Special Story 19

“But do you even know where we’re going?”

Being carried on his back was fine, but the idea of getting lost in the maze again frightened her. Maria, without realizing it, clung tightly to Adrian’s neck, her anxiety slipping through.

“Yeah.”

“How?”

“We just have to go back the way we came.”

Adrian’s reply, as if it were the simplest thing in the world, made Maria smile. His confidence eased her fears.

“But Maria, if you ever find yourself in a maze alone again, make sure to keep one hand on a wall as you walk. If you follow one wall, you’ll eventually find your way out.”

That was good advice—even if she hoped she’d never need it again. Maria nodded against his back.

Adrian hadn’t lied. The dark green hedges began to fade into lighter shades, soon turning into soft spring green. Even at the forks in the path, his steps never slowed, and before long, they reached the exit of the maze.

“Put me down.”

She didn’t want Jace to see her like this. Adrian gently lowered her to the ground.

“Shall we go out?”

Maria nodded, then suddenly remembered something important.

“Oh! The book! Where is it?”

“Come to think of it…”

Adrian too recalled the book they’d left behind in the maze. As he gave a sheepish smile, Maria suggested they go back in to retrieve it. But Adrian quickly stopped her.

“Why? If we go now, we can—”

“It’s fine. I’ll come back another time and get it.”

“But you haven’t even finished reading it yet.”

Maria knew. Like her, Adrian came from a duke’s family. And even for someone of noble birth, it wasn’t easy to come and go from the royal palace whenever one pleased. If he didn’t get the book now, it could be days before he had another chance.

“It’s really okay. More importantly, people must be worried by now.”

Maria hesitated. He was right. If they stayed out too long, Jace might tell her mother—and then both her parents would be worried about her doing something dangerous.

“Hmm…”

“I can always come back and get it.”

On the ship to Gellang, Maria had heard it herself: there weren’t many fun books in this country. And unlike her uncle or Jace, who loved her grandmother’s stories, the men in Gellang still saw reading novels as something to be embarrassed about.

Maria could feel how much Adrian loved her grandmother’s book—so much that he’d gone into a maze just to read it in secret. She looked at him with teary eyes.

How could she not? She had no idea the boy had only gone into the maze because he couldn’t be bothered to entertain the Prince.

Adrian gave her a little push on the shoulder and raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to keep it all a secret.

“Shh.”

Maria nodded at his gesture, and Adrian smiled softly in response.

As soon as they stepped out of the maze, Adrian disappeared in an instant. One moment he seemed to be heading in a certain direction, and the next, he was gone.

Only then did Maria begin walking toward the Prince’s palace. In the distance, she could see people in a flustered commotion.

The first to spot her was Jace.

“Maria!”

Jace ran to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. His eyes were wet, overwhelmed with relief. Maria had come out of the maze even later than he had, and the thought of something having happened to her had scared him terribly.

“Lady Grey!”

Behind him came the noble children of Gellang, running toward her. Maria had been the only one who got lost in the maze.

The Prince immediately offered his apologies. He had assumed there would be a “no entry” sign posted at the point where the beginner’s path connected to the advanced section of the maze. But after summoning the chamberlain, he learned that the sign had yet to be put up.

He had only wanted to offer his cousin and the foreign young lady a fun experience, but instead, he had inadvertently put her in danger. He felt deeply ashamed.

“Why did you come out so late? The path was really simple.”

“I took a wrong turn and ended up in the advanced maze.”

“You really entered the advanced course, Lady Grey?!”

The Prince gasped, his mouth falling open. The advanced maze was known to be extremely difficult. He’s never been inside it himself, but the old chamberlain had warned him about it many times.

The children soon forgot about the danger Maria had faced. Back at the Prince’s palace, surrounded by curious nobles desperate to hear her story, Maria recounted how she made it out of the maze—mixing in a few well-placed lies.

“I once heard that if you keep one hand on a wall and keep moving forward, you’ll eventually find the exit.”

She spoke as if it were her own knowledge, sharing the advice Adrian had given her as if she’d known it all along. The strange thrill of telling her very first lie made her chest tingle.

Some of the children immediately wanted to test if it was true, but the Prince stopped them.

“In any case, Lady Grey, you were amazing. Once again, I sincerely apologize for my mistake.”

“It’s all right, Your Highness. It really was a fun experience.”

Maria answered brightly. Her legs were sore from walking far more than usual, and her dress was smudged with dirt and dust, but she didn’t mind. If she hadn’t gone into the maze, she never would’ve met Adrian.

***

Meanwhile, Vivian, who had accompanied Princess Florin to the Queen’s palace, was also enjoying a delightful time.

She had never expected that the noblewomen of Gellang—whom she was meeting for the first time—would be so warm and welcoming. Every single one of them turned out to be a fan of Rebecca Grey. Never before had Vivian had the chance to talk about romance novels with so many people at once, and she became completely immersed in the conversation, forgetting the passage of time.

Among them, there was one lady who particularly caught Vivian’s attention—Duchess Reid. Cheerful and lively, she also happened to share the same favorite novel as Vivian. Learning that she was not only around the same age but also a Duchess in Gellang made Vivian feel an unexpected sense of kinship.

“Duchess Grey, how long will you be staying in Gellang?”

“Pardon? Hmm… I’m not sure yet—I haven’t discussed it with my husband.”

“If you have some free time, would you consider visiting our duchy with the Duke?”

Vivian was a little taken aback by Duchess Reid’s enthusiastic invitation. But no one else in the room seemed surprised, as though they were quite used to such behavior.

“There she goes again—bringing it up,” the Queen said with amusement, clearly used to this. She kindly added a clarification so that Vivian wouldn’t misunderstand.

“Duke Reid has four sons. Once word had got out that the winner of the Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament, Duke Grey, was visiting Gellang, it seems the Reid boys began pestering their parents to meet him.”

Duchess Reid let out an embarrassed laugh at the Queen’s comment, then readily admitted to it.

“That’s absolutely right. When I told them I’d be meeting you today, they begged me all through breakfast to make sure they got a chance to meet the Duke.”

“It seems you like Duchess Grey quite a bit yourself.”

“Oh my! But of course I do. And the next time I visit the Empire, you must visit me—promise me, all right?”

Laughter echoed among the noblewomen, their mirth as light as that of young girls. Vivian couldn’t help but laugh along with them. She told them she would ask Armin and let them know later, but the Duchess of Reid insisted multiple times that she absolutely had to come.

That night.

Afraid to sleep alone in a foreign country, Maria was brought into the master bedroom by Armin and Vivian. Nestled between the two, Maria was lovingly watched by Armin as he gently patted her shoulder.

“What’s this? I want pats too.”

“What?”

“You know—patting.”

Vivian jutted her shoulder out with a pout, and Armin couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Vivian, who had meant it playfully, couldn’t hide her own rising smile either. Maria, dressed in traditional Gellang attire, looked completely at ease. Watching her, Armin and Vivian began sharing the events of the day.

Unlike Armin, who didn’t have much to report, the two women had plenty to say. Vivian chattered about how kind the noblewomen at the Queen’s palace had been, while Maria excitedly recounted how much fun she’d had with the friendly Prince and the noble children of Gellang—so different from their aloof Crown Prince. Their cheerful chatter nearly made Armin’s ears ring.

After rambling for quite a while, Maria eventually drifted off to sleep in Vivian’s arms. Looking down at her daughter with a tender gaze, Vivian turned to Armin and spoke.

“By the way, Armin.”

“Hm?”

“Are you free tomorrow?”

Armin glanced at her, wondering what she was trying to lead up to this time.

“One of the ladies I met at the Queen’s palace invited me over. Apparently, all her children are huge fans of yours.”

“Why would her kids want to meet me?”

Armin gave a dry chuckle at the random turn of conversation, and Vivian laughed too. It had come rather out of the blue.

“They seem really into that Imperial Swordsmanship Tournament you competed in years ago. What was the name again—Reid? Yes, she said it was the Reid ducal house.”

As they recalled the tournament, soft smiles appeared on both their faces.

Back then, she hadn’t known. Hadn’t understood why Armin had insisted on handing her the medal. That very medal now rested in Vivian’s most treasured jewelry box, alongside her wedding ring, engagement ring, and proposal ring.

As Armin leaned closer, Vivian’s eyes began to slowly close. With Maria sound asleep, there was no reason to resist.

But just then—

Maria’s eyes suddenly flew open at Vivian’s words. The couple instantly sprang apart, startled.

“Reid! Mom, did you just say Reid?”

“Huh? Yes, the Reid duchy. Why are you asking all of a sudden? You scared me!”

Blushing furiously, Vivian fanned her face as she spoke. Maria, excited by her mother’s answer, rolled over and threw herself into her father’s arms.