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Chapter 97

"Strong enough to protect Emilia!"

At his confident declaration, Emilia smiled.

Just then, Kayden, who had approached without her noticing, sat down beside her and said to Ivan.

"Then you'd better go practice more now. Keep doing what I showed you."

"Yes, yes! I will!"

At Kayden's firm words, Ivan picked up his wooden sword again.

He trotted out from under the shade toward the training yard.

Watching him, Emilia turned to Kayden and asked with concern.

"Are you sure that wooden sword is a good weight for Ivan?"

And next week, he was supposed to get an even heavier one...

She recalled the weight and murmured.

"When I held it just now, my wrist dropped."

"It dropped?"

Kayden seemed to have missed the point, frowning.

He immediately reached to check her wrist.

Emilia hid her arm behind her back.

"..."

At her swift movement, Kayden didn't hide his displeasure.

"Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding."

It had been an instinctive reaction. Emilia stammered, as if making an excuse.

At the same time, her gaze fell on Kayden's forearm.

His rolled-up sleeve revealed taut, defined muscles.

She leaned back slightly and carefully asked him.

"Could you... not get so close?"

At her cautious request, Kayden's brow furrowed.

"Do I smell bad again? Unlike Ivan, I haven't sweated a drop."

Emilia quickly shook her head at his unexpected comment.

"No, that time really wasn't about smell. I've told you that several times."

"You only said no, but I don't recall you ever telling me exactly what kind of smell it was."

Well...

Because it wasn't something she could properly explain.

Emilia's eyes darted.

"Anyway! It really wasn't a bad smell—it was actually a very good..."

Suddenly, Emilia clamped her mouth shut.

Kayden raised an eyebrow.

"Good?"

"W-well..."

Come to think of it, she could have just said it was a nice scent.

But for some reason, saying it out loud felt embarrassing.

She glanced at Kayden, who was quietly watching her, and hesitated.

Just as she swallowed nervously—

"My lady!"

The butler's voice came from a distance.

Emilia seized the opportunity and shot up.

"B-butler! What is it?"

Robert approached and said.

"A guest has come to see you, my lady."

"A guest?"

Emilia blinked in surprise.

Who could it be?

Curious, she stepped out from under the tree and walked toward Robert.

But a long shadow fell over her.

She turned and saw Kayden behind her.

"I heard there's a guest."

"Yes, but didn't you hear the butler say it was my guest?"

Thinking he must have misheard, she corrected him—but Kayden's expression seemed somehow dissatisfied.

"...?"

---

So Emilia left Ivan with Kayden and headed to the residence with Robert.

As she asked about the guest, she received an unexpected answer.

"She wouldn't give her name—only said she absolutely had to see you."

"What did she look like?"

"She seemed to be a noble lady, but..."

A noble lady?

The only noble ladies who might come looking for her were Flora or Kaliana.

But Robert knew both of them by sight.

Just then, Robert added something that made Emilia pause.

"But she was pregnant."

A pregnant noble lady.

That could only be one person.

---

In the reception room.

Emilia sat across from Reina, a table between them.

It was a scene with a strong sense of déjà vu.

The day she'd never expected Reina to appear at her fiancé's house.

And the shocking words that had come out of her mouth.

But somehow, Reina was trembling slightly.

Is she still unwell?

But before she could say anything, Emilia simply looked at her calmly and asked.

"So, what brings you here?"

"..."

"Reina."

Emilia called her name.

Reina's lips moved, and she finally spoke.

"I came because I have something to tell you."

"To me?"

At Emilia's question, Reina gave a small nod.

"It's about Cedric..."

Emilia's brow furrowed immediately.

She'd wondered what on earth Reina had come all this way to say.

She had no interest whatsoever in anything concerning Cedric, so she spoke coldly.

"I don't want to hear about someone who no longer has anything to do with me. Please leave—"

"W-wait!"

Just as Emilia was about to leave, Reina called out urgently.

"Cedric! I think he's sold information about you!"

Emilia stopped and looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

Reina bit her lip and answered.

"A knight came to our place not long ago."

A knight?

"Summoned by the Empress, he said."

At that, Emilia's eyes went wide.

While she was stunned into silence, Reina recounted what had happened.

"Cedric came back late that night, overjoyed. He said he'd made a fortune selling information about you."

Emilia fell into thought.

The Empress had summoned Cedric and questioned him about her?

Why on earth?

No—there was no good reason.

That aside.

Emilia looked at Reina quietly and asked.

"But why are you telling me this?"

Emilia couldn't understand.

Even if Reina told her that Cedric had sold her information to the Empress, it wouldn't benefit Reina in any way.

If anything, it would only earn Cedric's displeasure.

Reina gripped her clothes tightly and spoke in a small voice.

"...Because I regret it."

"Pardon?"

Reina met Emilia's eyes and spoke clearly.

"Just as you said... I regret it."

Emilia didn't know how to respond to the sudden confession.

"The truth is... I've regretted the hurtful things I said to you that day ever since."

Reina bit her lip hard.

All this time with Cedric, the pained expression on Emilia's face had lingered in her mind.

But she'd forced herself to look away.

Because otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to endure.

But—

"I've... wanted to apologize. For a long time."

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