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As it was written in the letter, the carriage sent from the imperial palace arrived much earlier than usual. It’s much too soon to say that it’s already morning, but while the sun’s rays stretched out because the days during the summer were long, it was already bright out as dawn broke out early.
‘There’s fortunately not many people around. I was worried that some of the people I saw through the curtains are still hanging around from last night…’
Letting out an exhale of relief, Sera bowed her head so that her face wouldn’t be seen. She was still worried that people would see her from down the street, and she wasn’t insensitive to the point that she couldn’t feel the gazes on her.
She wondered if this was how celebrities felt. Sera had a wide-brimmed hat on her head and pulled it down more. Then, she checked again if the scarf wrapped around her face and neck covered her well enough.
The letter that was sent to her said that her identity and her address shouldn’t have been revealed to the public, but why did it seem like everyone knew?
As she had her eyes on the ground for the most part, she looked up when she finally saw the wheels of the carriage she was supposed to ride.
It was a carriage that absolutely didn’t match the simple and quaint houses of the neighborhood, what with it having such shiny gold patterns and linings.
‘Gosh, there’s no way people wouldn’t know the moment they see a fancy carriage that stands out this much.’
As soon as she thought this, the door of the carriage suddenly opened and a large hand reached for her unexpectedly.
The moment she was quickly pulled into the carriage, Sera saw Jean and looked at him with a stunned expression. Jean apologized profusely as she sat herself down on the seat awkwardly.
“I’m really sorry about this. His Majesty asked me to fetch you just in case, but I thought it might draw more attention if I went out and stood there to wait for you.”
“Ah… Sure!”
“Did anything happen?”
“Nothing special happened around the area except for when it had been unusually crowded.”
“Ha… That’s a relief.”
Jean let out a sigh, covering his mouth with one hand as though he was really relieved. It was a sigh that seemingly blew out the ground with how deep it was.
“His Majesty is very worried. Even if your identity wasn’t revealed in the article, rumors can’t be ignored. I’m glad that everything went well, Miss Sera. He was also worried that strangers might have knocked on your door.”
“Please tell His Majesty that the weekend passed quietly, so he shouldn’t worry too much.”
“Not just His Majesty, but I was also worried.”
Sera looked back at Jean, feeling that it was strange how he emphasized that he had also been concerned. He couldn’t understand the reason behind why there was a grim look in his eyes.
“Um… By the way, Sir Knight, what on earth is the article really about that everyone’s so concerned? His Majesty also didn’t tell me anything in the letter he sent me.”
Jean scratched his head as he saw Sera’s curious expression.
“It, um, said that His Majesty was spotted having a rendezvous with his secret lover, and allegedly, there’s a young lady he has dates with every night at the palace.”
“Huh? But isn’t that me?”
Sera was about to protest against how forced the story sounded, but then she recalled just how many walks she and Helios had under the pretext of him escorting her to the carriage during those nights.
Sighing in the same manner that Jean did earlier, Sera responded.
“Those weren’t dates though…”
Sera’s mood plummeted.
“His Majesty also said that, too—those were definitely not dates. Rumors like this usually disappear soon enough when they couldn’t find any more scoops, so there’s nothing for you to be worried about, Miss Sera. His Majesty is also working closely together with Raphael to put a stop to this!”
Despite Jean’s proud words, Sera’s expression became darker.
“You weren’t dating in the first place, so all the interest will soon die down!”
He emphasized this to Sera once again with a firm tone. But contrary to his expectations, Sera looked even more despondent. As if to comfort her, Jean added again.
“His Majesty will be visiting the Star Palace for a while today. You don’t have to worry too much.”
Every time he spoke, sighs seemed to flow out more. He kept saying something to try and change the mood, but Sera couldn’t hear anything he said anymore.
Among Jean’s words, only the sentence ‘You weren’t dating in the first place’ was stuck in her head. Even though what he said was only the truth.
‘Yeah, those weren’t dates, His Majesty was just being kind, but a problem like this came up! It’s just the truth! His Majesty said that, too!’
Sera was a little upset even though Helios didn’t do anything wrong. A slight hint of irritation arose.
“By the way, Miss Sera. Your fashion choices are very bold today.”
“Huh?”
“A hat and a scarf. All I can see are your eyes.”
“Ah…! This is just in case someone will see my face…”
Sera hurriedly took off her hat the moment she realized that she forgot to take it off. She also removed the scarf from her face and folded it with her hands.
Celebrities often covered up like this whenever reporters gathered around them, so she unconsciously copied them. Maybe she went too far and made herself stand out even more, especially when the knight in front of her pointed it out…
In that rattling carriage, Sera felt like she wanted to complain and let out her frustrations because she wasn’t in a good mood.