/
Come to think of it, Darrel once spoke about it.
“Students are slaves to learning. They are used to working for academia’s everything.”
She wondered what the hell was going on with academia.
To include the visit of such a precious paper.
“Does that mean that some of the academy’s students are coming over here?”
“Yes, Princess.”
“Well, I see what you expect.”
Rieta recognized the butler’s heart without difficulty.
“But it probably won’t happen.”
After Rieta made sure that no one was around them, she spoke up about the letter she had received a while ago.
“Noel sent me a letter with only a letter to my earnest invitation. It just said ‘busy’.”
The one who was so busy that he could not even keep the proper form of the letter could not have leisurely carried the paper here.
He may well have deferred it to someone else, even if he had been given such an order.
The other person was the vicious Noel Mayer.
“However, I want to believe in the Young Master. It’s not anyone else, he’s not the one to pass the Princess’ birthday.”
Because of the butler’s atmosphere, Rieta couldn’t say anything in particular, so she smiled vaguely.
Hmm . . . Well.
Rieta’s closest friend was Noel Mayer.
It was not unreasonable for the butler to think so.
“Yes . . . I’m not expecting much, but thank you for saying that anyway. I am even more grateful for the effort you put into making the paper come to us as quickly as possible.”
“It’s my pleasure. Then I will tell you as soon as the carriage arrives.”
“Yes, please.”
Rieta nodded her head lightly and walked back to the banquet hall.
Her steps felt strangely light.
She even had a smile on her lips.
What to do.
She had said she didn’t expect anything to the butler.
Yet it seemed that something in Rieta’s heart had begun to tilt into expectation.
Perhaps it was because of what Darrel had said a while ago.
“Because happy coincidences happen on birthdays.”
* * *
A few minutes after she returned to the banquet hall, the butler quietly approached Rieta.
“Princess.”
Perhaps the academy’s carriage had arrived in the garden.
Rieta stood up, excusing herself for a while.
As she made her way through the hallway and towards the front door, Rieta had to work very hard to suppress her thoughts.
It’s not Noel. You can’t expect Noel to come.
He sent her a chilling letter, yet he surprises her . . . that didn’t suit Noel Mayer.
Rieta stood on the porch.
The sound of the carriage approaching was heard in the distance, and Rieta deliberately did not focus on it.
As she clasped her hands neatly and lifted her head, she saw the sky with red color melted from the sun.
Pretty.
Rieta felt that something was very perfect right now.
The moment when the color of the sky changes.
The wind softened like melting winter.
And . . .
. . . a friend I can never hate.
Rieta looked at the academy’s carriage, which was getting closer.
At that moment, she realized.
She knew that once the expectations had been created, they cannot be suppressed no matter how hard she tries.
And Noel gets off the carriage. If that is the case, Rieta will forget everything that upset her and smile happily.
Just then, the carriage began to slow down, and Rieta took a small step back.
She pondered for a moment, but she decided to bow her head slightly.
She respected the research of the senior scholars.
Finally, the carriage stopped in front of the front door.
The door opened, and the sound of someone coming down from inside was heard.
Noel, will he be angry?
She had become a Princess of a country, and he said she should not bow her head anywhere.
Yes, I think so.
Rieta smiled a little as she recalled his obvious tone of voice.
That moment . . .
A well-groomed gentleman’s shoe came into her view.
It even looked similar to what Noel wore when he pretended to be a grown-up.
Rieta smiled broadly unknowingly and lifted her head.
Her hasty lips exclaimed the name before she could even check the other party’s face.
“Noel!”
But what should she say?
Ah, nice to meet you?
She thought about it for a moment.
But she soon realized that she had been worrying in vain.
“. . . Ah.”
Because the one standing in front of Rieta wasn’t Noel.
It was a stranger she didn’t know.
“Sorry. Princess.”
The other person gave her a quick glance and bowed his body in apology.
In fact, he didn’t have to.
“Ah, it’s, it’s okay. I’m sorry. Of course, Noel is not coming to the Duchy, it’s absolutely not what I expected!”
“Still, I’m kind of sorry.”
The other person suddenly raised his head.
With both good-looking eyes full of regret.
“Raise your head, Hugh McLean. I’m even more embarrassed.”
“You don’t have to be embarrassed. Because the Princess’ guess was correct.”
“Correct?”
In response to Rieta’s question, he pulled out a thick envelope from the carriage.