The two people who came out of the garden went straight to the walking path along the castle wall. It was to take a breather in a place with few people, but there were passengers everywhere even in places that would normally have been quiet.
The paths of the garden, brightly lit with silver tips, were in full bloom with flowers that gardeners had worked hard to grow for the National Foundation Festival. Delphiniums with stems reaching up to the knees, lovely lilies interspersed with them, and climbing roses brought in from the Duchy of Vergy all together gave off a scent that made you dizzy.
There was also a young nobleman who got drunk and fell asleep while leaning under a flower tree. Judith jumped lightly, avoiding the two legs stretched out under the dark shadow, and giggled as she held Franz's hand.
“I think I can smell the scent even in the wind.”
“Isn’t that the smell of alcohol coming from me?”
Franz responded playfully.
“Did you drink a lot?”
“Rogero keeps bringing me a glass. I didn’t know what they would say to me if I refused, so I took it and drank it, so I stopped.”
“His Highness the Prince, you can’t see him.”
“It looks like he ran away because he was scared of the plum liquor.”
Judith tilted her head and let out a short laugh.
The gentle wind of the summer night seemed as if it would gently wrap around like a thread if she stretched out her hand. The discomfort that had built up in her chest like sticky gin while dancing with Duke Laetian had disappeared as if it had already washed away, leaving no trace.
However, it could not be said that even the anxiety was completely erased. She just didn't get overly anxious because she knew that she couldn't erase it with anything. Judith was lost in thought for a moment as she felt Franz's body heat touching her palm. It was actually unexpected that Duke Laetian had made such an open argument against her.
Duke Laetian, who has a fiefdom in a province far from the capital, has not been outside his territory for several years. As Judith remembered, she had never seen him visit the capital in her past life.
It was a known fact that a significant portion of Queen Gilsis's power came from the influence of the Duke of Laetian. In addition, his power extended to a significant number of nobles without directly entering the capital. Nevertheless, the reason the Duke stayed in the capital and did not visit the palace was because of Queen Gilsis.
According to rumors, the relationship between the Duke and the Queen was not very amicable. The current Duke of Laetian was the child of his predecessor, the Duke, from his concubine whom he kept outside his mansion. He was a person who worked hard for a long time to place his daughter Gilsis in the position of Queen. She had no legitimate children to inherit the duchy after Gilsis became Queen, so the current Duke was, so to speak, a bastard born at the wrong time.
However, when King Jedercayer fell in love with Emerea, the plans of the previous Duke Laetian were shaken to their roots.
However, for some reason, he declared that he would pass on the duchy to his illegitimate son instead of his legitimate daughter, Gilsis. Because of this, it was said that Queen Gilsis hated her half-brother, the Duke, with gnashing teeth for many years. It is also said that after she took the place of Queen, the current Duke was unable to enter the capital for several years out of concern for his half-sister.
'I heard that the Queen did not find much fault with the dukedom after that... Considering the current situation, Duke Laetian's power must be disappointing. It would be nice to know more about what he got into...'
Judith was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Franz calling her. So when he suddenly pulled her arm, she screamed in surprise.
“Your Highness, why are you doing this?”
“Why are I doing this?”
Judith then looked down at her feet. It was only later that she realized that she had been walking diagonally past the paving stones that had been laid to distinguish the garden from the walking path. Judith laughed with an embarrassed expression, but Franz's face was serious.
“I feel like you have something to worry about. Am I mistaken?”
Judith clearly said that nothing was wrong and did not show any signs of concern. Still, Franz felt uneasy for no reason.
It wasn't just this moment. Since his return, Franz has always been somewhat nervous.
In fact, things were better when he was in the empire. There were nights when he tossed and turned because of worry, but he was able to rest assured by the words briefly added at the end of the King's letter: 'The Princess is at peace.'
However, after returning to Rotair, Franz often suffered from nightmares. One day, she dreamed that Queen Gilsis was beating Judith, laughing like a madman. On nights like that when he woke up shaking, he couldn't sleep at all.
Because Franz had never said such a thing, Judith did not know the full extent of his anxiety that was still clinging to him. If she had known, she would have tried to reassure him. Because she was more concerned about Franz's mental state than anything else. However, because she did not know the extent of the anxiety that was still deeply rooted deep in his heart, she missed the opportunity to take appropriate action.
Rather, she hid too much of the truth for fear that it would increase and fuel Franz's anxiety. Because of that, she didn't realize that the two people were walking slightly out of sync.
“What a worry. That’s not true, Your Highness.”
“Then what were you thinking that you didn’t know I was calling you that?”
Judith's eyes moved for a moment as if she was looking for an excuse. Then she quietly came closer to Franz and whispered.
“I thought there were a lot of people hiding here, so that’s why I didn’t hear about it.”
Franz heard those words and raised his head. Then, perhaps by coincidence, he saw a woman's hair quickly disappearing between the lush tree branches. He could hear whispering, giggling, and more intimate sounds.
Is it okay to take her words literally? But what if he doesn't believe it?
Franz narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly.
"...Is it really because of that?”
Judith nodded casually.
“Yes, Your Highness. It was really because of that.”
Then, they heard a rustling sound in the bushes right near them. Judith pretended to cover her mouth and then grabbed Franz's hand and dragged him away. The two people laughed under their breath and quickly moved to another place. But there were customers who came there first too.
“Ugh!”
"Oh!"
As soon as she turned the corner, Franz pulled Judith, who almost collided with someone. Judith's eyes widened as she stumbled and fell into his arms. But what was more surprising than her was the counterpart.
“Cheraan?”
It was only when Judith suddenly called her name that she realized she had made a mistake. Meanwhile, Cheraan and Bartholomew were just blinking as they hugged each other. They seemed frozen in embarrassment.
At that moment, laughter burst out of Judith and Franz's mouths at the same time. The two held hands and ran somewhere, leaving behind Cheraan's voice yelling something. Her laughter got louder when she heard Bartholomew struggling to stop her.
Only when they were out of breath did they barely stop running. The eyes of Franz and Judith, who were panting with their hands on their knees, met. Then the laughter that had barely stopped erupted again.
"Oh my God! Your Highness, have you seen it? It was Cheraan and Bartholomew, right?”
“Even if my eyes were glued to the back of my head, I can assure you that it was two people.”
Judith giggled. After barely catching her breath, she turned her head towards the woman who had already run far away and was out of sight, putting on a gloomy expression on her face.
“I can’t believe she's in such a relationship and yet she doesn’t even tell me a single word. I’m going to have to be a little grumpy when I see Cheraan tomorrow.”
“That’s what I’m going to do. Bartholomew, let’s just meet tomorrow.”
After Bartholomew scolded Cheraan for making an outrageous confession, they did not hear what happened to their relationship. Franz could only guess that the matter had been resolved amicably, as he tried to secretly hold hands and failed, and he even whispered in a voice that could only be shared between two people. He never thought he would come across them hugging each other in the garden.
“I think Bartholomew will resent us.”
“I’m more afraid of Ms. Ebelta’s retaliation. When I open my eyes tomorrow, I think there will be a duel at my bedside.”
“Then who should I root for?”
“I need to prepare my heart so that I won’t resent you even if you support Ms. Ebelta.”
Judith covered her mouth and laughed softly. Franz looked around in the darkness and touched his forehead.
“After laughing for a while, I sobered up a bit, but now my head is starting to hurt.”
“What if you drink that much alcohol at once even though it’s recommended? You don’t really enjoy drinking alcohol.”
“I’m really curious about the Tien-style hangover drink.”
Judith, who had lightly glanced at Franz's joke, looked around the dark surroundings.
"By the way... Which palace is this?”
“It’s dark so I can’t see very well. It must be some kind of villa.”
“Please come here and rest for a moment, Your Highness. There will be a kitchen here too. I’ll bring you some milk with honey.”
Although he said his head hurt, fortunately, it wasn't enough to make him stumble, so the two entered the palace side by side. Only after seeing the round ceiling and peony-tiled walls did Franz say that this was the Irole Palace.
“Is this the palace with a theater in the backyard?”
"Exactly. Have you never been here before?”
“It’s quite far from Argent Palace. I heard that the theater is no longer in use.”
“I heard they used to put on puppet shows for young Princes and Princesses, but I don’t remember seeing anything at that theater even when I was young. I only know that it is a palace that was no longer used as a residence as the hunting grounds were expanded.”
However, even though it had not been used for a long time, Irole Palace was cleanly maintained. Passing through the wall reflecting the light, the two opened the nearest door they could see.
“It’s very dark.”
“Be careful not to fall. Put your hands here...”
As soon as the words left her mouth, there was a sound of something catching at Judith's feet. It was something heavy, whether it was ceramic or something.
"Ah!"
Judith's body tilted sharply as if floating. Franz stretched out his arms and held her tightly, despite her freeze, but before she could, she lost her balance. At the moment when their bodies almost fell over, Franz instantly lifted Judith up and hugged her.
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