“Count. We have arrived at the Keleber Square intersection.”

After a long ride, the carriage arrived at Keleber Square, said to be the busiest area of the capital.

In broad daylight, there was unlikely to be any overt threat, but the position of “Duchess-to-be” was not one that allowed for moving around freely just because one wished to.

Under Carl’s strict orders to prepare for even the slightest danger, our procession was accompanied by ten knights. In addition to the Count’s two personal guards, the remaining eight were knights Carl had assigned.

Their tall statures and large builds were quite intimidating. Even if someone harboring ill intentions were to approach us during this sudden outing, they would likely flee in fear at the sight of these men’s physiques.

It felt so reassuring. While grateful for Carl’s consideration, it was also a bit burdensome. With all these burly men hanging around, it seemed we were attracting unwanted attention.

“It’s so lively. There’s so much to see too.”

With the mourning period over, the streets were full of vitality. Along the long, straight road, shops had set up stalls and were actively calling out to customers.

“Take your pick! We have everything except what we don’t have. Come look, come in!” The sales pitches of merchants seemed similar in any country.

Feeling both familiarity and strangeness, I eagerly took in the surroundings. There was an abundance of food and sights to behold.

Thus began the procession of the so-called Count Louisette and her 15-person entourage through Keleber Street.

People’s eyes were drawn to the sudden appearance of a noble procession in the square. The general public was quite familiar with Celeste’s appearance, as her face had been plastered countless times in those trashy tabloid newspapers.

Is that Count Louisette? Then is that child the rumored child of His Highness the Grand Duke? The murmurs reached my ears.

“What’s that? It looks delicious.”

“No, Count. You cannot eat street food.”

“Why? Can’t I just have a taste?”

“Do you remember what happened last time when you bought street food at the train station?”

Street food is the highlight of street stalls. As I showed interest in all sorts of intriguing foods, Hannah immediately blocked my view. With her muscular body obstructing my sight, I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to.

“But that was different from now. Let’s at least take a closer look.”

“You can’t get close. Just this far, from a distance, look with your eyes only.”

Hannah was on high alert. Knowing that she had blamed herself for not accompanying me on my solo outing when returning to the capital from Urentum, which led to a major incident, I couldn’t argue further.

If anything were to happen to me, these people would hold themselves entirely responsible. If any problems arose due to my unnecessary curiosity and desires for independent action…

I couldn’t cause trouble for these people who were working so hard for Valerie and me. Forcefully suppressing my feelings of disappointment, I obediently followed the knight who was guiding the way.

Liv, who was quite excited, tried to alleviate my disappointment by enthusiastically explaining things I hadn’t even asked about.

The desserts from that shop taste like this, the fruits from that shop are like that. Thanks to her efforts to describe everything as vividly as possible, my disappointment was somewhat assuaged.

“Count. What do you think? This is Anna’s Boutique’s latest product.”

Liv whispered as she pushed the stroller. The new product she mentioned was none other than the stroller itself.

Although it couldn’t be compared to those used in modern times, childcare products here were surprisingly well-stocked. The stroller was one of them.

What was interesting was that strollers were made by clothing shops. Since ordinary people could barely afford to eat, let alone buy luxury items like strollers, these childcare products were mostly made and sold for noble ladies.

As a result, Liv explained, there was ongoing research on how to make them more luxurious to sell at higher prices.

“Yes. It really looks expensive.”

I meant it sincerely. The stroller was truly luxurious, and at a glance, it made one wonder, “How much could that possibly cost?” It looked that high-end.

I briefly wondered if it was worth buying something so lavish and expensive when a child would only use a stroller for a short time, but that thought didn’t last long. Didn’t I mention earlier? The Louisette family had more money than they knew what to do with.

At the very front of our procession were two of the Count’s knights serving as scouts and guides, followed by Hannah and Kendrick surveying left and right as they walked. Between them were Liv and I, with her pushing the stroller.

Right behind me was Lady Cecil, and behind her were the eight knights sent by Carl, watching all directions as they walked. It was truly a grand party.

Pushing the stroller, we walked from one end of Keleber Square intersection to the other. Though it was disappointing that we couldn’t visit every shop, I was actually happy just to be able to walk outside.

Then we stopped by the boutique where Lady Margaret regularly orders my clothes, and had couple outfits made for Valerie and me. I can’t even count how long we spent there, delightedly trying various accessories on Valerie’s face.

The sight of the hedgehog aunties’ nostrils flaring in unison when we put a lace-trimmed hat on her… I’ll probably laugh about it before bed tonight. That’s how amusing their faces were.

It was an enjoyable time. After getting our clothes fitted, we went out and headed to a tea house next.

I hadn’t planned on having tea, thinking too long an outing might be tiring for Valerie. We entered the tea house intending to look around and buy anything worthwhile, but my mood was quite good until we encountered an unexpected visitor.

“My, my, who do we have here.”

Why do we always run into unpleasant people in places like this?

“It’s been a while, Count Louisette.”

Tekla and her two friends, no, three friends. She greeted me, flanked by three noblewomen in elaborate dresses with exaggerated bustles.

“What a surprise to see you here.”

I didn’t particularly want to engage in a long conversation. I was about to receive her greeting perfunctorily and move on, but as per Villain Rule #1, Tekla absolutely wouldn’t let me go that easily.

“Oh my, goodness gracious. Who is this baby?”

She must have known full well who it was, but she asked the question, pretending to be friendly and pleased to see us.

Why, again? What kind of trouble are you trying to stir up today? Are you planning to make insinuations about a fatherless child again?

But you know what? You can’t pick on Valerie like that anymore. I faced Tekla, summoning all my fighting spirit.

“Yes, this is my child that Lady Tekla was so concerned about.”

“The child looks just like the Count. Let me see…”

She bent down and leaned her head towards the stroller as if to get a closer look at Valerie’s face.

Everyone who sees Valerie says as their first words, “She’s the spitting image of her father,” but this woman specifically said she looks like her mother. It seemed her intentions were suspicious. Was I seeing everything in a negative light because I disliked her?

It was awkward to stop her, so I just watched. When Valerie saw the unfamiliar face thrust close to her, she burst into tears with a loud “Waaah!”

“I’m sorry, but could you please step back?”

Liv frowned and pulled the stroller back. I could almost hear her inner voice: Oh no! Our Lady Valerie should only see nice things!

“It seems the child is quite shy around strangers. She doesn’t appear to be a very gentle child.”

Embarrassed that the baby had started crying upon seeing her face, Tekla cleared her throat with a “Ahem, ahem.”

What is this woman saying? She shoves her face at a baby without thinking and then blames the child. Not gentle? How could she say that about our sweet Valerie!

“Oh my, our little lady must have been startled to see a different face after only seeing her mother and father’s faces at home. It’s understandable that she’d be surprised. Little one, not everyone in the world has faces like your mother and father’s.”

This time, Cecil stepped in. At first glance, it seemed like she was soothing Valerie, but looking closer at the content, she was actually mocking Tekla. Saying it was natural to be shocked after seeing only her beautiful parents’ faces and then suddenly encountering a strange auntie’s face. Tekla’s face quickly turned red.

As I had noticed before, this woman Tekla seemed to flush bright red at the slightest comment from others. Really now, with her feelings so transparent. Wasn’t one of the skills noble ladies were supposed to possess the ability to conceal their emotions and true thoughts?