Chapter 9

Once they reached the city, Alan slowed the horse’s pace, wondering where on earth they ought to head.

To Alan, a young woman was practically an unknown creature.

The people surrounding Alan were, for the most part, the knights of the Third Order.

Aside from occasionally sharing a drink with Diana’s father, Wesley, the Duke of Gazard.

He had no inkling whatsoever about the things young women favored, nor the shops they frequented.

If he had known it would come to this, no matter how much he was teased, he should have listened more seriously to the knights’ advice.

Had it been them, teasing or not, they surely could have pinpointed exact date spots that a young woman would enjoy.

(I have no trouble galloping across a battlefield on horseback, but walking through the city with a young woman feels like being tossed unarmed into enemy territory.)

Inwardly, Alan was sweating with anxiety.

“I apologize, I’m afraid I don’t know of any shops that young women might fancy…”

In the end, he had no choice but to be honest.

Without laughing at him, Diana looked up at Alan.

“If you don’t mind, would you help me with a consultation?”

“A consultation? If my help is enough…”

“I’d like to commission a new saddle. Until now, I’ve always used the standard issue from the Gazard Knighthood, but whenever I activate my ice magic, the metal fittings freeze over. It seems to cause the horse some discomfort…”

“Ah, I see.”

Alan had just witnessed Diana’s proficiency with ice magic firsthand during the recent expedition.

When ice magic was cast, the surrounding temperature dropped.

For a horse in direct contact with the caster, the effects would be even more pronounced.

“If we’re talking about a saddle without metal fittings, a custom order would be best. I know a leather artisan, so I can introduce you.”

“Thank you so much!”

Smiling at Diana as her voice brightened, Alan nudged the horse’s flanks.

While he had no clue about trendy clothing boutiques or cafes, when it came to choosing a saddle, a rough-and-ready warrior like Alan could certainly offer advice.

(I’m sure Lady Diana was just being considerate of me…)

What nonsense about being a chilling, unapproachable moon.

What nonsense about a woman who didn’t know how to defer to men.

Alan knew of no other woman as kind-hearted and considerate as she was.

The more he noticed her new charms, the harder it became to tear his eyes away from her.

Whenever he caught himself doing so, he deliberately forced himself to look away.

“Thank you, Lord Alan. Thanks to you, it looks like we’ll have a fine piece made.”

After placing the order for the saddle at the leather artisan’s shop, Diana’s face bloomed into a smile.

Though it would take some time to finish, she had every confidence that it would turn out to her satisfaction.

“Please, allow me to treat you as a thank-you for helping me with this consultation.”

“I’d love to say that as the man, I should be the one treating you… but unfortunately, I don’t know any good establishments.”

As Alan scratched his cheek, Diana smiled back at him.

“If that’s the case, let me guide you to a shop I’ve been wanting to try.”

“Ah, please do.”

Diana herself was hardly well-versed in the latest trends of the royal capital.

However, she possessed the memories of her previous life.

Items destined to become the talk of the town and shops bound to gain massive popularity still remained fresh in her memory.

The place Diana led him to was a cafe tucked away on the outskirts of the commercial district.

It was an establishment that would later gain explosive popularity thanks to its acclaimed new desserts, though at present, its name was not yet widely known.

The patrons inside were sparse, and when they requested to reserve the second-floor terrace seating entirely for themselves, the request was readily granted.

“This is… a fine place.”

The terrace seating overlooked a refreshing garden.

A brisk breeze swept past, gently fluttering Diana’s silver-shining hair.

Alan found his gaze captured by the sight, though he hastily looked away a split second later.

Even as he told himself he mustn’t pay attention, he inevitably found himself doing so anyway.

Diana was a friend’s daughter, seventeen years younger than him.

To her, he was likely nothing more than an uncle-figure the same age as her father.

Though he repeated that to himself time and time again, his heart was shaken by the honest affection he felt from Diana.

He took a sip of the brought black tea, trying to calm his emotions.

Yet, the moment he cast his gaze forward, the beautiful Diana was right there.

His heartbeat naturally bounded, and his body temperature rose.

Alan inwardly thanked whatever gods that they were seated on a breezy terrace.

After a soft silence, Diana quietly broke the conversation.

“Lord Alan… is life in the royal palace difficult for you?”

The question thrown by Diana was utterly abrupt.

Thinking of his standing within the royal palace, he felt the feverish heat in his body slowly cool away.

“For me, nothing has changed, now or in the past. Besides, the fellows in the knighthood are all easy to get along with.”

Alan forced a smile and beamed back at Diana.

Diana gazed back at that smile with a somewhat pained expression.

For Alan, the royal palace was by no means a safe place.

The fact that his life had been targeted by the imperial guard proved as much.

Then, what could she do for him? She must have thought about it countless times, yet the voice slipping past her lips was terribly trembling.

“…Do you dislike me, Lord Alan?”

“What?”

At the unexpected words, the tea he had been drinking nearly choked him.

Diana’s eyes as she watched Alan coughing were tinged with a desperate earnestness.

“For me to dislike Lady Diana… That is simply impossible.”

“If that is so!”

Diana clenched her trembling fists on top of her lap.

(I mustn’t flinch here. If I swallow these words back, I will surely lose the chance to convey them forever──)

“If that is so, please use me.”

“Use… Lady Diana?”

Diana’s eyes as she gazed at the bewildered Alan were pure seriousness.

“If you become my husband, Lord Alan, you will be able to leave the royal palace.”

The moment she declared it, her heart leaped violently.

Her pulse rattled her entire body, and a sticky sweat dampened her palms.

Her gaze naturally dropped downward as she hung her head.

What kind of expression Alan was wearing right now? Diana lacked the courage to check.