Oscar hugged him before Ian could understand what he said and entered his carriage.

You may proceed! He pleasantly spoke to the coachman and his escort.

Laritte waved her hand at the leaving carriage as it disappeared beyond the path between the fields.

She stared blankly at the field where she could see butterflies fluttering their wings before she turned to Ian.

He was standing so still, she wondered what the Crown Prince told him before he left.

Laritte was so quiet that he couldnt hear her approach.

What did His Highness say? A secret between friends? She looked up at him.

The answer took a long while to come back.

..Yes, its a. secret, he was staring over the horizon as well.

Laritte shrugged when his eyes fluttered strangely.

If you dont want to say it, dont. I also have friends.

Only then did Ian, who had frozen like a stone statue, look at Laritte. Jealousy started raging inside him again because of what she said.

He tried his best to press down his jealousy and ask, Whos your friend?

Hmm, Sir Mason? Lady Redra? And Bertrand

Oh, yeah.

Laritte found it strange that Ian took a beat to understand.

But soon, she shrugged it off and went back to the mansion, hurry up.

Ill follow you soon.

Yet he found it difficult to catch up with Laritte.

His ears were bright red.

You indeed like her, so dont whine anymore and confess your feelings to your wife, he kept recalling Oscars words again and again.

Since he really likes her

Stop!

Ian screamed to himself.

If his skin was fair like Larittes, he wouldve been in trouble trying to hide his condition from her.

All of a sudden, his thoughts went somewhere else.

Indeed, Laritte looked beautiful because of her snowy skin.

No. Its not the time to think about this.

But he could not get control of his thoughts.

He kept remembering various aspects of his wife the longer he kept pruning.

The heat gradually reached his head, and now his neck was flushed red.

Ian fell to his knees on the ground. He buried his face in his hands so as to not be caught by the employees around him.

To be honest, he did know about his feelings. He dragged it for a long time like a fool. It was time for him to admit them.

A faint aroma of flowers swept past his burning head.

From somewhere in the distance, he could hear the faint echo of the knights in training.

He was taken by an old memory.

Before Selenas illness grew worse, when the former Ducal couple lived together in the Duchy.

Selena Reinhardt, his mother, said that the footing of everything was love.

Betty opens your bedroom every morning because of love, and its because of love that you worry about your mothers illness. Every morning the Duke kisses me because of love.

Ian felt uncomfortable when a passerby stroked his chin.

K-Kiss?

Does that mean youve never done it, honey?

Selena sighed jokingly as she hugged a much smaller Ian.

I take back the last one. The Duke doesnt really love me.

No. Thats not it

Ian could clearly recall that day.

His father had kissed her in front of Ian, saying it was her fault.

His father always harbored a straight face.

How was Father capable of doing that? Ian thought he wouldnt be able to do that to anyone.

But now, he could. For at least one person.

Ian was also in love.

A terribly intertwined love.

Confess, he grabbed his chin.

How would he confess? He wouldnt be able to do it even if he died.

He remembered the time when Laritte was afraid of revealing her name to him.

He prevented her from being taken away after she was detained at Roses command.

He had stopped the carriage and shouted proudly to her.

Where the hell are you going without your husband!

He showed a great spirit that time.

Was he not shy in the past?

I cant confess. I cant, Ian calmed down as he stroked his fingers through his black hair.

For now, just him acknowledging his feelings for Laritte had been a big improvement in itself.

The exchange meeting to be held in May was arriving very soon.

The Exchange Ceremony was a 10-day event that only invited the higher 30 aristocrats from the Empire of Iassa.

It began with the further distribution of the harvested goods in the first half of the year into several village units.

As it spread to the capital city, foreign figures were also invited.

Today, a hundred years later, the exchange meeting in May was the second largest event after the founding anniversary.

I wish to attend the exchange event someday! It receives special guests.

A 12-year-old child was taking a walk inside a castle in the capital with a friend.

She was a young lady who arrived in the capital before the exchange.

At the center of the castle where the party was generally held, only 30 aristocrats, their companies, and foreigners were allowed to participate.

However, other nobles were allowed to enjoy a separate gathering in a hall near the center.

Envious of the grand meeting, the children continued their stroll around the castle.

Except for her, the nobles stared at only one place. As did the officials who were in charge of managing the castle.

Because it was time for the real guests to arrive.

You could get to know a lot from a simple hello from the guests. Such as if the person is important, their business, etcetera.

Some nobles peered outside their wagons with the utmost curiosity, while some waited outside the castle.

Everyone was waiting for a carriage to arrive.

Theyre waiting for them, arent they? the young lady whispered to her friend.

It was very obvious.

The family bearing the crest of a lion. They have always been famous in society, but even more so these days.

The family of the Duke of Reinhardt, who rarely appeared in public.

The young girls were eager to see Laritte, who was known to be very beautiful.

However, other nobles were curious to see Ians attention.

Why has he changed his mind after his absence in the exchange for three years straight?

Is it because of the Duchess?

Are the Duke and the Duchess still in a good relationship? Wouldnt the Duke require a mistress now?

Amid the numerous questions, Ian and Larittes carriage appeared in the scene.

Honestly, most of the people here thought that Laritte would be abandoned by this time. They thought Ian mightve found the illegitimate girl interesting in the beginning, but he would soon get tired of her.

The girls chatted as they watched from a higher region.

Whos that grandpa?

I dont know. Hes huge.

Mason opened the door of the carriage for the couple to descend.

The girls didnt know Mason, but the aristocrats surely did.

The old knight was far more kind to Laritte among the other soldiers. The way he treated her was embedded in everyones minds. In addition, other members of the Knights of Reinhardt showed the utmost respect and care towards the Duchess.

How did she manage to capture the hearts of the knights?

Many nobles were judgmental about the situation.

If they werent fools, they should take great care while assessing Laritte now.

Perhaps forever!

The girls regretted their decision because they couldnt see Larittes face from far above.

Lets go down to the first floor, shall we?

Okay!

Both of them turned around and ran regardless of anything. When one of them bumped into a man who was coming around the corner. The man grabbed her before she could collapse with the impact.

You have to be careful, human. Keke!

His laugh was weird.

The man with the lively voice was tall, but his whole body was covered in a robe.

Just from how he looked, they understood he was not a noble. An old nobleman, who appeared behind the man, apologized instead.

Forgive us, young ladies. He can only speak informally because he hasnt received proper education in the imperial language.

This manner of speaking belonged to the kingdom of Mirnoa.

The girl, who almost lost her balance, shook her head.

Its okay! I forgive you.

Such a kind-hearted lady.

Have a great time, see you later!

The man, who was dressed like a beggar, told the old aristocrat after he saw the children leave.

Newborn babies, regardless of race, look so cute!

Hush, watch what you say. This is not your kingdom. Theres a limit you must keep here. And they looked like they were over 10 years old, how would they be newborn?

Newborn or 10 years old, dont you nag me!

The old man sighed helplessly.

This man was the fortune-teller named Seta, who recently gained fame in the Mirnoan kingdom.

He also recently escaped the crisis following the advice of this fortune-teller.

Setas request in exchange for the advice was only one.

It was to visit the Grand Exchange of the Empire with him!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep