With a friendly look on his face asking for a handshake, Rishe smiled and responded.

Next to her field of vision, the knights were terribly nervous. Perhaps they, too, have received an order of the sort, [Keep Rishe and Theodore away from each other.] However, they probably couldn’t openly stop the man himself, Theodore.

“By the way, what are you doing here? I fell asleep here during my walk in the castle. I got sleepy, so I took a nap here.”

“Actually, I’m the one cultivating this field.”

“You, sister-in-law?! Wow, you’re amazing. It’s not every day that I get to see this much soft soil! The sun is shining just right and I can hear the birds chirping. It’s a blessing to be able to grow plants here.”

“I am honored by your praise, Your Highness. But, Your Highness Theodore, I’ll be planting the seeds here in a few minutes.”

“I see. So it’s a bed for a limited time. But there’s one thing that bothers me.”

Theodore bent down by the field and pointed to something.

“Sister-in-law, can you have a look at this?”

“Is something the matter?”

“Here. Isn’t it funny when you look at it closely?”

There was nothing there, but a nondescript piece of dirt. To make sure, Rishe bent down too.

It was then that Theodore whispered.

“I want to help you, Rishe Irmgard Wertsner.”

“…”

A sincere look shot through Rishe from up close.

“Poor thing, you’ve been brought to this place, but your essence isn’t a bride, but a hostage. As far as I know, no queen in this country has ever lived happily.”

Theodore’s expression, with his back to the knight, didn’t have the same meekness as before.“In the future, let’s have a talk in private. Don’t tell Brother, and in a place where there’s no eye for surveillance.”

“Your Highness Theodore.”

“Let me show you how to get away from Brother.”

There was a strange fervor caged in Theodore’s eyes as he whispered.

Rishe had little information about the Royal Family of this country. However, those circumstances surrounding Arnold could lead to a war in a few years’ time.

This Theodore might also be one of the keys to it. If that was the case, it would be very meaningful to have that confidential conversation with him as he suggested.

But.

Rishe smiled at him.

“His Highness Arnold has instructed me not to do anything dangerous.”

“What did you say?”

“To tell the truth, His Highness scolded me just last night. I can’t afford to unintentionally sow rumors by leaving alone with another gentleman.”

A crack appeared on Theodore’s face and eventually, his well-formed eyebrows were distorted.

“You have no idea how cruel Brother is. You don’t know how he behaves once he holds a sword, or what his eyes look like on the battlefield.”

“No, I’m fully aware of that.”

“There’s more to it than that. He could kill you one day.”

“I know.”

That had already sunk in, so deep that she even dreamed about it.Although she didn’t expound on it, Rishe straightened up with a smile on her face.

“If there’s nothing else, Your Highness Theodore, please vacate this field.”

To the knights at some distance, they seemed to be talking only about the field. Theodore, who was still bent over, erased the expression on his beautiful face.

Now, that look resembles your brother a bit…

But Arnold was really better than her. By any means, it would have never escaped him that his call just now was a trap.

Although he has no killing intent against me, every time Arnold Hein’s name was mentioned, he blotted out something close to it…Second in line to the throne isn’t how I would introduce myself to my brother’s fiancée.

So was his attempt to emphasize Arnold’s cruelty. He probably was skillfully trying to fuel Rishe’s fears of marrying him.

I know how Arnold Hein looks on the battlefield, too. But, even if he was his brother, he shouldn’t talk about him like that…)

After thinking that far, Rishe suddenly realized.

Why am I so angry?

It shouldn’t matter to her whatever Arnold’s own brother purported him to be.

While marveling on this, she bowed to Theodore.

“I must fetch my hoe because the soil is flattened. I think that’s enough for today. If you’ll excuse me, Your Highness Theodore.”

“…”

After making sure there was no reply from him, Rishe walked away. The knights also gave the Prince a respectful salute and then followed to protect her.

Well now. I hope there’ll be some movements.