Episode 5
She had volunteered at orphanages with her mother before, caring for children, but she had never had a younger sibling. Would simply staying by his side really have an effect on this child? Regardless, Eres seemed fine for now.
“Hebe, take this off.”
Still lying with his head on Hebe’s lap, Eres pulled at the veil she was wearing. In the meantime, the veil had become disheveled again, partially obscuring Hebe’s vision.
“Madame Clemens said I must not show my hair…” “Hebe is going to be my wife, so it’s okay to take off the veil in front of me.”
Eres was right. Even if he was young, he would soon be her husband, and Madame Clemens had certainly said it was fine to show her hair to her husband. Having made up her mind, Hebe took off the cumbersome veil. Eres wound Hebe’s wavy hair around his hand and toyed with it.
“Hebe, your eyes sparkle and your hair sparkles, so you’re just like a jewel.” “It’s probably because of the light. In Irene, there are many people with the same hair color as me.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Eres, what are you doing here?”
A tall woman with a cold impression appeared at the doorway. Despite it being the middle of the night, she was perfectly dressed in a purple gown with sable fur lining the edges of the sleeves.
“Mother.”
Eres sprang up from Hebe’s lap and called out to the woman.
“I didn’t know you and Miss Haenel had met already.” “I was talking with Hebe.”
Eres seemed surprised by his mother’s sudden appearance but quickly regained his composure and answered. The lady called a maid to take Eres away. Unable to disobey his mother, Eres reluctantly followed the maid out of the room. Left alone with the lady, Hebe carefully gathered her hands and bowed.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Hebe Haenel.” “I am Fausta Gracchus. You’ve worked hard coming such a long way.”
Hebe was tense, yet she observed Fausta with a curious gaze. Fausta’s eyes were a beautiful red, just like Eres’s.
“It seems you have already greeted my son.” “Yes… your son guided me to this room.”
Looking around the room at Hebe’s words, Fausta asked.
“Do you like the room?” “Yes. It’s a large and wonderful room, so I think I’ll be able to stay comfortably. Thank you.” “Now that you’ve seen him in person, what do you think of my son?” “Pardon?”
Fausta revealed a sigh and a sneer at the same time.
“Eres has been physically weak and prone to illness since birth. It is a miracle he grew that much. He is the only heir, yet what an ordeal this is.”
“The oracle revealed the solution and I am here now, so you won’t have to worry anymore.” “I should hope so.”
Hebe felt Fausta staring intently into her eyes.
“I have told others that Miss Haenel is here to build her character through her connection with our family.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Hebe nodded. In aristocratic society, it was common for young women to visit other families for the purpose of broadening their horizons.
“It would be good to think of this as a chance to see and learn things different from your hometown.”
Mentioning it was late, Fausta stood up. Hebe followed to see her out. Before leaving the room, she turned back to Hebe.
“Once again, thank you for coming. It couldn’t have been easy to give up ten years of your time.” “I look forward to your kind guidance as well.”
The door closed, and Hebe was left alone in the now quiet room. Hebe went to the fireplace and looked at the white flames burning with a crackling sound, retracing the events of the day. By now, her mother would be wondering if Hebe had arrived safely.
A woman she hadn’t seen before came up to help Hebe prepare for bed. Hebe asked her a few questions, but the woman spoke with such a heavy dialect that conversation was difficult. The woman waited until Hebe finished her meal and helped her change into her nightgown.
On her first night in the castle, Hebe lay alone in the large bed. Her body was exhausted, but perhaps because of the unfamiliar setting, sleep did not come easily.
‘I have to make this my home for the next ten years, so let’s adjust.’
Staring at the dark ceiling and tossing and turning for a while, Hebe finally closed her eyes.
When day broke, the woman who had attended her yesterday came up again. Hebe, who had woken up early, had already put on her clothes and asked the woman to tighten the laces at her back and fix her hair. The woman seemed to appreciate that Hebe wasn’t as fastidious as other noblewomen, but in reality, Hebe simply didn’t have the confidence to give detailed instructions to a woman she could barely communicate with.
“Hebe, you woke up early.”
As Hebe went downstairs alone, Eres ran toward her.
“It seems Eres woke up early as well.” “I usually wake up at this time. I thought Hebe might sleep in because she was tired.”
Eres pulled Hebe’s hand, suggesting they have breakfast together.
“It seems the others haven’t arrived yet; is it alright if we eat first?”
Hebe asked, noticing that there was no one but her and Eres in the vast dining room.
“Everyone followed my father today because he has work to do. Sit here, Hebe.”
Sitting at the table, Eres pointed to the seat next to him. Hebe hesitated. The seat Eres sat in was the seat of the head of the household, and the one next to it was for the head’s wife. Eres was the son of the house, so it didn’t matter where he sat, but Hebe couldn’t rashly sit just anywhere.
“I’ll just sit here.”
Eres looked puzzled as Hebe sat in the seat furthest from the center of the table.
“This seat over here is higher and better, though?” “I like this seat.”
When Hebe showed no sign of moving, Eres picked up his plate and came over to where Hebe was.
“Then I’ll eat here too.”
Aren’t you becoming attached to people too quickly, considering we just met? Hebe didn’t know how to handle Eres’s friendly attitude, which was like that of a puppy. Even if he was a cute and sociable child, they had only met twice, so she still found Eres unfamiliar.
“Hebe, but can’t you speak comfortably to me?” “Um… speak informally?”
Hebe, who had been using formal language with Eres since they met yesterday, fell into thought. Eres was the heir to this house, and there was a clear difference in their social status. And since they weren’t close yet, it was difficult to suddenly drop the formalities.
“Then if I speak informally, will Eres do the same for me?” “No, just Hebe speak comfortably. I’m more comfortable using formal language.” “You’re more comfortable using formal language? Why?” “I was told a man must always use formal language to a lady. They said the higher the status of a person, the more they respect their counterpart.”
When Hebe said she would continue to use formal language then, Eres stubbornly insisted he didn’t want that. The two argued for a while before finally agreeing to gradually lower their speech to each other.
“Is your body alright now? You were coughing yesterday.” “I’m fine. I don’t actually get sick that often like yesterday.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Eres picked up one of the breads piled high in a bowl and placed it on Hebe’s plate. The white bread, which still had a trace of warmth, was stamped with a seal. Hebe picked up the bread and examined the seal closely.
She had heard that bread delivered to high-ranking families was stamped with a seal to distinguish it from other breads, but it was her first time seeing it in person. Hebe nibbled on the bread with a sense of wonder. Eres placed other foods on Hebe’s plate besides bread, but most were too greasy and strongly scented for Hebe’s taste.
“Why aren’t you eating, Hebe?”
When Hebe didn’t even touch a dish of small birds pickled in spices, Eres tilted his head. Hebe smiled and pushed the plate away.
“I’m full, so I think I can stop eating now.” “You didn’t eat much…” “Eres, you should eat more.” “I’m going to stop too.”
As Hebe showed signs of getting up, Eres pushed his plate away as well.
“Hebe, did you happen to see my gift?” “A gift?” “I sent a gift too when they sent the clothes and jewelry to Hebe.”
Hebe recalled the expensive wedding gifts the Gracchus family had sent before she came to Divenia. Most of them were still unpacked.
“You didn’t know I gave you a gift, did you?”
Noticing Hebe’s hesitation, Eres muttered gloomily. Hebe took Eres’s hand and spoke in a soothing tone.
“So many gifts came that I couldn’t check them all… Would you like to go with me now and tell me what it is?” “Shall we?”
Like a child, Eres’s face brightened instantly. It was just as the two were about to hold hands and leave the dining room.
Suddenly, the sound of a window breaking echoed from behind, and an arrow flew in. Startled, Hebe pulled Eres into an embrace.
“What was 그 소리? Is someone there?”
Hasty footsteps approached, and a woman carrying a sword appeared at the doorway. Eres spoke on behalf of Hebe, who was trembling without knowing why.
“The window broke, Lydia! I think there’s an intruder.” “Stand back; it’s dangerous.”
Lydia drew her sword and approached the window. The sound of scattered glass shards being crushed under her feet echoed. Hebe stared with a frozen gaze at the arrow lodged in the opposite wall. It was dizzying to think that either she or Eres could have been hit by that arrow.
