Episode 29
Helena led the way, passing many noble ladies and heading up to the second floor of the Count’s mansion. Eventually, we entered a room with a terrace, where a few noble ladies were sitting around a table. As soon as they saw me, they stood up and lifted the ends of their dresses in greeting.
The terrace looked out over the garden below. Including Helena and me, there were five ladies here in total. All of them seemed to be high-ranking nobles, giving off a very different vibe from the ladies down in the garden. It almost felt like this separation was intentional.
“Lady Cowet, let me introduce you. This is Rey from the Hohin family, Bibiana from the Hattra family, and Ellie from the Locke family.”
The stiff, political atmosphere made me even more nervous. I suddenly envied the ladies in the garden below, chatting freely and walking around. These ladies here probably felt proud to be in this exclusive group.
Except for Helena, the other three were new faces—I hadn’t seen them at the last party.
“You’re as beautiful as they say.”
“Your outfit is so stylish.”
“Your pink hair is so mysterious.”
After those sweet, polite compliments were passed around, the real conversation began.
“We were just discussing the border defense system that’s been such a hot topic lately.”
These ladies clearly came from families with bright futures. They were so sharp and smart—having serious political discussions at a tea party? That’s elite behavior. Helena must like surrounding herself with intelligent women like herself.
“I believe the noble families that own the borderlands should train and manage the border guards. After all, they get all the benefits from that land.”
“I disagree. I think the Empire should manage it. That’s how we make our national defense stronger.”
Each lady gave her opinion clearly and confidently.
To put it simply, the main issue was: Who should pay for the defense? From what I could tell, two supported nobles paying, and the other two supported the Empire paying.
If this were the original Eilene, she might not have enjoyed social events, but she would’ve easily joined this kind of discussion. Unfortunately, I wasn’t her. I was holding back yawns the whole time. At least Eilene’s quiet personality gave me an excuse to stay silent.
“Lady Cowet, what do you think?”
But of course, that was just my assumption. Helena made sure to include me by asking for my opinion.
I was trying to stay out of it by just nodding in agreement—but no, she had to go and ask.
All the ladies looked at me with sparkling eyes, clearly waiting for my answer. It felt like they were hoping I’d take their side and tip the scale. With it being two versus two, I had to say something, even if it was random.
“I think so too.”
I nodded while looking around at everyone.
“Huh?”
But because I didn’t know enough and didn’t want to pick a side, my vague answer wasn’t received well. They all looked confused.
Do I have to choose?
Well, if they insist, then the best answer is… both. If you’re Korean, you’ve probably heard of the wise Prime Minister Hwang Hee, who worked until he was 70 thanks to the king’s love. He was known for saying, “You’re right too.” That’s the mindset I decided to copy.
With a gentle smile, I said:
“The nobles training the border guards is right, and the Empire managing them is also right.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Then who should take responsibility?”
The ladies didn’t understand and asked for a clearer answer.
I kept a calm face and answered again:
“Both sides have good points.”
“But in the end, someone has to take responsibility.”
“Then both can do it together.”
“Both?”
When I didn’t take either side, the ladies looked a little surprised. So I gave my final conclusion.
“The noble families can train the guards, and the Empire can provide funding and support. Doesn’t that make sense?”
“Ah!”
A compromise. The magic solution to every issue. If both sides make sense, the best thing is to combine the strengths of each.
Sure, it’s easier said than done—but in theory, it sounded perfect.
Finally understanding what I meant, the ladies let out amazed gasps.
“You’re so smart!”
“That would really work!”
“Let’s tell our fathers about this idea!”
Their reactions were even better than I expected. I was the one surprised now. Wait, were they really arguing this whole time without realizing this obvious solution?
Somehow, I had ended up taking the lead in the conversation. The ladies now looked at me like I was the brains of the group. Their eyes were filled with admiration.
They also started reacting more strongly to everything I said, probably trying to get on my good side. Every little comment I made was met with praise and excitement.
And since I’m human too… getting all that attention felt really good.
I shouldn’t have let it get to my head. I should’ve held back…
But I got carried away. Before I knew it, I started talking more than I planned.
“Phew. Actually, my cousin’s family governs one of the border regions. They’ve had a lot of worries too. But hearing such a wise suggestion from you, Lady Cowet, really puts my mind at ease.”
“Oh, you mean Sir Dallas, right?”
“Yes.”
Bibiana blushed shyly but proudly. When she said his name, all the ladies lit up and giggled.
Even these noble ladies who discussed national politics were very interested in men. Well, they were at the age to talk about marriage, after all.
And the way Bibiana looked when she mentioned him reminded me of my face whenever I thought of the Grand Duke. I felt both familiar with her expression… and a little left out.
Wait—who is this Dallas? I want to see him too!
But of course, there were no photos here. I had to rely on their descriptions.
While I sat there quietly and confused, Helena kindly explained:
“Sir Dallas is considered one of the top five most handsome men in the entire Prales Empire.”
“He’s very good-looking.”
“And incredibly popular too!”
“Really?”
Hmph. I bet he’s not more handsome than my Grand Duke.
I was about to just nod politely and end the topic when something they said caught my full attention.
“Sir Dallas has blue eyes too.”
“Oho? Blue eyes, you say?”
That one word pulled me right in. He has the same eye color as Raymond?!
Any true fan knows—if someone even slightly resembles your favorite, you automatically become curious.
“Oh my, it looks like Lady Cowet is interested too!”
The ladies laughed, seeing how my expression brightened.
I touched my chin lightly and declared in a serious tone:
“A man must have blue eyes.”
“Kyahhh!”
“You’re so wise!”
“You’re right! Out of the five most handsome men in the Empire, three have blue eyes!”
The ladies clapped happily.
I nodded a couple of times and added an explanation.
“The deep blue color is as mysterious and beautiful as ocean waves.”
“Oh my goodness!”
“That’s so true!”
I no longer felt left out. We were all united in our love for handsome men. Turns out, social gatherings could be fun too.
But then Helena said something that quickly snapped me back to reality.
“Oh my, Lady Cowet. You must really like His Majesty. You’re praising blue eyes so much—just like his.”
“….”
Excuse me? Not him.
I almost made a face but held it in.
No! Not the emperor!
As a passionate fan of the Grand Duke, it hurt me not to correct them, but it was safer to let them believe what they wanted. It was better for me this way.
Then, something else popped into my head.
Wait… the Emperor has blue eyes too.
Whether they were blue or brown, I had never cared. Maybe because his whole vibe was so different from the Grand Duke, his eyes didn’t affect me at all.
Why do the Grand Duke’s blue eyes feel so deep like the ocean, while the Emperor’s look so shallow and empty?
I didn’t want to admit their eyes were the same color.
Just then, the glass door to the terrace opened, and a new lady stepped out.
“Hello! Sorry I’m late.”
She had long teal-colored hair and red eyes, and her cheeks were flushed pink from rushing over. She was smiling brightly.
Her face looked really familiar…
I stared hard at her, trying to remember where I had seen her. Then Helena kindly introduced her.
“Welcome. This is Lady Navien from the Run family, Lady Cowet.”
Wait—Run family?
The moment I made eye contact with Navien, I had to quickly hide my surprise.
No wonder she looked familiar—she must be Adrien’s younger sister. She looked just like her brother.
Now that I thought about it, I remembered Adrien once inviting me to visit, and I think he mentioned the name Navien.
He said she wanted to meet me.
So we were already acquainted. I wasn’t sure how close they were, but compared to the other ladies I didn’t know at all, I had to at least act a little happy to see her.
Since Eilene wasn’t someone who made big emotional displays, I decided to show just a little warmth.
“Nice to meet you.”
I raised the corners of my lips and smiled gently.
Perfect! I pulled off the classy and elegant smile just right, showing just enough emotion without being too much. Hehe.
