Chapter 59
Before going home, I looked for Melas.
I had something very important to tell him.
When I passed the message to a nearby subordinate, Melas came out from his office.
“Lady Eilene, you were looking for me?”
“Melas, um…”
When he looked at me curiously, I hesitated a bit and then asked,
“How much do you have left to read in Night of Ecstasy in Paradise?”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“That book in Raymond’s room. He said it’s yours. I’d like to borrow it once you’re done.”
“Oh…”
Melas paused, thinking hard. Then his eyes suddenly widened in recognition.
“Ah! The one with the red cover?”
“Yes! That one!”
“That book actually belongs to the Grand Duke. He doesn’t let us touch it.”
“What?”
I stared at him, eyes wide.
Wait…
Did Raymond lie to me?
He pretended it was Melas’s book, but it was actually his all along!
“I see. Got it.”
If he’s going to play it like that, fine—I have my own tricks.
For now, I pretended to back off and left quietly.
Meanwhile…
After seeing Eilene and Coa off, Melas returned to his office. As soon as he sat down at his desk, someone knocked.
“Come in.”
At his reply, a group of subordinates entered.
Why are they all here together? From their serious expressions, something was definitely up.
“Melas, we need to talk.”
Drew stepped forward. Melas nodded, signaling him to go ahead.
“Is the Grand Duke… really okay like this?”
“What do you mean?”
Melas frowned.
Another subordinate jumped in.
“Lady Eilene is the Emperor’s fiancée, right? I heard she’s often summoned to the capital. Why is His Grace keeping her close? We’re worried he’s making a mistake.”
“You’ve seen it too, haven’t you? How His Grace has changed since he started spending time with her.”
Yes… of course he knew.
At first, the Grand Duke was simply in a cooperative relationship with Lady Eilene. But over time, he had clearly grown attached to her. Even Melas had noticed the change—and now, even the subordinates were picking up on it.
Earlier, he had been truly shocked.
As soon as the Grand Duke saw Eilene, his face lit up like the sun.
In all their eight years together, Melas had never seen him smile like that—not once since they had grown up together.
That’s when Melas became sure.
The Grand Duke was in love.
He just didn’t realize it yet.
But Melas said nothing. He neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply tried to calm the others.
“Don’t jump to conclusions. Lady Eilene must have her reasons.”
“What reasons?”
“I don’t know. But look—she’s helping His Grace. Like with that spy Kargo, and again now with the potion she brought. If not for her, His Grace might not have woken up.”
He knew the subordinates wouldn’t accept this easily. And sure enough, their protests grew louder.
“The potion was helpful, yes. But what if it was bait?”
“Exactly. Where is she even getting those rare potions from? The most likely source is the Emperor.”
They had a point.
Those kinds of healing potions were incredibly rare—even most noble families didn’t have one. Unless you were connected to the Magic Tower, and only someone like the Emperor had that kind of access.
Melas was stuck.
Because of his promise to Eilene, he couldn’t tell the truth.
Instead of making claims he couldn’t back up, he chose to keep things calm on the surface.
“You’re right. Your concerns make sense. But she’s also been a huge help. For now, let’s just stay alert and watch. I’ll try to talk to the Grand Duke when the time is right.”
“…Understood.”
Reluctantly, they nodded and left the room.
Alone again, Melas rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
He had doubted her too, at first. Even while receiving her help, he’d wondered what she was after.
But her attitude, her expressions—those had left a lasting impression.
Melas was a man who had been in love before.
He knew the look in someone’s eyes when they truly cared about another person.
And Eilene had that look—when she gazed at the Grand Duke, her eyes were filled with warmth.
If he said he trusted her because of that, would others call him foolish?
Either way, all doubt ended yesterday.
He had learned the truth about the healing potion—it came from Eilene’s own body.
She worked hard to save the Grand Duke, even giving him CPR disguised as a kiss.
If the other subordinates knew all that, maybe they wouldn’t doubt her anymore.
Still, their worries weren’t wrong either.
No matter how sincere she was, the fact remained: her public title was still the Emperor’s fiancée.
What are you going to do, Your Grace?
With that thought, Melas sighed deeply.
The heavy weight of the situation pressed down on his chest.
Later…
I had a brilliant plan.
The goal: Borrow Night of Ecstasy in Paradise!
When I arrived at the hideout and knocked on the door, I stepped in quietly—and there he was.
Raymond was reading that book, completely focused.
He was so absorbed, he didn’t even notice I’d come in.
As he read, his face was flushed, and he took a deep breath.
Then he gently touched his lips with his fingers.
Does he always do that while reading?
I crept closer to surprise him and called his name.
“Raymond!”
“E-Eilene!”
Just as I thought, he jumped and quickly closed the book.
“You were reading something?”
“Y-yeah.”
He was so startled, he was sweating. I felt a little bad… but honestly, it was kind of cute.
“Oh? Isn’t this Melas’s book?”
I acted like I didn’t know the truth.
“Melas was reading it, and now you’re reading it too? I guess he finished it?”
“Y-yeah. That’s what he said.”
“Perfect! Then once you’re done, I’ll borrow it next.”
Now Raymond was in trouble.
If I asked Melas for the book, his lie would be exposed.
And just like I expected, he panicked and tried to fix things.
“I’ve already finished it. You can borrow it now.”
“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll ask Melas directly.”
“No need! You don’t have to go through that. Besides, Melas is busy these days—you might not even see him. Just take it.”
“Well, if you insist… I’ll gladly accept.”
I smiled as I took the book from him.
Raymond stared at me, then looked away, mumbling under his breath.
“Is it because of the book? I should stop reading this stuff…”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
He spoke too quietly for me to hear, and didn’t repeat himself.
Oh well. Who cares? I got what I came for!
I grinned happily.
Tonight, I’m staying up all night reading this!
Later at a Tavern…
I walked into the tavern and heard some people arguing.
I followed the voices and found Eden, Drew, and Chloe surrounding Melas.
“Melas, did you hear?”
“His Grace lent Night of Ecstasy in Paradise to Lady Eilene!”
“How could he?!”
Each of them took turns complaining, looking very serious.
Melas frowned and asked,
“Night of… what?”
“You know! That red-covered book—Night of Ecstasy in Paradise!”
“Oh…”
Just like when I had mentioned it, he looked up in realization.
Then, out of nowhere, Eden, Drew, and Chloe started arguing with each other.
“I asked to borrow it first!”
“No way! I did!”
“I’m number one!”
Watching them bicker, Melas looked stunned and sighed.
“Hah…”
Then he raised his voice with authority.
“Enough, you three. Settle down.”
The subordinates immediately quieted down.
But what Melas said next brought the chaos right back.
“I was first, actually!”
“What?! Melas, why are you only saying this now?”
“You’re trying to sneak in last-minute! No way!”
“Yeah! Take your turn like the rest of us!”
“You little—!”
As they argued loudly again, someone finally noticed I had arrived.
It was Evan, who rushed out to try and stop the chaos.
“Oh? Lady Eilene’s here.”
“Hello.”
As soon as my name was mentioned, the noisy room fell completely silent.
With all the fuss over this book, I was clearly the villain here.
It felt awkward, but I gave a small, polite greeting.
Still—this wasn’t enough to scare me off.
I walked confidently toward them. I had the perfect way to settle this.
“Everyone, calm down. Are you fighting over Night of Ecstasy in Paradise?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, I have a solution.”
They all looked at me, doubtful. But I continued confidently.
“Let’s all go to the bookstore and buy one copy each.”
“But it’s out of print!”
“Not anymore. It just got restocked—I checked on my way here.”
I pointed my finger confidently, sharing the good news.
The others’ gloomy faces quickly brightened.
“Really?”
“I have to go get one now!”
They all cheered and looked thrilled.
Even Melas, who had been trying to stay neutral, seemed happy.
And Evan, the only one quietly watching, looked at all of us and whispered,
“Even here, this kind of novel is super popular… The author must be making a fortune.”
With everyone now satisfied—including the author who just gained more sales—I smiled in delight.
