“Hm?”

“I felt like I was being too greedy, aspiring for something far beyond my station. I should stop now.”

Eric was a commoner. At the moment, I was attending as the Crown Prince’s partner and was positioned as the Grand Duke’s fiancée.

In such a situation, it must be hard for him to express his feelings.

Moreover, when he had gathered the courage to confess to me, I was too distracted by the broadcast and missed the opportunity. In the meantime, it seemed like Eric had resigned himself. Courage was something that flitted by in an instant.

I looked straight at Eric and spoke.

“If you say it’s over, then it’s over… but don’t lose your confidence too much.”

Eric looked at me.

I smiled back at Eric.

“In my eyes, you are more than splendid enough.”

“……”

Eric also gave a small smile.

“Lady, you probably have a rough idea of what I wanted to say.”

Of course, I had my suspicions. I was almost certain. What else could he have intended to do in that situation?

It seemed Eric knew that I had caught on. He was perceptive enough to realize that.

“I hope you can forget about it. I’m really fine now.”

Eric looked at me and smiled brightly.

“I hope you will treat me as you always have.”

There was nothing for me to do but nod in agreement. I couldn’t reciprocate his feelings.

I just hoped it would remain a light sentiment, a fleeting memory.

* * *

The day after the banquet, it was said that there would be a festival in the capital, so Selena and I decided to go and see it.

Finley and Kabir seemed to have many people to meet, having come to the royal palace. So it ended up being just Selena and the knights escorting us.

The festival was large enough to fill the area near the royal palace.

‘A festival.’

In both my past life and now, I hadn’t really enjoyed festivals.

“What do you do at a festival?”

“Of course, you eat delicious food!”

Selena exclaimed energetically in response to my question. We both had our faces well covered. It would be troublesome if someone recognized us.

“And you two!”

Selena pointed at Eric and the manager, shouting.

“Even though you’re here as guards, you must enjoy yourselves properly today! Understand?”

“Yes, understood!”

“…Yes.”

Selena was really in high spirits. It was the first time I saw her so excited.

“……”

I glanced at Eric sneakily. Eric saw me and gave a slight smile. It was as if the events of the early morning didn’t happen, treating me as usual.

‘It makes me feel sorry when he acts like nothing happened.’

It wasn’t something to feel guilty about, but I still felt a pang of regret towards Eric.

Well, he said he was okay, so it must be fine. I deliberately turned a blind eye.

After that, we were dragged around by Selena for several hours.

We ate street food, played darts, bought dolls…

“……”

It was exhausting.

Selena was so excited that I couldn’t even suggest taking a break.

While I was simply being dragged along lifelessly, the manager, noticing my condition, stopped.

“Lady Selena.”

At the manager’s call, everyone looked at him.

“The lady seems tired. Would it be alright if we take a break and rejoin later?”

“Ah!”

At that, Selena seemed to finally notice my state.

“I’m sorry! I got too excited…”

“No, it’s fine.”

It was my lack of stamina, but it was enjoyable. Selena was excellent at lifting the mood, and we were among friends.

I was just exhausted from walking around so much.

“Sir Eric and I will wander around a bit more, so Lady and Sir Bates, you guys take a break and come back!”

“Got it.”

Thanks to the considerate manager, I got some time to rest.

After parting with Selena and Eric, only the manager and I were left.

Since we were going to rest anyway, I ended the broadcast.

The manager finally spoke to me.

“Shall we go to a café?”

“No.”

I said firmly.

“I want to sleep.”

“Here?”

“Anywhere as long as it’s deserted.”

“Right…”

We wandered around, but as it was the festival period, there was nowhere without people. Even the benches were full.

In the end, the place we chose was a hill a good distance away.

From the hill, we could see the whole landscape of the town below. The climb up was tiring, but that meant no one else was around. Nobody would come to such a hill during the height of the festival.

The manager spread out his coat under a tree.

“Sleep.”

It was a kind gesture that contrasted with his blunt words.

It seemed better to cover myself with the coat. With that thought, I took the coat the manager had spread and just lay down on the grass.

The manager looked at me as if I was ridiculous.

“Your clothes will get dirty.”

“It’s too late for that now.”

I brazenly responded and covered myself with the coat.

Ah, lying down feels so much better. It seems like the fatigue from walking around had accumulated.

“Hey, don’t lie on the ground.”

The manager also sat down on the ground, right beside me.

He lifted my head and placed it on his legs.

Although the manager’s legs were quite firm, they were better than the bare ground.

Lying under the cool shade of the tree, sleepiness came over me.

Unknowingly, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“Wake up.”

A hand gently touching my cheek woke me up.

Before I knew it, the surroundings had grown dark.

What, how long did I sleep? In confusion, I looked up at the manager, who was looking down at me with a book in hand, a smile on his lips.

“How long has it been?”

“About two hours.”

Only two hours had passed, but it was already pitch dark around us. We had stayed out late, after all.

So, had the manager been entertaining himself alone for two hours? I began to feel a bit guilty.

But getting up seemed too troublesome. After a long yawn, I just stayed lying down quietly.

“Aren’t you getting up?”

“Do your legs hurt?”

“Not really.”

“Then I’ll stay like this a bit longer.”

“…Do as you wish.”

The manager quietly lent me his legs.

But why did he wake me up? Is it time to go back? I gazed into the distance.

The festival was still in full swing. The lights twinkled, and the sound of people laughing and talking could be heard faintly.

“Are we going back soon?”

“No.”

“Then why did you wake me?”

“Just wait.”

The manager responded nonchalantly while reading his book.

What’s all this about? I just lay there, taking in the view of the festival.

After a short while, lights began to rise one by one from below.

“……!”

“Ah!”

I sat up so abruptly that I ended up hitting the manager’s chin with my head.

The manager gave me an annoyed look, but I had no time to care about that.

Lanterns were rising from below. The few that had started floating up had now filled the entire sky.

I didn’t think I was a person whose emotions were easily stirred, but the sight before me was so beautiful that it captivated my attention.

“I didn’t plan it, but we’ve got a prime spot.”

The manager said, rubbing his chin where it had been hit.

It really was a prime spot.

There was no one around, and although the lanterns were a bit far, they were clearly visible.

The lanterns kept rising. The sound of music could be heard softly from afar.

It evoked emotions I didn’t know I had. Like the manager, I leaned my back against the tree.

For a while, we both watched the scene in silence.

Then the manager asked,

“Feeling a bit better?”

I kept my gaze fixed on the lanterns as I answered.

“I’m fine. I feel rejuvenated after sleeping.”

“Not that.”

Not that?

The manager must have been watching me for a while, as our eyes met immediately when I turned my head.

“The broadcast.”

Ah, that’s what he meant.

I often showed my exhaustion from broadcasting in front of the manager. It was understandable that he’d be concerned.

“I’m really fine now, I promise.”

It wasn’t just lip service.

I had wandered a bit, but it felt like that helped me find my true place. Whether it was my mental state or the direction of the broadcast.

I really enjoyed what I was doing now. Although it was a role I ended up taking as part of my reincarnation, I was genuinely enjoying it. Truly.

Interacting with people, sharing my experiences, exchanging affection with the audience, becoming a source of joy for them, even if just a little bit. All these were a great strength and pleasure for me.

That’s why I hadn’t given up on broadcasting. No matter how tormenting and challenging the emotions that came my way were, the joy it brought me was greater.

“I really do like broadcasting. I even want to keep doing it in the future.”

“……”

The manager listened to my story and then chuckled.

“You are the most unique person I’ve ever seen.”

“Is that meant in a good way?”

“It is.”

He actually complimented me. I smiled, pleased.

“So what are you going to do about the assassin?”

Unable to bear the ticklish atmosphere, the manager quickly switched back to business.

Right, that was a serious matter too. I was planning to enjoy the praise a bit longer, but the manager didn’t give me the chance.

The assassin, meaning Irmin, was also something I was thinking about.

I spoke with a determined voice.

“I’m planning to settle things tomorrow.”

Delaying an already decided matter didn’t sit well with me.

* * *

I requested a meeting with Irmin.

Despite the busy banquet period, Irmin readily accepted the invitation for tea time.

“Hello, Anais.”

With no one around, Irmin spoke in a relaxed tone, different from the formality of the ball. It was similar to when we would meet casually.

His face was still shining brightly, which was a bit overwhelming, but I just had to not look at it.

“How do you find staying at the palace? Anything uncomfortable?”

“Thanks to you, no.”

It was trivial small talk. I politely responded to Irmin’s questions.

Sensing something off, Irmin slightly tilted his head.

His expression was questioning.

“You’re acting strange today. What, did you almost die again?”

“No. That issue has been resolved.”

“Resolved?”

Irmin’s voice changed slightly.

I met Irmin’s gaze.

“The cause is right in front of me.”

Upon hearing my words, Irmin’s expression momentarily hardened.