Chapter 44
Marco sighed in relief as he walked back toward the mansion with Franz.
Thank goodness Edmund was a cowardly pushover despite being a troublemaker. If he’d been bolder, things might’ve spiraled into a scandal. If it had been reported as a love affair or some sort of drama involving a woman, it could’ve become quite the headache.
“Eliela Clarence, huh.”
When he brought up Eliela’s name, Franz quietly turned to look at Marco. Marco didn’t miss the slight change in his gaze. He wondered what it meant but didn’t ask.
“Never mind. Forget it.”
By the time they reached the mansion after a long silence, Marco finally spoke politely.
“I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but let’s keep this from Andrew and Richard.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just—leave it at that.”
Something you don’t need to know.
There was a bit of mischief in his voice, as if daring Franz to be curious. But Franz didn’t look the least bit interested—and in truth, he wasn’t.
“You don’t look curious at all.”
How boring. Marco gave him a quick glance and then turned away.
Franz gave a small smile and shrugged.
“You wouldn’t tell me even if I asked.”
That’s what made them such good friends—they knew each other too well. Their thoughts and behavior were always in sync.
Marco chuckled softly, thinking, Yeah, well… what does it matter anyway.
Though unexpected given the cast of characters involved, there was nothing wrong with the situation. In fact, things were playing out in a strangely entertaining way. With that thought, he decided to stop overthinking it.
“Where have you been?”
As Eliela returned, Lady Bernie Linton gently scolded her.
“I ran into a friend and ended up chatting for a bit…”
“Well, I’m glad you met a friend, but it’s not good to be gone for so long, Eliela.”
Lady Linton let out a sigh of relief, her expression softening.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Eliela bent her knees slightly and bowed her head.
“It’s getting late. We should head back.”
After bidding farewell to those around her, Lady Linton left the venue with Eliela.
As they walked together, Eliela kept glancing around. She was hoping Franz had returned. But he was nowhere to be seen.
“Call for the Linton family’s carriage.”
Lady Linton relayed the order to a servant. As they waited, Eliela tried to calm her pounding heart, still shaken by what had happened earlier.
She prayed that Prince Franz wouldn’t be dragged into serious trouble over something that had started because of her.
I wonder what happened.
She wanted to wait a little longer but felt regretful as the carriage arrived.
“So, how was the party tonight? You didn’t seem to enjoy it much.”
Lady Linton asked as she adjusted her dress inside the carriage. Eliela, realizing she was being scolded for not dancing even once, offered an awkward smile.
“There weren’t any gentlemen I wanted to dance with.”
“Not even one?”
“No.”
Lady Linton thought for a moment before asking,
“Hm. May I ask what your ideal type is?”
Eliela was caught off guard but answered after a pause.
“Prince Franz.”
He was the only one she was remotely familiar with and one of the F4, so it wasn’t a completely baseless answer from her godmother’s point of view. Besides, for some reason, Franz was the only one who came to mind.
Honestly, even she thought it was a ridiculous answer. She expected her godmother to react in disbelief, but instead, Lady Bernie burst out laughing.
“My, Eliela, you’ve got guts. I like that. Hahaha. Yes, that’s how it should be.”
Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction. Eliela had always seemed too innocent and naive, but now it seemed she had some real backbone.
“What? Aren’t you going to scold me for being foolish?”
Eliela asked, puzzled, watching her godmother’s expression.
“Why would I?”
“Huh?”
The question was answered with another question, leaving Eliela confused. Lady Linton smiled, clearly amused.
“Where else would you find a man like that? There’s no one quite like Prince Franz.”
Though it might sound like a compliment based solely on his looks, her expression suggested she meant more than that. Eliela tilted her head, uncertain what exactly her godmother was referring to.
“The foolish ones are the women who think they can get someone like him easily.”
If it had been the old Lady Linton, she probably would’ve cynically dismissed both Eliela and the idea. But now… she wasn’t sure. She didn’t really know what to think anymore.
“I wasn’t being serious. Like you said, there’s no one quite like him.”
Eliela spoke lightly. Lady Linton chuckled softly, as if her niece’s innocence was endearing.
“Serious or not, I approve.”
Eliela fell silent. She understood her godmother’s words, but didn’t really know what they meant. To her, this was all just a deal. The continued kindness she received only filled her with gratitude.
She looked out the window, trying to quiet the storm of thoughts in her head.
Lady Linton smiled subtly, watching Eliela, who didn’t even realize what she’d just said.
She hadn’t expected an answer when she asked about her ideal type. Up until recently, Eliela had said she had no interest in men or marriage. No matter what her mother said, she brushed it off without a second thought.
So what changed? Suddenly naming Prince Franz?
Eliela rarely showed her true feelings, so it was hard to guess what was going on inside. No one could predict what ripple this small change might cause—but life was short. And so, Lady Linton genuinely hoped Eliela would get the chance to experience everything she wanted.
When they arrived home, Eliela went straight up to her room on the second floor.
“How was it? Did you dance?”
Betty followed her in and helped her remove the dress, excited to hear about the party. It had been the first time Betty got to help Eliela dress up, and she had sent her off feeling giddy with pride. She had been waiting eagerly to hear how things went.
“No.”
The sparkle in Betty’s excited eyes vanished instantly.
“What?! Why not? Are all the noble lords blind or what? How could they not—! I mean, what’s wrong with them? What could possibly be lacking in you?!”
Betty fumed, and Eliela smiled apologetically.
“No, no, Betty. Thanks to your help, I actually got lots of invitations to dance. I just turned them all down because I didn’t feel like dancing.”
“Oh. That’s a relief then. I seriously thought they’d all gone blind. Hehe.”
“All the young ladies I met kept complimenting the hairstyle you did. They said the braids were so pretty and asked how it was done.”
“Really? I’ll make it even prettier for the next party!”
Betty beamed with pride. Eliela nodded, feeling a bit guilty for not letting her show off her skills more often.
“But, miss…”
Betty hesitated, glanced around, and then whispered softly.
“Did His Highness come to the party?”
“Yes, he did.”
“How was he? He must’ve looked amazing, right?”
Eliela nodded.
“He did.”
“Well, of course. What can you even say?”
Betty sighed dreamily. Eliela laughed quietly as she watched her.
She had only told Betty about getting permission to draw Prince Franz’s portrait. Even though she’d been caught following him, he had forgiven her graciously and even let her draw him. Betty was beyond thrilled—more than Eliela herself—especially when she landed the commission from Allen Ziberman as well.
“There probably isn’t another person that perfect in the whole world.”
“Funny you say that—my godmother said something similar. I didn’t expect her to be a fan of Prince Franz too.”
“Really? She clearly has good taste!”
“Maybe every woman in Lapland thinks the same.”
“But the fact that she said it means she truly believes it, doesn’t it?”
To Eliela, her godmother was the embodiment of wisdom and grace—someone she deeply respected and admired. So her words carried weight, and her own experiences with the prince seemed to support that belief.
“Yes. He really is a good person. She wasn’t wrong.”
“You two would look amazing together…”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Eliela cut Betty off without hesitation. It wasn’t even worth considering. Betty pouted but nodded obediently.
“Yes, miss.”
She resumed tidying up the dress, silently cheering them on in her heart.
