But Vika Lamberst glared at Reidox with eyes that showed no gratitude, grumbling under his breath.

“Isn’t this beneath the Chancellor’s dignity?”

“I didn’t step in for you, Vika.”

Reidox passed by Vika, bowed his head toward Kian, and walked toward the men who were staring in shock, having dropped their swords.

“You must know that drawing a blade recklessly before His Majesty the King is a crime deserving death.”

“His Majesty the King?”

The men looked at Reidox with bewildered eyes, then turned to Kian with chills running down their spines.

“Th, then… over there…”

As Reidox raised his hand, the capital’s guards rushed out.

“You called, sir?”

“Arrest all of them and lock them up.”

Vika shoved the man he’d been holding straight toward the guards.

The guard sidestepped gently to avoid the flying man, who rolled head over heels toward where his con artist friends were standing.

The two men who’d been trying to stand up collapsed like dominoes as their scammer friend crashed into them.

“Don’t ever pull a stunt like this again. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me today?”

Judging by how furious Vika looked, he truly had been thoroughly annoyed.

The guards saluted Reidox, then swiftly seized the fallen con artists and hauled them away.

I’d clearly heard Reidox had gone early to tend to the twins, yet looking around, he was alone.

“My Lord Marquis. I heard the twins were unwell—are the children doing better now?”

“Oh. Lady Roen came to bestow blessings, and the twins have fully recovered. So Lady Roen came to the square with Reverend Lepher’s priests to offer blessings, and I accompanied her.”

“Really? That’s wonderful. So the twins are at home, and you came out alone, Reidox?”

“Ah, no. The children are following behind us.”

“I see.”

It’s been so long since I’ve seen the twins.

“By the way, Vika. You should probably return the money to that man over there.”

Vika, stretching his body as if sore, asked the man with an annoyed tone.

“How much did you lose?”

“300 silings.”

“Lie and you die.”

“…200 silings.”

Only then did Vika toss the money toward the man with a flick of his wrist.

The man, as if he’d been waiting, caught the coin purse with both hands, trembling as he checked its contents, then began to bow toward Vika.

Vika glared even harder at him.

“If you say ‘thank you,’ I’ll take it right back. Just leave quietly—I can’t be bothered.”

Normally, receiving gratitude would feel good. But Vika, who cared nothing for people, apparently found even that too bothersome.

Come to think of it, Sikar said the same thing to Tucker. Those two really are so alike.

Perhaps frightened by Vika’s nimble movements moments ago, the man left in a flash without even saying thank you, seemingly satisfied just to have gotten his money back.

Vika handed all the remaining money to Reidox and explained the whole situation.

“So handle the rest yourself.”

Reidox bowed politely, signaling he understood.

“Understood, Vika.”

Though Vika was Master of the Royal Household and Reidox held a far higher official rank, the two still maintained their bond in their own unique ways.

Just as I turned to head back toward where Sikar was, a familiar voice rang out.

“Hello. We are offering blessings in celebration of the Blue Dawn.”

Turning my head, I saw Roen bestowing blessings upon the people alongside the priests.

The citizens instantly forgot the commotion Vika had just caused and clasped their hands toward the priests.

The priests gently extended their palms toward the foreheads of those prepared to receive blessings.

From their hands, a small but bright light passed through the people.

Lucy and Luid, who had been following behind, froze stiffly upon seeing Kian.

They probably hadn’t expected to see him like this.

Luid wore a pointed hat with feathers, reminiscent of Robin Hood’s attire, while Lucy had tied a large ribbon behind her back like wings and styled her hair into an adorable messy bun.

To my eyes, Lucy looked as lovely as a princess.

Luid and Lucy tried to hide behind others, pretending not to notice, but Reidox pushed them forward toward Kian, leaving them nowhere to hide.

The twins peeked at Kian but hesitated to approach him directly.

When Kian stepped forward first, Luid began his greeting with visible surprise.

“Hi. Ah, no—hello.”

Unlike the clearly nervous Luid, Lucy greeted him calmly.

“Lucy Yukandar, Junior Marquise of Yukandar, greets His Majesty the King, whose reign shall shine for ten thousand years.”

The Lucy who once scribbled on Kian’s face was nowhere to be seen—now she carried herself with the grace and poise of a true heroine, young yet elegant and dignified.

Seeing Lucy’s elegant demeanor, I couldn’t help but smile like a proud mother. As I watched her, touched, Seo Yeon walked over, greeted us, and gazed at Lucy and Kian with the same moved expression as mine.

At this very moment, the romance between the male and female leads was surely stirring—I couldn’t help but watch with bated breath. It was unexpectedly delightful to have Seo Yeon here to share this emotional moment.

“Seo Yeon, you must feel the same as I do, right?”

“Of course!”

We waited for Kian’s next line with trembling hearts, as if we’d made a silent pact.

Soon, Lucy would become Kian’s fiancée—this was the moment we eagerly anticipated to see how Kian, as the male lead, would shine.

Kian slowly approached Lucy and placed his palm gently against her forehead.

A faint light began to seep from Kian’s hand.

I’d heard she’d already received a blessing from Roen—was he bestowing another?

But since it was a blessing directly from the King, its meaning must surely be special.

And from Kian’s next words, we understood why he’d given Lucy this blessing.

“You had a cold, didn’t you?”

Lucy looked slightly surprised but still maintained her heroine’s composure and answered calmly.

“Thanks to Lady Roen’s blessing, I’ve recovered.”

“What I just gave you isn’t a blessing.”

“Then…?”

Lucy probably couldn’t see it clearly, but to our eyes, what Kian had just bestowed was perfectly visible.

Kian had wrapped a large, soap-bubble-like protective barrier around Lucy. He smiled gently and said to her,

“This will shield you from minor winds and water splashes. Now that you’ve recovered from your cold, you mustn’t catch it again.”

Ah, so that’s why he did it—probably because of all the people playing by the square’s fountain, splashing water at each other.

Seo Yeon pinched her own cheek.

“So sweet…”

Kian also placed a small protective barrier around Luid and told him to take care not to catch a cold.

Luid looked even more bewildered—clearly, he’d expected Kian to take revenge for all the trouble he’d caused him before.

Luid, didn’t I tell you? Kian’s the protagonist—he’s not petty enough to hold grudges over past incidents.

After blessing the twins, Kian walked toward me.

Huh? Surely he’s not planning to give me a blessing too? I don’t mind if a few water droplets hit me.

He really doesn’t need to go out of his way for me like this. But if he truly wants to care for me, I should accept his care.

I slightly bent my waist to match Kian’s eye level, making it easier for him to bless me.

But that wasn’t why Kian had come to me.

“Mother. I’d like to join Lady Roen and the priests in bestowing blessings upon the people.”

“Oh…”

“You’ll permit me, right?”

There’s no danger now, and those sturdy gentlemen are accompanying him—there’s no reason to refuse. Still, for some reason, I felt a pang of disappointment.

“Of course I’ll permit you.”

The moment I spoke, Kian immediately went to Roen, and Reidox offered to accompany him.

So Seo Yeon decided to stay with me and look after the twins in the meantime.

“His Majesty will be attended by Reidox. Let’s return to the Duke now, Madam.”

“Yes, Vika.”

When we returned, Sikar’s brownies had sold out completely. People were still searching for brownies, and Hersia was stomping her feet in frustration as she tried to make more—but only failed batches remained conspicuously on the table.

Sikar sat there sipping tea, waiting for me as if none of it concerned him.

Even with people lining up one after another, Sikar’s utter indifference—sipping tea as if oblivious—was something else.

For someone like me, even indifference requires the courage to refuse. But Sikar had none of that.

More than anything, seeing Hersia—my close friend—struggling alone like that made me feel sorry for her. After watching Sikar finish greeting Seo Yeon and the twins, I nudged him gently.

“Duke! What are you doing?”

“What else? Waiting for my wife.”

“Hersia is working all alone right now.”

“So?”

“Couldn’t you help her?”

“This business must be handled by her alone. She must learn to put out her own fires. If she can’t manage even this, she should quit.”

“But that’s only possible once she’s fully mastered how to make brownies. Right now, she knows nothing. Wait—why were brownies being sold in the first place?”

“I didn’t sell them. This mess happened because Hersia pointlessly gave brownies to passing children.”

Seo Yeon, who had been silently listening to us, rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.

“I know how to make brownies a bit—I’ll help Lady Hersia.”

“She’ll truly appreciate your help.”

Seo Yeon winked at me reassuringly, then went to assist Hersia.

I explained brownies to the twins, who were staring at me as if wondering what on earth I was talking about. They watched Seo Yeon by the hearth, swallowing hard with anticipation.

Meanwhile, Sikar held my hand, read my memories, then nodded as if he understood.

“Vika must’ve absolutely hated this.”

“Tell me about it.”

Vika slumped into a chair with a look of utter disgust. The movement startled Durion, who’d been napping face-down on the table—he jolted upright, then immediately flopped back down onto the table to resume sleeping.

The fact that Durion can sleep like that even in the middle of all this… in some ways, he’s truly remarkable.

As I sat resting briefly, I saw Kian and the priests passing by.

We waved to Kian and Roen, and Kian sent me a smile.

I nearly screamed with joy—until I noticed Lucy standing beside me, making me wonder if that smile wasn’t meant for me after all.

Shortly after, I saw Lucy and Luid head toward the hearth to watch Seo Yeon bake, and I complained to Sikar.

“Someone once said: the moment a son gets a girlfriend, his mother becomes an afterthought. A son is the kind who takes the shrimp his mother painstakingly peeled for him and gives it to his girlfriend.”

Sikar stared at me with bewildered eyes, as if wondering what nonsense I was spouting.

“What are you talking about? Who eats shrimp? Doesn’t Kian have an allergy and can’t eat shrimp?”

“I was speaking metaphorically.”

Sikar stared at me blankly for a moment, then glanced at Lucy. Finally understanding, he smiled faintly and whispered to me,

“You’re upset because Kian only blessed the twins and not you.”

“It’s not that. I just… I also catch colds easily, and if I get splashed with water, I might get sick again…”

“Be honest.”

Fine. Better to confess outright than try to fool a ghost. I admitted it.

“I’m just a little disappointed that I’m apparently no longer number one in Kian’s heart.”

Sikar pinched my cheek affectionately.

“To me, you’ll always be number one.”

Seeing Sikar looking at me with a subtly upturned smile made my heart pound.