CH 236

After the ‘interview’ with the Duke, Everett was fortunate enough to visit Rieta’s room.

Through the wide open door, she could see maids passing her way several times.

Rieta glanced now and then at the maids passing by. It was kind of weird.

Everyone was on edge when Rieta was in a room with a male.

No one cared when I was in the same room as Noel.

She and Noel used to shut the door and play together for hours.

Then there were many times when they fell asleep on the same bed or sofa.

Well . . . At that time, we were just children, so maybe everyone didn’t take it seriously.

But will this change in the future?

Rieta conjured up an imaginary Noel.

Noel would be sitting across from her with his legs crossed, tapping the armrest with his fingertips.

With a face holding back something.

Just then, another maid passed through the door.

She imagined Noel saying “I can’t stand it any longer!” and walking to the hallway and slamming the door shut on his own accord.

She sighed. It was distracting.

“Princess Rieta?”

Suddenly she heard Everett calling her.

Judging by the tone of his voice, it seemed that he had spoken to Rieta several times.

“Oh, sorry.”

Rieta apologized and slightly bowed her head.

“It’s okay.”

He grinned and told her again the story that hadn’t reached her ear before.

“I was saying how happy I was to see the cute squirrel doll that Noel was talking about in real life.”

Back in the day, Noel had said, “There’s a stuffed squirrel that looks just like Rieta.”

To Everett, it sounded like, “There’s a cute doll.”

“Did Noel tell Everett about my room?”

Rieta handed him the stuffed squirrel.

She felt like he wanted to touch it.

Everett took the doll, looked around, and tapped the hard nose.

“Of course. He secretly likes to talk about the Princess.”

“He must’ve only wanted to make fun of me. Right?”

Despite Rieta’s grumbling, Everett just laughed. So it was probably true.

“How are the preparations for the play going?”

“Thanks to the Princess’ help, things are going smoothly. Actually, except for my outfit, we’re just wisely recycling existing items.”

“That dress you wore before? It was very well put together.”

“It’s encouraging to hear that.”

Everett habitually touched the nape of his neck.

Rieta thought he might have his grandmother’s necklace under his shirt.

“It’s with me again today. The necklace.”

When he said that with a smile, he seemed to have finally realized where his hand was pointing.

He quickly lowered his hand and touched the doll’s arm.

“. . . Unknowingly.”

“It’s okay. Because everyone needs someone to lean on. And above all . . .”

Rieta smiled brightly for a moment.

Perhaps it was because she knew what she was about to say would please Everett.

“That necklace suits Everett very well.”

Rieta’s prediction was not wrong, and his expression brightened.

“Really?”

“Yes, probably more than anyone.”

Everett laughed for a moment.

“That’s too much. First of all, it was made for noble ladies.”

“But . . .”

Rieta shrugged her shoulders and replied.

“No lady would love that necklace more than Everett.”

For him, it was like leaving his grandmother in an eternal form.

He would cherish it more than anything in this world.

“That might be . . . I don’t know.”

He started fiddling with the necklace again.

“They can’t love it as much as I do, for sure.”

Everett, speaking like that, seemed to be recalling a memory for a while.

Rieta kept quiet so he would have his time.

She didn’t want to interrupt the pleasure of meeting one’s longing.

“Oh, sorry.”

But within seconds, he became aware of his surroundings and brushed his thoughts off.

“It’s okay, Everett.”

Rieta lifted the teacup in front of her.

“If you’re sorry to be lost in your thoughts alone, you can tell me about your grandmother’s pride.”

“. . . What?”

“I have never met my grandparents since I was born. I wonder what kind of existence it is.”

“I see.”

Everett cleared his throat for a moment and then adopted a very thoughtful expression.

“Grandmothers are said to be angels sent by God because he could not take care of all humans.”

Grandmothers, not parents?

Rieta was about to ask, but she stopped.

For now, she had decided to listen to Everett’s story.

“My grandmother was one of those people who deserves to be called the ‘Archangel.’”

“She seems to have taken very kind care of Everett.”

“That’s right.”

He grinned.

The smile was pure enough to somewhat imagine his childhood.

“She was willing to listen to anything I liked.”

“If it’s something Everett likes to do . . .”

“It was just wild. I was a very bad troublemaker.”

As for the biggest example, he told the story of how he squeezed out and mixed together all of his grandmother’s expensive paints.

“At the time, I didn’t know that paint was so difficult to find.”