“Yes, she had lunch with Klein’s daughter. It was a luncheon, but it was her first meal of the day after she woke up. So, she was served a soft and light meal. Fortunately, she ate almost everything.”

“Did you get a new dress for her from the royal costume bureau?”

“According to Klein’s daughter, the size of her clothes were correct, and she also liked it.”

“Did you make sure she returned safely?”

“Yes, I’ve assigned a separate servant to see her off and dispatched six members of the Eluan Knights to escort her. Although it’s still raining, the wind died down, so I think she had no problem going back home. I have also informed Mrs. Reinhardt, so she will be ready to welcome her to the mansion. ”

“As you know, the climate here is much different from where she was born and grew up. As it’s humid and cold here, she might get sick easily. Tell the medical bureau to send some medicines to her before dinner.”

“Actually, in anticipation of your order, I picked some herbs to prevent colds and tea leaves that should help her relax.”

“Nice job.”

Kloud opened his mouth as he poured tea into an empty mug.

“Would it not have been better for you to check her condition in person if you were so worried about her? I guess she would have been very happy if you had a meal with her and sent her off from your palace.”

Eckart carefully asked while touching the handle of the mug, “.. Did she feel regretful about it?”

“I do not know. She didn’t say exactly that, but she asked me where you were and what you were doing. She also asked whether you ate, whether you left your bedroom too early because of her, whether you overworked yourself because she took too much of your time..”

“She is always worried about me for nothing. She is too kind-hearted,” Eckart said with a soft smile. Just by hearing about her words made him feel like he could hear her voice vividly and see her bright face right before his eyes.

He knew she would express concern about him like that. So, he wanted to stay beside her until the morning, eat breakfast together, and see her off.

But he couldn’t act casually when he saw her the next morning because he said something embarrassing to her last night.

In fact, he experienced too little happiness to deal with her shamelessly the next morning.

If not, he would not have left the room hurriedly early in the morning after watching her sleep for a bit. For him, the sweet and happy moments were pieces of unfamiliar strange fantasy. They were small, wistful and precious times that he might break by mistake if he held them recklessly.

“..Well, I really couldn’t do it. Like she said, I should listen to her when she says I shouldn’t do something.”

“Pardon?”

Kloud shook his head at his puzzling reply.

Eckart recalled her face, which was so solemn and serious. He closed his lips unconsciously like his nickname ‘Blue Iron Wall of Milan’..

“Nothing. Just send the documents to the palace office.”

* * *

“Marie. There’s a very interesting rumor about you in the palace, ” said Ober with a smile.

His voice was mixed with a strange sarcasm and a bit of annoyance.

She let it go in one ear and out the other, while she was absorbed into moving her brush across the page.

“I heard that you came out of the emperor’s bedroom this morning. Is it true? ”

She didn’t reply.

“Marie.. Marie?”

Calling her repeatedly, Ober narrowed his eyebrows.

But Marianne kept her mouth closed. Immersed in painting, she bent at her waist. Drawn on the small frame-sized paper were lots of Greek frets, elegantly modelled after summer roses and lilies among various Meander-shaped patterns.

As soon as she was done painting the last pattern, Ober took the brush in her hand.

“Sir Ober!”

“I feel sorry about that. I know your paintings are quite popular in the women’s salons in the northern area, but I don’t feel good at all as I’m being beaten by your painting.”

He cast a sharp glance at her, as if to make her feel pressed. She straightened her waist while washing the paint from the edge of her hand. After throwing a handkerchief on the table, she turned and approached him.

“What do you mean you are beaten by painting? I think that’s a gross exaggeration.”

“It’s not an exaggeration. I just told it as it was. I came to see you through this heavy rain, but you have been looking at the table all this time instead of me.”

“Please understand me. I did so because I wanted to present this picture to you. ”

“No matter how good your painting is, how can I compare it to your eyes and your time? I believed you knew better what I wanted from you..” Ober quipped at her, narrowing his eyebrows.

Deep down Mariane hurled abuse at him, but on the surface she tried to look as lovely as possible to him. Perhaps if Eckart had seen her expression, he would have been very upset.

“Ober. My time is already yours. My eyes, all my interest, and..” Marianne fumbled.

She then fell in his arms naturally. His sharp jaw was turned to the table.

Ober didn’t soften his hardened face even after she snuggled into his arms. He didn’t look where she was pointing, nor laugh or frown.

“Even those patterns that I have memorized on your behalf.”

As if he felt what she just said was something significant, he slowly turned his eyes at her and asked, “Patterns you have memorized on my behalf?”

“Yes. There were several documents on the side table in the emperor’s bedroom, and one of them had a pattern like that. ”

She didn’t lie. It was none other than Marianne who designed the pattern and scribbled on a blank paper for fun.

“Don’t you remember you asked me to bring you any clue or hint, no matter how trifling it was? So, I memorized the pattern. I tried to draw it as closely as possible for all my deficient drawing skill. ”

“Have you not seen the contents of the other documents?”

“No. Other documents were all sealed.. As the characters were too small and the room was so dark, the emperor couldn’t read the characters he was writing. You know how hard it rained last night, right? Oh my god, I thought all windows would be torn apart. I knew there was a rainy season every year in Milan, but it was the first time I had experienced such a ferocious rainstorm. I was so scared and surprised .. ”

When she shuddered, with her hand on the chest, Ober once again examined the picture on the table with a businesslike smile.

He knew most of the symbols of the underground organizations doing activities in the empire.

They included a gang of drugs and people involved in human trafficking, an association of professional counterfeiters and petty thieves, errands taking care of trivalities, mercenaries who would do anything as long as they were satisfied with the rewards and the intelligence peddlers who were good at disseminating intelligence.

But the patterns that she drew did not match the symbols of any of them.

‘Is it a new coalition of assassins in the south? It’s a pattern I’ve never seen before. .. . ‘

With a serious look, he was lost in thought. She opened her mouth, happily watching him agonizing about the fake patterns she made.

“Ober, are you concerned about other things while with me? ”

“No, I’m not. In fact, I was impressed by how hard you worked for me. ”

“Let me try more. If I can go back to you, I will do anything. ”

At that, Ober looked down at her pitifully.

“I thought I would be okay, but I feel a bit distressed.”

“Pardon? For what?”

“Well, I feel sorry as I have to keep watching this lovely lady falling into the cunning emperor’s arms.” He then slightly turned up his mouth. He really looked displeased, grimacing as if he was tormented because he couldn’t help but send his lover to the enemy camp.

She changed her facial expression, realizing once again that he was quite good at faking.

She was sick and tired of that. She knew she could not be beaten by him anymore.

“Ober.”

She pulled his collar with her slender fingertips. When she put her face on his collarbone, she smelled a strong scent of perfume. She was familiar with that from a long time ago or only a couple of months ago, but she felt it strange now. At this moment, she recalled her good old memories, such as the scent of the wind and trees, the scent of a man she wanted to hug for very long as he looked so lonely like conifers born in dense winter forest.