SUPER SIDE STORY 10
When they arrived at the palace, the chamberlain came out to greet them.
As Evelina and Arsen stepped down from the carriage, the chamberlain bowed his head and said,
“You may wait in the reception room until it’s time to go together. I’ll show you the way.”
As they headed toward the reception room, Evelina glanced out the window.
She had felt it on the way over too, but today the weather seemed particularly nice.
Since the Kingdom of Astina enjoyed mild weather year-round, they had timed their trip to the empire to coincide with such warm, pleasant conditions.
“You can wait here.”
The chamberlain bowed again and left the reception room.
Soon after, a maid came in carrying refreshments.
The teacups were filled to the brim with clear, fragrant black tea.
Once the maid left, Evelina carefully lifted her cup and took a sip.
“Did we arrive too early?”
“I don’t think so. Even if you came early, it’s better than being late.”
“That’s true. I haven’t seen Selene in years, and I wonder if she’s the same as before.”
Evelina chuckled softly.
They nibbled on the cookies they had prepared together and chatted, when suddenly the reception room door swung open.
Evelina and Arsen immediately stood up.
Jonas and Selene entered together.
Upon seeing Evelina, Selene’s face broke into a radiant smile, and she immediately embraced her.
“It’s been so long, Evelina!”
“It’s been a long time, Selene.”
Evelina smiled and returned the hug.
Selene hadn’t changed much from a few years ago.
The only noticeable difference was her long hair, now cut into a short bob.
Every time she moved, her elaborate jewelry jingled and tinkled.
Selene spoke with a joyful expression.
“Though it’s a bit late, congratulations on having a child.”
“Thank you for the congratulations.”
Selene excitedly started chatting about various things.
Jonas, standing behind her, wore a sullen expression.
When she spoke to him, Selene had always been brief and to the point.
Not that she was rude or disrespectful, but seeing her immediately change her demeanor upon seeing Evelina left him feeling somewhat deflated.
He thought back to how well they used to get along when they were younger, but realized the past was just the past.
Seizing a moment, Jonas naturally stepped in.
“I look forward to working with you, Grand Duchess.”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’ll take good care of the Queen.”
Selene’s smile grew even brighter at the prospect of being with Evelina.
Meanwhile, Arsen’s expression was the opposite.
He stared at Selene with a rigid, almost wary gaze.
Jonas quietly shook his head and clicked his tongue in exasperation.
As they left the reception room and headed toward the carriage, Selene spoke.
“Sorry for being stubborn. I wanted to be with you while I’m in the empire.”
“No, it’s fine. Thanks to that, we also got to come to the capital after a long time. The children are happy too.”
“How old are the children now?”
“They’re twins, so they’re eight.”
Selene’s eyes lit up as she asked one question after another about the children, and Evelina answered carefully.
Fortunately, Selene didn’t seem to dislike children, which eased Evelina’s mind.
With a worried expression, Selene asked,
“Do you think the children will like me?”
“Oh, of course they will!”
“But… don’t children usually prefer gentle and delicate women like you?”
Evelina’s eyes went wide.
“I’m not gentle. My personality is pretty blunt…”
“Selene, that’s a completely unnecessary worry. The children have been so curious about who you are that they barely slept last night.”
“What if they’re disappointed?”
“If the children were to be disappointed in you, I’d be disappointed in my own children. I never raised them that way.”
Evelina spoke firmly.
Arsen, standing beside her, quietly added,
“That’s right. Not just because they’re my children—Rosel and Luamin are not the type to be disappointed like that.”
“Rosel? Lu? Their names are Rosel and Lu?”
“That’s just what we call them. The girl is Roselia, and the boy is Luamin.”
“Those are really beautiful names.”
They continued chatting as they climbed into the carriage they had been waiting for.
As the carriage approached the mansion, Selene gradually spoke less.
Her face was full of tension.
Evelina smiled gently and lightly tapped the back of Selene’s hand, signaling that she didn’t need to be nervous.
Finally, the carriage slowly stopped.
Selene swallowed audibly.
Noah came out to greet them.
As the carriage door opened, Evelina asked,
“The children?”
“They said they would wait together but went to have their snacks since it was snack time.”
“So the snacks are more important than me, huh?”
“They’re still children.”
Evelina laughed softly.
As Selene approached, Noah bowed respectfully.
“Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Noah, the steward of the Grand Duke’s household. You may call me Noah.”
“Very well, pleased to meet you. Please take care of me while I’m at the mansion.”
Selene laughed heartily.
Seeing her looking around, probably searching for the children, Evelina spoke.
“The children went to have snacks. They’ve probably finished by now. Let’s go in, Selene.”
“Ah… yes.”
Her expression, which had briefly relaxed, tensed again.
They entered the mansion side by side.
As they stepped inside, the sound of quick footsteps came rushing toward them.
“Mom!”
“Dad!”
Roselia and Luamin ran down the stairs and each jumped into Evelina’s and Arsen’s arms.
Their attention quickly shifted to Selene.
When both children looked at her at the same time, Selene flinched slightly, then forced an awkward smile.
“Ah… hello?”
The children’s eyes sparkled. When Selene raised her hand to greet them, they immediately straightened up and bowed politely.
“Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Roselia Rockfelt.”
“I am Luamin Rockfelt.”
Selene’s eyes widened in surprise at their composed manners.
“Please take care of me, Your Majesty.”
“Please take care of me too.”
The two children standing side by side looked just like living dolls.
Their pale skin, large eyes, and delicate features made them seem almost unreal.
Selene was so charmed that she could hardly think straight.
Evelina instructed Noah,
“Noah, please take Selene to the prepared room.”
“Understood. Your Majesty, this way, please.”
“You must be tired from traveling. Rest well until dinner.”
Selene nodded and cast a reluctant glance back at the children before following Noah.
Since she would be at the mansion for the entire stay, there was no need for her to feel regret about seeing the children only today.
As Selene went up the stairs, Evelina exhaled in relief.
Roselia and Luamin clung to her dress and asked,
“Mom, did we do well?”
“You did well?”
Evelina smiled and sat down.
“Yes, you did wonderfully.”
The children visibly brightened at her praise.
Arsen smirked and ruffled Luamin’s hair.
Roselia leaned close to Evelina as if sharing a secret.
“The Queen, she’s…”
“Yes?”
“Really, really amazing.”
Roselia’s eyes sparkled.
Given that Selene looked completely different from the empire’s citizens, her impression was understandable.
Evelina lightly pinched Roselia’s nose and let go, saying,
“Would you like to tell the Queen yourself later? She’ll love it.”
“Yes! Can we also ride the swing with the Queen?”
“Hmm… if the Queen says it’s okay.”
Roselia nodded eagerly and bounced excitedly.
If Selene heard this, she would surely be delighted.
After sending the children off, Evelina went upstairs to change clothes.
“I wanted to do some boating with the kids, but it might be more fun with Selene.”
“Looks like Rosel and Luamin like the Queen quite a bit. Doing boating together could be a good way to get closer.”
Thinking she would ask Selene later, Evelina left a brief kiss on Arsen’s lips and entered the dressing room.
With Berry’s help, she changed clothes and flopped onto the bed, feeling tired despite not having moved much.
“Berry, if Selene comes looking, wake me immediately, okay?”
“Yes, Grand Duchess. Rest comfortably.”
She drew the curtains to block the sunlight and stilled her footsteps.
No sooner had Berry left than Evelina fell into a deep sleep.
At some point, she briefly opened her eyes and found she was not alone.
She was nestled against Arsen’s broad chest.
Evelina let out a soft laugh and snuggled deeper into his embrace.
“You can sleep more.”
“What time… is it?”
“Not much has passed. It’s still far from dinner, so rest a little longer.”
Arsen gently patted her back in a steady rhythm.
Evelina’s eyes drooped again.
Not fully awake, she could fall asleep easily with just a little comfort.
Eventually, her heavy eyelids succumbed, and she drifted back to sleep.
When she woke again, Arsen was still beside her.
This time, he was fast asleep, breathing softly.
Though he didn’t show it, he must have been quite exhausted.
It made sense—he had been busy handling matters without rest even after coming to the capital.
Evelina looked at him sympathetically and carefully smoothed his disheveled hair with her fingers.
She gently pressed his furrowed brows to relax them.
Afraid that loud breathing might wake him, she breathed barely at all.
Even without moving, her gaze alone seemed intense enough to hold his attention.
