Chapter 47
Selakia forced a smile, lifting the corners of her mouth awkwardly.
“Hmm. But, Miss Sove, Tenus said the marriage proposal sent to you was a mistake. Didn’t Count Sove tell you that?”
“That’s a lie to make me give up.”
“Why do you think that?”
Rashly’s pinkish cheeks puffed up in displeasure.
“My sister—or rather, the Count—finds it bothersome to talk to me. When I talk about other things, he pretends not to listen, but when I talk about the Duke, he at least responds with a word. It’s clear he’s trying to drive me away immediately.”
Rashly looked more pitiful now than when she had brought up the story about being engaged and broken off in record time.
Selakia wanted to scoop her up immediately to console her, but she knew that would probably make their relationship irreversibly close. Instead, she deliberately turned her gaze to the window.
“Well, the Count Sove I know doesn’t seem like someone who would dodge a situation with cowardly lies.”
“That’s… of course! At the office, he can turn cold and frightening, but when he’s working, he’s the most amazing person in the world. Even if he doesn’t play with me… I can forgive that.”
“You really like Count Sove, don’t you?”
Perhaps even more than Tenus. She swallowed the rest of the thought with a smile.
Embarrassed by Selakia’s direct comment, Rashly spoke with a prideful tone she rarely showed:
“Of course. He’s my one and only sister.”
It seemed Rashly hadn’t yet realized that being family doesn’t necessarily mean being close or affectionate. A harsh truth of the world she was better off never knowing.
Selakia finally understood why Rashly wouldn’t give up on Tenus. She thought it was all about being infatuated with Tenus’s face, but boldly, the girl seemed to be using Tenus as her only topic to talk with her sister.
Well, at this age, family is still more important than a boy. Selakia herself had been the same at nine. Though she had been clumsier than Rashly and had utterly failed to capture her older brother’s attention or favor.
Selakia paused in thought. Rashly’s pride and stubbornness meant she probably wouldn’t listen to advice based on Selakia’s melancholic past. She needed a different approach.
And only one idea immediately came to mind.
Sigh…
It was a route she didn’t like, but Selakia decided to sacrifice herself. She hoped Rashly would never dwell on regrets like hers.
“Miss Sove, I am a member of the Renshee Marquis family. Do you know the Renshee legend?”
Rashly pretended not to be interested, but her small ears perked up noticeably. Selakia spoke in a gentle, reminiscing voice, telling the story she had heard from her mother at bedtime as a child.
“They say the first head of the Renshee family was a human blessed by the love of a mermaid. The Rinoshe pearls, a specialty of the Renshee domain, were the first gift the mermaid gave to humans.”
“The ‘Farewell Pearl Necklace,’ right?”
“You know it too. Yes. The mermaid gave it as a blessing so that the only human she cherished could live well on land. It’s kept in the Renshee family’s treasury.”
“I read about it in a book! Can wearing that necklace really give powers? Walking on water? Is it true that the mermaid protects you in any situation?”
Rashly’s eyes now sparkled, forgetting to pretend she was indifferent.
Selakia recalled the pearl necklace she had seen with her parents as a child. It had five strands, extravagantly luxurious, and even though it had been ages ago, its beauty remained vivid in her memory.
“Unfortunately, when I saw it as a child, its power seemed to have faded with time. But its uniqueness compared to other pearls was still unmatched.”
Its exquisite color and intricate shape were unparalleled.
Selakia wanted to boast more about the Rinoshe pearls, but reminded herself of the main purpose of their conversation and subtly changed the subject.
“Don’t you think Tenus and I are fated? Even the family legend seems to connect us.”
“Eh? That’s a stretch. Mermaids and sea serpents are different!”
“It depends on how you look at it. You focused on the cross-species love in the Seidon legend, but I was impressed by the help from the mermaid. Perhaps it was the same mermaid who helped the first Renshee head.”
“Ugh…”
Her hastily concocted reasoning seemed to work, as Rashly could not refute and pouted. It felt strange to talk about fate with Tenus with her own mouth, but Selakia continued steadfastly.
“Miss Sove, you’re still young. In time, you too will encounter a fateful connection like mine.”
“Hmph. You said that yesterday too. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Alright, then shall we talk about something else? Have you ever seen a fairy?”
For a moment, Rashly’s expression changed twice. She widened her eyes in curiosity, then quickly lowered them to avoid showing interest.
“Do you think I’m a child? I don’t believe in fairies.”
“Do you really? I believe in them. I’ve seen one myself.”
“Really?”
“Yes. A very small, cute sea fairy.”
“How did you meet it? When? I go to the sea often but have never seen one.”
“Well…”
Selakia’s smile faltered. She needed a suitable, child-friendly story, but no good idea came to mind immediately.
Just before Rashly could look skeptical, Selakia cleverly improvised:
“It’s a secret between the fairy and me. We promised not to tell anyone… unless there’s a worthy reward.”
A complete lie. Selakia planned to use this as an excuse to demand a price from Rashly—whether giving up Tenus or experiencing other encounters—to guide her. Or perhaps to gently suggest another topic to improve her relationship with Count Sove. Rashly, frowning deeply, dug into her small handbag.
“Can’t you tell me if I give you this?”
In her hands was a small glass jar filled with plump, red berries. Entranced, Selakia looked at the jar as Rashly proudly presented it.
“It’s lingonberry jam. Our Sove family’s lingonberry jam is very famous. Haven’t you heard of it?”
“How…? It’s not the season for lingonberries.”
“It was made last year. The Duke asked me to bring lingonberry jam. I brought plenty, even my own. I’ll give one to you too.”
Selakia looked at the jar, unable to refuse. Lingonberry jam was one of her favorite foods, rich with memories of her father.
Lost in nostalgia, she unconsciously began speaking.
“Alright. I met the fairy when I was eleven.”
Rashly leaned forward, intently listening to Selakia’s voice.
The soft, intimate conversation continued for a long time.
Selakia sat stiffly on the sofa, as if sitting on sea urchin spines. Her palms, holding the jar, seemed to sweat.
Unlike yesterday, she left Rashly’s company laughing together. Rashly even apologized for yesterday’s rudeness and willingly allowed Selakia to poke her cheek, as requested.
It was a relief that the child had loosened her obsession with Tenus. Walking with a light heart, Selakia soon found herself in front of Tenus’s office—holding tightly the lingonberry jam requested by the Duke from Count Sove.
“….”
Maybe this would slightly ease Tenus’s anger. Since he had specially requested it despite claiming he didn’t like her, he must really like lingonberry jam.
Selakia hesitated in front of the firmly closed office door until Dominic, Tenus’s assistant, gently pulled her inside. He happened to be searching for documents for the servants’ meeting in the office.
Dominic, noticing Selakia merely greeting him, excitedly blurted that the Duke rested alone in his office during breaks in the meeting. Then, like a fisherman herding fish with a net, he gently ushered Selakia inside.
“You’ve embraced the Duke’s past completely! Lady, your heart is as vast as the sea…!”
He instructed Nancy to prepare buttered bread, leaving Roberta outside. The combined gaze of the two was slightly overwhelming.
“…If the relationship isn’t good, only I’ll suffer.”
Selakia knew from past experience that if the master of the house acted up for no reason, the guests’ situation would be difficult. So there was no particular reason she had come to Tenus—just that.
In the silent office, Selakia’s timid voice echoed softly.
The aroma of butter floated and faded, and after a long time, enough to leave her fingerprints on the jar, the seemingly immovable heavy door finally moved.
Noticing the silent, smooth opening of the door, Selakia quickly turned her head. Her gaze met Tenus’s in midair.
“….”
Tenus frowned slightly, as if seeing a phantom—like a skeptic encountering a sea god.
The door closed softly, and the shouts of Roberta and Nancy from outside gradually faded.
The office and hallway were suddenly engulfed in heavy silence, feeling like a completely different world.
Unable to contain her awkwardness, Selakia raised her hand.
“Ah, hello.”
