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Chapter : 39
When she thought about it, from his point of view, Jayros was the man closest to Freya among all the men she knew.
It was for official reasons, but aside from Raiden, he was the one she spent the most time with and talked to the most.
She had absolutely no romantic interest in Jayros, but from the perspective of someone nursing a one-sided crush, it could still be unsettling.
He’s surprisingly good at showing things like this in subtle ways.
Freya’s gaze dropped to the hand he was holding. It didn’t look like he had any intention of letting go.
Noticing her look, Raiden tightened his grip instead.
With a faint smile on his lips, he asked her,
“Should I let go?”
“Are you going to?”
“No.”
“…Then why ask?”
You have no intention of letting go anyway. Freya shot him a sideways glare with narrowed eyes, then turned her head away.
At her slightly sulky 모습, he laughed softly and gazed at her with gentle eyes.
Until the carriage reached their destination, their clasped hands never separated.
When they arrived at the construction site for the supplementary security force barracks, the site manager came out to greet them. After politely greeting Freya and Raiden as they got down from the carriage, he guided them inside.
“This way, please. The work is proceeding smoothly at the moment.”
“How about the dormitory?” Freya asked.
“There are no problems there either. It looks like it will be completed around the same time as the barracks, as scheduled.”
“That’s good to hear.”
The busy site was filled with workers hard at work.
It had been a week since construction began. The building that would become the barracks was a two-story structure, and its framework had already taken shape.
After slowly looking around, Raiden spoke.
“It’s good that working quickly shortens the schedule, but unexpected things can always happen during construction. Make sure safety is your top priority.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“And how are you managing the workers’ break times?”
“We’re following regulations—aside from meal times, they get thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the afternoon.”
The manager answered Freya’s question. Watching the people moving busily, Raiden added,
“I see. The weather isn’t too hot, but it’s still better not to push them too hard. Keep a close eye on their condition as well.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
After finishing the inspection of the barracks, they moved on to the dormitory site. Just like the barracks, there were no particular issues, and they wrapped up the visit.
“Please take care on your way back.”
With the manager seeing them off, Freya and Raiden climbed back into the carriage.
“Your Highness, shall we return to the Imperial Palace?” the knight asked from outside the window.
Raiden thought for a moment, then asked Freya,
“Since we’re already out, how about having lunch before we go back?”
“Sounds good.”
“Then let’s go to a restaurant. There’s a place that makes excellent duck dishes. I think it’ll suit your taste, Freya.”
Smiling, he gave the destination to the knight. Even after the carriage started moving, Raiden’s smile didn’t fade, and Freya remarked,
“You look like you’re in a good mood.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve had a meal with you, Freya.”
“That’s true.”
Until now, she’d usually eaten alone or with Astella. Raiden had often invited her to dine together, but because of Astella, she had kept refusing.
Now there was no longer any reason to keep the two of them together, so there was no need to refuse. And since they were even engaged now, eating together was only natural.
“Not just meals—there are lots of things I want us to do together from now on.”
“For example?”
“I’d like to go on picnics somewhere sunny, and see plays together. Opera would be nice too. And…”
His chattering lips hesitated for a moment. Fidgeting with the hands resting on his lap, he met her eyes and continued,
“As your partner, I want to go to parties together too.”
“…That’s unexpected. I thought you didn’t really like parties.”
“I don’t. But I don’t want to leave you to go alone. And I don’t like the idea of someone else being your partner either.”
Raiden also knew that Freya didn’t particularly enjoy social parties. She only attended out of obligation, under pressure from the Marquis and Marchioness of Balche. Still, the frequency was higher than one might expect.
Freya herself didn’t care much, but attending alone every time didn’t reflect well on her as a noble lady.
On top of that, since her marriage had been delayed, she was always an easy target for people who loved to gossip.
Raiden always found that regrettable and displeasing.
They talk however they like, trying to find fault and tear her down.
She wasn’t someone who deserved to hear such things. No matter what social customs existed, it wasn’t right to judge someone as “defective” just because they didn’t have a partner or weren’t married.
There were so many standards by which a person could be judged. Why should she be treated that way just because she was a noble lady? He couldn’t understand it.
Once our engagement is announced, no one will be able to speak carelessly about her anymore.
Who would dare to slander the future mistress of House Betelheim?
Now that he would be by her side, he would make sure nothing like before ever happened again.
With a faint smile lifting his lips, Raiden went on,
“And I don’t want to see you dancing with anyone else anymore either.”
Of course, beyond worrying about Freya, there was also a personal desire. He could count on one hand the number of times he had danced with her.
Strangely enough, even when they attended the same parties, he rarely got the chance to dance with Freya. Either someone else would ask her first, or she would leave early—somehow the timing never worked out.
And whenever an opportunity finally came, it would fall through because of some sudden problem, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they had never really danced properly.
But now it’s different. Unless I dance with her first, no other man will be able to ask her.
Every time he watched her dance with other men, he knew exactly how it made him feel. From now on, he didn’t want to yield her to anyone.
“Now that you’re my fiancée, you can’t dance with anyone but me.”
“…All right.”
Freya calmly agreed.
There was no rule that said a woman with a fiancé couldn’t dance with other men, but if he disliked it, then as his fiancée it was right to respect that. Besides, it wasn’t like she particularly loved dancing anyway.
When she nodded, Raiden smiled with clear satisfaction.
The carriage sped along and soon entered a bustling district. Passing down a wide street lined with shops, they saw a square with a fountain.
As they drew closer, they could see many tents and crowds of people.
“The market’s open today,” Freya said.
“It is. It does seem livelier than usual.”
A market was held in the square twice a week. Fresh vegetables and fruits, snacks and all kinds of food, flowers, various goods, even furniture—there was hardly anything you couldn’t find.
“Would it be okay if we take a quick look?”
“Of course.”
Hearing Freya’s request, Raiden gestured to the knight outside. At the signal, the knight stopped the carriage at a suitable spot.
Raiden got down first through the opened door and held out his hand to Freya as she followed.
“There are a lot of people, so be careful. Don’t let go of my hand.”
“Okay.”
Hand in hand, the two of them entered the market under the knight’s escort. Delicious smells drifted past, and the displayed goods made Freya’s eyes dart here and there.
She knew a market was held in the square, but since being possessed, she’d been busy in so many ways that she had never actually come before.
Freya, who had often wanted to stop by and look around whenever she passed, was glad she finally had the chance.
Seeing her eyes sparkle—something rare—Raiden smiled and said,
“If there’s anything you want to eat or buy, just tell me. I’ll get you anything.”
“I have money too.”
“I want to buy it for you. You’re my fiancée now, so I have that right. So don’t refuse.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard that fiancés have a right like that…”
It was a rather random claim, but there was no real reason to refuse. Whatever she ate or bought here, it wasn’t like it would seriously dent Raiden’s wallet. And it wasn’t as if she’d be greedy either.
Still, since he was offering, maybe she’d accept. Freya looked around again.
“Oh, Freya. How about that?”
“That? Um…”
As they walked forward and looked around, Raiden pointed at something. Following his gaze, she turned her head and saw, among a crowd of children, a familiar-looking treat.
“…Cotton candy?”
