CHAPTER 61…………………………………………..
And competing in the finals would be an entirely different matter.
“Since the semifinals are coming up, you should be practicing, so thank you for taking the time for this.”
“No, it’s nothing. Even if I stayed home…”
Lady Adonis, fiddling with the petals of the bouquet, forced a smile as she answered.
“It was… an uncomfortable situation anyway.”
Yes, that seemed likely. Considering Count Betrice’s temperament, no one could have expected him to remain calm.
She had probably been in a situation where she had to constantly tread carefully.
“You didn’t have to go this far to congratulate me.”
Despite saying that, Lady Adonis couldn’t take her eyes off the bouquet, which was rather endearing.
It was like a child seeing a long-desired toy for the first time, transfixed by the treasure in front of them—just as if she had wanted to receive this bouquet.
“I didn’t expect to like it this much. If I had known, I would have given you a bouquet last time too.”
“Was it that obvious?”
“Yes.”
She sipped her tea and nodded slightly.
Lady Adonis’s cheeks were tinged pink, like soft rose petals, and her green eyes shimmered as if holding tiny raindrops.
Anyone could see it—the face of someone truly happy and delighted.
When I answered with certainty, Lady Adonis, slightly embarrassed, set the bouquet on the chair beside her and cleared her throat.
Seeing her like this was refreshing, given how rigid and inflexible she usually appeared.
“This is the first time I’ve received a bouquet.”
Her unexpected words made me pause, a faint smile lingering on my lips.
“I never got one at the academy entrance ceremony, nor at graduation.”
Not even at the knighthood ceremony.
She didn’t say it explicitly, but the implication was clear.
Since Count Betrice disliked Lady Adonis taking up the sword, he probably hadn’t congratulated her.
If he hadn’t given gifts for entrance and graduation, then at the knighthood ceremony, she would have received nothing at all.
Now, it made perfect sense why Lady Adonis reacted so strongly to a simple bouquet.
When the count didn’t offer congratulations, no one else could comfortably give them either.
Everyone in the Betrice household—and even extended family—would have been watching the count and Adolphe’s reactions closely.
“Lady Adonis.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Her green eyes met mine squarely.
She didn’t show disappointment or sadness to her family, not out of habit, but because she had given up on them.
“Congratulations.”
I spoke clearly to her, watching as she visibly reacted to the words.
“And congratulations in advance for winning the upcoming sword tournament as well.”
“H-ha… haha…”
At my last remark, she let out a shy laugh, seemingly flustered, and buried her face in her hands, her cheeks deeply flushed.
“What if I don’t win?”
“Who else could possibly win besides you?”
She was the first female knight in the royal guard. Few could understand how much effort it took for a woman to earn the title of ‘first’ and ‘youngest’ in a male-dominated field.
Those titles were a product of her talent and hard work.
Though she looked embarrassed at my assertion, I spoke with conviction—I truly believed it.
Her expression was a mixture of surprise, happiness, slight sadness, and a hint of relief.
Why that face? I wondered, as she murmured softly above her breath:
“I feel… strange.”
Unexpected words. I put down my teacup and looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
“I never thought I’d hear congratulations from Your Highness.”
She kept her gaze slightly downcast, but her expression suggested she might have wanted to cry.
“That was truly what I wanted to hear.”
Taking a small breath, Lady Adonis straightened her posture and looked at me.
She didn’t shed tears, but her face, now a little lighter, carried a faint weariness and a trace of emptiness.
“It’s something I could hear a hundred times over.”
“Yes, really, it’s something I could say a hundred times.”
She nodded in agreement. I sensed that the person she had originally wanted to hear this from wasn’t me, but her family in the count’s household.
There was a faint bitterness, like the lingering aftertaste of chocolate.
“At first, I worked hard because I liked it, and I worked hard because I wanted to be good.”
Lady Adonis, whose expressions usually weren’t very varied, now showed subtle shifts.
Seeing her expression about to twist slightly, I poked the piece of cake in front of me with my fork.
She continued speaking.
“But I also worked hard because I wanted recognition.”
“….”
“Maybe it sounds childish.”
“Why would that be childish?”
“Don’t you think it’s immature?”
“I don’t really understand why you feel that way.”
I truly asked, not mocking.
Coming from a prestigious sword-famed family, it was natural she wanted her father’s recognition.
“Anyone would want support and praise for doing well and working hard.”
“….”
“And wanting recognition from others is one thing, but from family, it’s even more natural.”
Lady Adonis lowered her head deeply, still facing me.
Watching her remain silent, I sipped my tea.
I understood her feelings; I had once felt similar when observing Barak.
I had thought that if I blended in among the nobles, gained knowledge of alchemy, and displayed proper manners, he might finally notice me.
I had hoped, even if briefly, that he might recognize me as family.
Such desires exist in both children and fully grown adults.
“If someone has no desire for that, where do they come from?”
I tilted my head slightly toward Lady Adonis, who kept her face hidden.
Could she be about to cry?
I hesitated, reaching out to touch her shoulder.
Slowly, she lifted her head, and there were no tears in her eyes.
A momentary relief washed over me. If she had cried, I wouldn’t have known how to comfort her.
“I never expected to hear these words from Your Highness.”
“Was it presumptuous, like when I visited the count’s house?”
It was a relief she didn’t cry. I held my teacup more lightly, savoring the aroma.
“I just didn’t expect Your Highness to say what I truly wanted to hear.”
“….”
“It was really what I wanted to hear.”
She drew out the last words, murmuring almost plaintively, her expression suggesting she wanted to cry.
“I’m realizing how glad I am to have entered the sword tournament.”
Perhaps because I had kept people from coming upstairs, the dessert shop felt unusually quiet.
As the surrounding sounds faded, I waited for the rest of her words.
“If a stranger understands my feelings more than my family…”
“….”
“Then that must mean they aren’t family.”
Her gaze, previously directed toward the terrace, slowly shifted to me.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
For the first time, Lady Adonis smiled genuinely, with a sense of relief and clarity.
I couldn’t tell if her smile was because I understood her feelings or because her inner worry had finally been resolved.
“Have you ever felt the same way, Your Highness?”
Why not?
“I’ve thought before that if I work hard… if I try, someday someone will notice me.”
I had thought someone would look at me as Irina, not April. The memory of the late duchess who had insisted I be called April and “mother” was vivid.
Being adopted as the duke’s daughter and receiving a new name felt completely different.
It seemed everyone accepted me as family, but that wasn’t entirely true. I had been merely a stand-in, pacifying the late duchess’s nerves with her sedatives.
Because of that, I had once treated the duke’s offer to officially adopt me on my seventeenth birthday as a reward for my efforts.
I had thought, finally, someone would see me as Irina, not April.
Many things changed after finding April, though.
I wasn’t formally adopted, and since my real daughter had been found, I thought I would regain the name Irina—but that didn’t happen either.
“It all ended up for nothing, though.”
