“Nellia, the park is really big. There are a lot of flowers…”

“Yes, because it’s directly managed by the palace, the park is really well-maintained.”

In fact, it was Nellia’s first time coming to the park. However, to avoid feeling embarrassed about being someone who lives nearby but had never been there, Nellia pretended to know something about it.

Fortunately, Charlotte seemed not to pay much attention to Nellia’s response, as she was busy admiring the surroundings.

“Shall we take a leisurely stroll?”

“Yes…!”

Nellia began to walk, and Charlotte followed cheerfully.

Together, Nellia and Charlotte explored various parts of the park. The park was filled with various plants, ranging from enormous trees to uniquely colored flowers.

The laughter of people enjoying picnics added a cheerful atmosphere to the park.

Nellia had to make an effort to appear unfazed while admiring the park. She needed to act as if she had been here before, just like someone familiar with the place, especially since Charlotte was already there.

“I should come here with the Duke next time.”

Perhaps because she was used to seeing the Duke indoors, it seemed like he might not have visited the park before.

While Nellia was silently planning, Charlotte’s excited voice came from beside her.

“Nellia, there’s a huge lake!”

Nellia’s gaze followed Charlotte’s pointing finger.

In the direction her eyes landed, a vast blue lake sparkled in the sunlight, creating a splendid view.

“Wow…”

At that moment, even Nellia couldn’t hide her excitement. She had never been to such a place while living in the capital.

In the midst of the excited atmosphere between the two women, Tone spoke with a worried tone.

“I understand your excitement, but remember that the lake is not shallow. Never dip your feet in…”

“Ah!”

However, before Tone could finish speaking, a sound disrupting the peace at the lakeside was heard.

Where the sound came from, a child was crying loudly. With an uneasy feeling, Nellia hurriedly approached the child.

Then, lowering herself, she asked the child, “What happened…?”

“Waaah… Nuna, please save my little brother!”

The boy who had been crying pointed to the lakeside.

Where his finger pointed, another child was struggling in the water.

‘What should I do…!’

In the urgent situation, Nellia wanted to jump into the water immediately, but she couldn’t swim either. If she went to rescue the child, there would likely be one more body in the water.

Charlotte also seemed unable to swim. Although she looked uncertain about what to do, she stared at the child struggling in the water without taking any action.

While Nellia was desperately searching for something that could be used to rescue the drowning child, Tone approached and took off his coat.

“Come here.”

Splash!

Tone jumped into the lake in an instant.

Like a swift fish, Tone swiftly navigated through the water, approaching the child. It was an incredible swimming skill.
Nellia and Charlotte watched, entranced.

‘Ton is truly versatile…’

Although he was from a knight’s household, who knew he could swim so well?

“Don’t worry too much; your brother seems to be safe…”

Nellia tried to reassure the crying child. However, the child, looking down for reassurance, awkwardly moved his hand backward when their eyes met.

Nellia found the behavior odd but didn’t pay much attention, preoccupied with the drowning brother.

Soon, Ton safely brought the submerged child back.

Cough, cough.

The child who had been in the water coughed. However, seeing him quickly rise from the limp position, it was evident he was unharmed.

The weak-eyed child blinked, regained consciousness, and grabbed the hand of his older brother.

“Ugh…”

“Phew, I can’t live because of you, seriously.”

The older brother playfully scolded his younger sibling and then respectfully nodded towards Ton and Nellia.

“Thank you…! I don’t know how to repay this favor…”

“No need for repayment. Just take good care of your brother and be careful from now on.”

Despite Nellia’s stern tone, the older brother smiled brightly.

“Yes…! Thank you.”

“Alright, go on then.”

As Nellia gestured, the siblings bowed their heads again and walked away.

‘Whew… Thank goodness.’

Nellia sighed with relief, then glanced at the direction the siblings walked, wondering if they would meet their parents.

However, with those short legs, the siblings had disappeared from view.

‘They’re fast…’

Nellia shifted her attention from the disappearing siblings and looked at Ton.

“Thank you, Ton. But… what about your clothes, they’re all wet?”

“It’s okay. What matters is that the kids are safe.”

Ton squeezed the water out of his soaked clothes. Seeing this, Nellia’s mood worsened.

“As the sun sets, the weather will get chilly. If there are clothes available in the nearby dressing room, let’s buy a set for you to change into right away.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m not okay. If you keep refusing, I’ll be the one walking around soaking wet.”

Under Nellia’s not-so-subtle threat, Ton reluctantly accepted the proposal.