerea. Alejandro, who kept biting his soft lips, looked at Nerea with eyes flickering with anxiety.

“Why do you keep biting your lip like that? If you want to hear praise for doing well, I can do it dozens of times.”

“I, I dare not speak about the Count’s night, but.”

The trembling voice was pitiful. Alejandro glanced around and continued speaking.

“If, if such a situation arises, I hope you would never associate with someone who grabs your wrist.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a knight, Count.”

Nerea was at a loss for words.

“To dare to grab that precious wrist so carelessly.”

Alejandro looked at Nerea’s wrist with a face that seemed more pained than her own. Then he looked up at Nerea as if asking for permission.

When Nerea nodded, Alejandro carefully took her wrist and gently massaged it.

Being grabbed by the wrist and swung around was familiar. Nerea recalled Helen and the maids who used to spin her around like a ball.

The careful touch, as if handling a porcelain doll, was both perplexing and welcome.

“Does it hurt?”

With a feeling of her nose bridge tingling, Nerea nodded. Then, shrugging as if it was nothing, she asked.

“Then who should I associate with?”

Alejandro’s face brightened. Soon, he lowered his voice sternly.

“First of all, absolutely not someone who grabs your wrist carelessly.”

“And?”

“Preferably someone who knows to prepare perfumes and flowers in advance, and even call for a band.”

“I thought you didn’t know.”

“Pardon?”

“What’s with the band? How did you know about the perfumes and flowers?”

Nerea smiled mischievously. She knew he was well-versed in mythology and art, but she didn’t know he would be so precocious with such a docile face. She had hoped his face would turn red like a well-baked bread right away, but Alejandro gently narrowed his eyes.

“Well, my father always brings beautiful flowers as a gift for my mother every time he comes home.”

Ah. Nerea’s water-colored eyes wavered for a moment as she recalled a time from the past. Come to think of it, had my father ever bought pretty flowers for my mother even once? I think I worried about such things back then.

Nerea spoke in a more relaxed voice.

“…You have a good memory.”

“How could you call such a guy a friend!”

The voice that snapped back as soon as the words ended was quite sharp. Only then did Nerea look into Alejandro’s eyes and felt a bit taken aback.

Alejandro’s eyes were fierce.

The black eyes seemed angry and also complicated. Seeing those strange eyes, Nerea shrugged.

“Well…”

Because I really don’t have any friends.

But it felt awkwardly uncomfortable to say it now, so Nerea said anything.

“…Sharing something like camaraderie is also friendship, isn’t it?”

“Camaraderie! Would someone who knows such a thing act like that?”

“Back then, no matter how much he disliked it, he always used honorifics and called me ‘Your Grace’.”

The suddenly changed form of address felt unfamiliar.

Back then, he trembled before David Illauser, but now Alejandro seemed so solid that he wouldn’t bat an eye if he encountered him.

“Don’t change the subject.”

“Come to think of it, how is David Illauser doing?”

“How would I know that? I only focused on you, sir.”

The alluring atmosphere emanating from the curled lip ends along with the infinitely low voice as he spoke the latter part.

“You don’t believe me? I’m hurt.”

For a moment, Alejandro smiled gently with his eyes. Nerea looked out the window as if trying to change the subject.

The scenery was passing by quickly in front of her eyes, but the gaze piercing her back was much more stimulating. Her back felt hot as if it was being baked in the sun.

When Nerea didn’t answer, Alejandro tried to speak several times but eventually turned his body around pretending to be sulky.

Actually, she couldn’t answer because she was at a loss for words. Nerea glanced sideways at Alejandro. His large and thick back seemed to have “sulking” written all over it, making Nerea burst into laughter.

And here I thought all his cuteness was gone.

Once upon a time, when Alejandro sulked, only his cheeks would puff up. But now, Alejandro’s cheeks, glimpsed briefly, were neither as red nor as chubby as back then.

But strangely enough.

The slightly sunken cheeks above the firm and strong-looking jawline somehow made her want to poke them. Nerea unconsciously reached out her finger.

Poke-.

And Nerea’s eyes widened. The palm that completely enveloped her hand in an instant was hot. She knew his hands were big, but they were much larger than expected.

The jet-black eyes that came close to her face grew even larger. As the eyes filled with bewilderment and strange tension seemed to come a little closer.

“Did, did I surprise you?”

“…Don’t say anything.”

Alejandro turned his head as if he didn’t want to speak anymore. Nerea looked at the warmth that had disappeared in an instant.

His reflexes were amazing. The fact that he grabbed her hand completely, not her wrist, while catching it instantly made her want to ask if he had trained separately.

But Nerea couldn’t say anything. The sunlight seemed to pour down abundantly over Alejandro’s earlobe, who had completely turned his back.

In an atmosphere where she couldn’t even speak, Nerea quietly looked out the window. Amidst the rapidly passing scenes, she suddenly recalled her last moment with David Illauser.

No. It wasn’t the last moment with David Illauser, but her own last moment alone.

Nerea corrected herself mentally.

Because among the days when she was helplessly pushed out after the victory banquet ten years ago, there were certainly scenes of effort.

“I know Count Illauser. I would appreciate it if you could tell him that Count Esteban has come.”

The entrance of the Illauser mansion vaguely came to mind. Despite her earnest request, the butler skillfully deflected. As she kept looking up, unable to leave, there was certainly a face watching from somewhere in the mansion. But in the end, no proper contact came.

During the war, he had approached her first, saying that Alejandro reminded him of his younger brother, and she thought they had become somewhat close after going through several battles together.

“Count, thank you for saving me again today.”

“What’s this? Don’t try to act cool when it doesn’t suit you. Get lost.”

“No. Really, once I find a ‘justification’ and fulfill my family’s long-cherished wish, I, David Illauser, will truly repay this debt to Count Nerea Esteban tenfold!”

So after returning victorious, until Baron Jenax got hurt, she had secretly expected to hear from him.

Ah.

A faint sigh of realization scratched the inside of her throat hard. She finally understood the identity of the discomfort that made her not want to reveal that she had no friends.