Every time he recalled their conversation that day, it filled him with pain.
Agnes said that even if she died and returned to the past, she would still come to Arpad, but that was not because she loved him; it was simply because Arpad was the only house suitable for her circumstances at that time.
If things had been different and she had married into Cellon, many things would have been different…
He let out a self-deprecating laugh as he got up from the bed.
The woman sleeping beside him made colorful sounds and looked peaceful.
As he gazed at Agnes’s face, an overwhelming emotion surged within him.
Each time that happened, he didn’t know what to do.
“Agnes.”
That was all Laslo could say.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
It was a noisy morning.
He woke up to a distant, short scream.
Agnes rubbed her eyes and got up. Ney dampened a towel with warm water and wiped her hands and feet.
“What’s going on? Yawn. Why is it so noisy?”
“It’s because of Lady Lisa from the Count of Barania family.”
“Lady Lisa? Why?”
“Don’t even ask.”
Ney sighed briefly as she spoke.
“Yesterday, she went to the pigsty, left the door open, and just walked out, causing the pig to escape halfway. The servants had a hard time catching it again.”
“Why would she go to the pigsty?”
“How are we supposed to know that?”
“Then what’s happening today?”
“She said she was going to pick some fruit from the garden.”
“What?”
It had only been five days since Lisa had stayed at the castle, yet the atmosphere had completely changed.
There wasn’t a single quiet day; every morning was noisy and bustling.
“Madam.”
Even Bushke came to Agnes with an awkward expression and asked,
“How long will the lady from the Barania family be staying at the castle?”
“Did she come to you too?”
“Yes, to be precise, she came to the field where I grow herbs, and, um, there was a bit of commotion.”
“……”
She didn’t even need to ask what kind of commotion it was.
Naturally, on the very day Lisa arrived, Agnes sent a letter to Count Barania.
However, unfortunately, the Count’s estate was located on the exact opposite side of Sutmar, so it would take at least a week for the letter to arrive.
“She’ll leave before summer ends. Don’t worry too much.”
“Yes. Thank you, madam.”
She wondered if this was something to be thankful for, but let it go.
Moreover, Niall had completely thrown up his hands in defeat, saying he couldn’t handle Lisa anymore.
“Haah…”
Agnes let out a deep sigh.
It would likely take at least another ten days for Count Barania to receive the message and come here.
“Why the sigh?”
Laslo suddenly appeared and asked, as if he had just arrived.
“Hmm? Ah. I was just calculating when Count Barania might come.”
“Even Niall has given up.”
“I know.”
After a brief response, Agnes lowered her head to look at the documents.
Laslo stood there for a while without saying anything or leaving.
“Um, do you have time later this evening?”
“In the evening? What’s the matter?”
“Well, um, I was thinking of going on an estate inspection.”
“An estate inspection at sunset? What will you see?”
“Hmmm… So, it’s not really an estate inspection. Would you like to go out to the estate and take a look around together?”
“Is the purpose of the visit to check on the people’s livelihoods?”
“Um, not exactly for that.”
Laslo was sweating profusely as he rambled on with completely nonsensical statements.
“Then what is it?”
“Haah. Actually, I have something to show you.”
“Something to show me?”
He nodded silently. When Agnes asked what it was, he never answered.
“So, I’ll come to pick you up in the evening, Agnes.”
“Understood.”
Agnes brushed it off and buried her nose back in the documents.
Laslo’s footsteps faded away.
Before long, Ney quietly approached her side.
“Madam.”
“Hmm.”
“Aren’t you tired?”
“No, not really.”
“I learned an amazing oil massage. Would you like to try it?”
“I have a lot of work to do, so let’s postpone that for now.”
“It’ll only take a moment. Okay?”
Ney was unusually persistent today. If it had been any other maid, Agnes would have kicked them out for being bothersome, but Ney’s situation was different.
“Fine, fine.”
Then Ney quickly came over and started to take off Agnes’s dress. The other maids standing by the wall joined in as well.
“Okay, let’s start with a bath.”
“I already took one this morning.”
“Oh come on. You need to wash with the oil again.”
“It’s a lot of work for just one massage.”
Her tone was sarcastic, but Ney didn’t respond.
After nearly two hours in the bath, Agnes’s body glowed.
“Is that enough?”
“Just sit here for a moment. There’s a new cosmetic I want to try on you.”
“What else are you going to put on me? The sun is about to set.”
“It’ll really be quick.”
No matter how much Agnes complained, it was useless. Ney forcibly sat her down in the powder room.
She said she would only try one product, but she took out various cosmetics and began to redo Agnes’s face.
Meanwhile, another maid quietly came over and started to style her hair, while another one trimmed her nails.
“You’ll have to wash it all off after dinner, so this is quite the effort.”
“It’s no trouble at all if it’s for you, madam.”
Ney replied to Agnes’s sarcasm with a cheerful demeanor.
“Oh my. With this makeup, it doesn’t really match the dress you’re wearing. Right, dear?”
“Exactly. I’ll quickly get another dress.”
Before the words were even finished, Rachel dashed off to the wardrobe.
In less than a minute, she returned with an incredibly glamorous and beautiful dress.
“Ney, you…”
“Oh my, oh my! This outfit is perfect! Madam, please stand up and try it on.”
Thus, Agnes was forcibly made to change into the dress. At this point, she couldn’t help but notice something was off.
“Did Laslo send you?”
“No.”
Ney quickly and firmly denied it.
“Do you know where we’re going this evening?”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
Her resolute tone only made Agnes more suspicious. With seven maids focused on her appearance, all preparations were completed in an instant.
And then, as if on cue, Laslo knocked on the door.
“Ahem.”
“Oh my, the master has arrived.”
“Of course, he would.”
Agnes pouted and stood up.
Laslo, looking dapper with an awkward smile, extended his hand to Agnes.
“Agnes.”
“Where are we going that requires all this fuss?”
“Just. It’s nothing special.”
He spoke ambiguously. It seemed he wouldn’t answer if she asked more, so she just kept quiet.
The carriage moved slowly. Agnes looked at the darkening sky, then closed her eyes.
“Agnes.”
“Hmm?”
“You look beautiful today.”
Agnes opened her eyes and looked at Laslo sitting next to her.
“Only today?”
“Hmm?”
“What about yesterday? How was I the day before?”
“Oh, of course you’re beautiful every day, but today you’re especially several times more beautiful than usual…”
He earnestly explained Agnes’s beauty, and she giggled.
“Okay, I get it. Thank you.”
Meanwhile, the carriage came to a stop.
As always, Laslo got down first and helped her out of the carriage.
“Where are we?”
“A lake behind Estar Castle.”
“A lake?”
Although he said lake, the place they had arrived was in the middle of a forest.
Agnes took Laslo’s arm and walked along the forest path.
“I didn’t know a place like this existed.”
“This place is small, and there aren’t many fish caught, so it’s rarely visited.”
“It’s nice.”
The scent of grass brushed against her nose, mingling with the summer night air.
The summer insects were chirping busily. It was still bright around them since the sun set late in summer.
The two walked along the forest path without much conversation.
In that moment, there were no worries or concerns.
The burden of needing to survive and worries about usurping the throne could all be set aside.
A faint smell of water began to waft through the air. After walking for a short while, they could see the lake.
“Wow.”
The lake was small, but the scenery was beautiful.
Willow trees were planted by the lakeside, swaying gently in the breeze.
“This way, Agnes.”
He extended his hand. Without hesitation, Agnes took it.
There was a small boat at the landing.
It was decorated with flowers, clearly showing that someone had put in a lot of effort to prepare it.
“When did you prepare this?”
Agnes laughed as she climbed into the boat.
Laslo settled in with a somewhat awkward expression.
“It was hastily prepared, so it’s a bit lacking.”
“A bit lacking, indeed.”
Thinking it would require rowing since there was no sail, the boat surprisingly began to move on its own as they both got in.
“How did that happen?”
“I asked the magicians for help. It’s set to automatically circle the lake.”
“Oh? Is that possible?”
“Apparently so.”
He pulled out a bottle of fruit wine from the basket next to his feet.
“Would you like a glass?”
“Sure.”
The wine felt sweeter on her tongue than usual.
The two engaged in lighthearted conversation.
From the current state of the territory to their first impressions of each other when they first met.
“To be honest, when I first saw you, I thought you were so small that Prince Sebastian must have been starving you.”
“What? Was it that bad?”
“Ah, of course, I know that wasn’t the case now.”
“I’ve said it many times, but my height is very much average among royalty.”
