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Chapter 26

Fortunately, after that, she didn't have time to dwell on the awkward atmosphere inside the carriage.

"Ah, in that case, how about changing the regulatory approach a little?"

"What do you mean?"

Their conversation had naturally extended to the contents of the documents Kayden had brought.

"So, you set strict rules only for what absolutely must be prohibited, and allow everything else freely."

Emilia was a little excited as she spoke with him.

Kayden was a surprisingly good conversational partner.

Cedric used to get annoyed whenever she said anything he didn't understand—

But Kayden grasped the intent behind her words precisely.

Now that she thought about it, Cedric had never really been interested in what she had to say unless it was about the exam.

"If you approve everything individually, efficiency drops and you might miss the right timing. By the way, what exactly are the business fields allowed into the territory?"

"Just a moment."

He said that and was about to find the relevant section in the documents to show her—

Rustle.

Emilia moved to sit beside Kayden.

At the same time, his hand, which had been flipping through the papers, stopped at the unexpected waft of her scent.

Emilia tilted her head toward the documents to examine the contents.

Her hair fell forward, obscuring the text.

"Ah."

She frowned and gathered the bothersome strands, sweeping them to the other side.

Her bare nape, now uncovered, was fully exposed.

"..."

"Is this the part?"

Emilia asked as she read through the document.

Just then, a more strained voice came from above.

"Could you move back a little?"

"Huh?"

Emilia looked up with wide eyes—just as the carriage came to a stop.

"We've arrived."

Kayden quickly rose from his seat.

Before the coachman could even approach, he flung open the carriage door.

"Please get out."

Emilia only blinked in confusion.

A short while later.

Left standing in front of the post office, Emilia stared blankly at the carriage as it departed rather unceremoniously.

What was that?

She replayed the scene just now.

It had seemed like he was hurrying to get rid of her.

Had she overstepped by meddling in his work and annoyed him?

But they'd been having such a good conversation just moments before.

Frowning as she pondered the cause, Emilia lifted a strand of hair and brought it to her nose.

...Do I smell?

But her hair only gave off a pleasant fragrance.

Whatever.

Emilia shook her head.

Feeling a little miffed, she pouted her lips. It seemed she'd been the only one enjoying the conversation.

Wait, but I was going to go separately in the first place.

She'd only been half-pushed into the carriage by Kayden.

Emilia started walking, thinking she'd better not take his carriage next time.

---

Emilia stopped by the post office and successfully sent her letter.

With a lighter step, she headed to her next destination—

But she encountered an unexpected obstacle.

She stood in the middle of the street, staring at the folded note she'd brought for a long time.

I can't read this at all.

She recalled her conversation with Laura before leaving the residence.

"Oh my! A dessert shop? Of course I can tell you! Dessert shops are my specialty!"

However, Laura said she couldn't remember the exact name because it was too long, so she'd drawn a rough map instead.

If I'd known, I should have asked for even a rough name.

She was sure she was nearby, but the shop just wouldn't appear.

Just as Emilia, who had circled the area several times, was about to give up—

The paper in her hand suddenly vanished with a whoosh.

"Huh?"

She looked up and saw hair glowing even more vividly in the sunlight—fiery red—and a sharply handsome face.

"Lucas?"

Emilia blinked, her voice bewildered.

"Hey there?"

He tilted his head, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"Told you it was worth exchanging names? Look, we've met again."

When Emilia made a reluctant face, he said as if disappointed.

"That's harsh. I'm really happy to see you."

But instead of responding to his words, Emilia reached out to take back the note he'd snatched.

"Give it back."

Instead, he raised his arm higher and examined the note.

"You had such a serious expression, and it was just about finding your way?"

Emilia, who had been worn out from wandering, snapped at his words.

"Yes, finding my way is a serious matter to me, so I don't have time to deal with you, Lucas. Now give it back."

Seeing her even more sulky expression, Lucas grinned slyly.

"I think I know where this is."

Emilia paused.

"...Really?"

"Really. I know every alley in the capital like the back of my hand."

Lucas whispered temptingly to her.

"Want me to take you there? I can find it in ten minutes."

Emilia looked at him with suspicious eyes.

Lucas lifted the corner of his mouth as if to say trust me.

To be honest, she'd already been wandering for an hour, so his offer was very tempting.

Hmm.

Ten minutes was a worthwhile investment—at worst, she'd break even.

Emilia asked again to confirm.

"You're not taking me anywhere strange, are you?"

"You don't trust me?"

"Do you think I have a reason to?"

Given his behavior that day, it would be stranger to trust him blindly.

"Then you can find out this time."

He said rather brazenly, then started walking and gestured with his head for her to follow.

---

Fortunately—or unfortunately—investing those ten minutes was well worth it.

Following Lucas as he wove through the alleys, the dessert shop she'd been searching for finally appeared.

"There it is."

Lucas nodded toward it.

But her joy was short-lived—Emilia stared at the long line and murmured in despair.

"Laura said it was a hidden gem..."

After a moment's thought, she decided to wait.

She'd finished her other errands, and it felt wasteful to turn back after searching so hard.

She quickly walked over and took her place at the end of the line.

But a man standing right behind her cast a shadow over her.

Emilia turned around and glanced at him.

"I'm grateful you showed me the shop, but why are you standing here with me?"

"It's not as fun to stand alone, is it?"

Her face crumpled at his nonsense, and Lucas laughed.

"What? It's not like you rented this place out. Standing in line is my choice."

That may be true, but...

Just as Emilia was about to say something—

Seeing a space open up ahead, he grabbed her shoulders and nudged her forward.

"Go on, don't mind me."

Emilia sighed softly and took a step forward.

Fortunately, instead of chattering away, he simply stood behind her, serving as a sunshade.

After waiting for quite a while, when her turn was finally just ahead—

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Emilia's body was spun around.

Lucas, who had lightly grabbed her shoulders and swapped their positions, looked down at her.

Emilia asked in disbelief.

"What are you doing now?"

"Because if I just asked nicely, you'd run away without answering."

He shrugged with a mischievous grin.

At that, Emilia glanced behind her. The line had grown even longer than before.

He'd done this knowing she couldn't leave now.

Emilia looked ahead again and shot him a glance.

"You really are petty and cunning."

But Lucas didn't seem affected by her words. Instead, he reached out and placed his hand against the wall beside her.

Then he looked down at her and spoke.

"You said that was your house, right?"

"Huh?"

"I went back to that open lot, but you weren't there."

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