CHAPTER 56…………………………….
Nothing set women’s hearts on fire quite like a sorrowful and desperate romance. Especially if there were obstacles in the middle.
“Oh my, oh my, look at the way they’re looking at each other. So passionate.”
“I’m jealous. I wish I could experience a love like that at least once.”
With the surrounding reactions, Count Uberis’s face flushed redder than ever. He must have thought he had been humiliated.
Perhaps judging that this situation—especially with the princess present—was disadvantageous for him, he grumbled under his breath for a while before finally turning around.
“I will take my leave first!”
“Oh my, dear! We will also excuse ourselves now, Your Highness.”
The countess hurriedly bent her knee to the princess before following the count. Cosette and Viscount Bayern, who had been standing beside them, also paid their respects to the princess and quickly trailed after him.
Cosette opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something to me.
“You…!”
But since we had only just managed to create a friendly atmosphere, I had no intention of ruining it. I spoke first.
“Oh my, Cosette, you came too. But… your neck looks rather bare.”
At that moment, Cosette’s face turned pale. Grinding her teeth loudly enough for me to hear, she turned around and followed the count. Not forgetting to shoot me a glare as she left.
Go ahead and glare all you want. Those looks don’t bother me anymore.
Viscount Bayern, whom I occasionally saw at the mansion, greeted me with a nod before following Cosette. Just like always.
But…
Seeing the Uberis family—who had made me tremble with fear my whole life—tuck their tails and run away from me felt strange.
I said I wouldn’t seek revenge…
But revenge that didn’t involve bloodshed like this actually felt quite satisfying. Just as the duke had said, a corner of my heart felt refreshed.
“Madam, you’ve suffered a lot until now.”
“You must be happy from now on.”
“I’m jealous that you met such a wonderful person.”
Before long, the people who had been chatting with me left one after another, offering us their blessings. It seemed they were eager to go tell others what they had just witnessed. Thankfully.
As I watched them leave in a daze, Lektarion took my hand.
“El. Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m alright.”
I truly was. Surprisingly, I felt perfectly fine.
“You’ve worked hard. You did well.”
At his praise, I looked at him and smiled calmly.
Once the surroundings had grown a little quieter, Cecilia spoke to me as if she had been waiting.
“Eloa! Seeing you at the imperial palace makes me even happier. That dress suits you wonderfully. And the duke… well, he’s acceptable, I suppose.”
Her greeting clearly had a difference in warmth.
“Congratulations on your birthday, Your Highness. May you enjoy great fortune.”
“Mm. Thank you both for coming.”
She lightly nodded as she accepted our greetings.
“Thank you for helping earlier, Your Highness.”
“Oh, it was nothing. Thanks to you, I got to watch quite an entertaining show. That sly old count actually backing down so quietly… Do you know how arrogant he acts every time he comes to the palace just because he pays some taxes?”
“He simply reaped what he sowed.”
Count Lassen added from the side.
“More importantly, are you alright now? You looked quite startled earlier.”
Cecilia asked with genuine concern. Did I really look that pitiful earlier?
“I’m fine now. Thanks to Rion, I’m living comfortably these days.”
But the moment she heard that, her face twisted dramatically.
“I’ve been wanting to ask since earlier—what on earth is that nickname? Every time I hear it, I get goosebumps. Last time I saw you, you called him ‘Duke.’”
She made a face as if a caterpillar had just fallen onto her head.
When I practiced calling him that in the carriage earlier, Jace and the knights had worn exactly the same expressions.
Tilting my head, I said,
“Isn’t it cute? Rion—from Lektarion.”
Was that nickname really so strange?
When we discussed forms of address, he mentioned that the emperor calls him “Lek,” but that sounded a bit stiff for lovers, so I simply changed it.
Cecilia muttered like someone who had suffered a psychological blow.
“The fact that you even thought of calling him that means you already…”
“Yes?”
She stopped mid-sentence, looked at me, then held her forehead and shook her head.
“No, never mind. One thing is certain—you two clearly love each other deeply. Yes, very clearly. Because of that, I’m slightly regretting the proposal I made to you earlier.”
“What kind of trouble have you caused this time, Your Highness?”
At Lassen’s question, Cecilia seemed to break into a cold sweat before hurriedly gesturing behind her.
“Anyway, let me introduce someone.”
The people who approached at her signal were none other than Ripei and Risha. I hadn’t even noticed they had entered the hall because I was busy dealing with Count Uberis.
Why does Ripei’s face look so stiff?
I had only ever seen his easygoing smile before, so seeing such a dark expression was new. Did he see something unpleasant?
“So it’s them.”
At that moment, I heard Lektarion’s voice. I snapped back to my senses.
Right. The duke is here too.
This was the meeting I had been worried about.
Cold sweat suddenly began running down my back.
“Let me introduce them—the top contributors who greatly helped resolve the situation in the Daisen territory.”
At Princess Cecilia’s introduction, Ripei bowed his head slightly while Risha bent her knees politely.
“My name is Ripei.”
“I’m Risha.”
Both of them were wearing formal attire. Ripei’s dark green suit matched his light green eyes remarkably well.
Seeing him dressed like that for the first time, I found my gaze momentarily drawn to him.
“Let me introduce them as well,” Cecilia continued. “The great nobles of the East—the Duke and Duchess of Northdian.”
“I’m Lektarion Eden Northdian. And this is my wife, Eloa Fin Northdian.”
Since Lektarion introduced me himself, I was briefly flustered, but I quickly smiled and gave them a small curtsy.
“I’ve heard Her Highness holds your abilities in very high regard.”
“It is an undeserved honor. We were simply fortunate.”
Risha answered his praise. However, his gaze never left Ripei.
“Fortunate…?”
The duke’s eyes narrowed.
“Did you say your name was Ripei? From the looks of it, you seem to be from the Kingdom of Albach.”
“That is correct.”
“Although all roads lead to the empire, people of Albach are known for strong patriotism. It’s rare for them to work in other nations. How did you come to operate in the empire?”
“My personal views on magic didn’t align well with my family, so I became independent early. Thanks to that, I now have the honor of visiting the imperial palace.”
Oh, he speaks well.
I knew Ripei was sociable, but I was impressed that he could answer calmly even under Lektarion’s pressure.
When I first met him, I was so scared I could barely speak.
At Ripei’s response, the princess laughed loudly.
“He works so quickly and precisely that I almost want to recruit him into the Sky Ark.”
Ripei shrugged with a light smile.
“I’ll have to politely decline that. Being tied down in one place doesn’t suit my personality.”
“These days everyone keeps rejecting me. Haha.”
Cecilia joked with a shrug.
“If you’re that capable, I’ll be expecting great contributions from the two of you in this investigation as well.”
“We will do our best.”
It was a perfectly ordinary, hollow exchange of polite conversation. I was just starting to feel relieved that the meeting between Lektarion and Ripei might pass safely.
“However…”
Lektarion continued.
“I heard there was a helper involved in this matter. If possible, I’d like to hear about that person as well…”
A helper? Me?
No, Duke. You should know this already—why are you doing this?
At that moment, a familiar melody began playing in the ballroom. Seizing the opportunity, I hurriedly grabbed his arm. Lektarion’s gaze immediately fell to where I held him.
“Rion, let’s dance!”
“…Right now?”
“Yes. It’s my favorite song.”
He blinked for a moment, then smiled.
“Oh dear, my wife wishes to dance. Then we’ll excuse ourselves for now.”
Thankfully, Lektarion didn’t refuse my request. He took my hand and led me onto the dance floor.
As we took our positions, I growled quietly so no one else could hear.
“Are you planning to break the oath?”
“Of course not. I simply wanted to see how far that man would keep your secret.”
“What if he had told you?”
“If he were the type to speak so easily in a place like this, you wouldn’t have trusted him so much. Unfortunately.”
Although Lektarion answered playfully, his eyes looked genuinely disappointed.
Is he disappointed… or relieved?
“He’s just someone I know through work. So please don’t embarrass me with unnecessary remarks.”
He chuckled softly.
“Well now, are you really just work acquaintances?”
“Y-Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
Then he muttered something quietly.
“It doesn’t seem that way from the other side…”
“What?”
The music grew louder, and I missed what he said.
“Ah. It’s our turn to enter now. Hold on.”
“Ah—”
Before I could react, Lektarion grasped my arm and began the dance steps.
He’s improved even more!
It hadn’t been that long since we last practiced together, yet his dancing skills had improved dramatically.
Thanks to my own consistent practice, at least I didn’t step on the duke’s feet this time—but realizing the difference in our abilities made my lips pout automatically.
Glancing toward the princess, I saw that only Risha and Count Lassen remained. At some point, Cecilia had pulled Ripei onto the dance floor to dance with her.
At that moment, the duke suddenly pulled me closer by the waist.
“When dancing, you should focus on your partner.”
He smiled while meeting my eyes, and my face flushed again.
After some time, my body began moving almost automatically with the rhythm.
“Stop investigating me unnecessarily. Our contract only lasts for one year anyway. Neither you nor I need to know each other that deeply.”
I said while turning in the opposite direction.
“That’s why I don’t ask—even when I become curious about you.”
But instead of continuing to the next move, the duke tilted his head toward me. If he came any closer, our breaths might touch.
“Are you curious about me?”
