HMDBUY 61

HMDBUY 61🔐

CHAPTER 61……………………………………………………………….

“Open it and you’ll see.”

He smiled faintly.

With eyes full of curiosity, I opened the box. Inside was a long hair ribbon made of silk, neatly folded.

A hair ribbon? Did I even say I wanted one?

Reading my expression that silently demanded an explanation, he blushed and spoke.

“I thought your partner might not be a noble, so you might not know about the tradition of giving hair ornaments as gifts.”

Only then did I understand how the hair ribbon ended up in my hands.

A soft smile escaped me—not because I had a new hair ribbon, but because imagining him choosing it made me laugh without realizing it.

I realized anew that the joy of receiving a gift includes all the thoughts and actions of the person giving it.

“Thank you. It’s really beautiful.”

I ran my hands over the ribbon, which looked expensive at a glance. As expected, it was incredibly soft, and it shimmered with a blue hue just like his eyes.

I picked up the ribbon and handed it to him.

“Will you tie it for me?”

Without a word, he took the ribbon and moved behind me.

“It’s my first time… I might be clumsy.”

His breath brushed my neck once. His fingers brushing up my hair, twice.

A shiver ran down my spine. My body jerked instinctively.

Perhaps because it was his first time and he was nervous, I could feel his hands growing slightly damp where they touched my neck.

“Ah, that hurts.”

He had applied too much force, pulling my hair back sharply. I felt tears welling up.

Startled by my reaction, he quickly withdrew his hands.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes. Being forceful isn’t always better. Please be gentle.”

“I understand. I’ll ease up.”

His touch became noticeably gentler. Carefully, his fingers began gathering my hair strand by strand.

“Is this okay now?”

He asked kindly.

“It’s fine.”

The strength was okay, but the technique was the issue.

“Like this… then like this…”

“What’s the problem?”

“I’m not sure if it’s supposed to go here.”

“Just put it in for now.”

He tried to tie my hair into one strand using the long ribbon, twirling it around. But it kept twisting strangely or leaning to one side.

“How is it?”

After repeated attempts, a result emerged—messy, but successful enough.

Seeing my satisfied expression, he let out a soft sigh. The sense of relief, as if he had completed an important state ceremony, was amusing.

He had clearly put a lot of effort into it; beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. Feeling warm, he even fanned himself with his hands.

“Do you really need to sweat that much?”

“I’ve been moving the whole time. Looks like I need some practice.”

“Will practice help with this?”

“Of course. I pick things up quickly. Look forward to next time.”

I almost made a silly joke asking if there would be a next time, but instinct swallowed it—I knew there wouldn’t be.

On the carriage, I fussed over the ribbon dozens of times. Simply touching it brought back the memory of his hands brushing mine. I kept returning my hands to it.

Even though I told myself to stop, I went over the ribbon repeatedly until bedtime.

“Miss, are you still asleep?”

Emily’s voice made me snap awake.

“No! I’m up, Emily!”

Strange. I usually don’t wake up so easily. Maybe because it’s an important day? Even if I tried to sleep more, I couldn’t.

Half nervous, half excited, I hurriedly got up. Since preparation would take much longer than usual, I rushed my movements.

Finally, today had arrived—the royal ball I had been waiting for so long.

I hope Feredil delivers a perfect toast, so I can just hug him right then. But with so many people watching, is that even possible?

It would be wonderful if we could share the emotion that rewards effort—but alas.

“Miss, what’s this? I just found it on the floor.”

After finishing my shower and sitting at my vanity, Emily handed me a green envelope. Holding it, I couldn’t immediately remember what it was.

“What’s this…?”

Ah! It’s Theo’s letter! I had forgotten to read it later. I had slipped it into the bookshelf while lost in thoughts of Feredil.

It must have gotten knocked to the floor somehow.

I almost got scolded by Theo. Thanks to Emily’s sharp eyes, I was saved.

Relief swept over me.

“It’s a letter from my ball partner.”

“Shall we read it?”

“Hmm…”

I should read it, but…

I had little experience feeling satisfied after reading a letter from Theo, so I was nervous. I worried it might just be a scolding to prepare me for returning to Briar.

Emily looked at me strangely, as if I were treating it like a threat letter. She kept working on curling my hair while asking,

“Is he a partner you didn’t really want? If it’s unpleasant, I can put it away for you.”

“No, no. I’m going to read it now.”

He was the partner I had chosen, so there was no way it was forced.

Opening the envelope, I found a neatly written note—neither too long nor too short. Serious in tone, yet somehow not entirely clear in meaning.

“Even if you truly come to know me, please remember I have always been the same person, and will continue to be. Always leave the role of giving you a happy ending to me.”

“Truly me? So, what, I’ve been dealing with a fake until now?”

A puzzling mystery tightened around my mind.

Creak.

I was deep in thought when the door quietly opened. The person responsible for the puzzle had arrived in person.

“You’re here?”

Theo’s formal attire matched the blue and green of my dress. Emily gazed at him with eyes full of admiration, noting his neatly done hair and long flowing cloak.

“The outfit suits you. Worth modeling for, I’d say.”

“Indeed. The designer may have a peculiar personality, but the skill is impressive.”

He pulled the small chair beside me closer and plopped down.

“Almost done, just wait a bit.”

“Take your time.”

I told him to take his time, but I couldn’t help but worry as he waited. Emily was giving her all to my makeup, taking quite a while. When I glanced at him, I noticed his unusually bulging pocket today.

“Why is your pocket so…”

“Miss, your makeup is all done.”

Emily interrupted before I could mention it to Theo.

“Now I’ll use the ribbon you received as a gift to tie your hair up.”

“Thank you.”

She took the ribbon from the box and neatly tied my hair. Thanks to her skill, I could wait comfortably this time.

“A ribbon? A gift?”

“Yeah. He said since you’re not a noble, you might not know about this tradition, so he prepared it. Always giving excuses like that.”

She spoke, raising her cheeks as if proud, though Theo seemed unfazed.

“But didn’t you try to talk to me earlier?”

“Oh, right. Why is your pocket so full today? Could it be… royal chocolates?”

“Not chocolate, but something I brought for you.”