A month later, the ducal household was invited to attend the celebration as well.
Noticing that Cardan looked a little downcast that day, she asked him, "Do I look pretty?"
Cardan only smiled and said, "The nanny must have really outdone herself dressing you up."
Irritated at that, Emilia grumbled. Would it kill him to just give her a compliment?
Cardan glanced around at all the children attending the party, and Emilia still stood out as the most striking among them.
The moment father and daughter arrived, a crowd immediately swarmed them, chattering excitedly. Taking in the grandeur of the scene, Emilia could not help but marvel. Cardan got her a pastry and told her to let him know whenever she wanted to step outside. While they stood there, the crowd kept fawning and flattering them, both father and daughter equally dazzling in their eyes.
Emilia found the whole thing utterly exhausting. Finally, father and daughter managed to slip outside for some fresh air. They still could not leave yet, since the emperor had not yet made his appearance. Noticing her boredom, Cardan went back inside to bring her some food.
Just then, a black cat leapt up beside Emilia, and she assumed it was Fay. But looking closer, this cat had blue eyes, while her Fay's eyes were golden.
Then a voice rang out. "That's my cat."
Emilia immediately let it go and looked up at the speaker. His attire suggested nobility, but something about him seemed strangely familiar to her.
The handsome golden-haired man introduced himself. "I'm Nelvasto."
At the sound of his name, Emilia immediately recognized him, the male lead's rival who had once secretly loved Rainer, both her protector and her closest friend back when she had been the saint. He had loved her deeply, but never got the chance to confess, because by then Rainer had already fallen for Cardan.
Just as Nelvasto was about to introduce the cat's name, Emilia blurted out that it was called Kami, startling him. The reason she knew was simple. That name had been given by Rainer herself.
Just as Nelvasto was about to say more, Cardan came back and called for her. Something about the mood between them felt distinctly off. After a round of perfunctory greetings, Cardan led her back into the party.
The emperor had arrived by then, looking even heavier than he had a few days before. Looking around, she still could not spot the prince anywhere.
Just then, the empress approached, remarking that she had assumed they had already left, then began boasting that her Nader had defeated a low-ranking knight in a recent competition. Mogi laughed, complaining that it was rather difficult to find a tutor talented enough for the prince.
Mid-sentence, a commotion suddenly broke out behind her, and everyone turned to see Addie soaked from head to toe like a drowned rat.
Mogi immediately scolded him, saying his eyesight seemed to be getting worse by the day. How could he embarrass himself like this? "Just look at your younger brother. Why are you so far behind him?"
Worried, Emilia started to rush over, but Cardan held her back. Emilia had assumed this was simply some trial Addie had to endure. But instead, Cardan stepped forward and told him to get up quickly. Broken glass was dangerous.
"I did say that protecting yourself matters a great deal. Don't let this get in the way of tomorrow's sword practice."
With that, he reached out and pulled Addie to his feet. Mogi and Nader both stared dumbfounded.
Cardan continued, "I am the swordsmanship teacher of the eldest prince, Addie."
With that, he led the boy off to change clothes. Standing behind Mogi, Nader silently ground his teeth. From now on, it seemed the ducal house had thrown its support fully behind the eldest prince.
Once he had changed, Addie asked Cardan why he had helped him.
Cardan only sighed and said he had simply handed the boy a pair of shoes, nothing more. "From now on, you carry the honor of the ducal house with you, so go ahead and walk right over the people who once abandoned you."
Hearing this, Emilia felt secretly delighted. Cardan had now firmly taken Addie's side. She grabbed Addie's hand and ran on ahead. Now she could finally spend time with him openly.
The next day, Cardan intensified the sword lessons for Addie, and it was quite a while before they finally got a break. Emilia asked curiously whether anything had happened after they had left the day before. Sure enough, the crowd at the festival had immediately swarmed him, eager to flatter and befriend him.
Emilia could not help but think to herself, it was clear the royal court had once looked down on him terribly, exactly the way the servants used to treat her before.
Addie said he would repay her kindness someday, and Emilia replied that she did not need anything in return. "You're just talented enough to deserve it, that's all."
Fay happened to catch sight of the two of them laughing together and froze so completely that he dropped his handkerchief on the spot.
Emilia happily ran over to Fay's side and introduced him to Addie, hoping the two of them could become friends. She remembered how, back when she had first tried to befriend each of them, one had asked, "What do you want from me?" while the other had said, "I've never had a friend before. It's been rough."
Noticing the dropped handkerchief, Emilia reached down to pick it up and clean it, only for Fay to insist on doing it himself, and the air between them suddenly felt strangely tense. Watching this, Emilia could only laugh. So it turned out Fay wanted to be friends with Addie too.
After training wrapped up, Addie had to return to the palace, while Emilia invited Fay back to her room to play. Hearing that the nanny had errands to run outside, the two of them exchanged a knowing, mischievous grin. And so, before long, the two of them were wandering the streets together.
Passing by a tea stall, Emilia overheard people talking about a bolum having appeared just outside the territory. How could one possibly show up all the way out here? The north was so far away, after all.
Frightened, Emilia was about to turn back when she heard someone screaming. Someone had been struck by a carriage. Looking closer, the person lying in the pool of blood was none other than the nanny.
Emilia nearly fainted on the spot. Fay quickly shook her by the shoulders. Snapping back to her senses, she used magic to teleport them both straight to the temple.
The people inside the temple panicked at the sight of a mage appearing and rushed off to report it. Furious, Emilia shouted, "Can't you see someone's injured? Go help her now."
Just then, Nelvasto stepped out and was clearly shocked to see Emilia there. In tears, Emilia begged him to save the nanny. Nelvasto gently patted her head to comfort her, then channeled his divine power to heal the nanny.
Once the nanny was stable, Emilia threw herself joyfully into Nelvasto's arms to thank him. It was only then that she learned Nelvasto was actually the pope, the very head of the temple itself.