•?••? ? ?••?•

“If it’s because of me, I’ll return on my own.”

She hadn’t particularly desired an escort, to begin with. She tried to extract her hand from his grip.

“Don’t let go.”

Ray caught her retreating hand, intertwining their fingers. Within Ray’s broad and strong hand, Iva’s petite one fit perfectly.

“Please don’t let me go.”

He was evidently upset. Claude generally refrained from wielding his power for personal matters. Especially towards Ray, he had always avoided giving ‘orders’.

‘Before being a lord and knight, we are friends, aren’t we, Ray?’

Yet, Claude had now used the word ‘order’ because of Iva. Openly displaying his desire for Iva and his jealousy toward Ray.

Ray was seething with jealousy, like a child, merely seeing Iva in his eyes.

His body and mind would instinctively react sensitively when it came to her.

The overwhelming anger that felt like it might explode any moment had now curiously subsided.

All thanks to the small, delicate hand of Iva.

“Haah…”

The stomach which was churning due to anger seemed to ease a bit, allowing him to breathe more freely.

“Will you go to the countryside with His Highness?”

“Pardon?”

“Are you planning to marry His Highness Claude?”

Unable to directly ask Iva, he posed the question while looking at the tips of his shoes. 

Even though he kept telling himself to be patient, the words involuntarily tumbled out.

He couldn’t forget the masquerade party Botri mentioned, or the face Claude had when talking about Iva during his visit when he was ill. 

The memory, which felt like a secret shared between only the two of them, made him envious and anxious.

“No! I have no intentions of marrying His Highness Claude.”

Iva’s response was quick, her head shaking vehemently.

“Does he still think that? Ah, this is driving me crazy. I really have no plans of marrying the prince.”

“But you invited His Highness to accompany you to the countryside and serve as young rura…”

“How… How did you know that?”

She had thought only Chase knew about her black history of saying rubbish about making His Highness a young rural head. How did Ray know about it too?

How far he’s been sharing!

“That… was a misunderstanding! I thought he was a kind jobless person back then.”

“Jobless?”

“I thought being the young rural head was his calling, so I suggested it… Anyway! I have absolutely no plans to marry His Highness Claude.”

She firmly denied the possibility, fearing unwarranted rumors. At her response, Ray, who had been looking down anxiously, lifted his head.

With you saying that how could I doubt it?

“I believe you.”

Ray’s gaze was unwavering, and he whispered as if making a solemn vow.

Iva felt perplexed, unable to decipher his shifting emotions.

She had planned to turn down his confession now that they were alone, especially given the rising suspicions about Julian and the unpredictable turn the story might take next.

She had intended to set things straight with Ray as quickly as possible, but at first, he seemed angry and now he appeared to have cooled down.

Was he always so emotionally volatile? If she rejected him carelessly here, his anger might turn on her. So, she decided to wait.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes?”

“May I ask you something as well?”

“Ask away.”

Ray, still holding Iva’s hand, gripped it tighter, waiting for her question.

“Do you remember our very brief date?”

At the mention of ‘remembering’, Ray felt as though his words had caught in his throat, an oppressive sensation clutching his heart.

It wasn’t a matter of simply recalling; he still lived within that memory. The moments they shared that day still haunt his dreams, relentlessly pulling him in.

But he couldn’t admit that, so he responded with a wistful smile.

“Yes, I remember.”

“Does His Highness Claude also knows about our date that day?”

Hearing Claude’s name from Iva’s lips, anxiety welled up within him again.

“…No, we’ve never spoken of it. If you’d like, I can inform him.”

“What? No! Please don’t say anything!”

Iva gestured forcefully, inadvertently slipping her hand from Ray’s grip. As her hand escaped, his expression darkened even further.

“I don’t want others to know about what transpired between us.”

“…Pardon?”

“We had that date together. I don’t like the idea of others gossiping about it. So please, refrain from mentioning it.”

At heart, she worried that if Claude knew about her date with Ray, he’d find another point of leverage to manipulate her.

She’d already been tasked with the party due to the embarrassing young rural head incident. She couldn’t bear to imagine what he’d use against her if he discovered the date. 

Considering how close the two men were, she’d been concerned that Ray might have already spilled the beans. Fortunately, he hadn’t.

“Of course. That, too, is a matter between just the both of us.”

To Ray who was unfamiliar with Iva’s deeper intentions, only the words ‘us’ and ‘both’ stood out.

Yes, he realized, it wasn’t just Claude and Iva who had their secrets. He and Iva shared secrets known only to the two of them.

He went from feeling like he was sinking to the bottom to feeling like he was soaring sky-high.

“I promise, I’ll never speak of our date to the His Highness. Never.”

“Thank you.”

Though Iva was the one making the request, Ray responded as if he was the one expressing gratitude. His reaction was puzzling, but she didn’t dwell on it.

Iva took a step away from Ray, only for him to close the distance by taking a step closer.

•?••? ? ?••?•