Chapter 145

“Carina!”

Estelle called out with a delighted expression.

Ignoring the servants who tried to stop her, Carina Valpenera entered with a commanding presence. Her thick black hair flowed as she strode toward the balcony where we were seated.

She started off walking a few steps, then broke into a run.

Josephine, the princess’s bodyguard, reflexively stood up and blocked her path, but Carina Valpenera nimbly dodged Josephine’s hand like a cat and ducked past her, running straight to Estelle.

Then she threw her arms around Estelle and spun her around like a pinwheel.

Estelle’s flustered laughter echoed.

“I thought you’d forgotten about me, Carina.”

“Sorry I’m late. When I said I was coming to see you, the old geezers at home made a whole damn scene. I had to put them in their place before I could get away.”

“You idiot. Why would you do that?”

“That’s my line, you dummy. You were living it up in another country. Why come back to a place like this?”

Laughter followed.

After that warm embrace with the princess, Carina finally seemed to notice there were others present. She turned her gaze toward Josephine and me.

“Huh? A guest, not just the bodyguard?”

I had to manage my expression instinctively.

I had to act like I was seeing Carina Valpenera for the first time.

The last time we met was inside a theater, while I was tracking Caraphine. Back then, I had introduced myself as Nice Goodman.

Since my identity hadn’t been exposed, she wouldn’t recognize me now.

Did I use informal speech back then?

“Winter Winslet.”

I said, introducing myself.

At that, Carina let out a short laugh. A faint smirk curled her lips and she gave me a once-over.

“Oh, the handsome count famous in high society.”

“I’m a baron, not a count.”

“Like that makes a difference? You’ll inherit the title anyway, won’t you? Same difference.”

“……”

Classic behavior from an intelligence officer. That attitude.

Carina bringing up the strained relationship between Winter Winslet and his father, Count Winslet, was a deliberately provocative move meant to create discomfort.

It was the kind of habit typical of an intelligence agent….pushing someone’s buttons to observe their reactions.

“Carina, that was rude to the Baron.”

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just have a terrible memory.”

Since prolonged interaction with her carried unnecessary risks, I chose to excuse myself for a while.

“Your Highness, I’ll take a short walk in the garden with Josephine. Why don’t you two enjoy some time to talk in private?”

“There’s no need for that…”

“I’ve heard the garden paths of Isola Palace are famous for their beauty. On a day as lovely as this, it would be a shame not to enjoy the scenery.”

It wasn’t just an excuse. The weather really was perfect.

After several days of on-and-off showers, the sky had finally cleared. The open heavens now poured sunlight down in full.

Josephine looked hesitant to leave the princess’s side, concerned as her bodyguard, but Estelle waved her hand reassuringly.

“Carina is someone I can trust. If anything happens, she’ll protect me. So don’t worry, go ahead.”

To be honest, having faced Carina once at the theater, I knew full well how lousy her swordsmanship was….but of course, I couldn’t say that out loud.

“Then please, enjoy your conversation.”

With that, I stepped outside with Josephine.

The gardens of Isola Palace were in full bloom with summer flowers, buzzing with bees and fluttering butterflies, all busy drawing out the sweet fragrance from the blossoms.

Even without a breeze, the rich sensual scent filled the air.

Josephine took the lead, saying she knew the garden paths well.

“Walking through the gardens is one of the few things to enjoy around here. But walking with you makes it feel more special.”

The white gravel path led to arches covered in climbing roses, to a swing hidden in a small grove, to a pavilion built of white marble, and to a fountain made of bronze.

In the shallow bowl of the fountain, little birds gathered. They were pecking at the water or ruffling their feathers.

While we took in all these sights, neither Josephine nor I spoke a word.

We both remained silent, but it was not an empty silence. We were enjoying it.

We became attuned to each other’s breath, our walking pace, and the tension in our linked arms.

It was a moment where many emotions passed between us without words.

We walked like that for a while….how long, I couldn’t say.

Time seemed to stretch out like the deep red rays of the setting sun and I had the illusion that we were walking in circles. Actually, that second part wasn’t an illusion at all.

“Haven’t we already walked this path?”

“Ah, you caught me? This is our third lap, actually.”

“……”

“It’s just… I started thinking I don’t know when I’ll get to see you again, and I didn’t want the walk to end…”

It was a cute little trick Josephine had pulled.

At that, I decided to share a small secret with her.

“Did you see the gift I brought to the villa today?”

“Yes. That miniature palace was beautiful. Her Highness really loved it.”

“Well, actually, it was a gift for you too.”

“What?”

“If you ever find yourself missing me so much you can’t bear it….open the first window on the south side of the model palace. I’ll come find you.”

Josephine let out a soft laugh.

“That sounds like magic. A romantic kind of magic.”

When I silently nodded, Josephine who had been walking slightly ahead turned around with a suddenly serious expression.

“Are you serious?”

“I am. I hid a little magical toy inside.”

When I commissioned the workshop at Meyers to modify the model palace, the music box wasn’t the only feature I added.

Drawing from the magic circles I used when fighting the demon worshippers in Bluefields, I’d crafted an artifact capable of sending long-distance directional magic signals.

“You really made it for me?”

“Yes.”

Josephine was staying at the villa because Princess Estelle needed a personal guard due to assassination threats.

That meant Josephine might one day have to fight real assassins, and I hoped she would use the artifact if she ever found herself in danger she couldn’t handle alone.

I trusted Josephine’s S-rank swordsmanship, but even so… the world always held the slimmest possibility of danger.

“Wow…”

Emotion washed over Josephine’s face.

But a moment later, worry crept into her expression.

“What if I open the window every day?”

“Oh, I forgot to mention it’s single-use. Because it’s so small, I couldn’t store much mana in it.”

Josephine let out a little huff of frustration.

“That’s so mean. Then I’ll never use it, and just lie in bed suffering instead.”

“But Josephine.”

“Yes?”

“That person standing over there… are they from Isola Palace?”

“What?”

Josephine quickly turned her head in the direction I was looking.

Across the path, a woman in a cream-colored dress was standing still.

When the two of us turned to look in that direction, the woman seemed to think she’d been caught, and she approached us to speak.

“Baron Winslet?”

“Who are you?”

“Sorry to disturb your walk.”

The woman was dressed in refined but not flashy clothing and wore a small brooch engraved with the royal crest.

I assumed she was someone’s maid and that’s when something felt off.

Princess Estelle didn’t have a single maid.

“I asked who you are.”

The woman gave a gentle smile and introduced herself.

“I’m Karen Arrington. I serve Princess Roberta.”

Roberta was the second princess, born of the second queen of Laurencia.

In other words, she was Princess Estelle’s half-sister.

“What business does someone from Princess Roberta’s side have here?”

The maid bowed politely and continued.

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but there’s a small gathering being held at Princess Roberta’s palace right now. I’ve come to ask if you might attend, Baron.”

Instead of answering, I wrapped an arm around Josephine’s waist and used my other hand to brush back her bangs.

Both women looked startled.

Josephine’s eyes widened at the sudden touch, and Princess Roberta’s maid’s expression stiffened at being ignored.

“Excuse me, did you hear what I said?”

“If you want to invite someone, isn’t it proper to ask first by letter?”

The maid responded.

“We did send an invitation to your residence a few days ago, Baron. Perhaps you didn’t receive it?”

Of course I did.

It had arrived on the exact same day as Estelle’s invitation to Isola Palace, as if to make a point.

“But I don’t recall saying I’d accept.”

“Huh?”

“I received the invitation, but since I had no intention of going, I didn’t reply. I’m not free enough to play the clown at someone else’s palace just because they asked.”

The maid’s face flushed with humiliation.

Josephine too blushed…because I was idly playing with her earlobe.

“Calling it playing the clown? That’s a bit much, don’t you think? I simply meant it as a request to grace the event with your presence…”

“Aren’t those the same thing?”

The maid scoffed in disbelief.

Josephine let out a soft snort through her nose as well. Because I had just lifted her chin lightly with my fingertips.

In the end, the maid couldn’t hold back her anger any longer.

“Excuse me, how long are you planning to keep doing that right in front of someone?”

I deliberately turned my head with a look of rising irritation.

The moment our eyes met, the maid flinched.

“I came here to see my fiancée. And right now, you’re getting in the way.”

“What…?”

The maid was so caught off guard by the unexpected turn that she stammered like a broken music box, repeating herself.

“I… I came here to invite you. And yet you treat the Princess’s kindness like this…”

Kindness?

I started thinking….why had Princess Roberta’s maid come here, and more importantly, how did she even know I was here?

Estelle was under constant pressure from her stepmother and her half-siblings.

Roberta inviting me to her gathering was likely an attempt to pull me away from Estelle.

The fact that both royal invitations had arrived on the same day couldn’t be a coincidence.

Someone most likely planted by Roberta had to be watching who came and went from the villa, even going so far as to spy on the contents of Estelle’s letters.

And I had no interest in playing along with someone who approached me not out of goodwill, but with ulterior motives.

“You still don’t get it, do you? I’m saying time with my lover matters more to me than some ridiculous party.”

“How dare you! Don’t tell me you’re acting this insolent because you’re counting on Princess Estelle’s favor? Do you even know how she’s treated at court?”

Not even worth a reply. I simply stared at her in silence.

The maid glared at me with venom in her eyes.

“Princess Roberta will remember this. Just you wait.”

With those words, she turned on her heel and stormed off.

In my experience, people who say “just you wait” are never actually scary.

In any case, I’d succeeded in chasing off an annoying visitor under the pretense of Josephine.

I patted Josephine’s shoulder, a signal that the act was over now.

She blinked slowly, looking dazed, as if she’d just woken from a dream.

“Uh… huh? Where did that woman from earlier go?”

She must have really zoned out.

“Seeing how easily outsiders can wander around like this, I’m beginning to worry about the villa’s security. Let’s return to where the Princess is.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

As we exited the garden path, we spotted Princess Estelle at the entrance to Isola Palace, exchanging farewells with Carina Valpenera.

Carina Valpenera noticed me and came over to offer a handshake.

“They say a rolling stone displaces the one already lodged in place, right? Seems I ended up driving out a perfectly good guest by showing up without notice. My apologies.”

“It’s fine.”

“But may I ask you something?”

With that, Carina tightened her grip on my hand and pulled me closer.

Given the difference in our height and build, I didn’t budge an inch and in the end, she was the one who got pulled slightly toward me.

Still, she leaned in close and examined me with a sharp, searching gaze.

Then she asked,

“Have we met before?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t recall. I do attend social gatherings fairly often, so perhaps we crossed paths once by chance.”

“Then it probably isn’t that. But why do you feel so familiar? Hmm…”

She had a creepily sharp intuition.

Just as I was wondering how to shake her off, Josephine rescued me again.

Subtly pulling me toward her, Josephine stepped in between me and Carina Valpenera.

“Why, why are you playing with someone else’s fiancé’s hand like that? And is there something on my Winter’s face? You keep staring so intently…”

Carina let out a short laugh at the ridiculous misunderstanding and released my hand, stepping back.

“My, how rude of me. It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope you enjoy your evening.”

Today was definitely a day I owed a lot to my fiancée.