Chapter 57 Part 1: At the Hill of the Festival

And again, a peaceful everyday life.

It was the days when spring was at its peak.

A cool breeze blew.

The weather was neither cold nor hot.

Rosa’s daily routine was simple.

Everything about her was focused on Caron.

Since the two spent their first night together.

The change in their relationship wasn’t very dramatic.

If there was a change to be mentioned, it was this.

Caron became more shameless, or should it be said, more honest.

Whenever he had a spare moment, he would come to Rosa as if it were natural. And without a word, he would take her hand and lead her to his room.

Slam-

Once the door was closed, what followed was obvious.

The two were at an age where their desires were burning.

Moreover, they had shared each other’s firsts.

So it wasn’t particularly unusual for them to naturally fall into the act.

Caron was more honest about his desires, and Rosa was still being swept away.

This time was no different.

Rosa was thoroughly devoured by him.

This time, the intensity was a bit strong.

“Ah, really.”

Quite a few documents on the desk.

Those documents were scattered in disarray.

In the middle of the desk was Rosa’s body.

She was sitting among the documents.

Her face flushed, her breath coming in gasps. Her blouse completely undone.

Rosa caught her breath and said.

“If someone had come in…”

Of course, it was a needless worry.

“This is my room, and there’s no one to say anything.”

“That’s not it. Caron…”

Wasn’t this happening too often?

“You’re pretty. Rosa. So it’s hard to resist.”

Rosa was speechless at Caron’s irrelevant answer.

Caron was really a smooth talker.

She wondered how he could say such things so naturally.

‘Really…’

Just as he said, Caron had been honest about his desires lately.

Of course, Rosa didn’t dislike it.

Her heart fluttered at Caron’s actions like this.

But it was true that she was embarrassed and couldn’t get used to it.

She couldn’t help but wonder if this was okay.

Her blouse with its buttons undone.

Her underwear barely hanging on her shoulder.

When she came to her senses, it was already up.

Was this also a rule?

Most male leads in romance fantasies were insatiable.

And as insatiable as they were, they were honest about their desires.

As soon as the door closed, an intense hug, a kiss.

And when she came to her senses, her blouse was already unbuttoned, and her underwear was up.

“So. Did you dislike it?”

Caron asked her with a serious expression.

“If you really disliked it, I’ll restrain myself.”

Still, he didn’t say he wouldn’t do it.

What Rosa was really troubled by was something else.

“Every time you do this…”

She had to change her underwear.

Because of a physiological phenomenon.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say those words and just sighed.

She had underestimated the desires of a twenty-year-old man.

Still.

“…I don’t dislike it.”

So. She really didn’t dislike it.

It was a problem because she liked it, now that they had gone all the way.

Caron understood her meaning perfectly.

‘She likes it.’

He was feeling relaxed these days.

Because the troublesome pests had been completely dealt with.

He looked out the window at the sky.

There was still some time until evening.

“Rosa.”

It was almost a notification.

Caron’s fingers again entered Rosa’s hair at the back of her head.

He pulled her slender waist closer.

Then their breaths mingled as one.

As their breaths became more intense, Caron moved his hand again.

Rosa’s underwear went up again, and occasionally Caron’s head went down.

The soft, cream-like fruit gradually became filled with moisture.

“Ahht…”

Before long.

The room began to be filled with heated moans again.

Caron was like an adolescent boy, and his burning desire was something Rosa didn’t dislike.

Her constant responses proved her true feelings.

Eventually, the two had a late dinner together.

Although those were their days.

The two didn’t go all the way after that.

Because Rosa was taking medicine.

Besides, Caron had an inspection early the next day, and Rosa had her own things to do.

The next afternoon.

Rosa was brainstorming with Freya.

For the past few days, the two had been busy.

There was an upcoming event in the Arnad Archduchy, the so-called Night of the Arts.

It was a festival planned by the Archduchy itself, along with the fairly large festival of the Day of Emergence.

What exactly was the Day of Emergence?

It was the day when a divine beast first appeared in the region.

Naturally, the date differed for each region, and for Arnad, it was around the peak of spring.

Musicians, theater troupes, and painters and sculptors.

Artists from various fields would showcase their works over two days.

Rosa was the mistress of Arnad.

As such, she had to estimate the costs of the event.

“The rental cost of the event venue, the personnel to be hired for guidance. The food according to the expected crowd, and the number of desserts.”

“It should be fine. Right, Freya?”

Rosa held the documents that summarized those things.

“Of course.”

Freya nodded with a smile.

“At this rate, we can even save quite a bit of money.”

Rosa had decided to open the castle. The exhibition would be held in the first-floor hall of the inner castle.

“Hamel. Will it be alright?”

Hamel, who had come to help, answered with a smile.

“If you’re talking about opening the first-floor hall… It’s good. There will be no need to arrange separate security personnel, and as such, it will also have the effect of cost reduction.”

“Good. Hamel. Then let’s plan it this way.”

Rosa answered with a smile.

The authority of the lady of the house to organize the event.

Naturally, Caron would review the final proposal.

The atmosphere in the Archducal House was very good lately.

Hamel thought it was probably the best it had ever been.

The biggest factor was the Archduchess in front of him.

The Archduchess was different these days.

‘To be precise, since she returned from the monastery, and after the day of her consummation night with His Grace……’

She smiled more every day, and her atmosphere had changed a lot.

She also spent a lot of time with the Archduke.

Thanks to that, the Archduke’s mood seemed very good.

“Certainly, with a lady like Your Grace, the estate seems to run smoothly.”

Hamel’s embarrassing praise.

“What have I done?”

At Rosa’s words, Hamel shook his head.

Unlike other noblewomen, she had no extravagance and no strange vanity. How many ladies of the house would even consider opening the inner castle’s hall in the first place?

“

The inner castle was the exclusive domain of the nobility.

There were many who were obsessed with that sense of authority.

Freya, who was beside them, smiled and added.

“In fact, her most important virtue as a lady of the house is also outstanding.”

“Oh… May I ask what that is?”

At Hamel’s words, Freya answered.

“Her love for her husband. She truly loves His Grace the Archduke.”

Freya, as Rosa’s personal maid, knew how much the two had been burning for each other lately.

“Freya!”

Rosa was embarrassed. She quickly denied it, her face turning red in an instant.

“Love…”

She trailed off.

Love.

It was such a cringeworthy word.

‘It’s true that I like Caron, but…’

What was the difference between love and like, in the first place?

Honestly, Rosa didn’t know.

Wasn’t saying she liked him enough?

‘Besides, Caron also seems to subtly…’

Want her to express love, which made Rosa a little troubled.

“Haha, that’s right. It’s love. The way the two of you were back then.”

Hamel laughed and chimed in.

Actually, back then. When Caron was leaving for the expedition.

Rosa’s act, which was like a confession, had spread throughout Arnad.

Rosa was quite embarrassed by that fact.

‘I shouldn’t have done that…’

The Archduchess with a flushed face.

Chuckle-

The two burst into laughter at the sight.

‘And this is the last reply.’

As Freya said, it was the last of a total of thirty replies.

The invitations were sent by Rosa as the lady of the Archducal House.

She had asked about their intention to participate, and the replies had arrived.

The last reply was from a theater troupe.

[Melaphis Theater Troupe]

Surprisingly, it was the troupe that Louis, the seventeen-year-old playwright she had been sponsoring, belonged to.

It wasn’t intentional.

But Rosa was surprised when she received Louis’s letter.

[I’m coming to the Arnad Archduchy soon.]

Louis was in a troupe that had been invited.

“He’s so young but so talented. The Melaphis Theater Troupe is quite famous… You must be looking forward to it, Your Grace.”

“Right? I suppose so.”

Freya and Rosa exchanged such conversation.

As expected.

The theater troupe naturally expressed their intention to participate.

The content was a simple thank you, saying they were honored to be invited.

She would see Louis soon.

It had already been half a year since their last meeting.

It was a welcome meeting for Rosa.

Thus, the preparations for the Day of Emergence were underway.

When evening came, Caron returned.

Rosa stood at the door of the inner castle.

The weather had become much cooler, so she had been coming out here lately.

Clip-clop-

The sound of horseshoes.

Then Rosa realized.

That she had been waiting for this sound all along.

And as expected, when Caron appeared, her footsteps gradually moved forward.

Caron dismounted.

He naturally approached her.

“You worked hard.”

When Rosa said that.

Caron hugged her.

Placing his hands on her waist and the back of her head.

He pulled her close with a slight force and naturally took her small hand.

“How was your day?”

The usual question.

Rosa answered.

“I was quite busy in the afternoon preparing for the Day of Emergence.”

“And after that?”

Rosa hesitated.

“I waited.”

“For whom…?”

Caron asked, knowing the answer.

Rosa pinched his arm for no reason.

“Certainly not for you.”

Caron chuckled at those words.

“Then I’ll have to find out who you were waiting for.”

“How…?”

Suddenly, Caron pulled her close and kissed her soft lips.

“A punishment for lying.”

Even that alone made Rosa’s face flush with embarrassment.

“Freya is watching from behind.”

Rosa’s personal maid, Freya.

Naturally, she was walking right behind the two of them.

When Rosa glanced back, Freya’s expression was on the verge of laughter.

“So I held back.”

Rosa was dumbfounded by Caron’s words.

“Just!”

She was momentarily at a loss for words.

She wondered when Caron had become so shameless.

Actually, it had been since that day.

Their first night.

Chuckle-

A low laugh.

Then Caron raised his other hand and gently stroked her hair.

“Let’s have dinner. Just the two of us.”

That was a given without needing a reply.

A little while later, the two had dinner together.

Various small conversations took place.

“Louis? Who’s that…?”

Caron’s calm brow furrowed.

Louis was definitely a man’s name.

Rosa answered his question.

“Louis. He’s a kid I’ve been sponsoring. He’s coming as part of the troupe invited to this event.”

Of course, Caron knew that Rosa was sponsoring someone.

But he didn’t know it was a man.

“How old is he?”

“Probably seventeen?”

Seventeen. He wasn’t a child.

He was only three years younger than him.

‘So he’s only two years younger than Rosa.’

As Caron was thinking that.

Rosa remembered Louis.

A small stature for his age.

Probably because he hadn’t been eating well.

But she remembered his bright eyes.

A boy who had a dream.

“He’s cute. An innocent kid.”

“Cute…?”

Caron’s brow furrowed.

A seventeen-year-old was a fully grown man-child. What was there to be cute about?

Caron asked Rosa.

“Are you close? With you.”

“Well…”

Rosa pondered over that question.

She certainly wasn’t close with Louis.

But they had exchanged letters a few times.

‘Besides, he’s coming to the Archduchy this time…’

She felt somewhat sorry.

To say they weren’t close.

“I guess.”

An ambiguous answer.

Caron didn’t like that for no reason.

Didn’t it mean they were at least not strangers?

Thud-

So he put down the cutlery in his hand and got up from his seat.

Rosa looked at him with a puzzled look.

But Caron, who had already come to her side, grabbed her chin and devoured her lips.

“Wh, what.”

Rosa had no idea.

Why Caron was suddenly acting like this.

He had been doing this frequently lately, but at least not during meals.

“Mmph-“

Rosa was literally subjected to a surprise kiss.

But they had just been eating.

Rosa, conscious of that fact, tried to push Caron away.

“At least brush your teeth, brush your teeth.”

“It’s okay.”

Of course, Caron didn’t care.

“Caron, please… Ngh… Mmm…”

In the end, Rosa lost to Caron this time too.

A lazy and warm weekend morning.

In the end, the two had fallen asleep in the same bed.

Of course, they didn’t go all the way.

After that day.

Rosa actually had trouble walking properly for a few days.

So she went to the doctor and even got medicine prescribed.

[Ahem… Ahem… It’s nothing serious. Please refrain from vigorous exercise for the time being.]

Rosa had bowed her head in embarrassment at the doctor’s reaction.

‘That was probably…’

Two weeks ago.

Caron seemed to be holding back a lot.

Surprisingly, holding back was his recent attitude.

[If it puts a strain on your body…]

He had said he would hold back until she finished all her medicine.

What did those words mean?

‘If I’m okay… he won’t hold back.’

Rosa’s face flushed.

She suddenly remembered that night.

And thinking that they would do it again.

Her body felt tingly and somewhat hot.

She fanned her face for no reason.

In fact, her body had already recovered.

There were still two days’ worth of medicine left, though.

Rosa was lost in such thoughts.

“…Did you sleep well?”

Suddenly, a languid voice.

Caron seemed to have woken up from tossing and turning.

“Yes. I slept well.”

The same words they always exchanged.

But to Rosa, this daily life felt like a dream.

She never dreamed she would become like this with Caron.

Slightly loosening the arm that held her, Rosa got out of bed first.

“See you later.”

And she returned to her room.

The servants probably didn’t know. Not even her personal maid, Freya.

Lately, the two often slept in the same bed.

Sometimes in Caron’s room, sometimes in Rosa’s.

The one who woke up earlier simply returned to their room.

So much so that Caron even said.

“Shall we just combine our rooms?”

But Rosa opposed that.

“No. That’s not it.”

Her heart would pound too much, and her body would be exhausted for a different reason.

Of course, Caron was seriously considering it, but Rosa didn’t know that yet.

Everyone rested on weekends.

Caron had Rosa on his lap.

Naturally, he was gently hugging her waist.

At first, she was very uncomfortable, but now Rosa had gotten used to it.

Rosa read the letter that had come for her.

The butler, Hamel, had just slipped it under the door.

Then Rosa, checking the sender, said.

“It’s a letter from Father.”

The oracle and the saintess.

It was a reply to the letter she had sent before.