Chapter : 40
It had been a while since a formal public appearance, so Ruri and Yurie, excited as ever, clung to me and helped me get ready.
“What should you wear?”
“I hear a lot of important people will be there.”
“That’s right. I’ve been eating a lot of desserts lately… will a corset be okay?”
“Even after eating that much, your waist hasn’t changed.”
Hearing words that I couldn’t tell if they were flattery or sincerity, I put on the dress corset and suddenly wanted to see the face of the person who made it.
‘Was this even made for a human to wear?’
Yurie mercilessly tightened the corset strings.
“Then dresses with lots of frills or lace won’t do.”
“Ugh… stop… but why frills?”
“I’ve heard that too. In non-party settings, designs that look too childish aren’t allowed.”
It was like the logic of not wearing shorts to work.
I nodded. Putting on the pale navy dress with smooth pleats and twisting my hair up, I looked quite elegant in the mirror.
“Do I have any pearl accessories?”
“Yes, just a moment.”
Looking at my bare neck, I asked, and Ruri nodded, taking a box from a drawer.
When the subtle shine of pearls hung on my white neck, my face glowed softly.
“You look so beautiful. As expected, my lady—when you dress up, you’re the best in the empire.”
I glanced at Yurie, who emphasized the “when you dress up” with a smile, then got up and left the powder room.
A butler was waiting in the hallway.
Originally, Arkas was supposed to escort me, but something had come up, and he had gone ahead.
He said he would wait for me at the palace, so I could meet him there. I boarded the carriage casually.
So saying he’d wait at the palace was the same as saying he’d wait at the airport…
I stood dazed at the entrance of the vast palace. I should have just gone in when the servant offered to guide me.
No matter how many times I saw the palace, its enormous scale never got easier to process.
Standing at the huge arched entrance, I turned my head this way and that, trying to find Arkas.
‘Did I take the wrong path?’
The carriage had let me off right in front, so this should be the right place. Seeing people in uniform lined along the corridor, it seemed I just had to follow the hall.
But it would be awkward if I moved and missed Arkas. While adjusting the dress I hadn’t worn in a while, a sweet voice came from behind.
“What are you doing, not going?”
The voice I wanted to hear like an alarm, the kind I’d want to broadcast to everyone as ASMR, the voice that felt like a tonic when I was tired…
Turning around, I saw Sirinyu, dazzling and strikingly handsome as always, looking at me.
Meeting Sirinyu right after arriving here—was this a sign of good things to come?
I smiled sincerely and slightly lifted my skirt.
“Ah, Your Highness. You’ve arrived.”
“Since I’m here, I’m staying.”
He said that, yet extended his arm toward me, making me squint. He was much taller than me, but what could I do about how cute he was?
Suppressing the urge to ruffle his hair, I quickly put my hand on Sirinyu’s arm and matched my steps with his.
Peeking at his side, I saw his purple eyes, uncovered by an eyepatch, looking down at me.
“Why?”
“Because you’re handsome.”
“What?”
Oops. An impish thought slipped out without me realizing it. Sirinyu raised an eyebrow at my words.
I quickly changed the topic. I couldn’t let him run away.
“Have you eaten?”
“Meal? I didn’t have breakfast.”
“Huh? That’s not good. You’re working outside—you need a proper meal.”
“Troublesome…”
“Nope. That won’t do. You’ll ruin your health. Did you sleep well?”
“So-so. And you?”
“Well… I sleep excessively well.”
As we walked and talked, a small laugh came from behind.
“Pfft.”
Turning around, I saw Eloi and Viviana walking down the corridor toward us.
I lowered my head slightly and greeted them.
“Miss Eloi, Miss Viviana. Hello.”
“Oh my, sorry. Your conversation was just too interesting to ignore.”
Sirinyu waved to Eloi and Viviana with his eyes and then strode ahead.
Left alone, I naturally ended up between Eloi and Viviana.
“You look stunning today. Is that a pearl necklace? It suits you perfectly.”
“The color of your dress is excellent. It matches your hair so well.”
Eloi and Viviana kept complimenting me as they looked me over.
“Hoho. Miss Eloi and Miss Viviana look beautiful as well.”
Praise should be returned. When I complimented them back, Eloi opened her fan and said:
“By the way, Miss Selene, it seems you’ve gotten quite close with Duke Rifrix. You must have had a long conversation with him at the duke’s residence?”
“Huh?”
I was puzzled; I hadn’t considered us that close. Viviana tilted her head slightly and explained.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen Duke Rifrix give such long answers.”
“Really…?”
Had we grown closer through all we’d been through? I felt like a fan who had made eye contact with an idol.
Smiling at the pleasant thought, Eloi whispered softly under her fan:
“Well, that doesn’t mean having a long conversation with him is necessarily a good thing.”
“Indeed. It’s best not to get too involved with the Rifrix family.”
Already considering any attack on Sirinyu as an attack on me, I opened my mouth to argue.
“He’s not that bad.”
“Oh, not that he’s a bad person. Miss Selene, you really have a kind heart.”
“I’ll introduce you to many good family connections for future interactions.”
Hearing their words, I closed my mouth, realizing there was no point in arguing further.
‘What would mere mortals know?’
Ah, I wish I had someone to talk about Sirinyu with all day…
Walking with such thoughts, I soon arrived in front of the conference room.
A servant opened the door, revealing a spacious room.
Noel was there. Today too, dressed in a perfectly neat uniform, he smiled brightly and nodded when our eyes met.
When I went to the seat the servant indicated, a card with my name was placed, like a reserved seat in a hotel restaurant.
“Oh?”
Big problem.
Seeing Arkas’s name next to mine, I suddenly remembered I hadn’t met him on the way.
Meeting Sirinyu had made me forget about Arkas for the second time. Flustered, I turned to leave the room.
Then I saw Arkas entering.
“Onii-san.”
I raised my hand, and Arkas smiled at me.
“Sorry…”
“Sorry I’m a little late. The heads of the houses had a separate meeting, and it took longer than expected.”
“I see…”
I sat in the chair Arkas pulled out and tilted my head.
Come to think of it, isn’t Sirinyu also a head of a house?
“Did Duke Rifrix not attend the meeting?”
Arkas looked puzzled.
“He did attend. Of course, he just stared out the window the whole time and disappeared as soon as it ended.”
I see.
‘Then why did he come out to the entrance again? Maybe he was taking a walk because the meeting ran long…’
Lost in thought, Arkas scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and said:
“I hurried out earlier and found Sel, but since you were with the young ladies, I quietly followed.”
“I should be the one apologizing for forgetting you.”
I apologized and quietly looked around the table.
The people sitting seemed to be the heads of influential families.
Some I had seen briefly at the last party, and some were new. Being responsible for their households, they all exuded authority from their faces.
As I looked around curiously, Arkas quietly introduced each one into my ear.
Even with explanations, I wouldn’t recognize most of them, but seeing them titled as counts or marquises, they were clearly important.
After a short while, the emperor entered the conference room. Everyone stood and bowed, and he gestured for them to sit.
The emperor looked around as he sat. When his gaze seemed to reach me, I quickly looked away.
In the silent conference room, the emperor’s voice echoed.
“I trust you know why even the heirs and young ladies of the houses were invited. Today, speak freely without excessive formality.”
The heads of the houses nodded.
“Miss Weden has done an excellent job. Not only interpreting ancient texts, but she also visited the rarely found prophet’s residence, met the prophet, and obtained advice.”
Before he even finished, all eyes in the room were on me.
Could you not stare at me…?
My ears burned. Bowing my head, the emperor laughed heartily.
The good atmosphere was short-lived. The next words from the emperor made everyone’s expressions turn cold.
