Sunday morning was calm.
The noble district was already awake.
Carriages passed by at a steady pace.
Well-dressed people moved along the streets.
Shops opened one by one.
Lunivara walked beside Clara.
"…This place feels different," she said quietly.
"…It is, milady," Clara replied.
"…Fewer people… but more attention."
Lunivara gave a small nod.
She didn't linger.
They stopped in front of a bookstore.
"…Here," she said.
Inside, the air was quiet.
Shelves lined the walls.
Maps were arranged neatly on a side table.
Lunivara moved toward them.
She picked one up.
Not too large.
Clear markings.
Kingdom borders.
Main roads.
"…This should be enough."
Clara stepped closer.
"…Are you certain, milady?"
"…I don't need something complicated."
She paid for it without hesitation.
The map was rolled and tied neatly.
Simple.
Done.
They stepped outside.
Lunivara held the map lightly in her hand.
Then—
she paused.
"…?"
Across the street—
a familiar figure stepped out of a flower shop.
Brown hair.
Composed posture.
Cedric.
Beside him—
Velarisse.
They stood close.
Not distant.
Not formal.
Natural.
Lunivara blinked.
"…Clara."
"…Yes, milady?"
"…What is that?"
Clara followed her gaze.
Then—
she hesitated.
"…I'm sorry, my lady… I thought you knew."
"…Knew what?"
A small pause.
"…Your Highness… your older brother has already proposed."
Lunivara stilled.
"…Proposed?"
"…Yes."
Clara lowered her voice slightly.
"…To Lady Thyselle."
Velarisse.
For a moment—
Lunivara didn't speak.
She just watched them.
Cedric said something.
Velarisse smiled faintly.
It looked… easy.
"…When?" Lunivara asked quietly.
"…During the festival," Clara answered.
Another pause.
"…I see."
Lunivara's grip on the map tightened slightly.
Then loosened.
[So it still happened.]
Not everything had changed.
Some things…
were the same.
She looked at them again.
[Then…]
A thought formed—
simple, but clear.
[That means she must have already met them.]
The other male leads.
[Otherwise, this wouldn't happen.]
She frowned slightly.
"…No."
A small shake of her head.
"…That's not the right way to think about it."
Still—
the timing matched.
Too well.
Lunivara stepped back slightly.
"…Let's not stay here."
"…Yes, milady."
They moved just enough to avoid attention.
Not hiding.
But not noticeable either.
A carriage arrived.
Cedric helped Velarisse in.
The movement was smooth.
Practiced.
Then he followed.
The door closed.
The carriage left.
Silence returned to the street.
Then—
"Did you see that?"
"They look perfect together…"
"They'd make a great ruler someday…"
Voices.
Soft—but not quiet enough.
Lunivara didn't react.
She had heard worse.
But—
"Did you see her…?"
"She's even prettier up close…"
"Lady Thyselle really is different…"
"…She feels so gentle."
A small pause.
"…And Lady Lunivara…"
"…She's beautiful too, but…"
The voice lowered slightly.
"…It's not the same."
"…Yeah."
Not loud.
Not cruel.
Just… comparison.
Clara's expression hardened.
Her gaze shifted toward them—
sharp.
The group stiffened immediately.
"…Ah—"
"…We didn't mean—"
They quickly looked away.
Silence followed.
Clara remained still for a second longer.
Then relaxed.
"…Shall we go, milady?"
Lunivara nodded.
"…Yes."
They walked.
No rush.
No tension.
Just forward.
After a while—
Lunivara glanced down at the map in her hands.
Then ahead.
[Some things stay the same.]
A pause.
[But not everything.]
Her expression didn't change much.
But something inside her settled.
Not confusion.
Not fear.
Just… understanding.
"…We'll go back," she said.
"…Yes, milady."
The noble district continued behind them.
Unchanged.
But Lunivara—
was not.
End of Chapter 33