"How could a beautiful lady walk from here to the temple? Don't worry. We'll fix it right away."
Freyl intervened, beating his chest.
Cedric looked down on him, this is not something he could guarantee. It was a bad habit of Freyl to show off in front of pretty women.
The girl smiled softly. It seemed like a bitter smile and at the same time it seemed that she was trying to contain her laughter.
A crying face was superimposed.
Cedric looked away from her face, feeling disconcerted. The carriage was quickly repaired.
The girl thanked the knights one by one, and said.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you."
"You do not have to apologize. It is our duty to help those who need it. You are a beautiful lady, it is dangerous for you to go out without an escort."
Again, Freyl spoke in Cedric's place. The girl answered.
"It's just a midday trip to the temple. We're in the middle of the road so it's not convenient now, but when we get to the temple I'll thank you properly."
"No, you do not have to."
Freyl responded, but Cedric nodded in agreement.
Then he opened the carriage door himself, Artizea seemed embarrassed.
"Please get on."
He spoke briefly and extended his hand.
Artizea hesitated and her cheeks turned red, but she finally took his hand and got into the carriage.
Cedric's party on horseback split in two.
Some were a little ahead of the carriage and others a little behind it.
The priest called a server and asked him to lead Alice.
Then he himself led Artizea to the gazebo.
Artizea followed the priest slowly through the temple.
Because the temple was located in a beautiful place, many of the people who came also took advantage of it to rest.
In addition, some noble ladies who were deeply religious lived nearby and came to the temple daily.
For this reason, several gazebos were built on the extensive grounds of the temple, so that visitors could enjoy the beautiful natural scenery without interruption from others.
Artizea waited a while alone, sitting in the gazebo where the priest had guided her. The stream that flowed by the side of the gazebo produced a harmonious sound.
It was about half an hour before Alice returned with the server.
The server was holding a tea kettle of hot water and a wicker hamper, while Alice was holding a box of tea set.
"My lady, I handed out the lunch boxes as you instructed. They liked it."
"Well done."
The food served at the temple does not include meat products. So, it wouldn't be enough for the knights.
Artizea had planned this from the beginning, so she had packed a lot of food.
"I also invited the Grand Duke as you ordered. My lady, you should also eat something."
While Alice was talking, she opened the tea set box she had brought and took out the things that were in the wicker hamper.
Artizea didn't have much of an appetite. But she had to set the table because she had invited him.
Alice put some plates on the table, with small slices of sandwiches, scones and jams.
Meanwhile, Artizea prepared the tea herself. A refreshing citrus scent drifted through the air.
When Artizea poured the tea into her teacup, Cedric finally reached her gazebo.
Artizea got up from her seat. Her heart was pounding, she had never felt this way before.
She was not sure if it was due to tension.
"I greet you again, Your Grace, Grand Duke Evron. I am Artizea Rosan."
She bowed her head respectfully. Cedric added a few words to confirm what she had just said.
"The Marchioness Rosan…"
"Yes, I'm her daughter."
"If you knew I was the Grand Duke Evron, and planned all this to establish a connection with me, you should also know that the Marchioness Rosan is not to my liking. Is that not so?"
"You realized that."
"I'm not that stupid. How could the wheel of a perfectly good carriage have fallen off like that?"
Cedric continued.
"You even had lunch boxes prepared, as if you'd planned it all from the start."
Artizea was a little embarrassed.
"There's something I need to tell you. If I hadn't made that little connection, you would have turned around as soon as you knew I was Miraila Rosan's daughter."
Cedric looked at her silently.
In spite of everything, he wouldn't have given it much importance, if it hadn't been for the terrible dream he had last night.
Artizea looked him straight in the eye.
Cedric thought her turquoise eyes were like precious stones.
Unlike the sad look he had seen in the dream, her eyes shone warmly.
So he sat down.
"I hope what you have to say to me is valuable and you're not wasting my time."
"Thank you."
Artizea bowed her head again respectfully.
As Artizea poured the hot tea into his teacup, Cedric hesitated for a moment. He didn't really feel comfortable. He knew that Artizea was trying to do something, even though he thought that in the worst case, it was a bad joke, he also could not ignore that she was the daughter of the Marchioness Rosan.
Nevertheless, he decided to at least drink his cup of tea. He could get up and leave at any time.
"Please propose to me."
"C-Cough!"
He choked on the hot tea.