"Why are you suddenly asking about my friend again...?"
The answer came back without hesitation, refreshingly straightforward.
"You seem happy when you talk about this friend of yours."
"Do I?"
I felt a flash of shame for doubting his intentions without reason.
Callius asked his next question while keeping his eyes on the path ahead.
"Is this friend... a man?"
It was such a simple question, and yet I found myself speechless.
I nodded after a slight hesitation.
Callius spoke immediately, as if he'd been waiting for that exact confirmation.
"Then he must be handsome."
That was one question I could answer with absolute certainty about Karl.
I was so relieved to finally have the chance to respond clearly—after being so uncertain and evasive about my precious friend—that I put genuine conviction into my voice.
"Yes! Of all the people I've ever seen, he's the most—!"
Mid-sentence, I suddenly remembered what I'd said to Callius earlier about his resemblance to Karl.
I glanced up at him, wondering if Callius might be thinking the same thing.
Then I immediately lowered my gaze in a panic.
Because Callius was smiling with unmistakable satisfaction.
He finished my sentence for me, enunciating each word deliberately.
"Are you saying he's the most handsome man Your Highness has ever laid eyes upon?"
"...Yes."
"I find myself quite curious about the face of this person who looks so very much like me."
"I'm from a mountain village, so this is my first time fishing—but it's not as difficult as I thought."
"Stop teasing me!"
He laughed out loud—a genuine, unrestrained sound. His expression was thoroughly mischievous.
Just as I was thinking that, he asked in a more measured tone:
"Does this friend know that you're married now?"
"Yes. I told him before anyone else."
Callius tilted his head slightly.
"You mean you've been in contact with him recently?"
I wondered briefly if it was wise to talk so much about Karl, but I wasn't revealing anything particularly specific. It seemed strange to avoid discussing such trivial matters.
"Yes."
"I see..."
"Why do you ask?"
"Actually, after hearing various details, I thought perhaps this friend might be someone I knew. But since you've been in touch with him until recently, I must have been mistaken."
I nearly laughed at the absurdity.
There was absolutely no way Callius and Karl knew each other.
"That can't be. My friend didn't know anything about you until very recently."
"Yes... of course."
He murmured something under his breath—something that sounded like "A handsome and precious friend of the opposite sex..."—and smiled.
It was a smile that felt strangely... cold.
He asked:
"How did he react when he heard the news of our marriage?"
"He was a little surprised because it happened so suddenly..."
I remembered how, when I'd told Karl about my plan to break off my engagement with Viscount Pelsus and marry Callius instead, he'd been genuinely shocked and asked how I could suddenly come up with such a drastic idea.
"He was worried, too..."
Karl had expressed concern about things like what I saw in Callius and whether I could actually carry out such an audacious plan.
"But more than anything... he was happy for me."
Ultimately, Karl had been delighted that I was finally planning to strike a significant blow against Andrea.
Before this, he'd been so frustrated watching me move around like Andrea's obedient puppet.
"That's his answer?"
"What else could there have been?"
Callius shook his head and smiled—a smile that reached his eyes this time.
"No. He sounds like a good friend. Just a good friend. That's... fortunate."
"What's fortunate about it?"
"It's wonderful to have such a good friend in your life."
"Oh. Yes, that's true. Very true."
During the short break to catch our breath and rest the horses, we continued having pleasant, meandering conversations.
Meanwhile, the titles we used to address each other had gradually shifted—from the formal "Your Highness, the Princess" and "Marquis Rodrian" to simply using our given names.
Neither of us had explicitly acknowledged the change.
It had simply... happened.
'What's so funny about whatever they're discussing up there?'
Vanessa pouted as continuous laughter drifted back from Callius and Chloe, who were leading the procession.
But her petty discontent was short-lived.
The horse she was riding suddenly stumbled violently as it leaped over a rock jutting out from the narrow path.
"Gods!"
Vanessa gripped the handle on her saddle with white-knuckled desperation.
Her hands were already trembling from exertion.
They were walking slowly now, but just moments ago they'd been racing at terrifying speeds, and she'd been holding onto that handle with every ounce of strength she possessed. Her arms felt weak and shaky.
The maid riding behind Vanessa had been crying quietly for some time now, showing just how difficult the journey was proving.
At least the saddles provided for the maids had handles to grip. But Callius's knights were advancing on their horses using only the strength of their thighs to maintain balance.
None of them looked even remotely tired.
Vanessa suspected the only reason they had slowed down now wasn't because the group was exhausted—but simply because of Princess Chloe's comfort.
That realization made Vanessa feel even more depressed.
She had been brimming with pride when Empress Kavala had specifically singled her out and given her this secret mission.
Among the Princess's maids, she had been chosen—presumably because she came from the most respectable family. She had taken on the role of unofficial leader among them and had even felt a sense of smug superiority.
She hadn't felt the need to worry about serving Princess Chloe, who was rumored to be an idiot suffering from delusions.
The high-quality maid uniform had made Vanessa's nose point skyward with arrogance.
But Chloe wasn't stupid at all. And as they journeyed forward, an unsettling feeling crept in—a growing certainty that she might never be able to turn back.
Everything felt like it was going wrong.
She remembered receiving the high-quality maid uniform and showing it off to her parents with enormous pride.
"Our clever Vanessa! I knew you could do it. Her Majesty the Empress has recognized your exceptional abilities."
"Wherever you go, whatever you do, you must never disappoint Her Majesty. Understood? We're trusting you completely. You are the future of our family."
Vanessa gripped the saddle handle tighter, thinking that she had to be strong for the sake of her delighted parents.
Vanessa glanced over at Lamia and the other maid following behind her.
What she saw made her jaw drop.
Lamia was humming cheerfully as she looked around—as if she were out for a pleasant countryside stroll.
She looked remarkably relaxed, completely unlike Vanessa, who could barely calm her anxious mind.
Lamia, who had been suddenly added to the group of maids at the last minute, had been a subject of suspicion from the very beginning.
Vanessa glanced at Lamia with open disapproval whenever she had the chance.
Then, quite suddenly, her eyes caught on something peculiar.
Lamia's black hair—shining in the mountain sunlight—seemed to have a distinctly reddish tint to it.
Looking at that unexpected flash of color, something tugged at Vanessa's memory.
Up ahead, pleasant conversation masks pointed questions skillfully asked.
Behind them, suspicious eyes begin to notice what they shouldn't see.
Some secrets are harder to hidewhen the journey forces everyone too close together.
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