Grace, who had her cloak on her side, judged that the appointment tonight would be naturally canceled, and the conversation they had here would be naturally conveyed to Benjamin.
“Well then, I should be going now. Can I go out?”
“Well, going out means using your feet, not your hands.”
“That’s true.”
As Grace left the office, the maids of the annex followed her.
Then, a loud voice of a young man was heard.
“Oh, brother!!”
“…?”
Grace stood up straight with her eyes wide open. The maids who followed her also stood up straight.
“Never mind! My brother never listens!”
In the distance, Sylvester was seen walking quickly with a frustrated expression on his face, shouting loudly.
Grace tried to put on her cloak in a hurry, but he spotted her first.
“…Hmm?”
“Ah.”
Grace stood still and looked at Sylvester.
‘I should greet him, right? Even if he is known as a playboy prince, he must have attended the marriage arranged by the emperor.’
As Grace was about to show a gesture to greet Sylvester, he just nodded his head roughly.
“Ah, just pass by.”
“…?”
Grace, who was about to lift the hem of her dress, stopped and looked up at him.
“Huh? I’m busy with work. You don’t have to follow the etiquette. Don’t hold me up.”
“…Oh. Okay…?”
Grace rolled her eyes and nodded her head.
She looked down at the dress she was wearing. She had chosen the most ordinary and plain clothes possible to visit the orphanage.
‘Well, maybe he can’t recognize me.’
Can he really not recognize?
But she’s still a noblewoman, right? She got married and there must be rumors about what she looks like.
Various questions arose in Grace’s mind, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to ask him. She thought, “Well, I must not hold enough value in his eyes.”
She glanced at Sylvester and quickly moved away. The maidservants shot him a glance when he wasn’t looking.
‘I’ll just go out like this.’
Grace walked down the hallway, her cloak spread out and her head bowed. She saw the boots below.
“Ah.”
“My Lady?”
Before she heard the voice, she recognized that it was Benjamin from the boots.
“Your Highness.”
Benjamin looked at Grace with a surprised expression.
“How did you get here, and your right hand…”
“There was a little accident.”
When Grace answered nonchalantly, his expression became even more complicated.
“You were hurt so badly, though.”
“Well, it wasn’t that bad, but I won’t be able to have dinner with you. I heard that there is a guest today to accompany you for dinner.”
“Yes, Crown Prince…”
Benjamin stopped talking and raised his right hand, pushing it toward Grace’s face.
Grace was startled and leaned to the left. Benjamin’s right hand was pushing someone’s face away.
“Your Highness, it seems like you’ve forgotten your manners while enjoying your travels,” Benjamin said kindly to Sylvester.
“D-Duke Felton, isn’t it your fault for not showing me your wife even once?”
“Why do you blame me for Your Highness not attending my wedding? I certainly invited you.”
“I was traveling to a place without a gate at that time.”
“That’s not my fault either.”
“….”
Grace rolled her eyes, wondering what was going on.
“Please don’t be rude to My Lady. Actually, it’s not proper to confront anyone like that, even if it’s not My Lady.”
‘Come to think of it, Sylvester also confronted Aria like this when he first met her. Maybe that’s why Aria punched him.’
Grace realized that it was just his habit.
“You always talk about My Lady. Hmm… you seem like someone who likes to scrutinize others.”
“….”
Grace looked at Sylvester with a blank expression.
Benjamin, who was caught in the middle, was bewildered and unable to do anything.
“Your Highness, this is my house. Please stop being rude.”
“Hmm? What did I do that was rude?”
“Please go back inside. I’ll be back soon.”
Benjamin pushed Sylvester back into the room and quickly returned to Grace.
‘Though, there was no need to come back.’
Benjamin’s face looked even more upset than before.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Grace nodded her head and raised her right hand. Although Benjamin’s question was not about her hand, so he looked a little sad, he couldn’t ask Grace any more questions.
“…If you’re going out, I’ll escort you to the back door.”
Benjamin took Grace’s cloak and carefully wrapped it around her.
“It’s a cloak from Rehton, but the weather is chilly these days. Please be careful.”
It was funny to worry about the weather since it was a cloak from Rehton, as Benjamin had said. However, Grace didn’t bother to argue about that.
Normally, one would offer their arm or extend their hand to escort someone, but Benjamin simply walked alongside Grace, matching her stride.
“…Um, Crown Prince and I, when we were younger, I was briefly his playmate. Because of that, we still occasionally meet privately or get invited to gatherings.”
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