Chapter 51
Yulien, with his blunt temperament, generously shared all the care and kindness he could offer with Selakia.
Selakia often wondered if meeting Yulien and Erika had exhausted all the luck she would ever have in her life.
“I’ve never had any unpleasant prejudice, so let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.”
It was Tenus’ cold voice that pulled Selakia out of her rare moment of nostalgia.
Sharply severe as ever, Tenus glanced once at Selakia and then left. Seeing him exit the mansion, it seemed he was heading toward the garden where the attendants were.
Selakia quietly watched his retreating back.
Erika, who had been staring blankly all along, also followed Selakia’s gaze toward Tenus. Her narrowed eyes gleamed with a curious light.
When they moved to the reception room and began their conversation in earnest, Erika’s voice grew even louder. Her long hair, reminiscent of the sunset, swayed wildly with her energetic gestures.
“This reception room is as grand as our lordship’s estate! Seiden really gilds everything he touches. Even the viscount’s face is golden!”
“Erika. Don’t get so worked up.”
“These people are your personal attendants, right? You’ve really made it! If you become a duchess, will everything in this mansion be yours?”
“Not necessarily.”
Selakia smiled faintly and glanced at Nancy, who was standing quietly to the side.
Nancy’s gaze, fixed on Erika from earlier, was unusually sharp. Since diligent Nancy rarely dislikes guests, it unnerved Selakia slightly.
“I’m very happy to see you again, sister. But I guess you’re not?”
Noticing that Selakia was struggling to focus on the conversation, Erika’s excited shoulders drooped.
Nancy now widened her eyes as if they might pop out.
Selakia thought she’d ask Nancy the reason later and focused on comforting Erika for the moment.
“That’s not true, Erika. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you and Lord Yulien since dawn today? I’ve been wondering how you’ve been all this time. Have you been well?”
“Don’t even mention it. You have no idea how hard it was for us to build the training school from scratch. Not metaphorically—we actually built the buildings on a bare field! I miss the days when we were sent by Viscount Renshe so badly it made me cry.”
Erika dabbed at her eyes, pretending to wipe away tears. Yulien, seemingly resigned, focused on his tea, ignoring Erika’s antics.
The two before her looked just as they had back at the viscount’s mansion. A gentle smile involuntarily appeared on Selakia’s lips.
“I didn’t realize you had worked so hard. I thought you two left without even seeing my coming-of-age ceremony and must have gone somewhere far better.”
“In that case, I have nothing to say. You know I was dragged along by my brother too.”
Selakia and Erika’s gazes simultaneously turned to Yulien. Despite the sudden attention, Yulien, as always, maintained his calm, expressionless face.
With a plaster-like face, he blinked slowly and, after a long silence, finally spoke. His words were unexpectedly unrelated to the previous conversation.
“Your face looks better than before.”
“Really? I’m not sure, but Lord Yulien, you look well. Maybe it’s because you’ve realized your dream. You’ve always wanted to help children struggling with learning.”
“Isn’t it the same for you, madam?”
“Me?”
“You always said you wanted to leave the mansion.”
“I—”
Her words caught in her throat. She had indeed once wished for that. She hadn’t expected to have the same wish elsewhere.
“What are you talking about? Brother, don’t you remember sister’s dream? Her dream wasn’t to become a noble duchess.”
Erika put down her teacup and interjected.
“My sister’s dream was to be a pirate. Right, sister?”
“Huh?!”
The exclamation came not from Selakia but from Roberta, who was beside her.
Unlike Nancy, Roberta’s eyes were fixed fiercely on Yulien, and she was appalled.
“A pirate who enjoys plundering and killing? One who would be executed immediately if caught by the Imperial Army—and you dreamed of being that pirate? Madam?”
Embarrassed, Selakia stammered a defense.
“Well, it’s a bit different. The pirate I dreamed of wasn’t like that… I dreamed of a just pirate.”
“What? That’s nonsense! There’s no such thing as a ‘just pirate.’”
“Sir! How dare you call our madam nonsense!”
Nancy, who had been quiet, suddenly raised her voice.
“No matter how strange our madam’s words may be, don’t speak so carelessly. You must observe proper manners!”
Nonsense… Selakia thought, feeling disheartened by Nancy’s words.
Nancy’s tone, broken as it was, carried weight. Her gaze, not on Roberta but on Erika, seemed suspicious.
Erika, who had started this commotion, was calmly nibbling on baked cookies, seemingly oblivious to Nancy’s piercing glare.
Roberta scratched her head awkwardly but didn’t stop talking.
“Humph. Madam, I apologize. That was a mistake. But who planted such absurd ideas in your head? A ‘just pirate’? My goodness… That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”
“It was something my mother told me.”
“…Excuse me?”
“My mother sometimes told stories of facing pirate gangs near Renshe’s coast. How they freed those captured by foreign slave ships, or took in the helpless.”
Roberta’s lips, sharp in motion moments ago, clamped shut like glued.
Even Nancy, who admired everything about Selakia, remained silent about this dream. The once lively reception room fell silent instantly.
Selakia finally understood why Chester had insisted she never reveal her dreams. Few people knew, and the reactions, even from fairies, were surprisingly adverse.
Feeling responsible for the subdued atmosphere, Selakia was mortified.
“Um… can I speak now? I didn’t want to interrupt while you were talking among family.”
Before Selakia could change the subject, fortunately, Erika spoke first, and Selakia eagerly agreed.
“Of course. What do you want to say, Erika? Speak freely.”
“So, I was thinking—you might come to us after your coming-of-age ceremony. I had suggested we go out to sea together, remember?”
“Together… out to sea?”
“I’d climb the watchtower to draw, and you’d search for justice on the deck. If another pirate ship fights us, we leave it to my brother. How perfect would that be?”
One of Yulien’s eyebrows arched in disbelief. Yet, he remained a silent observer.
Selakia’s blue eyes sparkled. She was deeply moved by Erika’s unexpected words.
“Erika, you really meant that? I thought you were just humoring my dream.”
“Come on. Have you ever seen me say things I don’t mean? Well, it’s okay. It’s not too late.”
Erika winked. Her fresh green eyes twinkled mischievously.
Selakia knew that playful expression well. It was the one Erika made when devising outrageous plans to annoy the calm Yulien.
Why she wore it now, Selakia didn’t know.
As she was about to ask, a maid cautiously entered the reception room.
“Madam, the Duke is asking for you.”
“Me? Isn’t the Duke in the garden with the attendants?”
“I’m not sure. I was only told to bring you to the grand garden.”
Selakia, puzzled, had no choice but to follow.
“The Duke? Who’s the Duke? The Seiden Dukedom doesn’t have a head right now, does it?”
She gave Erika a brief greeting to rest in the guest room instead of explaining everything. Selakia asked the maid to guide Yulien and Erika to the room and headed toward the garden herself.
The grand garden, with the Sea Serpent statue, was a long walk from the mansion’s front gate.
Unlike the rest of the lush flowers, the area before the statue had an open lawn, and today, a long rectangular table was set there.
“We should reorganize the budget to reinforce the walls more…”
“Better yet, we should form a security team to curb crime in front of the exchange office…”
“And we cannot overlook our shares in the trade of the Tria Guild…”
Around the table, full of finger foods and fragrant tea, the attendants argued passionately. Apparently, in Seiden, outdoor meetings like this were normal.
Selakia wasn’t supposed to join. Besides planning to leave quietly soon, she hadn’t yet received the formal marriage registration, so her name wasn’t officially on the Seiden Dukedom’s records.
She didn’t understand why Tenus had summoned her, knowing this.
Standing a little apart, Selakia hesitated to approach.
Perhaps there was some mistake. It seemed better to quietly turn back.
As she decided to leave, a strangely excited voice stopped her.
“Oh? Madam has arrived.”
The previously loud group went silent. Dozens of attendants’ eyes turned to Selakia.
Her hair stood on end from the sudden attention. She wanted to crouch behind a shrub to hide.
“….”
Selakia awkwardly rolled her eyes toward the owner of the voice who had put her in this predicament.
Amy had a sly smile on her lips.
