Just as they were about to move closer to each other,
Rustle. They heard movement nearby. Startled, Kayden and Diana stepped back.
“Ah…”
Turning their heads, they saw Fleur standing there with a troubled expression. She seemed to be about to sneak away, but when she realized Kayden and Diana’s eyes were on her, she quickly straightened up and awkwardly cleared her throat.
“Ah, um. Her Majesty was asking why you two haven’t come yet…” For once, Fleur was rambling. A rare blush had appeared on her usually fair cheeks.
Seeing this, Diana screams internally. She quickly distanced herself from Kayden and linked arms with Fleur, smiling. “We’re so late, aren’t we? Let’s go quickly! Her Majesty must be waiting.”
“What? But weren’t you two talking—”
“We just finished our conversation and were about to follow. I’m sorry to have made you come all the way here.”
Diana cut off Fleur’s words and glanced back at Kayden. She mouthed the words to him with an unreadable expression. ‘Later.’
“…”
‘We’ll talk later.’
Kayden looked at Diana silently for a moment before nodding. Relieved, Diana tugged at Fleur, almost dragging her away.
“Haa.” Left alone, Kayden lifted his hand to his face, wiping it dry. The intense heat that had seemed ready to consume his entire body vanished in an instant, leaving him feeling deflated. As he watched Diana’s profile as she walked away, laughing alongside Fleur, he was overcome with an inexplicable sense of unease.
…Strange. Something felt off. Kayden had an uncanny instinct that Patrasche openly called him a ‘beast.’ That very instinct was now screaming at him to stop Diana and get an answer immediately.
“Kayden, aren’t you coming?”
But Diana had already walked quite a distance away, wearing a calm smile as if she had completely forgotten their conversation. Fleur, who heard her words, also looked back at him with wide eyes.
“…Yes, let’s go.”
In the end, Kayden forced himself to push aside his unease and followed them. But the strength in his clenched fists didn’t easily dissipate.
* * *
Diana and Kayden joined empress and Elliot, who were waiting for them, and headed towards the lakeside.
“Ah, there’s the boatman…”
Fleur began to speak in a cheerful tone but stopped abruptly, startled. Simultaneously, the group also came to a halt, almost in unison.
“…”
Rebecca, who was just getting off the boat with Millard’s assistance, spotted them and froze in place. As she instinctively furrowed her brows slightly and looked at the empress’s group, Millard turned his head in curiosity to follow her gaze.
“Your Highness? What’s the matter…”
Millard, upon seeing the empress’s group, stiffened and took a step back. Rebecca let out a small sigh, released Millard’s hand, and bowed her head.
“…Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress.”
“G-Greetings to Your Majesty the Empress.” Millard, a step behind Rebecca, also greeted the empress formally.
The empress responded with a slight nod and awkwardly initiated a conversation. “Princess, are you here to ride the boat as well?”
“Yes. My fiancé was curious about it.” At Rebecca’s words, Millard blushed slightly.
Originally, only the imperial family was allowed to enter the summer palace before the hunting festival, but Millard had been staying there early as Rebecca’s fiancé. Millard smiled shyly at Rebecca, and the empress nodded quietly as she watched them.
“I see. It seems you had a pleasant time. Go on in.”
“Thank you. Then…”
Rebecca left a calm farewell and disappeared with Millard. Only after they were gone did the empress, Elliot, and Fleur breathe a sigh of relief.
“It’s quite amazing to meet in such a spacious summer palace.”
“At least there’s an empty boat at the right time. Shall we go?”
Fleur smiled and gestured to the group. The five of them soon boarded a sizable rowboat and began crossing the lake.
“Wow.”
Diana admired the sight of the lake’s surface sparkling as the boatman rowed. Seeing her delight in tracing the water’s surface with her fingertips like a child, the others smiled warmly.
“It’s nice to see the Third Princess Consort enjoying herself.”
“Indeed.”
Kayden chuckled and agreed with the empress. Hearing their conversation, Diana realized she might have been too excited and quickly withdrew her hand.
“Diana, your hand.”
As soon as Diana pulled her hand back into the boat, Kayden took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the water off her hand. This gesture made the smiles on the faces of the empress and the First Prince and his wife even broader.
It’s ticklish. Diana shivered slightly at the sensation of Kayden’s hand brushing between her fingers. Though it seemed like he was merely wiping away the water, an inexplicable feeling ran down her spine.
“All done.”
“…Thank you.”
Whether it was fortunate or not, Kayden soon put away his handkerchief. Diana felt a mix of relief and regret at it.
In the meantime, the empress and the first prince couple were talking about the hunting festival.
“It’s so nice to relax like this all together. I wish our summer vacation could always be like this.”
“Though we call it a vacation, considering it includes inspecting local territories…”
“Don’t say that. We don’t have many days like this left with the hunting festival approaching.” Fleur lightly slapped Elliot’s hand as if to chide him for his words.
In truth, as Elliot had said, the imperial family’s summer vacation was quite short. Even during that brief period, they had to inspect local territories and meet with the lords, making it hardly a vacation.
At that moment, the empress’s eyes lit up as she asked, “By the way, is Third Princess Consort going to participate in the hunting festival? I heard Fleur is practicing archery for this year’s hunting festival.”
“Really?”
Surprised, Diana and Kayden blinked and looked at Fleur. She waved her hand in embarrassment.
“It’s nothing much. Compared to Prince Kayden’s skills, I’m just practicing lightly, thinking it’s good for exercise. It does seem to be a bit of a workout, though.” As she laughed, Fleur suddenly remembered something and turned to Diana. “Ah, right. Diana, would you like to join too?”
“Me?”
“Yes. It’s quite boring just sitting under the tent during the hunting festival. How about joining in as a light walk? You only need to prepare to the level where you can draw a bowstring.”
Fleur’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked at Diana. Her gaze was like the surface of the lake sparkling under the sunlight earlier.
It certainly is boring, and if I participate in the hunting festival, I can directly intervene if unexpected situations arise…
Diana was weak against such a look from Fleur. Rolling her eyes, Diana eventually nodded, and Fleur, delighted, grabbed her hand. Her light green eyes flared up with enthusiasm.
“Then let’s go practice right now!”
“Yes?”
“The sooner we start, the better. I’m not an expert yet, but I can teach you the basics!”
“Uh…”
Diana was flustered but couldn’t stop Fleur. In the end, the two left the others and headed back to the previous location.
I hope Rebecca or Millard doesn’t head that way.
Diana walked, hoping she wouldn’t run into Rebecca again. Then, as they walked side by side, Fleur suddenly lowered her voice and whispered.
“Diana.”
“Yes?”
“Did something happen between you and Prince Kayden? The atmosphere seemed a bit odd.”
Hi, now you can purchase 5 advance chapters in here.
