Do Flowers Bloom in the Fallen Land?

Seira worried inside, ‘What should I do? What should I do with Aven?’

Without knowing how Seira was in turmoil inside her head, Louis just stood still with a kind smile plastered on his face.

“Duchess…”

At Aven’s call, Seira as well as Louis’ attention redirected towards him.

“I’m thinking of going back to the banquet hall,” Aven said.

“Huh? You’re going back?”

“Yes. I don’t think I need to stay by your side any longer since the Duke Franto is here.”

Even though he was looking at Seira, it was obvious who he had in mind.

“Of course, you don’t have to worry,” Louis said, “I will take Seira safely to the mansion.”

Even after hearing Louis’ answer, Aven quietly waited for Seira to speak.

“Well, Aven is one of the people celebrated in today’s banquet. Please have a good time.”

It was clear that it would be best that Aven showed up even for a moment in her absence. He could even look into the atmosphere as well. Maybe Aven said he’d go back for the same reason as well.

After recovering her physical strength to some extent, Seira didn’t need an escort anymore, and since she already had a safe way to escape the imperial palace without using her power, she didn’t have any reason to hesitate any more.

“If possible, why don’t you try to find a date as well,” Seira added with a slight smile.

“I’ll try,” Aven simply replied.

He bowed to Seira and Louis, and then passed them to head over to the palace where the banquet was held.

For a moment, Seira looked back at Louis and asked, “What shall we do now?”

“I have a carriage parked nearby. We should head home now.”

“Yes.”

Seira put her hand on his arm and moved on, walking opposite to where Aven was headed.

‘I’m sure he knew I was here.’

Franto’s carriage was curiously parked right next to the building where Seira came out. She couldn’t stand to believe it was all by chance.

‘All I can do is guess now…’ she couldn’t help but be suspicious.

The more she thought back on it, the clearer it got. Louis Franto knew too much about her, considering that he and Seira didn’t have much contact at all before.

“What is it? Do you have something to say?” Louis asked, tilting his head to meet her gaze.

“I was wondering why you’re sitting here.”

Unlike the way they sat before, Louis had sat next to Seira after he let her climb into the carriage first.

“There’s no particular reason. Do you feel uncomfortable?” he asked.

“It’s not like that…” Seira replied, “But aren’t you too close?”

It was burdensome to sit so close together in an enclosed space. She couldn’t help but pay attention to the faint smell of Aven’s pheromones, sweat, and semen all over her.

“Well… is it not okay? We even kissed each other.”

“…”

Seira looked at him at a loss for words.

Come to think of it, she recalled they agreed to pretend to do it on the terrace but ended up really kissing. Thanks to him, Calrad had lost it and gone crazy.

‘What the hell is up with this man…’

He looked like a virgin who was ignorant of women, but sometimes he was just too relaxed. Seira couldn’t pinpoint what he really was.

As they exchanged a few words, Franto’s wagon was simply exiting the palace gates. What Seira was deeply worried about passed by smoothly.

‘I never want to come back to this bastard’s palace,’ she thought at the back of her mind.

Nothing good has ever happened to her here both in the past and present. Had it not been for her contract with Louis, Seira wouldn’t have thought of attending the banquet. She would’ve been able to save her body and avoid Calrad as much as she could.

“By the way…”

“Baron is…”

Somehow, the two of them spoke at the same time, and so they closed their mouths awkwardly and looked at each other.

“Oh… you must be wondering what happened afterwards,” Louis noted as he realized what Seira was about to say. “Duke Jeff stopped His Majesty who was trying to chase you. The atmosphere was extremely fierce.”

He said it as if he was a third party. Wasn’t he the one who interfered with Calrad first?

“If things went as they were, the banquet might have been on the verge of ending, but the confrontation ended with someone else’s intervention.”

Seira’s curiosity rose and she asked, “Who intervened?”

Who would have dared to step into such a brutal fight?

“The High Priest came to see His Majesty with the Saintess.”

Seira almost hardened her expression without even realizing it.

‘The new High Priest, Tesser… and the Saintess Isabel.’

Seven years ago, a High Priest and a Saintess appeared in her first banquet. The High Priest at that time was McClane, who was then replaced after a few years by a young priest named Tesser. The Saintess Isabel stayed.

“His Majesty left the banquet hall with them first. Thanks to them, I was also able to pick you up.”

“…I see.”

“I don’t know where Jeff went after that. There was no rush.”