Unfortunately, Avril had dinner separate from Dylan that evening.

Dylan was apparently attending a dinner party with the people of the Kingdom of Claughton. More than half of the members of the delegation had been invited, but the infamous villainess Avril was not.

Well, that’s only natural.

Not only was she visiting on vacation, she also had history of extorting all sorts of expensive goods from the nobles of this kingdom. Letting a villainess like her be invited to a formal dinner was too dangerous. In fact, having been allowed an audience on the first day was surprising in of itself.

“Lady Avril, is the dessert not to your taste? The food in the Kingdom of Claughton is rich with dairy products. If you find it too heavy, we can arrange a different menu starting tomorrow.”

“!”

Grace’s voice as she was serving dinner returned Avril to her senses.

Before her was a simple cake generously filled with butter cream. The surface was coated with baked meringue, and it also seemed to contain almond cream, giving it a sweet, fragrant aroma.

She seemed to have been staring at the cake without touching it.

“…Shall I sneak into the kitchen and roast the top?”

Grace, who knew Avril’s preferences well, made a considerate offer. However, Avril knew a roasted cake wasn’t what she needed at the moment.

“No, thank you, Grace, but I don’t need my menu changed or the cake browned. I just thought… I would have liked to eat together with Lord Dylan…”

Avril’s shoulders slumped with dejection.  Then, suddenly, Grace stepped back.

“—I’m delighted to hear that.  Would doing this make eating easier?”

At those words, the fork that had almost fallen from her hand was gentle secured—and the hand the wrapped around hers was one she was well familiar with.

“Lord Dylan…! Has the dinner party already finished?”

“Yes. I told them I was tired from the long journey, so it wrapped up early. Of course, all the necessary discussions were tended to, so there are no issues.”

Dylan sat down beside Avril at the round table with those words. He wore near full formal attire, a waistcoat and cravat. He must’ve come directly here without returning to his quarters after dinner.

Even though they’d only been apart for a day, she couldn’t help but smile. Dylan, now seated next to Avril, asked Grace for tea. Then, he peered at Avril’s face.

“Somehow, I feel as though quite some time has passed since we last saw one another.”

“I was thinking the same.”

Avril laughed, and Dylan smiled in return.

“I left you to dine alone, yet still haven’t had the opportunity to talk to sit and speak with His Majesty the King at length. Your turn might still be sometime away.”

“I’ve heard this will be a long negotiation. Until the day I can be of use, I shall do my best…!”

As Avril clenched her fists in determination, Dylan took one into his own—gently, affectionately. Then, he smiled.

“More importantly, I want to hear how Avril spent her today.”

“…!”

Her heart skipped a beat at the sweet tone of his voice. She thought she wouldn’t be able to see Dylan again that night. Have such an unexpected moment together filled her with gratitude.

However, just as Avril was about to speak, her heart pounding, she recalled Emilia’s invitation and everything that happened.  She paled.

Ah… about my day. Lady Emilia likes Corinna, and on top of that, my behavior in the audience chamber and my reckless actions aboard the Victoria completely skewed her perception of what.

There was no way she could say something like that. Worse, at the end, she ended up boasting that Lawrence, Dylan, Chris were all her lovers. She boasted such despite those three being beyond what she could handle.

I went so far with my villainess play, that now I’m embarrassed and just want to disappear.

“Nothing in particular…”

She looked away in desperation, but Dylan gave her a knowing smile. Could he already know about Emilia’s misunderstanding?

Now that she thought about it, there was no way Chris, his ever loyal retainer, wouldn’t have reported such an important incident.

If Chris has said something, then I hope you have the restraint to keep it to yourself.

After all, there were some things in the world that if left unsaid, might as well have never happened.

Dylan smoothly changed the subject, almost as if Avril’s prayers had been answered.

“Now that I think about it, I heard something strange today. The Kingdom of Claughton dislikes the inflow of foreign culture and information, so they normally don’t accept aristocrats in any official capacity.”

“Yes, I am aware. That’s why our audience had such a tense atmosphere.”

“Indeed, yet a certain noblewoman from the Kingdom of Branwill has been residing in Claughton for an extended period of time. I couldn’t get her name, but… it’s certainly unusual.”

“My…”

She had sensed this kingdom’s xenophobia during her meeting with Emilia. To begin with, she had heard that this diplomatic mission was only possible after long and arduous negotiations.

Yet, despite all that, there was someone who had been granted permission to stay there even before the delegation’s arrival.  Finding it strange, Avril could only tilt her head in curiosity.

“Prince Lawrence must also be aware of this, yes?”

“Of course. It’s intriguing, and if this woman has a special connection to this kingdom, she could become a valuable card. I’d like to investigate with that possibility in mind.”

“By all means. I, the infamous villainess, shall support you!”

As Avril made her decleration with enthusiasm, Dylan paused for a moment before breaking with laughter, as if he couldn’t hold back.

“—I heard that the Villainess Avril has three lovers?”

“Eh!?”

As expected, had Chris properly reported to him. While Avril desperately wished for a hole to climb into, Dylan continued on, fully at ease.

“Chris came and reported it before the dinner banquet.”

There was no escape from this humiliation.

As expected, Avril’s so-called “villainous” behavior had been completely exposed to Dylan through Chris.

No, it’s fine. This is how it should be. After all, this is part of my duties…! But still, ugh…

Although she tried to justify it to herself, her disappointment was clear on her face. Dylan’s calm, deep voice slowly resonated, as if gently reassuring her.

“If that were true, I might find controlling myself difficult. Thankfully, you’re not truly a villainess.”

“Actually, Lord Dylan is most important to me! …No, I mean, Lord Dylan is the only one for me!”

Looking up at Dylan, Avril saw her own desperate expression reflected in his deep blue eyes. She had never seen herself like that before.  Just as the realization struck her, Dylan gently cupped her cheek, his thumb softly tracing her lips.

“…Avril.”

His husky voice murmured her name, from so close she could feel his breath.

Grace, who had returned with Dylan’s tea, seemed to have picked up on the atmosphere and quietly left without a word.

That night, Avril was able to spend a peaceful evening with Dylan for the first time in a long while.

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