Freshly bathed with clean clothes, Alisa and Zed decided to restock on supplies before the rest of the journey. The ruby had been sold to the Duke of this dukedom since he was the richest person in this village. This piqued his curiosity to find out who this visitor to his dukedom was. It was always nice to know more wealthy people.
Charles Orla was still single after the heartbreak of realizing that he would never have Catherine, or Katie, as she preferred to be called, for himself. He saw how much Al loved her, and how much she loved that useless prince who happened to be a ruler of his own region now. He couldn't help but compare every lady he met to Katie. She was beautiful, capable, and intelligent, the full package. How could he settle for anyone less?
After he killed Prince Sigmond to protect Catherine, he had mostly stayed in his dukedom. He was lucky not to be punished since it was to protect another royal. Prince Franz, now King Franz, did not hold it against him, but he had too many memories in the castle. It was bittersweet. He had killed his best friend to save the love of his life, and she was married to another man.
It had been a few years since that happened, and Charles had heard from his contacts that Katie had a few children with Al, and she seemed to be happy. He felt bitter to hear about her happy life while he was lonely, but he wished her well. If anything ever happened to Al or if she was not happy, he might decide to change things in his favor.
Until then, he had his duties to keep him busy. It was mindless, monotonous work, but it kept him distracted from his feelings. Most days passed in a blur and were more or less the same. Until one day, one of his aides brought him a ruby from the Ruby Isles. He had plenty of gold and jewels, but this one was unique.
He was intrigued when he heard about the young lady who flew into his town on a floating basket and a giant cloth balloon. He had never heard of anything like it, and it oddly reminded him of Katie.
She had caught his attention because she was different. This was definitely different! He had to find out more about this woman and see if she could be the next duchess! He heard that she traveled with a companion from Shibatsu. He found out that this man was a hired warrior /bodyguard.
He was not threatened. The warriors from Shibatsu were barely considered nobles. He was the highest noble other than the king and the prince. If he decided to pursue this strange new lady, that warrior would not be an obstacle. He had only lost to Al because Al used his higher noble status to marry Catherine first.
That would not happen this time. He planned to invite this visitor to his mansion, but he had to follow her first and find out more about her. He didn't want to scare her away if she thought the same way as Catherine. He never understood why she was afraid of him. He was the last person she needed to fear.
The next day, he decided to visit the best bakery in town. He would usually have his servants purchase food for him, but he had to see this lady for himself. He waited for 30 minutes in the corner of the bakery with his hooded cloak to avoid recognition. He was well known in this town, and his dark hair would be an instant giveaway to his identity.
He was about to leave when he saw the fairy-like young lady enter the bakery. The morning rays caught the wavy edges of her strawberry blonde hair. Her aquamarine eyes glimmered with pure joy at the idea of sweets. She reminded him of his Catherine, but different.
Charles stared at the young lady as she ordered until he noticed a threatening gaze on him. He had been fairly well hidden, but he looked around until he met the sharp purple eyes that were staring daggers at him. He smirked at the Silver-haired man. This must be her bodyguard. He could tell this man was a killer. He had the same sharp instincts of a seasoned warrior.
Charles was not deterred by the warrior's gaze, as he continued to soak in the enchanting beauty of this young lady. Even if she was not as smart as Katie, she would make a lovely addition to his mansion. He could never tire of seeing that radiant smile every day.
They left the bakery after buying almost every pastry. She ordered a cup of hot chocolate to drink with her cherry pastry. She was reminding him more of Catherine the more he noticed her. He had to meet her!
After she left, he quietly followed behind her. She visited a few shops in town and had the items sent to the inn. She seemed to be restocking to leave. He had to stop her before she left. This may be his only chance to see her again.
She was not one of the local nobles' daughters. He had met them all and was bored by their average looks and intelligence. He could not allow this new lady who sparked his interest to leave without at least trying to meet her.
He decided to leave her a message at the inn. She seemed to be staying the night before she left. He sent his right-hand man to escort her to his manor for dinner. It was common courtesy for any visiting noble to dine with the ruling nobility while visiting their domain. She should have announced herself to him, but he would make an exception as she was not from Annalaias.
He went back to his mansion to prepare for dinner. He had to make a good first impression. He noticed she was wearing a purple dress. He would dress to match. Everything had to be perfect! He could hardly wait for dinner!