Time for the Duke and Rieta to share and build trust together.

“Go sleep.”

Why was it so tiring to be among strangers?

Rieta blinked slowly and quickly fell asleep.

******

The sun was about to set when Rieta woke up.

She got up while rubbing her eyes, when the maid came in and said she would help her change her clothes.

After switching to a more comfortable dress, she took out the cute shoes that the Duke had bought her.

She then remembered how her feet had been hurt due to the new shoes she had worn.

Rieta bent over to check where she was bleeding from.

However, someone had put on some medicine and wrapped a nice bandage on her, while she slept

She wondered for a moment, if the Duke could have done that himself.

Maybe she just thought it would have been nice if he did, and wished it had been so.

After that, she brushed her hair again and got ready to go outside.

Following the maid to the front door,Rieta saw the Duke and his two sons waiting for her.

“Are we going out together?”

She asked, and the Duke assented.

The three went out to the crowded city in a carriage.

And Rieta quickly found her favorite squirrel doll.

The Duke Mayer’s sons also picked out what they needed one by one.

And The Duke was to pay for the goods of the three children.

After the shopping tour, they returned to the carriage.

Before she had realised, the streets became packed with countless people.

Whenever they passed by a large crowd, the Duke would put his hand over Rieta’s shoulder.

As if to let her know that he’s right behind her.

Rieta glanced back, hugging the soft doll.

Looking at the slightly scary face of the Duke, she remembered the words he had told her just a little while ago.

「But the Princess shouldn’t walk alone.」

Well, this was probably what he meant.

Rieta seemed to come to realise some things, while still being ignorant of others.

Another crowd approached.

Naturally, the Duke’s large hand was placed over her shoulder for a moment.

Since she was certain that she would not walk alone, Rieta moved forward with confidence.

********

A nice squirrel.

That’s what Rieta used to call the doll, whenever she held it.

Before, she hadn’t understood why the Duke had said that she needed a doll.

But now, she could see the reason.

The squirrel doll seemed to be made of all the “sweetness” around her, molded into a soft form.

So whenever Rieta hugged her sweet squirrel, she firmly felt like this-

She would live a good life.

And repay everyone who had given her the squirrel doll today.

She’s not going to throw herself on the ground, obsessed with a stupid father who didn’t have an ounce of empathy for her.

That’s why…. She was committed… to working hard..

She nodded.

Rieta’s head fell down on the desk in front of her.

“….?!”

She looked up in surprise.

There was bright sunlight rising from the window.

And across from her-

“T-teacher!”

The Imperial language teacher was looking at her angrily.

“I didn’t know you felt comfortable enough to sleep in my class.”

“Oh, no! That’s not it!”

Rieta had instinctively answered in the language of the kingdom, so she quickly covered her mouth with both hands.

The first rule in class was to speak in the Imperial language.

“And you break the most important rule.”

Rieta was in tears.

“I’m…sorry.”

“No. It’s a good thing, you need to get used to it. Even if you didn’t, I was thinking about giving you the first test.”

Rieta’s face turned pale when she heard the smiling teacher give her the news.

Because then, she remembered the warning that Noel had given her one day.

「I know it because I’ve learned classical literature from that teacher. You’d better be careful.」

「Be careful?」

「Please be careful. Really.」

「Why? He’s so nice.」

「Huh, I thought so too at first. But he’s a devil who will suddenly suggest taking a test.」

「Isn’t that too little to call him a devil? I don’t know what it’s like in the Empire, but in the Kingdom, we only call truly bad people devils.」

「Listen to the end, Princess.」

Noel crouched down slightly and looked around for a while.

As if to make sure no one was listening, before conveying a great secret.

「That teacher..」