Chapter 29.2

Chapter 29 – Part 2

“Lily.”

Ignoring the crown prince, Theodore turned to me as he called my name. It seemed as if he was interpreting my concerns in his way.

Sure enough, he clasped my hand and spoke.

“Since there are knights escorting you, there won’t be any trouble, but still be careful. Don’t take off the brooch I just gave you.”

“Alright.”

The people glancing this way, watching me and Theodore, gradually seemed to be getting used to the sight.

Theodore gently let go of my hand and left my side. Still though, he kept looking back as though he couldn’t bear to take his eyes off me.

Uninterested in him, I turned away and headed towards the place where Queen Ellemiel, the crown princess and Rozenne were.

I knew that I’d be the safest with these three people. After all, they had the most escort knights.

…But unlike how it was before, I could now see one more person with them.

It was none other than Adeline.

“……”

After thinking about it for a moment, I changed my mind and I was about to turn my horse away. But at that moment, Adeline stopped me in my tracks as she called me in a bright voice.

“Duchess Valentino!”

Since she was waving her hand so innocently to beckon me her way, if I were to ignore her and go elsewhere, the only one who’d be seen in a bad light was me.

I turned my horse this side and that so it eventually let out a sigh, but I soon pasted a smile on my lips.

When I arrived at Adeline’s side, she smiled and spoke to me warmly as though we were close.

“Lily, who do you think is going to win today? I’m betting on Theo.”

In the past, whenever Adeline spoke to me like this with such a bright expression, I couldn’t help but feel upset. But now, it didn’t matter.

Rather, seeing Adeline consistently act like this made me pity her.

I answered her with a gracious smile.

“I’m also rooting for ‘my husband’ to win, of course.”

“……”

Adeline’s smile seemed to falter for a second, but it grew wide again. I don’t know anything else about her, but she was surely perfect whenever it came to schooling her facial expressions.

She was about to answer back, but the voice of one tactless person intervened.

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“Of course Duchess Valentino is going to support her husband. What kind of obvious question is that, Miss Adeline?”

What she said brought our surroundings to a freezing temperature. However, Rozenne, the very person who spoke up, turned towards the crown princess and continued their chat as though she didn’t care at all.

While taking advantage of the usefulness of a tactless person who couldn’t read the mood, I steered my horse to a slow trot.

As I joined the flanks of a group of noblewomen and ladies, with knights escorting us on both sides, we soon arrived at the entrance of the Ashridge Forest.

The forest was filled with luscious green foliage and silence hanging in the air.

From time to time, we could hear only the rustling of leaves as a breeze would pass by, the sound of bugs hiding in the grass, and the chirping of small birds.

Naturally, there were many insects coming out in a forest like this when it’s summertime. I put on my thin, silk gloves that reached my wrists, then lowered the mesh attached to my hat down to my neck.

I hate bugs. No, actually, I hate summer itself. And compared to the outdoor events that were held during winter, I disliked having to go out in the heat. And most of all, I truly hate that so many insects would come out.

“You seem to be thoroughly armed, Duchess Valentino.”

With a smile, Queen Ellemiel spoke to me as she steered her horse so that we were riding side by side. I smiled back with a hint of embarrassment.

I had to act accordingly in front of her as she was the queen. If I could look like a crumpled wildflower amidst a bouquet, that would be even better.

I considered Ellemiel to be a frightening person. She was harmless, vulnerable and endlessly generous with the people she had to protect. However, she was cunning, greedy and endlessly cruel to the ones she considered to be a threat.

The type of person that Ellemiel disliked the most was someone typically like Adeline. I’m quite sure that Queen Ellemiel was already well aware of what exactly Adeline looked like beneath her mask.

“Here, try taking a whiff first, spray it on yourself and see if it’ll be effective. The bugs that try to come to you will decrease significantly.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

I politely accepted the small crystal bottle that the queen handed over to me.

When I took off the cap and sniffed it, there was a hint of a piquant scent amidst a cool fragrance. It seemed to be a mix of eucalyptus, peppermint and cinnamon.

I knew that a scent like this would drive away the bugs, so I sprayed it moderately on my body.

Grateful by this, I smiled at Queen Ellemiel and returned the bottle to her.

“By the way, your complexion seems to be declining by the day, Duchess. Are you doing alright?”

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…I have no idea why there’s so many people interested in my health these days.

My horse was trotting at an unhurried pace, which was just the same pace as the queen’s horse.

The people at the lead of the hunt were now nowhere to be seen. That’s how far the distance between us had gotten.

I could hear nothing unusual around us. However, as we went deeper into the forest, I could feel my skin prickling, worsening the bad feeling I’ve had since earlier.

‘….It’s weird. What on earth is making me feel this way?’