“Eat, eat. When will we ever get to taste such precious things?”

“We’re leaving tomorrow anyway, so what harm is there in us eating a little?”

They hid in the corner of the kitchen, hurriedly stuffing chocolate cake into their mouths.

“The Second Prince probably doesn’t even know it exists.”

“That’s because it all goes into your mouth as soon as it appears.”

“True enough.”

The maids snickered as they quickly moved their forks.

“I wonder where the head maid gets these things from.”

“When did she ever see him to be so devoted to the Second Prince? It’s laughable.”

“I know, right? Does she think the Second Prince will become a powerful figure in the palace? Even the ghost head maid is past her prime.”

As they giggled and gossiped about the head maid, someone was watching them. It was the Second Prince. Leaning against the kitchen door, observing their actions, he calmly said,

“Seems delicious, you’re eating well?”

“Gasp!”

The startled maids turned around, swallowing empty air. The Second Prince slowly straightened up and looked indifferently at the chocolate cake they had been eating.

He had never been particularly interested in food or anything else. So he had pretended not to notice when the maids secretly took his food. But this time, he couldn’t let it slide.

‘Amy likes chocolate cake.’

He remembered Amy’s proud expression as she said she had bribed the chef of the Crown Prince’s palace to bring this cake secretly, insisting he should try it. Even though she was salivating, she absolutely refused to taste it, saying he should eat it all.

The Second Prince gestured with his chin, his face expressionless.

“Go.”

“Pardon?”

As they blinked in confusion, the Second Prince frowned.

“You’ve done enough, so there shouldn’t be a problem if you leave now, right?”

He was implying that he knew they were someone’s eyes, watching him. The maids stiffened, only moving their eyes.

They had thought the Second Prince was merely young, but facing him properly, he was intimidating enough to make their hair stand on end. The discrepancy was even more jarring given how docile he had appeared in front of the head maid.

After glaring at them, the Second Prince turned his back, then ah, turned his head again. His golden eyes gleamed like those of a beast.

“Make sure to say goodbye to the head maid before you leave.”

Then he turned sharply, leaving with a whoosh.

“……”

The maids stared at his retreating figure with pale faces, then looked at each other. They abandoned the cake, their spy mission, everything, and rushed out to escape the palace.

“So……”

One of the maids rolled her eyes, swallowed dryly, and said,

“Head maid Amelia threatened to beat us if we didn’t leave immediately, so……”

Another quickly agreed.

“She already knew we were spies.”

It was common knowledge in the Crown Prince’s palace that he was obsessed with the former head maid. So they thought using her as an excuse would avoid trouble.

“……Amy is quite perceptive, isn’t she.”

As expected, the Crown Prince merely frowned, without further reprimanding them. The maids secretly breathed sighs of relief.

“……”

Someone glared at them disapprovingly. It was a maid standing at the very end of the line of servants and maids along the wall. With common brown hair and frightened, moist green eyes, the anger that flashed across her thin, freckled face quickly faded, replaced by longing.

She seemed to hear a soft voice in her ear.

‘Sally, always keep your head down. You especially lack discretion, so you must never stand out, understand?’

Sally’s thin lips pressed tightly together, then mumbled, tracing someone’s name.

Amy.

At that moment, the Crown Prince said with an irritated expression,

“Since things have come to this, I have no choice. I’ll have to go see Mother.”

As he rose, the servants all bowed their heads. The Crown Prince passed before them with hurried steps. Sally, finally straightening up, watched his retreating figure with resentment.

***

As the carriage came to a stop, Amy sat up and said,

“Lord Noah, we’ll be staying here tonight.”

Noah looked out at the gradually darkening outside, then raised one eyebrow.

“Are we still heading north?”

“……”

Amy was surprised as she gathered the documents she had been reviewing in the carriage. Their destination was slightly off the path to the Grand Duchy. She candidly admitted the truth.

“It’s a bit of a detour. There’s something I absolutely must take care of here.”

“I see.”

Noah, who had been suspicious that the coachman might have ulterior motives, relaxed the guard he had sharply raised. Amy looked at him with approval.

“But how did you know?”

As they got out of the carriage and walked towards the inn’s entrance, Noah simply shrugged without a word. Amy was curious, but she had more pressing matters, so she pushed her curiosity aside and entered the inn.

“Welcome~.”

An affable innkeeper ran out, beaming. His eyes moved busily, assessing the value of the guests.

‘The quality of the robes worn by the woman and boy is extraordinary from the start. Not only do they shimmer, but the fastening ornaments are… black pearls?’

His calculations were done in an instant. The speed of his hand-rubbing increased, and his smile deepened.

“Would you like to have dinner first? Or shall I prepare your rooms?”

Amy looked around the interior once, then said calmly,

“There are twelve in our party, so please serve an appropriate dinner first.”

“Yes, yes~.”

The innkeeper dashed off to the kitchen, cutting through the air. Amy took off her robe and attended to Noah. As Noah sat in a chair, he lowered his voice and asked,

“Who did you come to meet?”

“!”

Amy’s hands froze in surprise as she was arranging Noah’s robe. She had been surprised several times today. How did he know that? Noah shrugged.

“You looked around as soon as we entered, as if searching for someone.”

“Ah……”

From noticing the change in direction to this, the Second Prince was more perceptive than he appeared. Amy nodded as she sat down next to him.

“Yes, there’s a talented individual living here who I absolutely want to bring to the Grand Duchy.”

Curiosity appeared on Noah’s face.

“Who?”

“Someone suitable to be the captain of the guards… I’ll tell you after we eat first.”

Before long, the meal was served. The food brought by the freckle-faced waiter was a feast rarely seen in the countryside.

Although the meat smelled a bit rancid and had to be chewed thoroughly with a grimace, it was decent compared to what they had eaten on their journey here.

Amy and Noah, along with the mercenaries and the coachman, tired from the long carriage ride, ate hurriedly. Just then, the innkeeper’s booming voice was heard from the back of the kitchen.

“Vernon, are you here?”

“!”

Amy’s ears perked up as she was spooning beef stew.

“Got anything to eat?”

A low but forceful voice asked.

“It’s plentiful today. I’ve packed some, so take it to Ethan.”

“Always indebted like this… How can I ever repay you.”

“No need for thanks. Thanks to you and your men, we can do business with peace of mind. We’re the grateful ones.”

The freckled waiter chimed in agreement with the innkeeper’s words.

“My grandfather said that not only bandits, but even wild animals don’t come down anymore, and that being able to farm peacefully is all thanks to Captain Vernon.”

Amy half-heartedly tore at a brown bread roll, listening intently to the conversation. The person called Vernon seemed to be the individual she was looking for, making her heart race.

‘I must get him on our side somehow…’

Amy glanced sideways at Noah, who was eating his meal contentedly. For him to stand tall as the ruler of the North, he needed trustworthy people above all else. That’s why she was moving to recruit talented individuals based on the knowledge she had gained before her regression.

The innkeeper’s voice boomed again.

“Can you take a look at the horses later this evening? They’re high-bred horses, so I’m uneasy about leaving them to Mark.”

“Such horses have arrived?”

“You won’t believe it. The guests who just arrived……”

Suddenly, the voice trailed off. Amy chewed her bread with an expressionless face. Her mind was racing.

The freckled waiter who had come out of the kitchen went around the tables, checking if any food was lacking. Amy hesitated whether to ask him, then changed her mind and ordered more of the quail roast and fruit preserves that Noah was enjoying.

As the meal was coming to an end, the innkeeper’s voice was heard again.

“Then Vernon, come back this evening.”

Amy blinked. He’s coming back in the evening? Just then, someone with a large build opened the kitchen door and crossed the hall towards the entrance. Amy and Noah inadvertently looked up at him. At that moment,

“Huk!”

A strange sound escaped from the big man’s mouth. He covered his mouth with his hand, staring at Noah with wide eyes. Noah looked at him blankly, then turned to Amy. His expression said he had no idea what was going on.

‘I was wondering how to call him out, but to run into him like this? How fortunate!’

It was indeed a familiar face. Amy’s eyes sparkled as she stood up, extended her hand to him, and said confidently,

“Nice to meet you. I’m Amelia Besford. Could we talk for a moment?”

The man looked at Amy with a bewildered expression, then widened his eyes again. Seeing his wavering gaze, Amy inwardly rejoiced, sensing that things would go well.