“Those two were originally supposed to go see the Mithri tree with Fernando. And they fell into the place we missed, and Fernando rescued them. That time they spent together became a catalyst….”

Etienne’s voice, about to continue, suddenly trailed off. Contemplating what she had just said, Etienne looked up at the sudden sound of laughter.

“Even if they hadn’t fallen, would it still have continued as fate? Or do things happen as they are meant to happen?”

Leharht pinpointed Etienne’s continued confusion.

“Well… I don’t really know.”

But, as Leharht said, everything I remember did happen. It was just that within it, the flow had slightly deviated.
“I came to confirm that. I’ll go. If you happen to get bored, come outside.”

As Leharht seemed to release his arm from the window frame, he suddenly reached into the carriage. Seeing the hand approaching her face as if to cover it, Etienne unconsciously closed her eyes.

Then, she opened her eyes at the sensation touching her head.

“When you finish organizing your thoughts, let me know too. I won’t ask you to tell me everything. Just tell me what you want me to be cautious about.”

Whether it was because of the large hand comforting her head or the words that seemed to have peered into her, or maybe it was because of his warm gaze, she didn’t know.

There was only one thing she sincerely wished for.

“I hope Your Highness doesn’t die.”

It wasn’t just for the sake of her family. She wanted him to live and maintain that smile for a long time.

Etienne nodded her head. Although his hand felt heavy on her, she responded with action instead of words.

“Be careful with the flowers.”

“Flowers? Alright.”

Even with the sudden mention, Leharht nodded as if understanding and then looked at Etienne.

“I’ll tell you one thing too. I have a future that I predict with very close certainty. Should I tell you?”

“What… is it?”

“Someone will come to meet you.”

Although he seemed to know who the person coming to meet her was, he didn’t mention it.

“When that person warmly welcomes you, don’t be swayed by that smile.”
After that, he lightly tapped the corner of my mouth.

“Because you’re not prettier than me, I might not overlook it.”

With that said, Leharht turned without hesitation, leaving Etienne alone in the carriage.

“What’s this?”

Without revealing who was coming and what his smile meant.

“Miss? Why are you like this?”

Etienne turned her head towards the maid, who had returned to the carriage.

“I, just a moment ago, sorted out my complicated thoughts a bit, but it got complicated again.”

The cause was Prince Leharht.

“Then please reconsider. I’ll go out.”

“No, wait. It’s okay if you don’t go out. More importantly, what time is it now? How far have we come?”

Asking what she had been curious about before meeting Leharht, Etienne looked behind her. Although it was not visible due to the carriage’s wall, someone had joined.

“Oh, and what is Fernando doing?”

“For now, it’s night, and we couldn’t cross the mountains, so we ended up spending the night. That’s why the carriage stopped, and if we go about three more days, we can enter the capital. Master Fernando is inside the carriage like the miss.”

“Is he unwell?”

Worriedly asking, the maid shook her head.

“No one is allowed to enter, so we don’t know Master Fernando’s condition. However, judging by the occasional sound of his voice, he seems to be fine.”
With the detailed response from the maid, Etienne had no further questions. She closed her mouth and looked back again. Fernando, who usually tried to stay by her side, was not revealing himself, which made her concerned.

“Is it really true that nothing happened to Fernando?”

As Fernando did not appear even when they entered the capital, Etienne asked the maid as if poking her.

“If you’re curious, should I go and check again?”

“No.”

She had already rejected it, thinking that the maid had gone several times to inquire about Fernando.

“Are you worried?”

“Everyone else comes out to rest even when they’re at the lodging, but he kept staying inside the carriage. I wondered if something was wrong…”

Not only Etienne but also Hana had gone to check Fernando’s condition. However, only Fernando’s voice could be heard from inside the carriage, and he did not show his face.

“We’ll be arriving soon, so he’ll come out then.”

The maid spoke as if it was nothing special, and Etienne looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Does the maid know something? Why does he seem so relaxed? Even if he’s not serving an ordinary person, isn’t it usual to be concerned to some extent? When Etienne looked at him as if something was strange, the maid smiled faintly.
“Those employees of the Duke’s estate don’t look for you, Your Grace. It seems they are not concerned about any issues. So, we may not know what circumstances are there, but wouldn’t the employees of Suprahaga know?”

“Ah…”

Having been concerned only about Fernando, Etienne had not paid attention to others.

“His Highness, the Crown Prince, seems to have the same thought. Rather than that, you should go and see.”

The butler smoothly changed the topic. When Etienne sent a questioning look, the butler pointed to the back.

“His Highness, Prince Ludwig, has come to greet us.”