Chapter 35

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"It's autumn, isn't it?"

While looking out the carriage window at the golden fields spreading outside, Cyraus laughed.

After crossing the border of the Kingdom of Filarus, the fields they saw indeed looked like an early autumn landscape.

The Kingdom of Filarus is known for both wheat and rice cultivation. The fields along the road leading to the capital were already ripe and colored, and the heavy, drooping ears of rice swayed in the wind.

Cyraus and Olivia were on their way to the capital of Filarus, Vitar, to attend the birthday festival of the King of Filarus as representatives of King Brioll. As representatives of the king, they were accompanied by a large number of guards, and they also had to bring civil servants. Colin, Cyraus's guard, and Ritzberg, his assistant, were both part of the traveling party. Colin was driving the carriage they were in, while Ritzberg was in the carriage behind them.

Although they were attending the King of Filarus's birthday festival, it was clear that their stay would not end there. They would likely stay for about two weeks, during which they would have various meetings and inspections with the king and the crown prince.

Cyraus had applied for a vacation, but King Jules of Brioll, who had pushed this work on him under the guise of a "vacation," had similar thoughts. Olivia also had her own thoughts, but she and the others had no choice but to accept this offer due to the fear of being pursued by Queen Barbara over the incident with Princess Florenzia of Lebonor. If they had stayed in the castle, they would have been subjected to daily insults. Barbara seemed to want to incorporate Olivia into her camp and was trying to do so by any means necessary. After the Florenzia incident, if she were to be pressed to join Barbara's side with some appropriate reason, it would be difficult to escape.

Frankly, Olivia did not want to get involved in the internal dispute between Queen Barbara and King Jules over the third child. Especially since the issue of the next king was attached to this dispute, it was even more troublesome.

Therefore, they decided to leave the country hastily to put some distance between themselves and Barbara until her mood improved. However, it seemed that Jules had anticipated this, as most of the preparations for the departure were already in place. He was a king who never missed a beat. His face, fiddling with his mustache and grinning, came to mind. Truly, it was exasperating.

"We should arrive at the capital in about four days."

The journey had been uneventful, and the weather had been favorable, so they were likely to reach the capital Vitar a few days earlier than planned.

As special envoys, Olivia and the others would stay at the castle in the capital. The castle of Filarus, which has been in the same location since the founding of the kingdom, is the oldest among the three countries of Linoa, including Lebonor. It is a magnificent and vast castle with high ceilings, built in the architectural style of 670 years ago, and intricate designs are applied to the windows and columns.

Olivia had visited the castle a few times with her former fiancé, Alan, but at that time, she was told to "behave" and was not allowed to explore. This time, she might be able to take her time to look around.

"Ah, we can see the town where we'll be staying for the night."

Cyraus pointed to the town visible ahead on the road, which curved gently. It was a fairly large town, and since apple production was thriving in the surrounding area, the local lord had mentioned that there was delicious cider available.

When they visited Filarus with Alan, they were naturally hosted by the lord if there was a lord's residence in the town where they stayed. Since they had been hosted by someone every day recently, it was a relief to be able to rest at the inn. Although she was used to being hosted, it was tiring because she had to be on guard. Especially since Olivia had visited as Alan's fiancée before, people were curious about her visit with Cyraus. Some even asked if something had happened to Prince Alan, so it was better to explain that Olivia and Alan had ended their engagement and that she would soon be engaged to Cyraus again. This time, she received curious looks.

While Olivia and Cyraus were well-known in Brioll, information was limited once they crossed the border, and they had to explain themselves at each place they visited, which was not a pleasant experience. People tended to look at them with prying eyes, and some even compared their situation to a popular romance novel. While Cyraus handled the questions calmly, Olivia blushed and turned pale, making her heart race. She realized that she was not suited for matters of love.

King Jules intended to announce Alan's resignation from the position of crown prince and the engagement of Olivia and Cyraus at the castle party at the beginning of the social season, so the information would eventually reach neighboring countries. However, at this stage, they could not say much. It was challenging to politely avoid people who wanted to know more details.

Upon arriving at the four-story inn, Olivia and Cyraus headed to the top floor room together.

Since they were traveling with a large group, including guards and civil servants, they had to share rooms as much as possible. Even if there were extra rooms, it was the harvest festival season, and many people were moving around, so they could not monopolize the inn.

The top floor of the inn had the best rooms, which Olivia and Cyraus were to share. While it was not proper for an unmarried couple to share a room, the top floor rooms were connected, so one room was for Olivia's maid, Taylor, and the other two were for Olivia and Cyraus. They slept in separate rooms, so they could explain if anyone said anything.

If there were not enough connected rooms, they would separate, and Taylor was always with her. Colin, the guard who often stayed close to Olivia, would either stand guard outside the room at night or stay in a nearby room. Ritzberg also used a nearby room, so with so many people around, it was unlikely that they would be suspected of having an inappropriate relationship. When Olivia mentioned this to Taylor, she sighed and said, "You're so old-fashioned."

--- Miss, while chastity is important, you should be more affectionate since you're alone together.

Taylor said this, but Olivia ignored her completely.

(Because, being affectionate... that's so embarrassing, I can't do it.)

Holding hands was embarrassing enough. If she were hugged, her mind would go blank, and a light kiss would make her blood boil. Taylor would comment, "Is this pretend?" but for the current Olivia, being more affectionate was impossible. Her heart might stop.

Cyraus seemed to enjoy seeing Olivia blush, and if Taylor encouraged him, he would happily go along with it. So, she wished Taylor would not say anything unnecessary.

"Olivia, look, there are big lanterns."

Cyraus said, looking down from the inn window. After leaving the luggage to Taylor, Olivia stood next to Cyraus and looked down. She saw many colorful lanterns, shaped like Chinese lanterns, hanging throughout the town.

"Is this in preparation for the harvest festival in this area?"

"It might be. They look cute when lined up like that."

As he said this, Cyraus casually put his arm around Olivia's shoulder.

Internally, Olivia was startled, but she tentatively leaned a little on Cyraus. Since crossing the border of Filarus, Cyraus seemed to be more affectionate. He did not do anything to make her flinch, but if she let her guard down, he would get this close.

"Shall we go down to the town after dinner?"

"Sure, for a little while."

The town seemed safe, and if Colin came with them, it would be fine to walk around a bit. After being in the carriage for so long, it would be good to stretch her legs. The harvest festival was a few days away, but the town was already lively with various stalls, which looked fun to explore.

"Then, let's have a light dinner and eat something while walking. There seem to be many delicious things."

While it might not be proper for a prince to eat at street stalls, the sense of freedom from the journey made Olivia not want to object. There were indeed many delicious things, and she had been interested in a local dish called "Kegru," which she saw at a stall before entering the inn. It was a meat-wrapped, oval-shaped rice dish on a skewer, and it looked substantial, so it would be better to have a light dinner as Cyraus suggested.

While talking about where to go, it was time for dinner, and they went down to the dining room together.

The cider served at dinner was indeed delicious, as the lord had recommended. As Olivia considered buying some as a souvenir for her family, Cyraus said casually,

"I'll buy some cider to make up for leaving Alan to deal with everything alone."

After the incident with Princess Florenzia in Brioll during the summer, Barbara was in a very bad mood. Since Cyraus and Olivia had left for Filarus, Alan would likely have to deal with Barbara's complaints alone, so it might be necessary to cheer him up, as Cyraus suggested.

(I'm sorry, Prince Alan, for leaving you to deal with the queen alone.)

Olivia silently clasped her hands in prayer.