Chapter 32…
The Princess of Heat Haze Goes to the Forest.
When Felicia stood up after Yoann, he smoothly picked up the handkerchief she had dropped. Just as he was about to fold it casually, her voice stopped him.
“Thank you for lending me your handkerchief. Um… may I keep it for now? I’d like to wash it and return it to you.”
“I don’t mind… but really, there’s no need to trouble yourself.”
Ignoring Yoann’s hesitation, Felicia accepted the handkerchief and folded it carefully, as if it were something precious.
“I’ll return it to you another day,” she said with a soft smile, and tucked it away gently.
On the way back, Yoann held Felicia securely in his arms as they rode. Felicia, now more accustomed to horseback riding than she had been on the way there, relaxed and allowed herself to lean against him. She realized that doing so made it easier for Yoann to control the horse.
This time, Yoann took a slightly different route. It was clear that he had chosen it so Felicia could see more of the scenery, and that thoughtfulness warmed her heart.
That night, Felicia placed the carefully washed handkerchief in front of her and took out her sewing box. She had often done embroidery back when she lived in the Duplá estate. After losing her status as Alexis’s fiancée, it had become the perfect way to fill her long, empty hours.
It seemed Yoann, through his familiar, had also learned of Felicia’s fondness for embroidery—because her room was already stocked with a sewing box and an array of colorful embroidery threads prepared just for her.
Among the many colors, Felicia chose a deep golden blue thread. With fine strands of gold mixed in, the thread reminded her of a night sky filled with glittering stars.
Yoann always seemed to carry the presence of the night itself—quiet and serene, bringing calm restfulness, yet possessing an otherworldly beauty. Felicia felt that this color suited him perfectly, with his cool gaze and subtle, elegant allure.
As she stitched, she poured her gratitude for Yoann into every thread. Just thinking of him made her heart flutter. Along with his name, she embroidered a small rose in the same color. She remembered hearing during her queen’s education that the rose was Yoann’s emblem.
(I hope my gratitude reaches him…)
She had yet to realize what that quiet feeling she stitched into the corner of the handkerchief truly was.
