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n“In the South, gold coins roll into your pocket just by being an official of a small city.”

n“It’s been a long time dream of mine to become a duck that sucks honey safely. If possible, it would be better if there was less work.”

nFreil replied. Of course, Hayley knew it was a joke.

nHe laughed quite a bit, but the conversation was cut off there. Hayley didn’t think about anything.

nFreil walked silently for a while, then carefully chose his words.

n“I thought about various things, but I thought it was the right thing to do. After all, it’s home. Grandfather is there, too.”

n“Returning home with gold.”

n“I don’t mean that.”

nFreil scratched an eyebrow with his little finger. And he said frankly,

n“Actually, I wasn’t going to go back for a while. Sometimes, my grandfather would have come to see me.”

n“…… I know.”

nHayley had the same idea.

nThe North was a breathtaking place. It was home, and it was familiar. She had family and she had friends.

nBut being there was frustrating. There were times when she thought that it was as if she was born with only gills and was living in a dry land without water.

nIt’s not that she came to love the Capital more than the North. Hayley is disgusted with all the intrigues that take place here, and the number of those whom she hates is innumerable.

nIn the North, closely connected by blood and kinship, she could also see the ugly malice that could not be revealed in various ways.

nBut the Capital had vitality. In a sense different from the breadth of the land, their society was wide.

nThere were some whom she could admire as much as she scorn. Not all things are moving in the right direction, but the world is moving in the direction of improvement.

nHayley had no intention of returning to that stagnant world again.

nAnd it would be the same with Freil. Because he felt the same frustration as her.

nSo, it was easy to open her heart.

nNo matter how smart Hazel was, and no matter how smart Artizea’s thoughts were, there was only Freil who could sympathize with her from his heart.

nPerhaps, the same goes for Freil. He can’t talk like this with Cedric.

nSomething at the bottom of her heart that could not be shared with others overlapped with his. She received an understanding and empathy she couldn’t even hope for from her family.

nSo she could sincerely congratulate him.

n“Four years ago……, No, I never thought that an opportunity like this would come even two years ago. The opportunity to make changes with my own hands has come.”

n“Yes.”

nFreil replied,

n“I don’t think I have the power to change the North. It’s not like I really want to become a governor or anything like that. But I think it will be possible to convey the direction His Majesty is pointing toward without distortion.”

n“You can do it.”

nBecause there are many thoughts that have accumulated in his mind until now.

nAnd he had many thoughts within himself.

n“Hayley.”

nFreil stopped his steps. It wasn’t until she heard him call up that Hayley realized that she had been preoccupied with bottomless thoughts.

nThat thought was in vain.

nThis was the right thing to do. Freil will do just fine. And she herself will remain in the Capital.

nFirst of all, who were they to each other?

nAs a colleague and as a friend, she was able to celebrate, so that was enough. The chance to become something else, she doesn’t know if there was, but it’s already gone.

nStill, her heart ached.

nWhen Hayley turned around, Freil had a vaguely strange face, as if he was smiling.

nHayley realized that she must have made a face like that herself. Luckily, she wasn’t holding a lamp, so Freil wouldn’t be able to see her face for sure.

n“I want to stay in the North for 10 years.”

nFreil said.

n“The world won’t all change in 10 years, but at least I will be able to check whether my thoughts are correct or not.”

n“Yes, I think so.”

n“So.”

nFreil reached out and took Hayley’s hand. Hayley flinched, but she didn’t dare avoid it.

n“When that time comes, I will retire and try to build a house in a suitable place. Not in a crowded place, but on a quiet outskirts, with a spacious terrace, and a tea table in front of the fireplace.”

n“…….”

n“I want you to leave that house for work.”

nIt was a hunch from the moment Freil said he was going to build a house, but Hayley couldn’t get the words out because her throat was stuffed.

n“It’s not about getting married. But, I can only think of Hayley as the person to be with in that house.”

n“You would need a separate cabinet to store 10 years’ worth of letters.”

nHayley said in a locked voice. Freil laughed.

n“Don’t laugh. I haven’t said yes, yet. What a tactless person.”

n“I am not that tactless.”

n“I know. I see your head spinning while you work. You are deliberately not looking at yourself.”

n“That needs to be understood by Hayley. I may be from a knight class, but at best, the only connection is my grandfather who was the second son of a knight. On the contrary, I’m the grandson of a blacksmithing house. Even from that position, I was chosen as His Majesty’s lieutenant. How should I live knowing all these things?

n“Oh my. Are you trying to claim that living with your eyes closed is being self-conscious?”

nHayley shook her head. and she said,

n“So, you are thinking about what to do after 10 years with the retirement, aren’t you?”

n“Ah.”

nFreil was holding Hayley’s hand in one hand and the lamp in the other, and wondered what to do because his hands were not enough.

nHayley reached out to Freil to take out the lamp. Freil handed her the lamp and put his hand in his arms.

nWhat he pulled out of his arms was a black velvet pouch. He foolishly opened the pocket with only one hand and tried to take out the contents, but it didn’t work, so he shook it and made a fuss.

nHayley looked at the scene with a puzzled look. When he’s normal, he’s fine, when he was working, he was quite cool, she was upset that he has these many embarrassing sides.

n“Let go of my hand and take it out.”

n“Ah, that’s right.”

nAfter taking out the contents, the velvet bag was tossed on the floor.

nOut of the pocket was a two-row pink sapphire bracelet.

nThe idiot grabbed it and scratched the side of his eyebrow with his little finger again. Hayley almost shot at him as a man who wouldn’t find romance even by scourging the floor.

n“Honestly, when His Majesty bought this as an engagement gift, I wondered why?”

n“…….”

n“It seems fine. It’s less heavy than a ring.”

n“That’s probably not why he bought the bracelet.”

nIf it was Cedric, he would have bought it thinking that it would suit Artizea’s wrist in her own way.

nHe hung the bracelet on Hayley’s wrist, which Freil was holding.

n“I know diamond bracelets are in style as an engagement gift, but I don’t like the ones Her Majesty always wears.”

n“Are we engaged now?”

n“Without a decent relationship, Dame Mel will blow off my wrist, even if only in name.”

nFreil finally let Hayley go. “Hmm,” Hayley said, lifting her wrist and looking through the bracelet.

n“It’s a good choice for you, I like it.”

n“That’s a relief.”

n“By the way, this won’t work, though?”

nFreil tilted his head. Hayley looked at him, who had a genuinely ignorant face.

n“I told you to do one of the two things, whether we break up or you go to the North, because you can’t become the son-in-law of the Joydyn family, but if you get engaged with me, what’s the use of that? I’m not even going to make an official announcement that we’re engaged, even though we’re engaged in name.”

n“Ah.”

nFreil opened his mouth.

n“You really didn’t think about it?”

n“Uh…….”

n“I believed in a man like this.”

nHayley snorted.

nThen, she picked up the velvet pouch from the floor, dusted it off, and put it in her pocket.

n“There is something wrong with your plan in the first place. Can you retire in 10 years?”

n“…….”

nFreil turned away from reality. Hayley laughed out loud.

nAs she reached out her hand, Freil quietly took the lamp back, and he took her hand.

nInstead of being escorted by him, Hayley clasped his hand and moved back again.

n“You won’t take off the bracelet?”

n“Shall I take it off?”

n“No…….”

n“I’ll go home and take it off, okay? If I keep it well and don’t change my mind even after 10 years, I’ll wear it.”

n“…… It’s not even a diamond after all, can’t you just say you got it as a gift?”

n“Then, can I say that it was a gift from a man whose identity cannot be revealed?”

nFreil bit his lips in a gloomy mood.

nHayley’s heart was somehow lighter, and she smiled. Then Freil grumbled,

n“Why are you laughing so much? Are you so glad you didn’t make any promises with me?”

n“Of course. It is very sweet to think that you will be courted after 10 years, isn’t it?”

n“…….”

n“If you don’t like it, would you like to take the bracelet back now?”

nFreil said with a resigned face,

n“Let’s try. But, where are we going now?”

nWhile walking, they got quite far from the Empress’ Palace. The light slowly faded away, and now only the moonlight and the single lamp Freil was holding were illuminating the path.

n“Anywhere, where there are no other people.”

n“In the middle of the night?”

nFreil stopped, trying to respond reflexively, as was his habit.

nHayley turned her head to the side to avoid his gaze.

n“What’s wrong?”

n“Actually, I wanted to say this.”

n“What?”

n“I may have made a lot of mistakes, but I have never had an accident.”

nFreil said so and lowered his head.

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