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A few strands of hair softly flowed down from her smoothly styled updo, and the small pearl earrings on her ears added to her gracefulness.
Of course, all of this was thanks to ordering everyday clothes in advance from Isabelle's dress shop, which she had visited a while ago.
'I'm glad I listened to Peony's advice back then.'
Who knew that there would be a need to dress up like this so soon, just as Peony had said, that you never know when and where something might be needed.
Ayla glanced at Felix, who was standing next to her.
'Even though Felix told me not to worry about anything and to come comfortably...'
It was a relief that she had meticulously taken care of her attire, just in case. Yetien's relieved face was proof enough.
It wouldn't be common for the Argenta Noble house to treat someone with such hospitality.
'And everyone who sees this will misunderstand my relationship with Felix...'
If they heard that she was the Young Master's partner, everyone would scrutinize her every move, even if they pretended not to.
So, she wanted to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible, so as not to tarnish Felix's reputation.
'And while doing that, I need to meet the Red Dragon and resolve Piyo's issue well.'
Felix, who had just finished talking with a knight next to him, reached out his hand to Ayla.
"Piyo is safely loaded into the carriage, so let's depart right away."
"Ah, okay."
Ayla finally snapped out of it and took Felix's hand.
As she did, she glanced at the carriage behind her.
'I hope he's not in bad condition.'
Ayla slowly boarded the carriage, hoping that everything would be resolved by the time she returned to the academy.
They traveled for a full day and arrived at the Argenta Duke's Noble house.
Despite the uncertain arrival time, Duke Argenta, as well as all the servants, were out to greet them as soon as they got out of the carriage.
Ayla couldn't hide her embarrassment, as she hadn't expected this level of welcome.
"That must be Lady Ayla."
"She's so elegant and refined!"
"She seems to be a really good match for Felix."
What was even more surprising was that everyone's eyes were filled with joy and affection.
Ayla was momentarily speechless, as she had never imagined that strangers would welcome her so warmly.
'I've never received such a welcome even at the Blanche Duke's Noble house...'
In fact, she had been very worried before coming here.
She was sure that there would be people who wouldn't look kindly on her, a commoner, in some way.
But surprisingly, none of the people here seemed to have a problem with her status.
And the surprises didn't end there.
"Lady Ayla, thank you for your hard work in coming all this way. Let's go inside first."
Duke Argenta took it upon himself to greet her and personally guided her to the drawing room.
"You must be tired from the journey, so it would be good to have a meal and rest comfortably today. We have to leave for the forest tomorrow."
"T, thank you."
"Think of this as your own home and make yourself comfortable."
As the three of them moved, the servants' whispers could be heard from time to time.
"Is that the future mistress? Wow, she's really beautiful up close."
"I know, just like Sir Yetien said. The two of them look really good together."
"She's so beautiful, has excellent Magic skills, and is even the owner of a Dragon..."
Ayla's face turned red at the stories she kept hearing.
'What on earth did Sir Yetien tell people...'
The servants' embarrassing conversations didn't end easily.
Stories about the two of them were heard throughout the mansion.
"When are they going to get married? I hope they come down to the territory soon."
"Well, wouldn't they get married soon after graduating from the academy?"
"But aren't they just dating right now? Marriage is another matter."
When one servant cautiously asked, the others firmly retorted.
"Of course they'll get married! She's so beautiful."
"Can't you see the honey dripping from the Young Master's eyes? Don't say anything that brings bad luck."
Now Ayla's face was not only red, but it was also about to burst.
Everyone who made eye contact with her bowed politely or gave a respectful greeting.
Among the servants, she was already regarded as the future mistress of the Duke's Noble house.
'I don't even want to imagine what would happen if they found out that Felix and I aren't really lovers...'
Ayla shook her head.
Felix, who had been pretending not to notice, cleared his throat, perhaps embarrassed by the conversations he had heard.
He turned his head slightly to look at Ayla's face. Then he saw that the tips of her ears were bright red.
Seeing that, Felix suddenly remembered when he first arrived here.
He had experienced something similar when he met the people of the Duke's Noble house.
The embarrassing feeling of being welcomed by people, feeling both happy and awkward, came back to him vividly.
'I wonder if Ayla feels the same way now.'
Thinking that, he felt sorry for her.
He felt like he had put too much pressure on her, even though they weren't really dating.
And he was worried that Ayla might misunderstand that he had intended all of this.
'Father, really. I clearly told you that there was no need to prepare so lavishly...'
Felix sighed and looked at the Duke's back.
Duke Argenta, unaware of his troubled heart, was moving with a happy face.
The Argenta Duke's Noble house was wider than he had imagined.
After walking for quite a while, Ayla arrived at the drawing room and finally breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed.
It was because she finally escaped the servants' gazes and felt much more comfortable.
Duke Argenta politely offered her a seat.
"Please, sit comfortably."
"...Thank you, Duke."
Despite being told to sit comfortably, Ayla insisted on maintaining a straight posture, as if conscious of him in front of her.
The Duke, who had been watching her, gave her a pitiful look and opened his mouth to break the awkward atmosphere.
"So, what are your impressions of touring our Noble house? I would like to hear Lady Ayla's opinion, as she is from the Blanche Noble house."
Ayla smiled softly at those words.
Now that no one treated her as a Princess Consort, only the Duke acknowledged her as being from a Duke's Noble house.
"It's a Noble house where the old-fashioned beauty is alive. As rumored, the garden is really beautiful and looks magnificent."
"Haha, there's no need to go out of your way to praise it. This Noble house has been preserved as it was when my wife decorated it during her lifetime. It may seem somewhat old-fashioned and outdated to the great nobles of the capital."
Ayla blinked blankly at the Duke's words.
He couldn't forget his dead wife, so he kept everything in the Noble house as it was back then.
Soon, Ayla slowly opened her mouth.
"...You must have really loved your wife, Duke."
"I loved her very much. Do you know what my wife asked me to do for the last time?"
Ayla cautiously shook her head and hesitated to answer.
Then, the Duke gestured to Felix, who was sitting next to her, and continued.
"It was to find my lost son and bring him back safely."
"......"
"If it hadn't been for Lady Ayla, I would have been wandering around for a long time, even though he was right in front of my eyes. I would like to thank you once again for the help you have given Felix and me."
When Ayla received the Duke's sincere thanks, she felt a lump in her throat.
She didn't know what to do and looked back and forth between Felix and the Duke.
"It was going to happen anyway. It's enough for me to see you two living happily together."
"...Lady Ayla is always so humble."
The Duke put his hand on the armrest and murmured as if deeply impressed.
"Besides that, I've heard everything you've done for Felix. I heard that you even restored his Mana insensitivity."
"It was nothing short of a miracle for me."
Felix grinned and joined the conversation.
"Besides, she can already use large-scale Magic at that age, and she's even become the owner of a Dragon."
"Ayla's performance in the Subjugation Contest was really amazing."
Ayla's face gradually turned red at the words of the two men.
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