Lionel nodded, mouth open in understanding. He quickly scrawled unrecognizable words on the paper. He blew his breath over the ink to dry it, then spoke in a nonchalant tone.

“I’m not particularly fussy about where I work. I don’t find it too inconvenient, though I suppose I could send you back if you’re bored.”

“I don’t think so. Being at home is the hardest part for me.”

Adriana shook her head.

“I’ve endured what feels like eighteen years with no one speaking to me, and while the silence does make me nervous, it’s the thoughts I know they’re having that bother me the most. As long as you don’t, and that I don’t make you feel uncomfortable, I don’t mind.”

Adriana concluded in a nonchalant tone. It really was an attitude of not caring. Lionel glanced over at her.

After a moment, he put the paper down. He called for his servants to clear away the mess, and soon they were seated at what looked like a normal tea table. A realm of sweetness, with tea, clear flowering teas, and colorful desserts laid out beautifully. Adriana glanced down at them and said.

“It was my way of assuring you to feel at ease…”

“I’m not someone who would treat someone with such experience as a mere screen, trust me.”

“Was it something urgent?”

“Even Diego is preoccupied with his love affair. Why should I be the only one doing the work? If it’s really urgent, he can handle it himself.”

Lionel snorted as he said that. Adriana laughed for the first time in her life. Adriana gave him an awkward look and shrugged.

“But I don’t really have a topic to entertain Your Highness.”

“That’s the same for me. Let’s give each other a pass on the unfunny jokes.”

Lionel said, trying to ease Adriana’s tension. It was a reassuring voice. Folding her hands in her lap, Adriana shifted her gaze to her left. She rolled her eyes hesitantly, but after a moment, she spoke.

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been wondering about for a while, can I ask you?”

“Oh, is it question time?”

Lionel asked, then nodded in understanding.

“Well, we’re supposed to be pretending to be lovers, and we don’t know each other very well, so let’s be fair and ask one each.”

This had unintentionally turned into a pretty full-blown conversation. Lionel fixed his gaze on Adriana, as if to indicate that he was paying attention to the conversation. Adriana asked with concern in her voice.

“Why did you grant Diego’s request?”

Adriana watched Lionel’s eyes as she spoke. She was nervous that she had asked a question she shouldn’t have.

Lionel unconsciously scratched his chin. He realized that it wouldn’t hurt to tell her the truth, but he was embarrassed to give her the answer. Lionel shrugged his shoulders.

“I just want to look good.”

It was a strange answer. Adriana blinked and waited for the next explanation, but Lionel didn’t seem to have any intention of returning the kindness. As if it were his turn, he asked.

“What did you threaten him with?”

Adriana’s exasperation was palpable to Lionel. Marrying an old, powerful man, even if it was a very unsavory one, was a better option than marrying a man who’d killed his father, and the latter was absurdly unlikely to happen. The timing was just right, but her life would have been in danger by the time he brought up blackmail. Although Diego’s interest in a tutor named Estella has taken a strange turn.

Adriana looked down at her lap for a moment. Then she answered, her voice flat.

“Because I didn’t have a choice.”

“You could have risked your life.”

“I wasn’t in a state to consider that. I had to do something.”

Adriana took a sip of her warm tea to hide her unsteady voice. The fragrant floral scent calmed her nerves. Adriana spoke in a calmer voice.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever threaten someone, but when I witnessed what happened in the temple…… it was scary, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw it as an opportunity.”

Lionel was no stranger to King Granton III’s reputation. The crown prince, Granton III’s first son, was a whopping 41 years old. The greedy king wanted a woman who could be his great-granddaughter. It’s no wonder the woman felt pushed to the brink. Lionel nodded in understanding.

Now it was back to Adriana. She quickly brought up the next question.

“Okay, I’m going to ask you a second question.”

“Tell me.”

“Who have you ever wanted to look good for?”

Adriana and Lionel’s eyes met. At that moment, a drop of rain fell from above, like a blade of grass in a dry sky. They simultaneously tilted their heads to look up at the sky. A shower had arrived.

Despite the unexpected rain, the maid remained composed and retrieved an umbrella she had prepared in advance. Lionel accepted it and sheltered Adriana beneath it. Meanwhile, the servants were busy clearing the table instead of seeking shelter from the rain. Adriana instinctively glanced back at the drenched individuals. Lionel wrapped his arm around Adriana’s shoulder and guided her towards the building.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

Adriana and Lionel matched strides and walked toward the interior. It took them a while to get out because they’d gone in deep to avoid prying eyes. The tops of their feet were already soaked through with standing water. “Damn it,” Lionel said in a low, thunderous voice.

“I thought spring weather was supposed to be so unpopular…….”

As he said this, he looked around and suddenly stopped in his tracks. Adriana’s gait twisted at the sudden stop. Adriana reflexively looked up at Lionel’s face, where he seemed to be mesmerized by something. He held out the handle to her, his gaze fixed in the distance. Adriana hesitantly took it.

After handing her the umbrella, Lionel took off at a near run, and Adriana, still recovering her senses, followed him. It wasn’t easy to keep up with him because of the huge stride difference. It was long after he had stopped walking that she closed the distance between them.

“Your Highness, what…….”

Adriana gasped, stopping short of calling out to Lionel. Lionel was staring at someone like a man in a daze.

In the direction of his gaze was a gazebo that had been set up for rest. Adriana frowned as she spotted a woman sitting there. Unable to recognize her, she took a step further and saw another member of the group, unseen by the obstruction: a middle-aged man with a generous build that matched her own.

As if they didn’t feel the need to shelter from the rain, they were enjoying the scenic view from inside the gazebo. With their backs to them, she couldn’t tell who they were. However, judging by the clothes they were wearing, they were not commoners. In the royal garden, there were no individuals who would go unnoticed while enjoying a leisurely outing.

Just then, the woman in the golden dress looked back at the group and whispered something. Adriana, who caught a glimpse of her profile, stood there dumbfounded, her mouth agape.

‘Countess Avril?’

There was no one in Mesquida who was unaware of the existence of Countess Avril. The intrigues of the upper class were of great interest to the public, and Countess Avril stood at the pinnacle of the king’s court. Therefore, it was only natural for rumors about her to circulate and be embellished.

Her crimson hair has led some to believe that she is a witch who has bewitched the king, but in reality, the Countess of Avril herself has never been much of a force to be reckoned with, meaning that she is unlikely to be a particularly hated enemy of the queen and her forces.

So what reason could there be for a prince of a nation to run like a madman toward his father’s woman?

Adriana turned her head to stare at Lionel, who was already soaked to the skin. Adriana apologized and offered him the umbrella. Lionel looked back at Adriana.

“It would have been nice if she was a woman who found the same things disgusting about you.”

The playfulness she’d seen in him for as long as she’d known him was nowhere to be seen. Adriana had noticed something now, and he knew it.

He snatched the umbrella handle from her, as if his business was done. Turning away from the king and his mistress, Lionel said.

“I will save the questions for another time.”

Adriana could tell. That she was the answer to the second question she had asked him.

* * *

Estella had always lived by her own principles when it came to spending, and she had never thought of it as anything other than a peculiarity. It was only natural for a small citizen with no hope of a return on capital to live on a limited amount of money.

If she had to summarize the rules of etiquette, they would be: don’t buy more than one item for the same purpose, think about it for at least a month if you’re tempted to buy something expensive, and don’t be greedy unless you’re going to use it regularly. The trip to the store with Diego completely shattered all of those concepts.

Upon seeing the pile of gifts accumulating in Cedric’s room, Estella’s expression showed a hint of boredom. It was impressive to have such wealth that there was no need to choose just one essential thing. Trolleys filled with luggage seemed to be endlessly transported from the outside. Estella also felt it when she went shopping with Diego at the dress shop, but it seemed that when people had too much money, they completely lost their sense of value for money.

“Do you think he can unpack all this?”

Estella asked, picking up a box of toys. Diego replied in a nonchalant tone.

“Let him open one a day, and every day will be like Christmas.”

Here, too, a day similar to Christmas in a previous life existed. The types of saints and dates of birth were different, but other customs were similar. For example, the culture of exchanging gifts with people. This was not limited to children, but was more of a way to show their appreciation for those they’ve appreciated throughout the year. Of course, even though the world has changed, the world’s standards for the number of gifts have not. This means that towers of gifts are not common here either.

“Even if we do that, I don’t think he’ll be able to get through them all before the year is out. Why don’t we make a small selection and send them back now…….”

She had suggested that they go bribe him first, Estella had no idea that the results would be so remarkable. Whenever she was absorbed in admiring something, Diego repeatedly bought every item in that category. Estella only realized this after arriving at the mansion. To be precise, it was only after completing a special delivery for VIPs at the store.

“Keep such embarrassing behavior as a memory of Miss Margaret, understood?”

Diego snorted like a capitalist. Estella glared at him with narrowed eyes.

“What’s so embarrassing about this? It’s a rational decision.”

“Don’t you know how the market works? If people like me spend more, small business owners are happy.”

“Isn’t there a good alternative like donating?”

“Why can’t I be as happy as they are?”

“……Wow, your definition of happiness is so materialistic!”

Diego shrugged at Estella’s exclamation. He asked the maid who was packing up the things about Cedric’s whereabouts. The maid replied that she hadn’t seen him since earlier and was looking for him. Apparently, he had ventured into the backyard.