Chapter 103

“It’s enough for Noel to be so sorry. You reminded me that I value this puzzle.”

“Yes . . . it’s from the kingdom.”

“Yes, it was just a few toys. But for me, it is a treasure.”

Noel seemed to have taken her heart into consideration, so that was enough for her.

“I was a little moved that Noel knew what I value. Thanks.”

“Th, thank you. That . . .”

“Besides, it’s not like you threw it out the window on purpose. If that was the case, it would have been very hurtful, but . . . it’s not the case.”

In fact, Noel planned to be honest about everything today.

He was tired of telling lies about the puzzle so far.

But if Noel told her that he did throw it, Rieta would be hurt.

. . . He never thought of that.

What should he do?

I don’t want to hurt you . . .

Besides, Rieta, who was wounded by him, might end up hating Noel.

He may also lose the position of Rieta’s best friend to Hugh McLean . . .

Noel shook his head violently.

He’s had a really hard time lying so far, and he couldn’t end the conversation with a lie.

Okay, let’s be honest!

“Princess!”

“Huh?”

He grabbed Rieta’s shoulders.

In fact, his grip was nothing short of holding onto her.

So Rieta couldn’t run away.

“What is it, Noel?”

“It, it, it’s.”

But when Rieta and his eyes met, he didn’t want to see her pretty face hurt and distorted in pain.

I don’t mean that Rieta is pretty, but . . .

“Noel?”

Rieta spoke again.

“That I t . . .”

Say ‘I threw it!’! Tell her!

Noel yelled in his mind to his lips, which had not moved at all.

“T . . .”

“Told you that I was able to succeed on the last step because I focused on it!”

“. . .”

“As expected, I must be a genius!”

Rieta narrowed her eyes and looked at Noel sharply.

“Noel, I think you were trying to say something else.”

“What do you mean something else! Where are those words?!”

Noel quickly put his hand down from Rieta’s shoulder and stood in his usual haughty posture.

“I just wanted to let the Princess know about my genius.”

Rieta asked again, ‘Really?’, and Noel screamed as he quietly slipped back.

“That’s right!”

After that, he quickly left Rieta’s room.

“What . . .”

Rieta crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly.

“It’s the same reaction as whenever I said ‘puzzle’ again.”

It must have been that Noel was hiding something else.

What was it?

* * *

Recently, Rieta had been obsessed with the fun of writing ‘letters’.

However, since the letter was sent from ‘Princess Rieta’, it had to be written according to the proper etiquette.

So, after Rieta wrote the letter, she would ask her etiquette teacher to make sure there was nothing to add or erase from the contents of the letter.

It contains personal information, so I’m embarrassed to show it . . .

It would be even more embarrassing to send a letter that was against etiquette.

Fortunately, the teacher said that she would not divulge Rieta’s letter to the outside world, and she gave her ‘a lady’s oath’.

“Teacher. How is today’s letter? This is a reply to the Princess’ invitation.”

“You followed the form I gave you last time. Very good. Here, the Princess can only drink fruit tea. If you let her know, it will be of help to the Princess.”

“I can drink adult-like tea. Just like the children of nobles in other capitals.”

Rieta carefully resisted.

She knew not long ago that most of the children of the Imperial Capital all knew how to enjoy bitter leaf tea.

It kind of felt like an adult, so it was cool.

“It seems like that requires the permission of the Duke, who is the Princess’s guardian. It’s a rather dangerous preference.”

Are teas a dangerous luxury? Because it’s so delicious . . .?

In any case, if she needed permission, she couldn’t keep on insisting, so Rieta nodded her head.

“Yes, is there anything else I need to change?”

“It seems fine. But . . .”

“But?”

“The postman will come to the mansion in 30 minutes, so it would be better to finish it as soon as possible. Do you want to send it right away?”

After Rieta checked the time, she quickly rewrote the letter.

After she, fortunately, sent the letter in time, Rieta sighed in relief at the front door.

I feel like I’ve become very close with the Princess these days.

After the hunting contest, the Princess and Rieta became friends greeting each other every day.

Of course, each time Rieta did not forget to write down Noel’s strengths one by one.

Perhaps by now the Princess would think that Noel had become a gentleman like no other in the world.

It’s good that it happened . . .

The problem was Noel.

When in the world was he going to become a sweet, caring, mature, wonderful man?