Café Cardinal was not far from the Grand Duke’s residence.
“It was really close.”
He seemed to hear Rona’s chatty voice.
Eleon walked alone to the cafe where the two of them once had tea together.
The streets of the capital were unfamiliar.
I’ve never been able to walk like this.
He sometimes used a carriage, and most of the time he rode a horse.
If the height is different, the view is also different.
“Have you always seen a scene like this?”
Eleon looked down at the street.
When he rides a horse, he concentrates on the path.
It’s a habit, but he always focused on passing these streets quickly.
At some point, he would have passed through these cityscapes, but they were new to him as if it were the first time he had seen them.
Eleon deliberately walked slowly.
He wanted to see the scenery that Rona had seen while walking back and forth.
When he was blind, he wanted to see it with his own eyes instead of having Rona explain it to him.
Eleon sat down at a table in Café Cardinal and ordered coffee and chocolate.
The waiter, wearing a neat white apron, spilled some coffee as she placed his order in front of him.
“I’m so sorry.”
The woman crouched and wiped away the spilled coffee.
Her hand that was cleaning the table gradually slowed down.
From a short distance, through his black hair and beautiful red eyes, the high nose bridge, and beautiful lips, the waiter meticulously scanned them.
Her eyes were filled with admiration and surprise.
Eleon drove her out without hesitation.
“It’s fine, you can go.”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
The sullen attitude of the waiter who left with the dishcloth was full of regrets.
Soon, the two female waitresses have their hands on their chests and are pointing at Eleon.
They were blushing and screaming incomprehensible.
“Hmm.”
This happened every day.
There were so many women in the world who acted strange whenever they saw him.
Eleon wasn’t very interested in women.
How am I supposed to respond to such an act? I can’t do the same little jumps, the same blushing, and the giggling sound.
It was good to be able to talk to Rona. She had no ulterior motive.
As time passed, Eleon became more comfortable, and then he became selfish.
Eleon looked around Café Cardinal.
Rona said that the wooden table resembled the garden table in the Grand Duke’s house, but the table’s legs were dirty.
The napkin’s original color was unrecognizable and stiff.
「“The awning is blue and there are also a few tables under it. The blue sky is beautiful and clear today.”」
The awning was broken and wasn’t even repaired.
Eleon laughed.
“She lied.”
If I had to choose the most beautiful thing here, it would be Rona’s voice that remained in my memory.
TOCK TOCK TOCK
Eleon stayed there for a while, rolling the square of truffle chocolate around without eating it.
After a while, he approached the cafe owner at the counter and asked.
“I’m looking for a customer who ordered chocolates here three days ago.”
“Chocolate is our specialty. It’s very popular as a gift, so many customers order them.”
“She is a woman with a weird appearance. She had red hair, blue eyes, and dark skin, her face is very small. About this much!”
Eleon clenched his fist lightly.
The cafe’s owner looked at it and tilted his head.
“I may have seen someone like that, but I don’t really remember a customer with red hair and blue eyes… … . Sorry. There are so many customers coming and going.”
“Really?”
Eleon nodded.
“Thank you. Here!”
“Oh no, you’re welcome.”
Eleon tossed a gold coin at the reluctant owner and stepped out onto the paved street of the bustling commercial district.
“Did I come too late?”
He was able to see after two and a half years.
It was Bernard who stopped him from running out to find Rona.
「Ro..Rona will not be upset if Your Majesty goes out to find her and finds out that your eyesight has deteriorated.」
Cunning butler.
Eleon quietly went back to bed.
He was able to go outside after several doctors examined him, and only after hearing that there was nothing wrong with his eyes.
“Cedric.”
“Yes, Grand Duke.”
His aide appeared behind Eleon’s back.
“Guide me to where the information guild is.”
“Yes.”
Cedric, who had wandered quite far to find medicine, returned.
After receiving a letter from the butler stating that His Highness the Grand Duke had regained his sight, Cedric quickly returned, changing horses for two days without being able to eat or sleep.
His right hand became stronger since the last image he had in his last memory.
Cedric, expressionless, led him to the back alley of the capital.
Shortly after arriving at a dead-end between the buildings, Cedric knocked on the wall.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
After knocking three times, a portion of the plank wall opened like a door.
“Come in.”
A man dressed in black led them into a narrow alley on the other side.
“What brings you here?”
“I want to find someone.”
“Hmm. If it’s within the capital, it’s 100 gold coins. If other areas, there’s an extra fee… … .”
Eleon took out a heavy pocket in front of the man.
“It’s 1000 gold coins.”
“Gasp!”
The attitude of the man changed to being polite.
“Who are you looking for?”
“It’s a woman. Her name is Rona Hera Palace. She is twenty-seven. Her appearance is red hair, blue eyes, dark skin, her face is small and she is this tall.”
“Hey. Is your wife the one who ran away from home?”
“Is that important?”
“Our guild can find people, but we don’t force people to come back.”
“She’s not.”
Eleon immediately denied it.
She indeed left the house, but she was not yet ‘his wife’.
“Yes. If that’s the case, then there shouldn’t be any problem. We’ll try our best. I will do my best for this large sum.”
Eleon got up and said.
“It’s a down payment.”
“Huh!”
When leaving the guild, all the remaining members came out and bowed 90 degrees to greet him.
“Cedric. You have some work to do.”
“Just order anything.”
The downtown area was so crowded, that the two men soon disappeared.
* * * * *
CRASH
Sabiel tossed at his aide a silver tray with grapes and cheese on it.
“What? Rona, she’s gone?”
“Yes, yes. That… that’s right. Your Majesty the Crown Prince.”
“Sigh.”
Sabiel was furious and threw the glass he had been drinking and the cushion he was holding at him.
“Did you leak the information?”
The lieutenant was scared and put his head on the floor.
“No. It never happened.”
“But where and why did she disappear?”
“At first, she didn’t leave the Grand Duke’s mansion. So I went last night to capture her but.. … .”
The lieutenant explained that he had attempted to kidnap her at night.
“Very few people stay in the Grand Duke’s residence, so the security is very poor. I checked in advance, I searched the place where the maids were staying on the 3rd floor, but there was none.”
“Wasn’t she staying in Eleon’s bedroom?”
It makes sense if she takes care of him.
“It is said that she’s not the Grand Duke’s woman.”
“How did you know that if you don’t even have a spy in the mansion?”
“After the Grand Duke lost his sight due to poison, he became very suspicious, so he bought a farm himself to get the ingredients. He hired an errand boy and bribed the farmer, but she was not a woman who spent the night in the Grand Duke’s room, she only served him meals, cleaned and talked to him.”
“Hmm.”
From Sabiel’s point of view, it was incomprehensible.
Eleon bought clothes worth a whole year’s rent for a small house to a woman who’s not even in a relationship.
Besides, she was a servant, who was not a noble, a commoner, a friend, or lover.
“It can’t be.”
When Sabiel tried to open the curtain, Eleon grabbed his wrist.
At that time, his eyes were full of anger and possessiveness.
Isn’t that an implicit response to not touch his girl?
Eleon held his wrist very tightly, it throbbed for days as if it had cracked.
“Rona, find that woman.”
Sabiel swallowed hard.
“If it’s something Eleon hasn’t touched, I’ll have to take it first.”
His aide kept his mouth shut.
He was happy as if he had found an interesting toy.
* * * * *
Three days have gone since she came to the Duke of Yuter’s residence.
Rona has been quite busy.
The Duchess Mariela Yuter was a beautiful and virtuous woman.
She and her husband, the Duke of Yuter, made a very good couple of lovebirds.
The couple cared for each other. They were friendly and very polite.
Thanks to this, the atmosphere was so warm that it couldn’t get any better than this.
“Good morning Elysia.”
“Good morning, father.”
Duke Gillian Yuter was an intelligent man with brown hair and brown eyes.
Having compiled several Imperial histories, he exudes an academic look, especially with his glasses.
Rona was confident that she could choose her father as the most handsome man in the Empire.
“Did you sleep well yesterday?”
“Yes. Mother, did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I always sleep well. The food will get cold, let’s eat.”
They had breakfast together.
One thing that puzzled Rona was that no one except Mariela knew that she had been excommunicated from Hadunsha.
Is it because she got involved?
Was it because of Mariela that Elysia went to Hadunsha?
Mariella hugged her and cried all the time on her way home.
Since then, Rona has treated her with a bright and positive attitude.
Gillian, the Duchess, and the servants welcomed Elysia’s return with open arms.
“Starting today, teachers will be coming.”
“Already?”
Gillian raised an eyebrow.
“Not already. Even if it’s late, if you want to make your debut, you have to hurry.”
Mariela seemed to have decided to replenish forgotten etiquette and imperial history.
「“I will do my best to fill the forgotten memories. If you teach me, I’ll do my best.”」
Rona, who couldn’t say anything to comfort her unfamiliar mother for three days, cried and nodded in desperation.
Damn it. I thought I wouldn’t have to study again.
Human affairs are so unpredictable.
After breakfast, she returned to her room.
A young maid quickly followed her inside.
“What happened to what I told you to find out?”
The maid said proudly.
“The Grand Duke’s eyes are healed.”
I don’t know why she lied about her appearance, but why hasn’t the duke figured out she lied? It’s weird since all the other servants saw her and know what she actually looks like, one of them would’ve pointed out that he had the wrong description.