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nWhen Rieta pouted slightly, a carriage came into view. It was Noel.

nHe’s been seeing Hugh McLean since morning, and it seems like he’s already returned.

n“Noel, you’re back?”

nRieta greeted him warmly first.

nWhat is it, Princess? Are you waiting for me here? Anyway . . . Are you saying that you can’t live without me?

nWould he say such nonsense? He’s so very arrogant.

nLet’s see if he says that again!!

nShe’s going to slap that cheeky shoulder right away.

nWhile Rieta was making her best preparations, Noel arrived in front of her.

n“Noel . . .?”

n* * *

nOn the other hand, Noel was having an uncomfortable day in his own way.

nI thought I would feel at ease after giving Rieta her puzzle and apologizing for the mess.

nRather, it became more inconvenient.

nHe knew it was a new lie, but he can’t figure out how to fix it for now.

n“Besides, you didn’t even throw it out the window on purpose. If that was the case, it would have been very hurtful, but . . . it’s not the case.”

nBecause Rieta would be hurt if he truthfully confessed what he did.

nHugh McLean’s invitation letter was a good excuse to get out of his mansion while he was in a bad mood.

nNoel made an appointment for the closest date and went to see him.

n“You can’t tell how happy I am that the Lord came!”

nHugh gave Noel a big welcome, as always.

n“How are you doing?”

n“Well . . . all right. You?”

n“I had a good time too. Shall we play chess?”

nNoel didn’t like to step down from the game.

nEspecially if it’s a match against Hugh McLean.

n“Good. I will beat you today.”

n“It won’t be easy. I played chess every day with Mother.”

n“Hmph, I practiced with my brother too, you know?”

nThe two boys soon grumbled in front of the chessboard.

nBoth of them looked cute with their foreheads furrowed, and the county’s maids used to come to watch them for a moment.

n“Ah, I saw the Princess recently.”

nMaybe he was a little tired of the long game.

nHugh brought up a different story while moving the knight.

n“You mean sister?”

n“Yes. As you may know, Mother is helping the Princess with this and that.”

nCountess McLean was a great teacher who gave the Princess a variety of liberal arts lessons.

n“The Princess gave me a favor, so I was able to observe the class.”

nTo attend class together? Was it good enough to be called a favor?

nIf it was Noel, he thought he would have hated it and rejected it.

n“Well, it must have been nice.”

nWhen Noel answered bluntly, Hugh laughed happily.

n“That’s right. By the way, Lord.”

n“Huh?”

n“What happened with the Princess recently?”

n“No, I didn’t have any, I don’t know if it was my older brother. They’re so close.”

nEveryone knows that the Princess and the eldest son of the Duke’s family have a special cousin relationship.

n“Did nothing happen? It’s strange.”

n“What is strange?”

nNoel asked, correcting his posture.

nBefore he knew it, he even stopped playing chess.

n“That’s because the Princess told me a lot about Lord Noel. She looked very happy.”

n“Sister did?”

n“Yes!”

nNoel thought about how on earth Gabriella could have a topic of discussion about him.

nCome to think of it . . . Recently, the Princess seems to have always been proud, saying that she has become close with Sister.

nRieta said that she frequently exchanged letters and became close enough to even make an appointment to meet separately.

nYou foolish Princess! Perhaps, did you tell Sister about me?!’

nNoel felt a bit anxious.

nIt didn’t seem like Rieta would have told a good story for some reason.

nYou must have said that I was harassing you. Because you like to whine about it.

nHe was a bit annoyed about it . . .

nEven to the cheeky Sister who tells Hugh McLlean about that.

nNoel bowed his head.

nIt was painful to lie to Rieta, but now it seems that he has to fight the false rumors that he made Rieta suffer.

n“Well, do you want to know what the Princess said?!”

nNot knowing Noel’s thoughts, Hugh was excited and chattered on.

n“That’s fine, I’m not curious.”

n“Huh? Why? The Princess was very proud about the Lord.”

n“What?!”

nYou mean she was proud of him making Rieta whine?

nCould it be that Sister hates Rieta?

nNo, no matter what, there was no way his sister would praise Noel for such a thing.

n“What did Sister say . . .?”

nNoel was reluctant, but he asked for details.

n“That. According to the Princess.”

nWhy was he so nervous about it?

nNoel wanted to pinch his beating heart.

n“She said she was happy because the Lord seemed to have become a very nice gentleman.”

n“What?!”

nNoel jumped to his feet.

nSurprised, Hugh flinched.

n“She really does. She said that the Lord was very kind to Princess Rieta. He seems to be a perfect gentleman, so she was proud of it.”

nOh my . . .

nNoel stood frozen there for a moment, then hurriedly grabbed the glove he had placed beside him.

n“Sorry, I think I need to go soon.”

n“So suddenly? But chess!”

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