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“Is there something . . . you don’t like?”
Was Rieta’s expressionless look in the mirror bothering him?
Darrel asked with a worried look.
Of course, Rieta shook her head quickly.
How could she not like it?
She liked the dress that the Duke gave her and the tiara that Darrel gave her very much.
It was just that the memories of the past kept coming back to her today.
To the point where it felt kind of weird.
Why?
“Is it because of Noel?”
Oh.
That’s right, Noel Mayer.
When she remembered the name, which she had forgotten for a while, Rieta frowned somewhat blatantly.
Noel Mayer was bad.
A very, very bad person!
“Don’t worry. Noel wouldn’t forget the Princess’s birthday. He will definitely show his face in the mansion.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“What?”
“It’s okay if Noel doesn’t come to my birthday.”
Darrel laughed a little awkwardly at her rather pouty voice.
What to do, she looked really sulky.
“Get changed and let’s go out. Wear something comfortable. It seems that Brago is the only one who can make the Princess happy today.”
Brago was Darrel’s favorite horse, and he had been letting Rieta ride it a few times recently.
“Will it give me a ride today?”
“That is an agreement between you and Brago.”
“I’m sure Brago will agree!”
Rieta hurried past the screen and shouted so.
Whether the horse resembled its master’s inclinations or not, Darrel’s horse was always generous to Rieta.
So, perhaps today, it would be willing to give Rieta a ride again.
“Then I will wait outside.”
Darrel went out of the parlor along with the merchants.
Soon, a maid came and helped Rieta undress.
Rieta sighed a little as she loosened the button, loosening her dress, and watched it fall naturally.
Noel Mayer.
As she recalled the name of her best friend, her heart was heavy.
Spring, a year ago . . .
He had left the mansion.
Of course he had good reasons.
He had said he wanted to concentrate on his studies in the academy, so he stayed in the dormitories.
It would have been nice if at least he had given me a word before deciding on such a thing.
Yes, of course, Rieta didn’t want Noel to go away.
It went without saying that she would be unable to do anything to help him connect with the female lead.
But above all . . .
Without Noel, life at the Duchy would be boring.
But, is this a good sign?
The old Noel used to insist on saying, ‘No one can leave this mansion!’
However, if he could go out and live on his own like this, he might have relaxed his mind a bit.
His excessive obsessions may have diminished a little bit.
With that in mind, she couldn’t say bad things about Noel’s departure.
Besides, I’m getting along well with Darrel.
Unlike Noel, who went to the academy, Darrel was now helping the Duke in earnest as he finished learning.
Now, it was almost to the point of him being referred to as the ‘Young Duke’.
Besides, he would find Rieta from time to time even in the midst of his busy schedule, and took care of her like he would a real younger sister.
Maybe it was because he was concerned that Noel had left and Rieta was left alone.
Besides, the Princess is still nice to me.
A long time ago, after becoming friends at a hunting contest, Rieta and the Empire’s princess became good penpals.
Sometimes they met and learned archery separately.
In the first place, Rieta thought that she wanted to learn how to ride a horse, so that she could build a closer relationship with the Princess.
Anyway, the Princess was also the best friend of the upcoming female lead.
“Princess, can I put your hair up?”
(Note: the title for both Gabriella and Rieta is ‘Princess’ in english, which may look confusing, but in the KR they’re differ where Gabriella is ‘Empire’s Princess’ and Rieta is ‘Royal Princess’ so I might use these terms when both of them looks confusing ^^)
When she came to her senses at the maid’s question, she noticed that she had already changed all her clothes.
She was going horseback riding, so she couldn’t go with her hair hanging down.
“Yes. Tie it very tight.”
“Yes, I will.”
After tying her hair high, Rieta hurried a little and left the parlor.
When she opened the door, she saw Darrel waiting in front of the door with his always-friendly smile.
Rieta followed him and walked towards the stable.
Her long hair swayed pleasantly.
* * *
Come to think of it, it was natural for Noel and Rieta to become distant from each other.
When Imperial nobles reached a certain age, they often went to an academy for basic education, where ‘foreigners’ were not even allowed to pass through the main gate.