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~Chapter 36~
“Milady, please come out for a moment!”
It was a drowsy afternoon, just after lunch.
Yesterday’s outing already felt like a dream when Sophia suddenly burst into the study.
“What is it?”
I was in the middle of writing another letter full of romance advice when she barged in noisily.
Had there been progress with Eric?
Since I had raised their affection score so much, I expected to hear some good news soon.
“Milady, you just received a mountain of gifts!”
“Gifts?”
Not the news I hoped for, but the word gifts caught my attention.
“They’re not things Father brought in, but real gifts?”
“Yes! Real gifts.”
“That’s strange. There’s no one who would send me gifts…”
Could it be Lyssa?
But she was away on duty, busy trying to earn a promotion to captain.
Aside from her, with my limited circle, I couldn’t think of anyone else.
“Please come down right away. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
I followed Sophia downstairs, where I found the foyer crowded with servants. At the entrance, people were unloading boxes that were clearly the gifts in question.
All those boxes?
They were small in size but numerous in quantity.
That alone made it clear—this wasn’t Lyssa’s doing. She preferred giving one or two large, meaningful presents.
“Milady, you’re here?”
A maid greeted me as I approached the growing pile.
Though our household often received goods from trading companies, it was the first time presents filled the foyer like this. Everyone seemed curious and excited.
“All of these are for me?”
“Yes, they’re all desserts.”
“So many desserts…”
“Are you Lady Amelie Garnet?”
As I leaned closer to check one of the elegant packages, a young woman directing the delivery workers spoke to me.
‘Wait, I’ve seen her somewhere…’
Her face looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it—until she introduced herself.
“Yes, I am.”
“Hello. I’m from Pin Brown.”
“Oh!”
That’s where I’d seen her!
She was the owner of the café Pin Brown—the very café we went to yesterday.
“Why would Pin Brown send me gifts?”
“Sir Rih visited our shop yesterday. He ordered one of every dessert on the menu and asked that we deliver them here—to Lady Amelie Garnet, specifically.”
“Riha—no, Rih ordered them?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
So all these desserts had been sent by Richard.
He’d used the alias “Rih,” the one he gave me when we were tailing Eric.
Of all things, I didn’t expect him to send gifts under that name.
He’d hated using it before, but now he’d ordered a mountain of desserts with it.
“When exactly did he place the order?”
“Around 2 p.m. yesterday.”
That was right when we were either inside the café or just leaving it.
“I have urgent business to take care of, but I’ll join you later.”
Suddenly, I remembered what Richard had told Eric.
“So it was then…”
Not only had he given me his cake yesterday, he’d already been planning this surprise.
Thinking back, Richard had been unusually kind all day.
He must still feel guilty about the Johann Gezzir incident.
‘He doesn’t need to…’
It was a relief that he no longer seemed suspicious of me, but remembering his kindness now made me oddly flustered.
“Ah, and he came again today. He left this letter for you.”
After the last dessert box was moved in, the owner of Pin Brown handed me a letter and left.
“Milady, who is this ‘Rih’?”
“Obviously a man who’s in love with our lady.”
“Or maybe… has the lady found a secret lover, hiding even from the viscount?”
“Oh my!”
The maids were buzzing with guesses, none of which were anywhere close to the truth.
“Milady, should I prepare tea to go with the desserts?”
“Yes, thank you. And… share some of these with the others.”
I handed Sophia a few whole cakes.
Her eyes widened.
“These are all famous desserts from Pin Brown! Are you sure we can have them?”
“There are plenty more. And you wanted to try their cake, didn’t you?”
“Well, I went yesterday, so I actually already tried some. Now that I think of it, we might have been at the café at the same time as the one who sent these gifts. We were there around then, too.”
Ha, ha, ha.
I laughed awkwardly and avoided Sophia’s eyes.
If only she knew—not only had I run into him, but we went to a dress shop together and even talked in the alley afterward.
Absolutely cannot let that slip.
“Maybe so. Anyway, bring tea and the carrot cake to the study.”
“Yes, please wait just a moment.”
With the noisy foyer left behind, I headed back upstairs and opened Richard’s letter.
[ To Amelie Garnet. ]
At the very top, my name was written neatly in elegant handwriting.
So the crown prince even had beautiful penmanship.
The kind of script that would make any girl’s heart flutter.
[ Yesterday you didn’t get to eat much cake. I imagine the few slices multiplied many times over must have reached you by now. How does it feel? ]
No greeting, straight to teasing me.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
[ As for my own gift—I received a fountain pen, and I’m more than satisfied. I’ve been using it for every bit of writing since, including this very letter. ]
“Wow… so he does know how to say things like this.”
Even if it was just polite words, it felt rewarding to hear.
[ The desserts I sent unintentionally became my way of repaying your gift. Though personally, I think they can’t compare. Still, remembering how disappointed you were when you couldn’t eat more cake, I suppose they might hold equal value to you. ]
Of course they did.
It wasn’t just the cakes themselves—it was the thoughtfulness behind them.
And it wasn’t just one or two desserts, but everything on the menu.
This was the kind of gesture that would be remembered for a long time.
[ But ever since you stopped coming to the training grounds, I’ve noticed more and more knights wearing the same disappointed expression you had yesterday. The number has grown so much that even the mood of the entire order feels heavy now. ]
“Hmph. So they have been missing me.”
I couldn’t deny it—I had left quite an impact on the knight order.
And to be honest, sometimes I found myself missing the wide-open training grounds, too.
[ Your absence is too large. It’s time you return. Staying shut inside the mansion doesn’t suit Amelie Garnet. Go back to where you belong. ]
I froze mid-step as I read.
His words seemed to echo in my head in his own voice.
[ P.S. I can’t say much about desserts, since I don’t eat them often. But drinks—yours taste better. Let that be another reason to return. ]
The short postscript said it all.
Just like the other knights, Richard was telling me he was waiting for me.
Thump.
“What do you mean, thump!”
I thumped my chest with my fist as soon as I felt my heart race.
It worked—I calmed down right away.
At least I had managed to avoid my death route by earning Richard’s acknowledgment as a friend.
‘Now all that’s left is to push Richard toward Lyssa.’
That would be my focus from now on, if I wanted to speedrun this ending.
