This was the private room of a restaurant with large windows overlooking the ocean. Baron Lupois, sitting close to Edmund, was passionately speaking, spitting as he talked.
Upon hearing the news of the Duke of Mipedian’s visit, Baron Lupois rushed over immediately. Even though the duke had sent word that he wished to stay quietly, the baron insisted on welcoming him and even invited him to lunch.
Lilien, with an awkward smile, entertained the baron’s daughter, Lady Antra, who was acting overly familiar, claiming they had met at a banquet before.
The baron and his daughter were unimpressed by my presence. If Baron Lupois had been a political figure or had business interests, his attitude might have been different.
But they had another goal in mind—
The Duke of Mipedian, Edmund.
Upon learning of his visit, the baron had dressed up his daughter and invited them to the luncheon.
We had intended to refuse, but Lilien had heard that their estate had a tower with a breathtaking view of the ocean, and she was eager to see it. That was the only reason we accepted the invitation.
However, instead of sightseeing, all we got was indigestion.
Lilien kept giving me apologetic looks as if she hadn’t anticipated this situation. I wrinkled my nose slightly to reassure her that it was fine.
At that moment, as the meal was about to conclude, Baron Lupois chuckled and spoke.
“Your Grace, it is an honor to host you. Would you allow my daughter to guide you around the local attractions?”
As he spoke, he winked at Lady Antra. She blushed and shyly cupped her cheeks.
‘That’s way too obvious.’
She was already gazing at Edmund with an infatuated look, completely entranced.
Her large, innocent eyes fluttered rapidly, as if hoping he would notice her.
Despite her blatant act, Lady Antra was somewhat cute in her own way. However, the person in question, Edmund, only furrowed his brows, clearly uncomfortable.
After briefly glancing at Lilien for her opinion, he stood up. Baron Lupois, caught off guard, hurriedly followed, but Edmund shot him a cold look.
“I appreciate the offer, but this is quite enough. Let’s end things here.”
“…Pardon?”
Then, he gestured for Lilien and me to stand.
We quickly rose from our seats.
“W-wait a moment…!”
Before Baron Lupois could finish speaking, we bid our final farewells and left the restaurant.
Realizing he was about to lose a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Baron Lupois hastily ran after us.
“There are truly beautiful sights to see here! While relaxing is nice, wouldn’t it be better to explore since you’ve come all this way?”
Edmund strode down the hallway, staring straight ahead, his expression unreadable. Due to the difference in their strides, Baron Lupois struggled to keep up, sweating profusely.
“E-especially the Lovers’ Cliff! It is said that couples who whisper love there stay together forever. The view of the sea from there is one of our land’s greatest prides. What do you think, Lady Lilien?”
So, they didn’t even show us the tower, yet now they were trying to persuade Lilien?
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not particularly interested. Since this is a summer retreat, I’d prefer to spend my time quietly.”
Lilien was well aware of his true intentions. Her polite yet firm refusal made it clear that he had no room to push further.
Eventually, after following us all the way to the restaurant entrance, Baron Lupois turned to his daughter with a defeated expression.
Lady Antra’s eyes welled up with tears as she watched Edmund walk away.
“Your Grace…”
Baron Lupois tried to comfort her, saying he would find her a better match. However, she immediately protested through her tears, insisting there was no one more perfect than Edmund and that she wanted to chase after him.
Shouldn’t such conversations be held in private? What if someone overheard?
Sure enough, Lilien’s ears perked up. Witnessing this, I felt a sudden chill of unease.
Then, Lilien suddenly halted, spun around, and loudly declared, “I apologize, but my brother already has a lifelong partner—!”
Standing right behind her, I quickly clamped my hand over her mouth.
If such words reached the ears of someone as rash as Baron Lupois, the story would spread like wildfire, turning into a scandal in no time.
For a brief moment, our eyes met. Realizing her mistake, Lilien’s gaze softened with regret.
“A partner…?”
I noticed Baron Lupois and Lady Antra’s expressions subtly change.
‘Well, there’s no helping it now.’
I needed to divert their attention before they got any funny ideas.
“Shall we all go together? To the cliff?”
I could feel Edmund’s disapproving gaze boring into me.
‘This is just to prevent any rumors—please understand.’
I awkwardly smiled, avoiding his gaze.
Since it was a popular tourist spot, the path to the cliff was well-paved, making the journey easy. However, after stepping off the carriage, we had to walk up a narrow slope.
Fortunately, the distance was short.
Baron Lupois stuck close to Edmund, enthusiastically talking about his daughter, while Lady Antra followed demurely behind them.
‘What a lovely time for them.’
I almost felt like an intruder among the seemingly well-matched pair.
“Oh my!”
Just then, Lady Antra stumbled, grabbing onto Edmund’s arm.
“I-I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him with a flushed face, still clinging to his arm.
Edmund, however, only gave her a dry glance before turning his gaze back ahead.
Even his indifference didn’t deter her. Instead, she took it as a positive sign and smiled slyly.
At that moment, our eyes met.
Her gaze sharpened with determination, and she arched her brow with a triumphant smirk.
I widened my eyes slightly in surprise.
‘Is she… trying to intimidate me?’
My lips twitched.
‘Oh my, how cute.’
But I quickly pressed my lips together. If I laughed, I’d only provoke her further.
It seemed that the rumors from the capital had made me an unwelcome presence in her eyes.
Well, it’s only natural to be wary of any woman standing too close to the man she likes.
As we reached the entrance to the cliff, the view beyond the lush grass finally revealed itself—
A breathtaking sea, shimmering under the starlight. Even Lilien, who had been tense, couldn’t help but be captivated by the beauty before us.
“It’s so beautiful! Let’s go up, Lady Etricia!”
“Alright.”
The entrance with the fence was so narrow that only one person could go up at a time.
The baron and his daughter, who were used to the cliff, went up first. Lilien followed, taking Edmund’s escort.
Naturally, I thought I would also get Edmund’s escort.
But I was surprised to see only his broad back filling my view.
“Sister, go ahead,”
his low voice echoed, with only his back facing me.
“Why?”
Lilien, who had gone up and looked around the sea, turned her head.
“He’s scared of cliffs.”
“You?”
Lilien looked completely doubtful.
No matter what kind of face Edmund was making, his voice didn’t sound scared at all.
She tilted her head, then spotted my face peeking out from behind his shoulder and grinned.
It was the first time I saw that mischievous expression on Lilien’s face.
“Okay! Leave it to me!”
Leave what to you?
“Come on, Lady Baroness!”
While I was still confused, Lilien linked arms with Lady Antra and pulled her away, asking Baron Lupois to tell them about the cliff.
Because Edmund’s back blocked my view, I could only hear their “uh, uh” noises as they were dragged off.
Only then did Edmund step aside at the entrance and look at me with lowered eyes.
“Do you perhaps have something important to say to me?”
“No.”
Edmund blinked slowly as he replied.
If not, it made even less sense.
A man called the Empire’s hero, afraid of cliffs? That couldn’t be true.
And he even let Lilien go alone.
Maybe he noticed my puzzled look, because he stared at me blankly, then slightly frowned and turned his head.
“Aren’t you the one who is afraid? Of heights.”
Ah.
A quiet sigh slipped out.
Remembering the embarrassing scene in the vineyard, I quickly turned my face the other way to hide my blushing.
I didn’t even remember it well, but he remembered it clearly.
A fresh sea breeze swept over the cliff, cooling my hot face.
The breeze tickled my chest gently as it passed.
“I’m not scared. Just… a bit uncomfortable.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
It wasn’t like we were strangers, yet we both kept turning our heads away.
I straightened my posture.
Now that I thought about it, he’s been acting a little… concerned about me lately.
Realizing that made me speak.
“Are you worried about me?”
He was still standing beside me at the entrance, looking at the bushes across the way.
Then his eyes slowly lowered to me.
He didn’t answer for a while, just looked away.
But that silence was close to a yes.
As the soft breeze tickled my skin again, I frowned slightly and thought,
‘This man… even back at the vineyard… he’s overprotective.’
I’m not used to this kind of concern.
But it wasn’t a bad feeling.
It was a pleasant kind of discomfort.
Above all, Edmund, who used to act like a hissing cat, now worrying about me…
It really made me feel how much time we had spent together.
Waiting for the others to come back from the cliff felt strangely long.
I slowly rolled my eyes to the side and looked up at Edmund standing next to me.
