As soon as they arrived at the inn, the group was divided into two categories.

The men, who thought they should fill their hungry stomachs first, and the women, who prioritized taking a bath. Bazone wanted to wash, but he sat at the dining table after considering the men’s mood.

It was amusing that their appearance had become dirtier after just spending one night outside, but amidst that, their distinguished faces seemed to shine.

The gazes of the people inside the restaurant were evidence that they were directed towards Fernando and the Crown Prince.

Whether it was because of the people’s attention or because the Crown Prince was involved, an awkward silence flowed among the men. At that moment, Bazone chuckled and asked.

“Is this journey similar to what Your Highness expected?”

It was a question about not being able to find firewood, not being able to properly camp, and spending the night without a proper shelter. In response, Leharht lightly replied.

“I didn’t expect wild boars.”

If that wasn’t the case, they might have camped properly after finding firewood. Bazone lightly agreed.

“That’s true. So, do you think we might have to camp again in the future?”

“It’s possible, isn’t it? Unless something unexpected like wild boars happens, the plan should proceed as intended.”

“Yes, but other people are late.”

Bazone, who had nothing more to say, turned the conversation. Nick poked his side. It was a sarcastic jab at why he was openly saying such things. Bazone shrugged.

“Oh? There they come.”
Watching the approaching women from a distance, Bazone spoke. The first to appear was Solha. Perhaps afraid of tripping over the hem of her skirt, she delicately lifted it with both hands as she descended. Nick mumbled upon seeing her.

“Beautiful.”

As Nick uttered those entranced words, Bazone chuckled, looking at him.

“You went to prepare together… Anyway, I don’t know if it’s beautiful only in your eyes, but it seems beautiful to others too.”

“What?”

As Nick blinked, Bazone continued.

“You showed up wearing a dress that is too beautiful for a journey.”

“Ah…”

Only now did Nick understand Bazone’s meaning. Seeing Hanna behind Solha at that moment, Bazone, with an admiring tone, said:

“Really beautiful.”

It wasn’t just because she wore a beautiful dress; Hanna’s appearance was so lovely.

Hanna’s gentle smile harmonized well with the beautiful yellow dress.

“Heishi, in your eyes too… well.”

Bazone, looking at the somewhat absent-minded Heishi, didn’t ask further as if he got the answer. Even so, Solha and Hanna took their seats in the place where people’s gazes were gathered.

“Why do you look at me like that?”

Solha, looking at Nick who kept staring at her, spoke bluntly. At the same time, she subtly pulled her chin. It was a subtle gesture indicating that she knew he was looking because of her preparations.

“Did you bring such a dress in your bag?”
Nick hesitated before asking, “What were you going to say?” Solha looked at her dress when he spoke. There were some wrinkles, but unless you looked closely, it wasn’t noticeable.

“I thought it would be more uncomfortable to wear clothes that I don’t usually wear, even during the journey.”

Solha said while looking at Prince Lehart. She wore this to show it to the prince.

While Solha was talking, Hanna, who was sitting next to Fernando, pointed to the water on the opposite side and said, “Prince Fernando, could you please give me some water?”

Without saying a word, Fernando put a cup in front of Hanna and poured water. Hanna thanked him and lifted the cup.

In fact, water was an excuse, and Hanna spoke with the hope that Fernando would notice her. If he noticed her, he would undoubtedly think she was beautiful. Hanna, who had dressed up hard for Fernando, secretly smiled.

“But will you two continue to speak with courtesy? We’re all friends, so can’t we be more comfortable with each other? We’re already treating each other like that. How about dropping the formality only in official situations?”

Bazone, looking puzzled, was shaking his head, and Hanna, glancing at Fernando, agreed, saying, “Should we?” Nevertheless, since Fernando didn’t seem to mind, Hanna’s smile deepened.

“What about Etienne?”

“Etienne is still washing up.”
However, Fernando didn’t look at me and instead searched for Etienne. It was frustrating that he didn’t say a word about what I had prepared, but Hanna replied obediently.

“After the meal, let’s buy what we need and rest individually. We’ll leave again tomorrow. Now, since we don’t know when we can rest, let’s get our preparations done well.”

While Solha and Hanna were receiving the dishes they ordered, Lehart stood up and spoke. Along with him, Alex also tried to get up. At that moment, Fernando looked somewhere.

Following his gaze, Lehart looked upstairs. Now, the only person coming down was Etienne. Lehart was curious about how long it would take for Etienne, who took a long time to wash up, to come down and how he would look.

And when Lehart saw Etienne, he smiled involuntarily.