Chapter 32
If it had been any other day, she would have refused no matter how earnestly the Empress asked.
But today was different.
Since the plan they had worked on together had collapsed, she needed to soothe the Empress, who was now disappointed and angry.
Watching Florentia hesitate, Miranda lifted her thin eyebrows.
“The Grand Duke Klitzmann seems to be attending the party with the Payson young lady. If the two show up together after the hotel scandal… truly, the entire party will focus only on them. That must never happen.”
“…”
There was only one answer Florentia could give in this situation.
She had to say, Yes, I will do it.
Yet she hesitated.
She hated the idea of breaking her personal rule of never attending social gatherings.
And she wasn’t confident she could stand watching Elion dance with another woman as her partner.
Even so, she couldn’t allow the two of them to become the center of attention all evening.
And she needed to appease the Empress.
“…Very well.”
In the end, Florentia nodded.
Miranda beamed and took her hand.
“Oh my, you’ve made the right choice, Saint! This will surely become the most memorable scene of the entire social season!”
“…”
“Please, allow me to provide the dress you’ll wear that day.”
“Yes. I will receive it gratefully, Your Majesty.”
“Ah, I already can’t wait!”
That shrill, eager voice pricked sharply at Florentia’s temples.
The bouquet in Elion’s hand drew a flicker of surprise in the eyes of Countess Virginia Payson.
The Grand Duke Klitzmann with a bouquet—what an odd combination.
As an adult, he had never left the battlefield.
Naturally, his hands had likely held bloodstained swords far more often than anything else.
Even in the illustrations occasionally printed in newspapers, he was always shown with a sword or the severed head of a monster in hand.
But seeing him with flowers… suits him unexpectedly well.
After this brief thought, Virginia bowed politely.
“Welcome, Your Grace.”
“Good day, Countess. I came to check on Lady Rubiana.”
“Your Grace’s consideration is truly appreciated.”
Virginia herself escorted Elion to Rubiana’s bedroom on the third floor.
The reason Elion had come again today, right after yesterday’s visit, was because Rubiana had been placed under house restriction.
After hearing that she had gone out alone to the shopping district and nearly collapsed, the count and countess were horrified.
Today, she was ordered to stay in her room and rest both body and mind.
“But far from resting, I’m bored out of my mind.”
Rubiana grumbled with a pout as she sipped her milk tea.
“I wanted to go see Omar for a checkup, but I’m not allowed.”
“…”
“And I’m sorry for making Your Grace come all the way here when you’re busy.”
Her complaints rolled out one after another, like a string of candies.
Elion sat silently, listening as if engaged in some kind of ascetic discipline.
Then suddenly, her tone lifted to a bright, high pitch.
“But thank you for the bouquet. I really like it.”
Her gaze fell on the flowers on the table.
A bouquet of delicate baby’s breath with three red roses nestled at its center.
The contrast of soft white flowers and vivid red roses was lovely.
It kind of resembles me—silver hair and red eyes…
Seeing the gentle curl of her smiling lips, Elion felt grateful he had listened to Fred’s advice.
‘Surely you’re not planning to visit her empty-handed, Your Grace?’
‘I’m not visiting for her health. That’s just the excuse.’
‘Even so, everyone except the three of us will think of it as a courtesy visit.’
‘…Fair enough.’
It hadn’t been the most pleasant conversation, but thanks to it, he brought flowers.
Because of that bouquet, the countess had smiled warmly, and Rubiana had thanked him.
Fred is… surprisingly competent.
As Elion was quietly praising his aide in his mind, Rubiana looked at him and asked,
“Did Sir Fred choose the bouquet?”
“Fred offered some advice.”
Her guess was close to the truth but slightly off.
In the end, Elion had made the final decision.
He was the one who chose to bring flowers—who picked baby’s breath and red roses because they reminded him of her.
The smile that had lingered on Rubiana’s red lips began to fade, and she widened her eyes.
“Oh—what happened with that strange magic circle we found yesterday?”
“Ah, I forgot to mention that first.”
The person who had contributed most to the discovery of the magic circle was Rubiana.
Though they agreed to keep it a secret between them.
So Elion felt he ought to acknowledge her contribution properly.
“The High Priest and the Saint handled it well. The capital’s barrier is now completely restored.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Thanks to the reinforced barrier, no more monsters will appear in the capital. So you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“…Yes.”
Rubiana smiled softly.
The danger of becoming a target because of her leaking magic was gone!
Even without being fully ‘possessed,’ she had fulfilled the heroine’s role!
It felt like she had completed a difficult task—her heart felt much lighter.
Maybe that was why—
The milk tea tasted sweeter than before.
The apple pie too.
As she happily munched on her dessert—
“The one who made a major contribution to maintaining the capital’s safety is you, my lady. It’s unfortunate that we cannot reveal it.”
“What do you mean? You were the one who found the magic circle, Your Grace.”
“But it was thanks to you. Do you… want any reward? If it’s something I can grant, I’d like to do so.”
Rubiana’s red eyes widened for a moment.
She had acted because she felt it was her duty as the heroine.
She had never thought about receiving anything in return.
“I don’t need any reward. I’m grateful just for the thought. Really, it was just luck. And honestly, I’m the one who benefited most from discovering it. And also…”
“…”
“I’m already receiving the most important thing from Your Grace. That’s enough.”
“…Very well. If that’s how you feel, I won’t insist. But if you ever want anything in the future, tell me anytime.”
“Yes, I will.”
Watching her smile brightly and nod,
Elion felt a quiet sense of surprise.
This was completely different from the girl who had once knelt and begged for magic.
On the other hand, while he knew magic was still the most important thing to her right now, the fact that she wanted nothing else… made him feel oddly disappointed.
He had been prepared to give her land, wealth, even dresses or jewelry if she wanted.
Disappointed? What an absurd thought…
He drank his now-lukewarm tea and swallowed the useless thought.
After moving his lips a few times, he spoke again.
“There’s… something I’d like to ask of you.”
“What is it? You’re the one sharing your magic with me—of course I’ll do anything!”
Rubiana answered brightly.
But the moment she heard the request, she regretted it.
“Could you attend the party at the Burnet duchy this weekend as my partner?”
“A… party? As your… partner?”
Rubiana forgot she was chewing apple pie and stared blankly.
Speaking with food in her mouth—no proper noblewoman would ever do that.
“It’s His Majesty the Emperor’s order. If you decline, I’ll have to attend a marriage meeting with another lady.”
“A marriage… meeting?”
Ah, right. That was a thing, wasn’t it?
Rubiana finally recalled the description of Emperor Christopher Blay from the original novel.
The gentle emperor always carried a sense of debt toward his much younger half-brother Elion.
A guilt that he had stolen all the love the younger boy should have received.
The late Empress—Christopher’s stepmother and Elion’s birth mother—adored her stepson but abandoned her own child to a distant territory.
It had been the condition the Imperial Family required when she married the former emperor and became empress.
She must not bear a child.
And if she did, the child must be sent away immediately to a provincial estate and not raised in the palace.
All to protect Christopher, then the Crown Prince.
She accepted every condition, out of love for the former emperor and affection for Christopher.
Because of that, Elion grew up as an abandoned prince, without parental love.
Christopher, burdened by guilt, resolved to help Elion marry and form a family as soon as possible—despite Empress Miranda’s opposition.
