•?••? ? ?••?•

“Miss, are you really going out like this?”

“Of course, I put in an effort to dress up like this.”

Jane didn’t understand why Iva would purposely dress up like this. After all, Iva barely had any makeup on and her face was almost bare. 

She only applied a little lipstick and blush and didn’t bother with anything else. Her hair was left unstyled, and she looked disheveled from sleeping and waking up in that state.

Furthermore, she was wearing a very plain and outdated dress in shades of brown, even though she usually disliked such a dress, she still wore it saying it was her peasant look.

Of course, even with this old-fashioned dress and light makeup, her natural beauty shone through, radiating liveliness and energy.

It wasn’t a big deal to go out like this, but when Jane realized that Ray was waiting in front of the mansion, she asked Iva.

“Miss, aren’t you going on a date?”

“No, absolutely not. It must not become a date.”

Iva recalled the plans she made to ruin the date from the previous night.

First, she would wear a disastrous dress! She would intentionally dress carelessly to annoy Ray.

Second, she would complain and express dissatisfaction throughout the entire date. She wanted to irritate him and get under his skin.

Third, she would abruptly return to the mansion. She only agreed to meet him once, but she never promised to stay until the end, did she?

“Hehe, I’ll show him a completely disastrous and hasty date.”

Iva had no intention of having a successful date. She was only looking forward to returning to the mansion and enjoying dessert.

* * *

The two of them arrived at a restaurant, following the standard course of a date. They sat facing each other.

“The main course has arrived. Please ring the bell if you need anything.”

After the restaurant staff placed the main dishes in front of them, they greeted them and stepped away from the table.

Ray immediately picked up his fork and knife, while Iva simply adjusted the long sleeves of her dress.

“Is the dress uncomfortable?”

“Pardon?”

“You keep adjusting your sleeves.”

“Oh… I didn’t expect it to be here, so I’m conscious of my attire.”

Iva felt incredibly embarrassed by the peasant-like dress she wore, especially in a restaurant that she thought would be just an ordinary one. She never imagined it would be the most popular restaurant in the Bergen Empire, which was always fully booked until next year.

It was a restaurant Iva had always wanted to visit.

Ray, dressed neatly in a turquoise suit, stood out among the other well-dressed patrons. Iva, on the other hand, felt a bit embarrassed in her peasant dress.

“I should have dressed up more.”

“You’re already cute… Ah, it’s nothing.”

Ray quickly averted his gaze and focused on the food, but even Iva could see his flushed ears.

If you weren’t going to say anything, you shouldn’t have started. I’ve already heard everything.

Disliking awkward situations, Iva changed the subject.

“I heard it takes a month to make a reservation at this place. How did you manage to get one?”

“I know it’s not right, but I used my position.”

“Your position?”

“The position of the Commander of Imperial Knights proved to be quite useful.”

“I never thought you would use your position like that.”

Ray despised abuse of power. He detested using his abilities for personal gain, so it was surprising to hear that he used his rank to secure a reservation at the restaurant.

“I heard that this restaurant is popular among the nobility, and I thought Young Lady would like it too. If you don’t like it, we can go to another restaurant right now-“

“N-no. I like it too.”

Iva picked up her knife and fork and began eating. As she sliced into the main dish, which was meat, it seemed to melt in her mouth.

“It’s really delicious.”

Iva couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration at the fantastic taste that made her forget all about her plans. Seeing Iva’s smiling face, Ray also smiled softly and began his meal.

“Huh? Aren’t you going to eat the tomatoes?”

Ray’s hand, which was about to push the tomatoes aside with his knife, paused.

“…I don’t like the mushy texture.”

“Seems like there are things that the Duke can’t eat.”

“I have my preferences too.”

“I thought you could eat anything.”

“I also don’t prefer plums and peaches. They have the same mushy texture.”

It was a conversation that had nothing to do with Ray’s original setting of liking sweet foods, which Iva knew from the original novel. She thought she knew him quite well after living through three lifetimes together, but it turned out there were things she didn’t know.

She felt a little embarrassed for only seeing his outward appearance and not understanding his inner preferences.

“Is there anything you dislike, Young Lady?”

Ray glanced at her discreetly. He had been concerned about Iva’s comment that he didn’t know anything about her before proposing to her, so he threw the question in an attempt to get to know her better.

“I prefer spicy over bland flavors. Like spicy rice cakes.”

“Rice…? Is there such a dish? Which restaurant serves it?”

“Haha, I’m sure there’s nowhere in the Empire that serve it?”

“It’s a strange dish.”

Their first meal concluded with intermittent conversation, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Wait, because the food was so delicious, we ended up behaving like we’re on a real date, didn’t we? Iva shook her head and recalled her plan.

“Did you enjoy the meal?”

Ray asked as they stepped outside the restaurant.

“Yes, it was really delicious.”

“Next, we…”

Ray was about to mention the prearranged schedule, relieved that Iva seemed satisfied. However, it couldn’t continue as he wished.

“Let’s just lie down.”

Iva made the suggestion first.

•?••? ? ?••?•