Chapter 77

"Let's go, Adi!"

Alicia took Adi's arm, and Adi tilted his head in surprise. "Not Mary, but me...?" Indeed, Alicia was holding Adi's arm, not Mary's, and even urging him, "Let's hurry!" If it had been "Lady Mary, Adi, let's go!" it would have been a usual occurrence, but the current Alicia showed no sign of calling out Mary's name.

"Where are we going, Alicia?"

"To deliver an invitation!"

"An invitation... Ah, to the wedding party of Alicia and Patrick, right?"

"Lady Mary said, 'You should deliver it in person to friends.'"

As Alicia talked and pulled him along, Adi nodded, understanding. "If it's an important friend, you should deliver it in person." These were the words Mary had said during the preparation for their own wedding party. So, Mary must have told Alicia, and she took action... Adi thought. "I see, that makes sense. It's just like her... But..."

"Why are you taking me along?"

That was the question. If it was to deliver invitations to friends, Mary or Patrick should be there. When Adi asked, Alicia slightly lowered her eyebrows and began, "Well..."

"Well... Lord Patrick and Lady Mary are both busy, it seems..."

"Alicia! I have a job too, you know! I may stick to Lady Mary, but I do my job properly!"

As a member of the family that has served the Alberts for generations, Adi felt it was important to correct this. ——If Mary were here, she might say, "In the end, you couldn't get fired from the public part," but in private, he served the Albert family, including that attitude. However, Alicia's eyes widened slightly at Adi's desperate plea, and then, understanding, she nodded and replied, "It's fine! I know Adi works hard! Besides, I originally invited Lady Mary. Then..."

"Then what?"

"Lady Mary said, 'I'll lend you Adi, so take this very delicious-smelling basket and go quickly!'"

"Sold out, this is a complete sell-out."

"Since you say so, let's go, Adi!"

"Alright, alright..."

Adi, pulled by the enthusiastic Alicia, muttered pitifully, "I'll go anywhere with you..." and left the Albert mansion.

"Hmm," Mary murmured as she watched Adi and Alicia leave from the window. Successfully sending them off, and even getting the croquettes, she couldn't help but smile, thinking, "What a schemer I am..." After preparing the necessary materials, she heard a knock on the door, and a maid peeked in to announce a visitor.

The carriage carrying Adi and Alicia, with several breaks along the way, arrived at the Marquis family in the neighboring country. This family, not particularly high in the nobility, was in an uproar over the sudden visit of a princess, completely in disarray. It was so chaotic that even Adi and Alicia were stunned. ——Alicia had thought it was just a casual visit to the Parfait's house, and Adi, in turn, was re-realizing, "So, Alicia is a princess..." ——In any case, amidst the chaos caused by Princess Alicia's sudden visit, the person they were looking for ran up and called their names.

"Princess Alicia, Lord Adi!"

Of course, it was Parfait. Seeing her, Adi and Alicia finally came to their senses and exchanged greetings. "Good day, Parfait," Alicia greeted, elegantly curtsying. Adi couldn't help but hear his wife's voice in his head, "If you can do it properly, greet me normally!"

"What brings you here today?"

"I came to deliver this to Parfait!"

Alicia smiled happily and took out an invitation. Of course, it was the invitation to Alicia and Patrick's wedding party, and Parfait's eyes sparkled the moment she saw it.

"We have a lot of delicious cakes prepared, so please come!"

"Of course, I will!"

Parfait smiled happily, holding the invitation as if it were a treasure. ——Indeed, being personally invited by a princess, it was a treasure to the Marquis family, but the joy here was not about being a noble, but about the friendship— The expressions of Parfait and Alicia, who replied, "I'll be waiting," were so lovely. In front of the beautiful friendship of two women, Adi smiled wryly, thinking, "I could spend the whole day with them."

However, he would soon change his mind at the next house they visited.

"It's an honor for you to deliver it in person, Princess Alicia. I would have accepted it at the Dice family's house..."

"Hehe, I wanted to surprise you."

"Very much like you, Princess Alicia. But I never thought you would think of such a thing, even though we meet frequently... Even though we meet frequently at the Dice family's house."

Margaret smiled elegantly, and Alicia nodded happily in response. "I was always worried that you might notice," she replied innocently, indicating how often Margaret visited the Dice family. Adi's face twitched at this realization. But Margaret, still smiling elegantly, sighed softly as she looked at the invitation she had just received.

"Lord Patrick is getting married officially now..."

"Princess Margaret?"

"If those who gave up on Lord Patrick start to set their sights on Bernard... I'll have to catch him here."

Margaret's eyes suddenly lit up with the fire of a hunter, and Adi, barely noticing, hurriedly covered Alicia's ears.

"What are you saying in front of our country's princess?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I let my true nature show."

"How terrifying... Besides, this is a party hosted by the royal family, so please don't talk about catching anyone."

"Don't worry, I'll just have Bernard escort me in a beautiful dress."

Margaret laughed cheerfully, and Adi looked at her suspiciously. It wasn't that he disliked Margaret or doubted her character; he just knew that the elegant smile of a lady who was clever and played the part of a lady was the least trustworthy. ——Someone, though unnamed, had been played around with enough in the past. ——Unaware of Adi's thoughts, a certain lady in the Albert family sneezed and said, "Excuse me, please continue the conversation," while sniffing and addressing the people in front of her. In any case, Adi, who showed a wary look, made Margaret laugh and whisper, "It's fine," as if to reassure him.

"It's fine. I found a very good designer, and I just... I just got a little excited."

"A designer, you say?"

Adi repeated the words, mirroring Margaret's tone. At the same time, he let go of Alicia's ears, thinking that Margaret wouldn't say anything dangerous now. She seemed so calm and even cheerful.

"He knows the rules of society well, and yet he's not bound by our conventions, a very good designer."

Adi nodded, impressed, as Margaret spoke proudly. As a servant of the Albert family for generations, he knew how troublesome choosing a dress could be. In society, there were explicit rules based on the season and one's position, as well as implicit rules based on the relationships between parents and young ladies. One had to keep up with the latest trends, and of course, one couldn't wear the same dress as another lady or follow too closely. For young ladies, a dress was a means to show off themselves, and for their parents, dressing their daughters beautifully was a way to show the dignity of their family. It was that important. For example, if one wore a large bow on the head, a flower corsage on the chest, a tightly tied ribbon on the abdomen, and a parasol at a ball, it would be a laughingstock for the entire family. Therefore, a designer who knew the strict rules of society but wasn't bound by them was valuable. Especially for Margaret, who carried the name of the Brown family and aimed for Bernard Dice, choosing a dress was important, almost like a combat uniform to keep Bernard's attention on her. She must have understood this, as she smiled, "Including that."

"Most importantly, he understands my goals... and my inner thoughts."

"Inner thoughts, you mean your ambitious side?"

Adi asked, quickly covering Alicia's ears at the mention of "inner thoughts" and "ambitious." Alicia, with a question mark floating above her head, was eating a cake, thinking that Adi and Margaret were having a pleasant conversation. Margaret laughed softly.

"He knows my ambitions better than anyone. That's why I can talk about my goals and ambitions openly, and he can create a dress that matches them."

"...He?"

Adi murmured, surprised. Male dress designers were not unheard of, but since it was a woman's dress, female designers were more common among noble families and famous designers. Moreover, to create a dress that fit well, one needed to know the body's lines. Although they didn't touch directly, many young ladies insisted on female designers for this reason. But to Adi's surprise, Margaret said, "Oh," softly.

"The dress is for men to see, so a man can design it better, hitting the right points."

"...I see."

"The dress I wore the other day, I thought it was a bit bold, but when I wore it, Bernard praised it a lot. He even stayed by my side all the time to prevent other people from inviting me. He was so cute, blushing and glancing at me sideways!"

"...I see."

Swallowing the words "I won't say anything more," Adi answered in a monotone. He hurried to end the conversation and said goodbye, and Alicia, who had finished her cake, followed suit.

"Margaret, let's talk again soon."

"Yes, please invite me anytime. ...At the Dice family's house. Please tell Lady Mary for me... I'll see you soon... At the Dice family's house."

As Adi listened to the farewell, he hurriedly helped Alicia into the carriage and followed. As the carriage started, Margaret, watching it go, murmured softly,

"He couldn't become a prince, but he became the best designer."

Next, Alicia's friend... of course, it was Carina. When Adi heard the destination, he regretted not bringing warm clothes, but Carina greeted them with perfect ladylike manners, and when she received the invitation from Alicia, she smiled purely and happily without any ominous words. She had decided to turn her love for Patrick into a memory at the Albert family's party and had since interacted with Alicia as a single young lady, becoming a pure friend, regardless of the game or memories.

"Thank you for coming all the way. I'm looking forward to it."

Carina, with a beautiful smile that exuded grace, thanked Alicia, who nodded in return with a bright, sun-like smile. Seeing this, Adi apologized to Carina in his heart for his earlier worry about warm clothes. He tried to join the calm conversation... but a knock on the door made him turn around. A maid peeked in hesitantly, responding to Carina's question.

"Princess Carina, I'm sorry to interrupt, but..."

"What is it?"

"Those who went to the Eldland family are about to..."

The maid mumbled, and Adi and Alicia tilted their heads in confusion. But the next moment, Adi shivered as Carina smiled beautifully, happily, and coldly. To those who knew her true nature—though she still denied it—this smile was terrifying. "I should have brought warm clothes!" Adi thought, and he hinted at the end of the conversation, "It's about time..."

"We need to leave, Princess Carina. We still have places to go. Come on, Alicia, Carina looks busy, let's go."

"Okay, I see. Goodbye, Carina!"

Alicia said goodbye cheerfully, and Carina bowed elegantly in response. The elegance only made the coldness more palpable. As Adi pushed Alicia towards the carriage, a carriage pulled up, and a pitiful man, bound and gagged, was rolled in front of Carina. The sight was miserable, and Carina's happy expression as she looked down at him... Adi, who unfortunately saw this from the window, shivered and resolved to "hug Lady Mary and warm up when we get back."

Finally, Alicia announced, "One more place..." It was an orphanage in the city. It turned out that a former staff member of the orphanage where Alicia had once stayed worked there. When Alicia entered, a woman waiting for her smiled happily. She called Alicia's name lovingly, bowed to her as a princess, and even hugged her affectionately, like a mother and daughter.

"Thank you for bringing the invitation all the way."

Alicia smiled like a child, and Adi watched the scene with a warm heart. He was pulled by his clothes, and when he looked, several children were staring at him with sparkling eyes. One of them, a boy, held a ball. It was as if they had found a playmate. Adi glanced at Alicia and the staff member chatting warmly, smiled wryly, and took the ball.

After a while,

"Adi, I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

Alicia called, and Adi, who had been sitting in a corner of the facility watching the children, looked up.

"You played with the children, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I'm used to it."

"Really?"

"The Albert family has many visitors, so I often have to entertain children from the family and other families."

Adi laughed and waved to the children. Alicia smiled and whispered, "That's so like you, Adi."

"You're so caring, Adi."

"Am I?"

"Today, you've been with me the whole time, and you always pay attention to the small details."

Alicia laughed, and Adi scratched his head, embarrassed. Pouring tea naturally when a cup was empty, carrying Mary's, Alicia's, and Parfait's bags, fixing dresses and hair when they came undone... These were small things, but when listed, they made him feel embarrassed. Of course, he had entered the Albert family as a servant, but being recognized for his work made him both happy and embarrassed. He stopped Alicia from listing more, surrounded by children who had come to say goodbye, and smiled wryly.

"I like doing things that help others, even small things."

"Help others..."

"Of course, the most important is to help Lady Mary."

When Adi said this clearly, Alicia's eyes widened slightly, and then she smiled softly. "Let's go back," she said, and they left the orphanage.

"Welcome back, Lady Mary."

"Adi, welcome back. You must be tired from the carriage ride, why don't you rest a bit?"

"Lady Mary, I'm back!"

"Alicia, welcome... What did you think? Why are you coming back to my house like it's normal? Go back to the palace!"

Mary scolded, and Adi and Alicia exchanged glances. Adi tried to calm Mary down and noticed a man and a woman in the room. The woman was about the same age as Mary and Alicia, while the man was nearly a decade older. They were standing, as if about to leave, and looked overwhelmed by Mary and Alicia's interaction. Adi, who should have recognized everyone who visited the Albert family, no matter their status or relationship, was puzzled and bowed politely. The man responded respectfully, but the woman's eyes widened in surprise. Her gaze was clearly directed at them, and Adi wondered if they knew each other, but he didn't recognize her.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your conversation."

"It's fine, we were just finishing up."

Mary instructed, and a nearby maid led the two out, saying, "I'll show you the way." From Mary's parting words, "See you later," it was clear they had some kind of relationship, but Adi still didn't know who they were and tilted his head. After they left, Adi turned back to Mary.

"Who were those people, Lady Mary?"

"Acquaintances."

"I don't know them."

"You'll find out eventually."

Mary laughed, clearly up to something. Adi shrugged, knowing he wouldn't get any more information. There was no way to deal with Mary when she had that look on her face. Besides, Alicia said, "I