Chapter 14.
The Villain, But a Bunny (9)
A play, all of a sudden? What kind of new torture is this?
Ileyna, who was going to think about it for a moment, simply collapsed back onto the bed.
Ugh, I’m too lazy to think…
She wriggled like a caterpillar as she pulled the blanket tightly around her.
“The play is in the evening… and it’s still morning.”
Even though she had slept in due to a nasty dream the night before, she still felt tired.
“Oh my! Oh my! What are you saying? It’s going to be such a busy day!”
A busy day?
Andre boldly threw the blanket off her.
The sudden informality, something she had never experienced before, left Ileyna stunned as he effortlessly pulled her to a sitting position.
While she sat there bewildered, things started moving at lightning speed.
Andre began with a massage, generously applying aromatic oil.
“I’ll get rid of all your puffiness. Hoho. Not that there’s any left to get rid of!”
After giving her a facial massage and applying some rubbery-looking face pack, he forced her to rest for 15 minutes.
Then, from who-knows-where, he brought in an armful of beautiful silk dresses and jewelry.
Even as he moved non-stop, Andre chattered away happily.
“Oh my, with such fair skin, you can pull off any color!”
As she sat there in a daze, Andre held up several dresses to her, then nodded in approval at a pale sky-blue one.
“Bold designs are in fashion in Lihue right now. Hmm… Since your waist is so slim, this slightly midriff-revealing dress would be perfect.”
Without waiting for a response, he tried various accessories on her, finally holding up a sapphire necklace with a satisfied smile.
“For your bare neckline… this sapphire will be perfect. It matches your hair color so well.”
Where does he even get all this stuff?
Even in her exhausted state, Ileyna could tell the items were of the highest quality.
She glanced at the thick gemstone on the necklace and asked,
“I’m just a guest staying here for three months. Is it really okay to just lend out jewels like this?”
“Oh, Lady Ileyna. In the Solar Palace, sapphires like these are practically lying around.”
Andre replied as if it were no big deal.
…Even as a third-generation chaebol, I can tell these are incredibly high-quality and large.
There might be a bit of exaggeration, but it seemed Lihue Kingdom really was rich.
Reading her expression, Andre added an explanation.
“Eighty percent of the world’s orichalcum comes from this island, and that means it all comes from the Lihue Kingdom. You really can’t compare it to other nations.”
So, kind of like the oil-rich countries in the modern world? Orichalcum… that was the mineral the bespectacled official mentioned yesterday.
As far as I know, orichalcum is a mythical metal said to have come from Atlantis…
The legendary island said to have sunk beneath the sea as punishment from the gods.
Well, this was a novel world, after all. There was even a priestess who could control the weather. Having a mythical mineral around wasn’t that strange.
Too lazy to think deeply about it.
Ileyna brushed it off.
“And with this… hmm, this sapphire earring will match. And for your hair, it would be best to pin it up high to show off your neckline.”
Andre carefully dressed her from head to toe.
Watching him work, Ileyna became certain once again.
He really does have a sense for fashion.
You could tell just from the way he dressed himself.
As she watched him meticulously coordinate her look, Ileyna drifted into thought.
It seems they’re going to move forward with the fabric business I suggested. Maybe I should recommend Andre as a middle manager. He’s got a good personality and could mediate well between higher-ups and subordinates…
No, wait.
“No. No.”
Once again, her thoughts had drifted naturally toward business without her realizing it.
It couldn’t be helped—she’d lived her entire life doing just that—but even after all that happened, she still hadn’t learned?
“Pardon? Oh, would you like to change your hair accessory?”
Andre, who had been fussing with her hair, asked curiously.
Ileyna quickly waved her hand.
“Sorry, I was just lost in thought. No, it’s beautiful. Really.”
“Fufu. You truly are beautiful. It’s such a joy to dress you up.”
Andre grabbed her hand and spun her around in place.
Her sky-blue hair was neatly tied up high. The hairpiece, earrings, and necklace were all sapphire and platinum, unified in design.
The flowing, midriff-baring dress blended perfectly, and even to herself, she looked like a mystical fairy from the desert.
Gorgeous. I guess this is what it means to be the protagonist.
“But do I really need to get this dressed up just to see a play?”
Looking down at her dazzling self, Ileyna asked, puzzled.
Andre, who had been arranging her jewelry, responded evasively.
“Hmm? Ahaha. Well… let’s just say it’s a tradition of the Lihue royal family.”
He still hadn’t given up, it seemed. Trying to pair her with the dark prince—such a laughable notion.
He was the villain trying to make her cry, after all.
“Is it over now?”
Ileyna asked, looking slightly drained.
Apparently Andre hadn’t been exaggerating when he said time was tight—outside the window, the sunset was already coloring the sky.
“Yes, yes! Shall we head out now? Hohoho!”
She felt exhausted even before stepping out the door.
*
Surprisingly, the opera house was located within the vast royal palace.
Though not large, the building was nothing short of spectacular.
The moment Ileyna entered, every gaze in the place turned to her.
“So that’s the priestess from the North.”
“My, her skin is so pale. Are all Northerners like that?”
“Still, thanks to the dark clouds blocking the sun, the desertification has slowed down, hasn’t it?”
Fortunately, the stares she received were more curious than hostile.
Still better than those northern nobles…
Those two-faced hypocrites had immediately turned cold once they realized she couldn’t control the weather.
This was far better than that.
Ileyna gently placed her hand on Andre’s arm and moved into the theater.
“Lady Ileyna, don’t worry. I’ll be right here with you the whole time. And there’s no face in the palace I don’t know!”
Andre whispered playfully into her ear.
She let out a soft laugh.
Nervous? Me? Over this small group of people?
Ileyna leisurely scanned the theater.
And then—
“Oh my…”
“Gasp.”
She greeted the people making eye contact with her with a sweet, relaxed smile.
No one can resist a smiling face—that’s a universal truth.
She’d be staying here for three months.
It didn’t hurt to win the nobles’ favor early on.
With that calculated thought, she smiled gently at a man approaching her.
The southern man, surprisingly fair-skinned, turned slightly red.
“Oh my, Lord Regulus! You’re not one for social events—what brings you here today?”
Apparently, Andre hadn’t exaggerated—he really did know everyone.
His name’s Regulus? Easy to remember.
She took note of his nearly silver blond hair and blue eyes.
He looked exactly like a noble elf from a fantasy novel.
“Haha, Andre, long time no see.”
The man greeted warmly, though his gaze kept flicking toward Ileyna.
“And this is…?”
Though he probably already knew, the nobleman politely pretended not to, silently asking for an introduction.
“Oh dear, my mind! Hoho. Lord Regulus, this is Lady Ileyna. You know, the priestess from the North who came to help our South!”
Andre introduced her proudly.
“A pleasure to meet you.”
Ileyna smiled gracefully.
“Lady Ileyna, this is Lord Regulus, eldest son of the elder of Oara. In our Lihue Kingdom, we have twelve great elders.”
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’d heard many things about the priestess, but I hadn’t heard how stunningly beautiful you are!”
He said enthusiastically.
“You’re making me blush with such flattery.”
“No, really! Ah. M-my words are all jumbled… I’m so sorry…”
Blushing like a shy boy, Regulus turned red as a beet.
His innocent reaction made Ileyna smile again.
Which only made the man even redder as he began stammering nonsense.
Completely unaware of the black aura creeping closer.
Iago froze in place at the sight before him.
The priestess… is smiling.
Her full, pink lips curved into a shape he had never seen before. Even the slight tilt of her eyes was unfamiliar.
As the curve of her smile deepened, his heart floated up—then dropped like a stone.
He clutched at his chest with his large hand.
Why is my heart… doing this?
Before he could process this unfamiliar feeling, his gaze fell on her outfit.
And what is she wearing… Why does she look so pretty…?
Revealing her waist and midriff like that.
Her waist was so slim!
If she goes around showing her belly like that… what if… what if she gets a stomachache?
Someone that small and thin would surely suffer terribly from that.
It would cause trouble for the royal physician too.
And Regulus, that man who hates social events—what’s he doing here?
Iago didn’t realize how irrational his thoughts had become.
He marched over to the laughing pair, his overwhelming presence parting the crowd like the Red Sea.
