The carriage returned to the convent.
Ron and Sylvie exchanged goodnights at the entrance before he walked into the room arranged for him that afternoon.
Earlier, Emperor André III had hinted that he could stay the night at the palace, but Ron had used the excuse that his belongings were at the convent and left with Sylvie.
In truth, Ron wasn't picky about where he stayed. It was just that, after inheriting the original host's memories, he found himself disliking the palace atmosphere as well.
After a quick shower, Ron sat on the bed and projected his consciousness into the puppet in the palace.
Mia was currently wearing an adorable pink nightgown, absentmindedly playing with her slightly damp light-golden hair as she waited for Ron to "log in."
"Mia?" Ron deliberately pretended he couldn't see anything, testing the waters as he spoke.
"I'm here~ Brother Ron."
"Mm. Are you free tomorrow? Take me to see those shops."
"Mm-hmm! I turned down all my invitations for tomorrow. In the morning, I can show you three shops I quite like. If you're not satisfied, we can check out a few others in the afternoon."
Tilting her head, Mia added, "The hotpot branch by Lake Impash opens tomorrow at noon. Let's have lunch there, okay?"
"You can arrange the schedule. Thanks for the trouble."
"Hehe, I'm doing this to get Brother Ron's plants, you know. Don't disappoint me when the time comes."
They had agreed earlier that once the flower shop branch opened, Ron would gift Mia some plants for her to choose from.
"Just don't be too surprised," Ron said with a smile.
"Hmph. I'm not that easy to satisfy." Mia puffed up her smooth chin, then suddenly added, "Oh, right! Eileen is coming with me tomorrow, too. Brother Ron, remember to dress handsomely."
"…Don't go matchmaking randomly."
"Who says it's random? A lot of those shop locations were picked out by Eileen to help me. Brother Ron, you'd better thank her properly!"
"…Alright."
"Brother Ron~ That sounded so perfunctory."
"Ahem. I'm going to sleep. See you tomorrow."
"Huh!? Brother Ron?"
Back on his bed, Ron rubbed his temples.
Come to think of it, this Miss Eileen was supposedly one of his seven wives.
After all, she had accompanied Mia to the City of Chaos before and had gotten along well with Ron. It was only natural that gossipers would lump her in.
The granddaughter of Duke Christine—only someone of that status could be Mia's best friend and also serve as her etiquette tutor.
He hadn't expected her to even help pick shop locations.
Could it be she really has feelings for me?
Ron stroked his chin, glancing at his own handsome reflection in the mirror, and began seriously considering the possibility.
Then he connected to the puppet in the City of Chaos.
Naturally, his earlier "I'm going to sleep" to Mia had been a lie.
As his consciousness descended into the puppet, Ron found himself in total darkness—the puppet's body tightly embraced.
He sniffed lightly and caught the alluring scent of a young girl.
"Boss, Nora studied very hard today. I even wrote a reflection and left it on your desk."
"Boss, Yuna made me drink again today—like that purple sparkly wine from last time. It tastes awful… How did you finish it all before?"
"Boss, after Yuna went upstairs to sleep, Nora snuck into your bedroom and rolled around in your blanket. Hehe… so embarrassing~"
"Boss…"
Nora lay on her side, hugging the puppet as she slept, murmuring.
She was already half-asleep, drowsily talking to the puppet.
Many things she normally wouldn't dare say directly to Ron slipped out while he wasn't "there."
Ron chuckled softly.
The frustration from being discussed at the city gates, the helplessness from being misunderstood by the Archbishop and Emperor André III—all of it slowly dissipated.
This silly little Nora was like a lighthouse shining faintly through sea fog, guiding Ron's drifting ship back on course.
"Heh. Good night, silly baby."
"Mmm… Boss… good night…"
…
Early the next morning, Ron awoke precisely from deep meditation.
He changed into loose clothes and went out into the courtyard for morning training.
Golden Battle Aura swirled across his body. As he moved, gusts of wind kicked up dust in the courtyard.
Many young nuns on their way to the prayer hall passed by the courtyard and were drawn to the commotion inside, peeking in curiously.
"Is that His Highness Ron?"
"The sisters weren't lying—His Highness Ron really is handsome."
"One sister said that during the sacrificial ceremony, they even saw His Highness Ron's body. Apparently, he's very well-built~"
"Ehh~ Tell us more~"
After finishing his training, Ron took another shower, changed into clean clothes, and ate the simple breakfast delivered by a nun.
Soon, Mia's carriage arrived at the cathedral entrance.
Hearing the missionary's announcement, Ron immediately went to the cathedral gates and boarded Mia's carriage.
Eileen, with her wine-red hair cascading down her back, sat elegantly inside. She inclined slightly and greeted him, "Greetings, Your Highness Ron."
"Eileen, hello." Ron took his seat and smiled. "Thank you for helping Mia with the shop locations."
"It was nothing more than a small effort," Eileen replied with a gentle smile.
None of the three mentioned the rampant rumors circulating these days. They clearly didn't take the gossip to heart.
As one of the supposed "heroines" of the scandal, Eileen maintained perfect poise and elegance throughout the ride, chatting and laughing with Ron and Mia as though completely unaffected.
"The three shops we'll visit this morning are on Central Street of Peace Square, Queen's Street in the southern district, and Moonview Street by Lake Impash."
Mia handed Ron a sheet of paper. "The map marks all the shop locations. The three in red are for this morning. The six in blue are for the afternoon. The seven in yellow are backups."
"Eileen and I visited all of them when we were bored. We both liked the three in red. For the blue ones, we had some disagreements. As for the yellow ones, we weren't very satisfied."
"But ultimately, it's up to you, Brother Ron."
"Mm." Ron glanced down at the map, which was detailed enough to serve as a tourist guide to the Royal Capital. Besides the marked locations, elegant handwriting in two distinct styles outlined each shop's features clearly and concisely. "You've both worked hard."
"Not at all, not at all. Just don't forget my reward," Mia teased.
Eileen turned, puzzled. "Reward?"
"I promised her that once the branch opens, I'll gift her some of the shop's plants," Ron explained with a smile. "If you're interested, Eileen, you can come choose with Mia when the time comes."