I became the villains wife

by Usui Takumii

not mine, including possible links, go check woopread. Total: 152 cps.

5. 11 to 20

Chapter 11
In fact, Ikshid was enjoying the current situation very much inside, he was pretending not to look at the pair when in fact he was actually savoring the Duke's expression. His keen eyes did not miss the Duke's brows, which wriggled as soon as the box was opened and the golden fabric of the dress were visible.
The fact that he presented a golden fabric, which represents the Imperial family, meant that the woman who was given that gift, would be regarded as a person of the Imperial Family. Usually, this present was given to a servant or to his wife who pledged loyalty or alliance, but it could be used similarly enough in other cases. It can also be a token of affection for your beloved woman.
In fact, there were two dresses he brought as a gift for Eleanor. One was a dinner dress made of gold cloth laid above, which she viewed just earlier, and the other was a purple violet-colored evening dress that was folded underneath.
In public, the color that women avoid was not only golden. Purple was also a colored fabric that not anyone could wear carelessly. This was because it symbolized the Duke; the pillar of the Imperial family.
As soon as he heard that the Duke had brought Miller's younger sister into his residence as a guest, Ikshid had prepared this purple dress. It was a kind of entertainment for the playful prince.
At first, he was just about to make a light joke that he would actively support the next ruling Duchess, by simply presenting a purple dress to Miller's sister. The purpose of this futile gift was to enjoy the reaction of the duke, who was sipping tea, and the poor girl he was being associated with.
'If I only gave the purple clothes as a gift, it'd become only a light joke, so I didn't know that the golden clothes I put in to break down the atmosphere would give me an unexpected delight…'
Ikshid was well aware of the Duke's habit of rejecting women. The table that should have already had nine children felt empty, since Tashian maintained his single status, even though he was past the age of marriage.
Feeling somewhat regretful, the prince often made fun of him openly in front of his ministers and enjoyed the atmosphere. He didn't care if Tashian felt bad at all by such teasing.
It didn't matter to him whether or not there was a woman who if insufficient, like a servant, was kept in his heart until now. His concern was only when, how, and in what way the duke was involved with women.
'Eureka.'
Ikshid smiled satisfactorily like a cherry blossom in full bloom, and looked at Eleanor, who calmly opened the box, and the Duke who was watching her with a gloomy energy surrounding him, as if watching a break up play.
When the box was first opened and the golden cloth was discovered, the gravity of the Duke's expression was equal to someone lifting a heavy weight, that was ready to start a rebellion.
The Duke's hands, which dared not to take the gifts given by a prince of a country, and not to mention the royal family's clothes falling in the hands of a woman who was clearly in his mind, were tapping nervously moving back and forth, as he sat on his chair.
It was only Ikshid that couldn't just pass that unpleasant appearance as nothing.
"No, Lord. Is there something bothering you? I've never seen you so distracted."
"……It's not something that His Majesty would care about. If my attitude has caused concern to His Majesty, it would be right to accuse me of profanity."
Tashian replied with a cold voice. But Ikshid was able to read the warning in his voice.
In front of him, he pretended to be decent and held a teacup, but Ikshid was not unaware of the fiery nature of the Duke. Inside of himself Tashian was probably boiling as much as a firewood-filled kiln.
Ikshid smiled satisfactorily and continued to scratch at Tashian's temper.
"Hey, you look like a stiff statue. So, why don't you kiss the woman who will later be crowned as the Duchess? You guys should be a bit wild. Isn't that right, Elli?"
Eun-woo, who was suddenly mentioned in the conversation, opened her eyes wide like a rabbit in the meadow who found a hawk in the sky.
"Yes? Uh, um…."
"Your Majesty, it's only natural that the Duke Miller is an example for his sister to be a loyal servant of yours."
The Duke grumbled as if he was chewing on his words and quickly responded to Ikshid's words.
Eun-woo thought she heard a tooth grinding through his molars with his eyes closed with a frown on his forehead.
Maybe I was just mistaken…?
"Lord. Are you threatening me?"
"That's not fair."
"Why are you holding your fist like that?"
"You're seeing it wrong, Your Highness."
Tashian responded with a voice as cold as the wind, even in Eun-woo's eyes, there were clearly blue tendons appearing on his clenched fist.
"What do you mean I saw it wrong? Do you dare to make fun of me in public now?"
"Please kill me then, Your Highness."
"If I had done so, every time you whined to kill you, you would have already died a thousand times over."
"Please forgive the lack of my vocabulary…."
"Aish*! It's not fun. Let's stop."
(TN: Aish; is a term used to express something. Usually this term is used when you're mad, like the term, 'Oh my god.')
Ikshid picked up a Blanche cookie from a refreshment plate, like a five-year-old baby whining and bit it with a crackling sound. Tashian's eyes flashed. Eun-woo doubted that Tashian might be wanting to chew Ikshid like that snack at the moment and gulped.
'I thought the prince abandoning his duties as a member of the royal family was all the reason for treason, but maybe there was something else too…'
The silence continued, with only the rattling sound of the teacup echoing.
For Eun-woo, this position could not have been anymore visible.
Caught between the next owner of the empire, the crown prince, and the villain duke, who was planning on betraying him, the Prince, she had to listen to the poignant jokes they threw at each other all this while. Her stomach, which had been unwell, was almost relieved.
"Lord. Elli is scared because you're frowning so much. The tea cup in her hand is shaking right now, can't you see?"
"Your Highness, my expression is the same as usual. I suspect that it is someone other than me whom the Miss found so uncomfortable that her hand trembles."
"In other words, you're implying it is me."
"I didn't say anything of the sort."
"The only people here are her and me. If it's not you, the Duke, then it's me!"
Ikshid slammed and hit the table with his eyes. Tashian did not even cast a glance at him, but only sipped the tea with thinly-lidded eyes and replied with a sigh.
"… If you have conceived it that way in your mind then this Duke has no way to prove wrong the intentions of Your Highness that have flowed in such a way."
The invisible war of nerves between the crown prince and the duke made the air buzz as if the atmosphere had been struck by lightning.
Looking at the two men growling at each other in such a way that even monkeys and dogs could not growl, Eun-woo realized that the description of relationship between the two in the novel was only the tip of the iceberg.
The novel described both of them as Hellasium's golden hawk and black leopard. Even if you look at them one by one, they would be spectacular, but the bigger attraction was when the two gathered in one place to reveal their teeth and claws and fight.
The attendants brought by Ikshid looked comfortable without any wavering in their demeanor, as if they were already familiar with such a scene.
Only Eun-Woo, who knew the ending, was scared to death of the current situation. She tried hard to stop her head from exploding right away.
"Oh my, the weather is so nice. Look at the blue sky."
"How can I look at the sky in front of my eyes when I see that Duke Verk sees me as inferior to a weightlifter?"
Ikshid spat out a sigh with complaints. Eun-woo turned blue at the word 'weightlifting' that popped out of his mouth. But Tashian was also amazing.
He made another quick attack. Attacks which seemed to improve more and more as this verbal war went on..
"Just as a famous pen does not blame the brush, a gentleman does not judge the incision of a subordinate who has achieved success."
"In other words, I am not a wise Prince?"
"The interpretation depends on the listener's mindset. Think as you wish, Your Highness."
Eun-woo just wanted to die.
How on earth can one prevent a war of nerves with these two?
As she seemed to be sitting, carrying the scary weight of the uncomfortable atmosphere created by the two of them,. The touching bridge, which represents the two men's relationship, fell to the ground, and he held his hands over his face on the table. A serious expression, she saw for the first time, rose on his face.
"Now, let's stop warming up and get to the point."
Seeing the rapid change in this attitude, Eun-woo doubted what was the matter, as the prince seemed to have changed into another person.
No, does that mean everything has been just a joke so far?
Tashian maintained a consistent expression like a stone statue as if he was used to it happening.
"I was waiting for you to open your mouth. What are you going to do this time?"
"You must have received a letter from His Majesty earlier concerning the current situation with Marquis Miller. I have come here to give you a brief overview of the progress of the matter."
Eun-woo pricked up her ears. If it's about Miller, then isn't it about her brother? Ikshid hesitated when he noticed her sensitive reaction.
"…. I tried to call Eleanor separately to deliver the news, but this is what happened. Forgive this bad Brother for not delivering it earlier."
"Dear Crown Prince brother… Did something happen?"
Eun-woo pressed down on what she wanted and stamped her feet on the ground, and tried to ask calmly.
If Marquis Miller comes to pick her up as soon as possible, wouldn't she be able to get out of this suffocating duke's manor?
Ikshid, who had been silent for a while, soon confessed in a mixed tone of voice as if apologizing.
"Elli, my mouth has nothing to say to you. You are well aware that your brother left for Australch last month to carry out the orders of His Majesty. However, from the vicinity of the hazard council, your brother and all of his subordinates have fallen into a state of unknown identity, a place whose whereabouts cannot be confirmed."
Eun-woo looked up at the serious prince's face in a dark mood.
"According to the investigation team sent by the Imperial Kingdom, it was predicted that it might be due to a group of pirates in control of the strait."
Eun-woo asked back, interlocking her sweaty fingers .
"Warawi pirates?"
Ikshid grumbled as he touched his forehead.
"That's what happened. I've already recognized that your brother is not an ordinary person, but I didn't expect even the notorious bullies of the Warawi Strait to recognize him."
"Are you kidding me now… ?! If they are pirates, my brother's life is in danger!"
Eun-woo jumped up with both hands on the table. With the force of her hands, her teacup rolled over and fell to the floor with a gurgling sound.
However, the reaction of the two men was far beyond her expectations.
They answered immediately and casually.
"No, that's not true."
"Eleanor, that won't happen."
It sounded cold as if there was nothing funnier than that in the world.
Ikshid shook his head and said.
"That won't happen even if the sky splits into two sides. Maybe I'll see it once before I die."
"Don't worry. Whatever he does, he's the one who will live the longest among us four."
Ikshid briefly hardened his face as if seeing Diego Miller and imagining the sight of his death, and soon shook his head as if he had failed to do so. Tashian doesn't seem surprised by the news.
It was a weird attitude.
Eun-woo hesitated to say anything, left in a daze.
Obviously, in the novel, I think these three were once described as 'friends who will never die'…?
Chapter 12
Ikshid gripped the table cloth with his aching head.
"I'm sorry to say this in front of you, but I think it might be better for him to voluntarily give his neck to the pirates and return if he managed to escape, after he had given up all the mines in a mountain range. I don't know how many times I've been thinking about this."
"You're right."
Tashian closed his eyes and responded with a light nod.
Eun-woo trembled at the scene of their betrayal.
'No, when did these two men, who used to growl and fight in front of me, take each other's sides and weigh my brother's life?'
He was a brother in a novel that she had never seen before, but her brother was a very, very important person to her.
Eun-woo jumped up from her seat to defend her brother, whom she had never met, in front of these two insensitive men.
"That's not fair! Heaven knows that human life is precious, and Earth knows that too!"
With her fierce momentum, Ikshid and Tashian faltered back. Regardless, she insisted with all her might.
"Even though the two of you know deeply about my brother's abilities, there is no one in the world who has been caught up by pirates and would come back alive! He must return before the Victory Banquet! If he is unable to return before then, I won't be able to escape from the duke's house…"
She barely managed to pull herself together and uttered those last words coming from her throat.
".. It- it's not like that. It was just my brother life is precious! Not the thing I said earlier!"
Ikshid and Tashian exchanged glances with their surprised faces. Ikshid who got embarrassed by her unexpected words, quickly came to his senses and began to appease her.
"No, Elli. Calm down. A task force that was dispatched from our Hellasium military base, has already begun to search for your brother's whereabouts. His Majesty's strict order has already been sent down to put Your Older brother's safety first."
"What's important here is not safety, but how fast my brother will return to the Imperial Palace.…!"
Eun-woo, who had been shouting out of frustration, said, "Oops. Of-of course, his safety is the most important thing!"
As she finished her last words, she sat down on her chair. She calmly cleared her throat in front of the two men who were sitting dumbfounded. Ikshid looked at Eun-woo and stuck out his tongue.
"The renovated residence of him after Miller returns is a good place to have a stop and talk. He has a younger sister who cares about his health regardless of whether or not she is like this, so he will have to come back without a single strand of hair missing on his hair."
Eun-woo thought that she was too much, so she slightly bowed her head to cover her reddened cheeks. At that time, she felt a presence nearby her. Tashian, who frowned, put his arm on the chair where she sat, and stared at her.
Eun-woo, who received his gaze, shrank her back.
Did I make a mistake? Was Eleanor never a woman who made such a loud noise?
There were so many thoughts which came into Tashian's mind that he opened his mouth with feeling doubtful.
"I didn't know you'd be so worried about him."
Eun-woo was very embarrassed.
Don't tell her that Eleanor and Miller's friendship as siblings was not as good as she expected?
She leaned back and pulled herself away from him. She answered while stroking her hair innocently.
"It- It's all obvious. Because he's my brother."
"… Is that so?"
He pondered hard about something for a moment and lifted his face slightly.
Eun-woo blinked in surprise. He looked down at her and said with a serious face.
"Don't worry. I'll bring him in front of you at all costs. So you can just stay at my residence until he comes back."
If she asked him to move a mountain, he would do it, doubtlessly. With his serious eyes, Eun-woo's whole neck heated up and she stiffened in one moment.
Seeing that, Ikshid muttered mischievously, turning the chair back.
"Today, the male and female bluebirds had the best scene…."
(TN: Representing Tashian and Eun-woo.)
Tashian pretended to not hear him. Ikshid murmured as he clicked his tongue.
"It's been 3 years since I've left the capital because I was pushed back, so I thought that I'd never show my face once again, but Your Majesty would be heartbroken if he inquired about this had I used a different reason."
Ikshid's eyes were on Eun-woo, who was listening to those words from Tashian. She broke into cold sweats as she looked at him.
"I saw His Majesty once when I entered the Imperial Palace. If you are talking about the post-war situation report, I understand that the Deputy Commander Gerald replaced it."
"How can a general commander and a deputy commander be the same? This is a dereliction of duty!"
"Stop being stubborn. Your Majesty knows better than anyone else that I have more work to do in the city."
Tashian's voice was now mixed with an indescribable annoyance.
Eun-woo now wondered if she should turn the subject of the conversation between the two.
They seemed to be fighting, but somehow, her worries had increased because of them. One could only view it as them clowning around trying to one up the other.
"I heard the news that you have joined the Senate again this time. I do not care at all about your safety, but I hope that you will take into account the position of His Majesty who has to deal with it."
"This wicked guy … ! I knew from a long time ago that the lower officials from the Court are plotting treason! How those old men of the Senate hold their head up high stiffly in front of me?! If you hadn't mobilized barbarians to defend this border in the first place, Tashian, this wouldn't have happened!"
"I'm the one who sent for your majesty's seal on the paper. Without me seeking for permission, the lower court would have known in advance that the engagement at that time was likely to have been difficult and guessed at it."
Ikshid finally burst into anger and slammed the table. Eun-woo was surprised as the plate containing the refreshments slipped towards him.
"The word barbarian is funny too! Since when has Kartina become a place of barbarians? I don't understand the stubbornness of the party's senior council. Since we have clearly exchanged tributes and princes over the past 2000 years, this is enough to be a country!"
It was a ridiculous exclamation, but it ended with Tashian raising his eyebrows. The long-standing hostility between the Senate and the imperial family was not a Great Wall that had just been built overnight.
"However, the claim that this mobilization of the Kartina army caused the blood of the barbarians to mix with the army and disturb the people… .. Where did these bones of dogs* come from?! Eleanor's older brother said that without blinking an eye in front of me, but at the end of the day, he almost turned his head in front of the emperor!"
(TL: Bones of dogs; someone who likes to butt in.)
"Missing that appearance for a very long time will be a heavenly regret."
"Okay. You always ask me to kill you. I'll kill you today."
Tashian did not snort at the threat. This is because the prince's dissatisfaction with the senate dates back to when he was an ordinary prince.
In response to his feeble response, which seemed to be of little interest, Ikshid sat deeply leaning against the chair with an uneven look on his face. His eyes swept past Tashian's indifferent black eyes.
'By the way, I can't believe that he's a member of the board…. Even though they are only half- brothers.'
He unconsciously compared in his mind the man in front of him and the former successor of Reinhardt, who fought in a confrontation over the agenda presented by the Senate just a few days ago.
The Presbyterian Church was created from its roots to confront the imperial family. The highest rankers determine the rise and fall of the nation established to maintain the dominance of the imperial family and prevent the monopoly of the neighboring forces. The head that time, was the Duke's half-brother; the former Duke Reinhardt.
Even before he ascended the throne as a prince, Ikshid clashed with the Senate in every case with his unique angular stone-like nature. At the center of it, there was always a face that looked exactly like that cold face.
Ikshid grumbled, shaking his brown hair nervously his mood ruined.
"They all do kinds of charities like giving soup in the name of tradition, but what really falls into our imperial family are these, Honor? Fame? Taking advantage of people they are ruling? OK, this is it. But in the end, it's just like sucking up all the sweet water and throwing away all the covered miserable deeds those Officials did."
Ikshid could not hide his displeasure, recalling the appearance of the senior council sitting in the seat of the consulate wearing more luxurious costumes than anyone else.
"They are blinded by the power they have in their hands, that they paid no heed to the nation's circumstances! That's the same with Genova. What was the answer from the congressional conference to the request of opening the Korean language to all? We extended a hand towards them, to provide an opportunity for interaction, only to be cut down in response! There's no point in crying over spilled milk… the day will come for them to pay back for shedding the blood of the innocents."
Ikshid's eyes sank resolutely.
He thought of Diego Miller, whom he sent as an envoy. It was another sword he had been sharpening and honing in order to alleviate this problem.
In the eyes of others, Diego Miller would have been nothing more than a once-promising and unsuccessful aristocratic master who kicked away the path of being a successor, which had always been a solid road, and traveled around the continent from betting on the chess board.
But it wasn't Diego Miller's idea.
In fact, he was sent to perform the mission under the secret order of Crown Prince Ikshid Fedellamon.
If Tashian Verk was a long sword that had been prepared as a response in the face of the Senate, Diego Miller was a dagger designed to cleverly manipulate forces against the prince behind his back and eventually break them apart.
Ikshid asked with a sharp look at Tashian, the first knife he held for the first time since arriving.
"So, how was the atmosphere of the new people in Genova? Was the hostility towards the new country serious?"
"…That's why you sent him with me. When it comes to wielding a knife, he would be born again, for he has slight knowledge in that topic, but he's a man who handles these things very well."
He had already turned the hearts of more than half of the nobles in Genova to the pro-imperialist faction.
Is he saying that the larva also has a talent for rolling? Tashian clicked his tongue, recalling the poor cooperation of hands and feet of the man, which was fatal flaw to Diego's sword technique.
He sincerely wondered how Diego had been able to keep ten fingers and ten toes intact while staying so close to his sword so far. Seeing Tashian's veins stand on his forehead, as thought of Diego. Ikshid smiled assuredly of himself.
"Anyway, you've worked hard."
"I just swung a knife where they told me to."
Tashian responded bluntly. Eun-woo watched the two men silently.
"It's good to just swing the knife, where I ordered it. It can be a problem because some people can't swing it, even if they're asked to."
"… If you were talking about that idler, the guy who put a foot on the battlefield and ran like a great hero."
Tashian looked at Eleanor, the sister of the subject in question, who stirred up people's minds, and then, gently grinded his teeth thinking again about the guy who went through all sorts of accidents in front of him and turned his stomach upside down from stress.
"Thanks to you, I had been doing a lot of babysitting, which is not even a task available on the battlefield. Do you know how difficult it is to keep someone who can't even hold a sword properly alive there?"
A skill that was not helpful was useless on the battlefield, so it was a distraction.
Tashian tried hard not to hit the table in front of Ikshid, who's lips began to twitch in his effort to hold back his laughter from the other.
She was watching.
"Are you laughing now? It's not the first time I've had trouble dragging him at an important moment."
"No, I just imagined Diego holding your pants in front of the enemy…"
Tashian's forehead wrinkled into frowned violently as if his blood vessels were about to protrude out. He looked as if he was thinking about grabbing the crown prince's neck right in front of him, and eventually breathed heavily as if he was enduring his feelings of intense anger. He said, grating his molars tightly.
"Anyway, I came back with my neck attached properly, so I'm done. Please don't think that he's responsible for even walking into the pirates."
"Tashian. But don't be so cold-hearted. Our sister's eyes are shaking like an earthquake."
Ikshid, who was watching Eun-woo, with his glowing eyes responded mischievously. Surprised by suddenly being pointed out, she quickly shook her hand.
"Wh, what are you talking about? Tashian, I had never been nervous."
In fact, however, as the prince has said, Eun-woo was nervous to the point where her hands trembled. Eleanor's brother's reputation was worse than expected. Eun-woo was eating snowflakes because of her brother, who she had never met, and sitting between the two men who were having a bitter conversation over Diego Miller.
At Ikshid's words, Tashian opened his eyes and looked at her.
"I… didn't mean it like that."
Then, suddenly, Tashian opened his mouth staring at her with a very troubled face. Perhaps he thought he had made a mistake in front of her with his gibberish, with a stupid expression that was unheard of, in the world.

Chapter 13

"Eleanor, I meant what I said earlier that I would put Diego in front of you. If you want, I can lead a search party to rescue him."

"… The days are warm, the water is flowing, and the dragonflies are mating."

Ikshid bowed his head while covering his mouth with his hand. His back was lowered, and he looked to be having difficulty holding back his laughter, his body was shaking slightly.

Eun-woo struggled not to punch the Crown Prince.

Ikshid, who had been hiding his expression for a long time, suddenly changed the subject. His expression shined like an uncharacteristic boy carrying a crown on his head.

"Oh, about that, Duke. I heard you found the Royal Princess of Genova. Is there any news about it?"

"……If you're talking about the royal daughter that Marquis Miller took as a hostage, I'm sure you've heard about it from him first, if I say it, I'd be repeating what he had said."

"Aish! You seem to be inflexible. I am asking just in case. What do you think I'll ask? Is she pretty? I'm sure she's beautiful."

Tashian calmly responded to the Prince he served.

"I'm not interested."

He looked like he was taking off an annoying fly. Even though he was barely assuming some etiquette, Ikshid did not care about his cheap attitude.

"No matter how much I know, she's the royal daughter of a country. If Diego returns with Genova's royal daughter, there will be a lot of people who will take an interest in her. It's just that you have to treat her with all your heart. Will the princess, who is to be viewed like an animal in a cage that has been caught against her will and brought to a foreign country, won't open her heart to the young duke who treats her kindly?"

Ikshid's eyes twinkled as he looked at Tashian and Eleanor sitting next to him.

"Isn't love always bound to develop in unexpected situations?"

Tashian couldn't break the Prince's smiling face into pieces, so he could only crush the crumbs he held in his hand.

"If that's what Your Majesty's wishes."

Eun-woo felt her heart fluttering, as she watched Tashian calmly answering.

It was something she knew, but didn't know. When she thought of marrying him, her heart was about to burst, but when the prince ordered Tashian to pay special attention to the royal daughter of another country, her heart became cold like frost in the middle of winter.

'This is an illusion. I'm so absorbed into acting out Eleanor that I'm paying too much attention to him.'

Eun-woo made a small noise as if to shake off a vain delusion. Ikshid stared at her with a cold, firm expression.

'Oh well, is that so?'

He thought that only the Duke was dragged around like a dog on a leash, but Miller's younger sister didn't seem to care that much.

He smiled and told her it was a joke.

"Don't worry too much, Elli. When did I say that this fellow was related to the treason?"

"Wh, what are you talking about?"

Eun-woo jumped up and protested. It was the talk about the misunderstanding whether Tashian and the treasoner were related again.

"E-Even if it's a joke, don't say it. The Duke always puts the words of the public first. Right, Tashian?"

When she grabbed Tashian's sleeves and looked up with a tearful face, his body hardened like a stoned statue.

Whether she was surprised by his sensitive reaction, or whether it was the unexpectedness of the fact that she had praised him in front of the prince, Tashian could not immediately answer.

He looked down at her with a gaze that showed he was clearly embarrassed. After a while, he opened his lips.

"… Of course"

"Lord, what was with that hesitant pause?"

Ikshid grumbled.

He felt sick when he saw the Duke responding smoothly, who would not have laughed if he had said this. He frowned in a strange sense of betrayal and changed the subject while looking at his sister.

"Yeah, Elli. Tell this Older Brother of yours about your life in Duke's residence. How should I say, isn't it boring to spend time with the Duke?"

"It's free. And I am living without lacking anything."

Eun-woo answered truthfully. She was spending the most peaceful and rich days of her life here.

"If there's something you don't like, tell me anytime. There are many empty rooms in the imperial palace."

"It will be very lively after the return of the Knights Templar. Miss needs a place to rest quietly."

Tashian added in a calm but quick voice. Ikshid also responded because he was afraid to lose.

"The imperial palace is also quiet enough and peaceful."

"It wasn't exactly where I am temporarily staying."

"It's largely due to the Duke. It's a place where people who are determined to put their fingers on the Duke will somehow gather with green lights in their eyes. And it's because I allowed unlimited visits of guests when you stayed. The place where our Elli will be staying won't have any access for anyone else for the entire floor, so what's the problem?"

"…I just gave you unlimited permission. Didn't I?"

"Lord. My skin feels scorching hot. Are you staring at me right now?

"How dare this humble servant look at his Master?"

He said so, but even through Eun-woo's eyes, the duke was glaring at the prince.

"If you do that, that expression is somewhat… Even a fierce dog which had been raised in the imperial palace will not be able to growl looking at your scary expression."

"Let's test whether a fierce dog and I are the same."

With her in between, the invisible power struggle which had halted a few moments ago between the two men, ignited up again. Feeling as if the air had been crackling with lightning, Eun-woo sighed and pulled the refreshment plate back towards her.

"Lord. Stop it. Isn't Elli nervous because you're so sensitive?"

"That is because, Your Highness caused 80% of it."

There seemed to be a rustling sound between Tashian's hands under the table.

"Are you telling me to close my mouth now?"

"You finally understand the advice of heaven, I am very grateful."

If this continues on, the terrible ending of the novel will really proceed here. So Eun-woo quickly intervened between the two.

"Stop it, both of you! Even five-year-old children won't be this childish."

Ikshid grumbled with a sulky look.

"No, Elli. What did I do to be scolded by you? Aren't I just having a friendly chat with His grace, who is one of my vassals?"

"His Majesty is right. If His Majesty and I are caught up with brandishing harsh language, you don't have to pay much attention. It wasn't even an important topic for you to care about."

Even if Tashian told her that in a calm voice as if it was a daily occurrence for the two of them to do this.

Eun-woo forgot what she had to say when she saw the two men gently holding refreshments as if they had finished revealing their claws to each other.

"By the way, Elli. Isn't it time for you to return to participating in social events?"

Eun-woo sipped a new cup of tea, which was brought by the maid, and almost spewed out the tea in her mouth when Ikshid asked her that question. She asked back, unable to hide her embarrassment.

"Yes? Return to participating in social events?"

"Didn't you stay quiet for quite a while, considering that Marquis was still on the battlefield and that you also suffered a serious trouble of moving to another place? There are so many people looking for your face here and there these days."

Ikshid tilted back as he saw Eleanor's face, which had suddenly turned blue.

Was Elli a kind of person who avoided social events? If so, I think she did, and I would have remembered something like that.

"Don't think it's just nagging from your Older Brother, but do show your face. At this rate, there will be rumors that the Duke has confined you in his mansion."

At those words, Eun-woo put down the teacup she was holding with a pale complexion.

Confinement in Duke's residence? When such rumors spread, then, I would lose chances of getting married.

She held her Older Brother Crown Prince's hand with a straight face.

"Of course… I'll attend anywhere. Please invite me, Your Highness!"

"Oh, um… There are a lot of places to do so, right? Horse racing, tea party, lighthouse viewing party…. Just say it. But I didn't know you were waiting for a social event like this. Don't tell me, did the duke really confine you?"

Then there was a crackling sound. The duke slightly pulled out the sword he had placed next to him with a brutal expression. He issued a short warning.

"Your Highness."

His eyes were fixed on Ikshid's hand that was being held tightly by Eun-woo. The knights who were assisting Ikshid, took a step closer to the Duke with their swords pulled out with a tense look on the Duke's sudden action.

She was embarrassed and hurriedly put away Ikshid's hand and held Tashian's arm instead.

"Du- Duke! No, Tashian! Don't be like this! What are you doing?!"

The prince, who was actually threatened, beckoned at the knights as if not to overreact. Even the relaxation atmosphere that was not present earlier, was flowing when he sat deeply leaning against the backrest in a comfortable position. He smiled and muttered in vain.

"Hoho, it has been hundreds of years since I've seen the duke acting so sincerely. But don't do this in front of Elli even if it's a threat or a joke. See how pale Elli looks."

Tashian chewed on his lips and pushed the sword into the sheath. Skrrrt, was the noise it made.

Eun-woo swept her chest and let Tashian's hand go. Then she looked up at him with resentment. Tashian murmured as if making excuses with wrinkles between his brows.

"… Your Highness's joke went too far."

"But how can you pull a knife in front of a Crown Prince? There's no law that forgives something like that."

In response to Eun-woo's harsh tone, the Crown Prince came out to help, as if indicating that he was not going to not miss this opportunity of scolding Tashian.

"Our Elli is right! You have no manners! Daring to pull out a sword, in front of me, the Crown Prince…"

"For the sake of… Crown Prince too, please be quiet!"

When she snapped back, Ikshid's mouth, seemingly like a dog, shut its mouth as if it was rolling its tail. He cleared his throat. As much as he was embarrassed to be yelled at by his sister, he soon opened his mouth solemnly after finding the dignity of a prince.

"Anyway, your negligence of not knowing that Elli is lonely, is great. Why not watch an athletic event every weekend at Cremons Gardens? The Imperial City holds a night ball every day, so it's not bad to attend it."

Cremons; the capital of Hellasium, was an active social venue for aristocrats. The streets full of aristocrats and businessmen seeking success from all over the country were flooded with colorful attractions and entertainment streets at night.

There were many boring gatherings where young women dressed up in primary colors and competed in horseback riding races under the spring sun, watched exhibitions, and threw off their tops to participate in ball games and bowling.

"Call this Older Brother of yours whenever this stuffy man is being arrogant. At least I'll make sure you'll not be bored."

Ikshid recommended Eleanor with a serious look. However, Eun-woo's expression was seriously stiff and she just pretended to have heard him. Now her spirit was sold on the idea of the 'social event' mentioned by the prince.

It was a big deal for her, who was mistaken that the daily routine of a noble lady was all about rolling around in bed all day. Now that she was in the body of Marquis Eleanor Miller, people keeping an eye on her was the most appropriate way to make a mistake.

'What if there are people who notice that I'm different from the usual Eleanor?'

She was anxious, stamping her feet underneath her clothes.

Tashian, who was sitting quietly next to her, was staring at her figure. Then he opened his mouth in a low voice.

"… Am I a boring Duke?"

"What?"

Eun-woo blinked and answered him.

What does this guy want to imply again?

Chapter 14

"If it was frustrating to stay only in the mansion, you should have told me at least. Didn't I promise that I will take care of you conveniently? I apologize if your life here has been boring. I'm ashamed to face you now."

Eun-woo smiled as if she didn't understand what he said.

No way.

Cold sweat ran through her back.

This person right now… he isn't upset, right?

As if fueling the fire, Ikshid tilted toward Eun-woo and whispered in a voice that everyone could hear.

"Elli, the Duke is upset. Please say something."

"Your Highness."

The Duke put his hand on his sword as if he would cut the prince this time around.

Eun-woo, who was on high alert, was relieved to see Tashian sighing with his forehead with one hand.

"…If you at least have conscience, it seems only yesterday when you petitioned about not calling for me in a while, but I didn't know that you would come this far in person."

Tashian glared at the prince, who chased him every day and dreamt of killing Ikshid inside his eyes. Ikshid was distracted and rambled.

"Ah, did I come here to make you work? I came here to see my sister's face, to give her a gift, and to relieve her boredom by teasing the Duke. Ahm. But still, you had endured for a month before going here. That is enough to be called as our Wise King."

In fact, Ikshid was quite conscious of the Duke now.

It was only three years ago that he was madly abused by the Great Genova War. No matter how much the relationship of the ruler and its vassal is, the Duke rolled around in a bloody battlefield during the three years for a change. He was a true Duke.

What Tashian needed now was a break. Even if he was called by the god of the underworld, and not the Crown Prince, he had the title to refuse.

'It's not enough to fight around in a foreign country for a few years, so I've left the mess for Diego… And I thought I would overturn the table at least once, even if I couldn't do it face-to-face.'

Ikshid had brought his knights twice as much just in case. However, it was a moment when his expectations were exactly wrong.

Ikshid's eyes turned to Miller's sister after a while.

'This was all because of this kid?'

The honey jar which the Duke tightly hid, was this woman who is in the right age to get married, and also the sister of Marquis Miller, who is well known for her flower-like appearance. Of course, it was the Marquis who had the most rumors here.

Ikshid clenched his fist for not being able to understand these people's work.

"So, Elli's escort at the banquet… Tashian, are you going to take over?"

Ikshid immediately regretted saying it. The two, Eun-woo and Tashian, were blinking as if they had never heard of it.

Could it be that this bastard, Tashian, who trembled in front of me and couldn't hide his heart, couldn't say a word now?

Ikshid almost grabbed the back of his neck.

Meanwhile, Eun-woo was puzzled as she was, and alternately looked at Ikshid and Tashian.

Banquet…?

"Victory Banquet… Are you talking about that?"

She asked with a nervous face. Ikshid answered in two tones, indicating why she was asking an obvious question.

"Then, in this garden, the people who won the battle against Great Genova, are there any other banquets to hold, besides the banquet to commemorate the victory?"

Come to think of it, Selena, the heroine, was remembered as a humiliation for attending the victory-ceremony banquet, without a partner to escort her.

Ikshid advised her with an ambiguous smile.

"If there is no one else, why don't you go with this duke here? He may seem very dubious, but even if he looks like this, he is the only duke in the empire, so if you go outside with him, something quite smooth will be useful."

It was a strange thing to say whether it was advice or a warning, but Eun-woo had no choice but to agree. The only men she knows in this world are the duke and prince in front of her, and she dared to be partnered with the next sun of the empire.

Isn't it impossible to step up?

If you appeared at the banquet without anyone escorting you, it would attract people's attention.

With Ikshid's performance, Eun-woo was suddenly escorted by Tashian. Ikshid, who completed the mission, shook off his palms and explained pleasantly.

"The escort in the first place is nothing more than or less than the opponent entering the ballroom together, so it doesn't matter much."

The crown prince's expression ahead of the banquet was confident without roughness. Eun-woo glanced at the Duke sitting next to her with an unknown expression.

Her mind has been disturbed by the indescribable anxiety. With the banquet, the beginning of the novel was approaching. She has to be more alert.

Eun-woo swallowed a sigh and looked simultaneously at the prince with a light face and the duke, with a calm face.

She racked her brain desperately. The male protagonist and his old enemy villain. How can these two be separated from the ending of catastrophe?

As expected, there was only one way. Soon after, Eun-woo, who made a decision in her heart, looked at Ikshid's golden eyes and apologized silently.

'I'm sorry, older brother Crown Prince, but as long as I'm there, I don't think the love between you and Selena will come true…!'

It was decided to create the love of Ikshid and Selena, whose for them, everything was like a gem, a fait accompli from the beginning. It was literally a sabotage.

On the other hand, Ikshid looked at her fierce fighting spirit, and wondered if a lie had been exposed when he said that the escort partner had no meaning.

•••

The Duke leaned obliquely against the railing of the stairs leading up to the second floor. The thick hair, which was always scattered over his forehead, had been neatly pushed back for today.

The glossy shoes, which could not find a single flaw, were tapping on the cold marble floor, revealing the owner's nervousness.

The collar of the tightly ironed white shirt was locked to the end of his neck. The suit was just black as if it had been boiled in rock.

He checked the time as he tucked the white gloves he had been holding in his back pocket into his jacket pocket. She was late.

Soon, however, Tashian found the contradiction of the words. For him, she had never been late. Rather, it was himself who was always late.

Of course, there was always only one person he was waiting for.

His heels again revealed anxiety without filtering and tapped the hard floor.

He was always anxious when he couldn't see her. It was like the heart of a child waiting endlessly in the field every night not to miss the sight of a meteor falling across the night sky once.

At that time, he heard the sound of the heavy door opening from the top, and heard the noise of stepping on the soft carpet with irregular beats.

Tashian quickly straightened his tilted body and looked up as if he was a regent, as if welcoming the royal princess.

It was always the same, but as he saw her slowly coming down the stairs, he felt like his heart was being trampled under her heels. If his chest was made of glass, the moment he looked at her, it was something that would split into thousands of debris and fly in all directions.

Until he stumbled down the last staircase, he forgot to show courtesy and had no choice but to stand in one place like a person who was slapped in the back of his head.

It was a thin voice from her neck that struck his spirit.

"I'm sorry… Tashian, am I too late?"

To the evidence that she was not a dream or fantasy created by his imagination, he opened his eyes like a burnt man and answered like a machine.

"No, not at all. You're not late."

His eyes narrowed as if not to lie, but he was only given a chance to see her rich eyelashes flapping over bright eyes in more detail.

Stuck in her eyes like such blue pieces of glass and distracted for a while, he could only turn to his clothes after he bowed his head with red cheeks.

She was dressed in a violet-colored evening dress presented by the crown prince. Two or three layers of loose veils were gently wrapped around her body. Gold hair rolled down and covered her straight collarbone.

Tashian blinked his eyes like a blind man who had just opened his eyes. She was as beautiful as the goddess of spring, protruding from a bunch of flowers at that moment.

The woman shyly raised her hand and touched her white neck. Only then did Tashian notice that her neck was empty. The skin of her neck without a single necklace was exposed.

He came to reason as if someone had poured cold water into him. After a little silence, he carefully opened his mouth.

"Didn't you like the accessories Johannes gave you?"

The whole story of the incident was like this.

Just now, someone knocked on the door while preparing a banquet in a simple changing room set up in the office he used as a bedroom. It was Johannes, the butler. It was news that there was an urgent message from the maid who served Marquis' sister. When Tashian said he needed her, she stopped buttoning his suit and asked what was going on.

〈 " It is said that the maid in charge of Lady Miller's accessories made a mistake of forgetting to bring back the necklaces and other valuables that she had left her work at the jewelry store. I asked everything to get other accessories in a hurry, but even simple shops on the streets were closed for the anniversary of the victory, and the restoration sent to the construction site seems to have not been heard so far. As the banquet time was getting closer, they asked duke if he could help." 〉

〈 "Isn't there a few jewelry boxes that have collected family gifts?" 〉

〈 "But they are valuables that belonged to the wife of the previous duchess. I don't know how many of them should I give to her…"〉

〈"Give it all to her." 〉

That's why Tashian wondered why her neck was still empty.

He couldn't hide his embarrassed look and asked her.

"They may be a little behind the times, but they are all rare treasures. Was there none of them that you really liked?"

At those words, Eun-woo dyed her cheeks red and waved her hands to the side.

"Never! All of them are picturesque. All of them are so beautiful, that is……"

"Then, what is it?"

Tashian hesitated and looked down at the woman who couldn't open her mouth easily, he couldn't stand it and urged her to answer.

Eventually, Eun-woo confessed with a grim face. It was a rat's-eye voice.

"That's… It's a precious object used by the previous duchess. The person who will be the wife of the Duke later will be offended. How dare I wear it… without permission from her…"

Her voice gradually crawled back in.

At first, when Johannes ordered his servants to hold three or four pieces each as big as a closet, Eun-woo and the maid breathed a sigh of relief. It was not only a banquet in time for the anniversary of the victory, but also a welcoming event for the Knights of the Imperial Kingdom, who returned after three years, so it was impossible to appear at the banquet hall bare-bodied and wearing only dresses.

However, Eun-woo, who was relieved, soon felt her sorrow cooled down in the patterns of the spruce tree clearly embedded in the jewelry. The same was true when Johannes carefully opened the jewelry with her hands wearing white gloves as if they were appraisal relics.

All of them were precious jewels that could not even be priced. However, while the maid was excitedly searching through the jewelry box, Eun-woo could not put a finger on the ark.

'Why is it that the Duke pattern was so clearly engraved on each and every ornament?'

No matter who she is, she could not dress up in public because the ownerless duke who has no wife brought it to her from the previous Duchesses.

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Chapter 15

Eun-woo apologized to Tashian with an awkward face.

"I'm sorry, Tashian. You even gave me your family's jewelry box.."

Tashian was also in trouble.

At the words that came out from her mouth, the sound of 'There is no other woman I want to be a wife other than you', almost slipped out of his throat.

Having managed to swallow his words, he rolled his head to persuade her.

He pondered for a moment and instructed Johannes, who was next to him, to do something small. Soon, Johannes brought a box the size of a palm much smaller than the previous ark. Unlike the collection of gold ornaments of the previous duchess, there were no patterns embedded in the small box.

Tashian, who was holding a luxurious blue-colored black box in his hand, carefully opened the lid.

"This would be okay, right?"

It was a necklace that his hand pulled out of the box. Eun-woo frowned for a moment at the bright light which suddenly emitted from the small necklace.

The deep blue purple jewelry which was wrapped in a silver string reflected a deep color that even black light was reflected from a distance.

Eun-woo opened her mouth to its beauty.

"It is my property, not my family's property. If this is the case, would you be able to borrow it with confidence?"

Tashian approached behind her back, who was unable to open her mouth, and then he hung a necklace around her neck. Behind her neck, the tip of his hand moved close to her skin, as it fixed the silver string of the necklace.

While he fastened the necklace, Eun-woo made a single squeak and hardened her body like a stone.

After finishing putting it on, he went in front of her and carefully looked through her as if he was emotional. Eun-woo guessed that his ears would be dyed red.

"Pretty."

He raised his hand and lightly touched the jewel of the necklace that landed on her neck. Eun-woo stopped breathing for fear that the sound of her heartbeat would flow through his fingers, and watched his lips twitch as he smiled.

"Shall we go now?"

He raised his arm in a polite manner like a gentleman who served a Lady. Eun-woo raised her hand and held his arm without making eye contact with him.

'What kind of necklace is this? Was it a present that he really prepared to give to Eleanor?'

Miscellaneous thoughts disturbed her head, but Eun-woo vowed to focus all her attention on the banquet ahead.

But soon they faced a crisis even before they arrived at the banquet. This was because Eun-woo tripped over her unfamiliar shoes and walked with an unidentified step.

Eun-woo couldn't even raise her face properly because she was embarrassed by her chaotic steps.

"It's not like t, that… I- I'm not used to shoes like this!"

It wasn't just the shoes. In this d*in the empire, women's outfits were so rare, the girdle, the corset, and even the lining of her underwear didn't feel comfortable on Eleanor's delicate body.

"Lean on my arm, it doesn't matter if you go slowly."

Tashian wrapped her entire body around her waist as if supporting her with one arm with a calm face. Eun-woo voluntarily paid attention and held his arm tightly even before her words fell.

She couldn't help it. Wouldn't it be thousands of times better to lean on the villain's body than to fall and be humiliated in front of people from her every few steps?

The only concern was that he was suspicious of her identity when he saw herself unfamiliar with this kind of attire. Wouldn't Eleanor have definitely been a noble spirit who would have mastered these clothes because she was not familiar with them?

In order not to raise such doubts, Eun-woo walked hard with strength at every tip of her foot. Tashian looked down at her with a strange glance.

She, who arrived with the Duke's black carriage, which was bigger than any other car in the Imperial City she had ridden, was revealing and more majestic than ever before.

As soon as they got off the wagon, the guards lined up in a row and raised their swords in the air and showed courtesy.

Eun-woo was startled by the sight and grabbed the hem of Tashian's clothes wrapped in a black cape. Tashian held her hand tightly with his glove-free hand and put it back on her arm.

The surrounding area was crowded with people. Eun-woo opened her mouth as she passed by the gentlemen who wore black soft suits, which were separated from the noble women dressed in feathers, veils, and colorful hats.

She doesn't know, but Eun-woo could feel their eyes stuck at her as soon as they passed by. Some of the ladies even dropped the fan they were holding in their hands and stared at them.

Eun-woo slightly frowned at the rudeness.

"Everyone seems to be looking… at us."

When Eun-woo muttered anxiously, Tashian replied without blinking.

"Don't worry about it. It's because you're pretty."

It was when Eun-woo tried to scold him not to make jokes by swelling her cheeks, someone approached them. It was the servant who buttoned up the wrinkled white shirt with no stains to the end of his neck.

Without a word, he showed a polite example and led them somewhere. Eun-woo held Tashian's arm, who was familiar with escorting her, and often followed her orders.

When they reached the Banquet Hall, the servant bowed lightly and led them to the half-draped entrance.

As soon as they entered the hall through the entrance, a loud voice announced their arrival.

"Master of the Black Scepter, Guardian of Griffith Castle, Ruler of the Lailpe Territory, His Majesty, the Duke Verk!"

"Lady Miller!"

As if to inform everyone in the hall of their arrival, Eun-woo grabbed Tashian's arm even tighter at the sound of the servant's announcement.

The first thing that caught her eyes, were the lights created by thousands of candles that made her eyes sting. Eun-woo thought that she would be blinded by the subtle yet intense red light.

The golden and red decorations filled the interior around the ceilings and walls like embroidery, and at the end were three golden jade posts that anyone could tell where the seat of the emperor was placed.

Food that she had never imagined was prepared throughout the hall, due to that, the legs of the table were bent, and servants in white uniforms were busy traveling around it, carrying champagne and refreshments.

The hall was too big to handle. And inside was crowded with so many people that it was incomparable to before.

As soon as they entered, Tashian and her, people stopped what they were doing and threw their eyes at them.

Eun-woo could feel the shock, fear, and curiosity rising from their faces, respectively.

She tried to focus only on Tashian's steps in order not to concentrate on anything in the Hall. However, no matter what they did, the explicit gazes of the people which flew to them did not disappear.

Later, her skin stings because of those gazes. It was enough to feel like that.

'Why are they looking at me like that?'

Eun-woo thought. She didn't know if she was actually stepping on the floor or Tashian's foot, and felt her body uneasy as he led.

"… Are you okay?"

The Duke, who led her to a corner, was the first to ask her with his head slightly lowered. Eun-woo nodded obsessively, ignoring the heartbeat of hers.

"At first, it can be a burdensome position. But don't worry. When you get used to it, you'll feel as comfortable as if it's your bedroom."

He swept her hair that flowed down with a soft touch.

Eun-woo looked suspiciously at whether such a day would come and caught her perfectly pulled hair. His face, which was not hard to find, seemed to dig into her heart, with left and right sides in perfect symmetry.

No matter how much she thought about it, she came to the realization that it was because of this man that people were looking at them.

People's gazes were still into them, but after taking a breath, she could observe the inside of the hall more closely.

There was a lack of words that the inside of the banquet hall was truly brilliant.

Starting with a walls painted in a gold color, where you don't know how gold it was, nobles sitting in twos and threes on a sofa gathered in one corner, five-colored desserts set next to it, main dishes and bands creating light melody in one corner, with clowns and acrobats were showing an unexpected play.

There were laughter and arguments here and there.

Eun-woo looked through the scene with her widened eyes.

"You're supposed to be like this… Are you having fun?"

She imagined a more solemn and heavy atmosphere because it was a victory-celebrating banquet.

As if he laughed silently at his question, a small vibration was felt with his arm in contact.

"It's because it's still before His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Prince arrive. When the imperial family arrives, the atmosphere will calm down a little. There is another official event that requires solemnity such as a coronation ceremony."

This place was also a celebration of the victory, so there was a bright atmosphere all the time.

Tashian bit his lips to hold back his laughter as he saw her clinging to his arm and throwing her gaze like a thief's, around.

"Aren't you hungry? Do you want to eat first?"

Tashian asked, pointing his chin at the dinner place where unknown foods were prepared. Eun-woo, who had never been in such a position, nodded as she wanted to eat.

On the table, all kinds of meat, chicken cooked with garlic, fried herring, hard cranberry cheese butter bread, vegetable sausage, chopped ham, sweet milk and pancakes, black pudding and deer legs, grilled freshwater eel and vegetable stew, pickled fruit. Sauce with cinnamon, pepper, ginger, almonds, herbs, turnips and raw carrot salads, pumpkin jam, wine, and apple wine were stretched beyond measure.

Eun-woo looked up at Tashian with an awkward look on her face, not knowing where to start. He had already removed a large deer leg meat and put it in his mouth.

"What are you doing? Don't eat it right away."

Eun-woo was slightly surprised to see him eating without formality at this place. Although this was not the first time she ate with him.

She recalled the first time she shared a light lunch with him.

Eun-woo sat across from him like a timid student in front of a strict family teacher and watched him eat as gracefully as any noble does.

His hands were moving neatly without a point of disruption. He didn't spill any light crumbs or rummage through food. Each movement of carrying food to the mouth and supporting it, was neat like a picture.

Eun-woo felt his manners on top of his meal.

〈"Why aren't you eating? You don't like the food here?"〉

He stopped eating and asked, lightly stealing his upper lip with a napkin spread out on his hand. Even folding the napkin looked stylish, so Eun-woo hesitated, wiggling her hands under the table.

〈"No, that's…"〉

Eun-woo looked down at each of the four silver knives and forks in front of her. Her cheeks turned red. In front of him, who had almost perfect dining manners, she couldn't honestly confess that she didn't know which fork to use first.

He glanced at her like that. Then, suddenly, except for one fork, all the utensils around were removed. They have the same utensils that appear beside their plates.

Eun-woo was surprised by what he was doing and watched only the amount he was doing. Then he picked up the butter bread in front of her with his bare hands and took a big bite. She was surprised by his free-spirited attitude, which was clearly different from before.

〈"It's good. You should try it, too."〉

He casually cut the bread with his hands, and used the remaining fork in front of him to dip the ham and insert it in between. Then, like a hungry young man, he poured the bread into his mouth. He gulped down with an apple glass next to him one after another. In an instant, he emptied his plate and wiped his mouth roughly with the back of his hand with a loud sound.

And he clenched his fist, held his chin, and smiled at her.

〈"Hurry up."〉

The moment Eun-woo heard him laughing, who had no other way but to explain him as an attractive man, lost her words.

It has been like that ever since.

Eun-woo noticed that he was not aware of this kind of aristocratic manners, and that he was trying to adapt with her, rather than wondering why or making her feel awkward. Recalling his laughter at lunch, Eun-woo felt a strange feeling of warmth.

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Chapter 16

It was not long before she started eating along Tashian.

She picked up any utensils and dipped fresh tomatoes and round cheese cut in half. Next to her, Tashian had almost emptied the mushroom soup bowl that had already melted the parmesan cheese.

Of course, they did not gobble up or eat food that looked ugly to others, but she could see that they were eating with less aristocratic courtesy compared to other nobles. She could already feel the gazes of the nobles sitting at the same table.

"Don't fill your stomach too much. They will continue to recommend food around you until the night of the masquerade. It's good to leave it almost empty enough to set an appropriate example."

Tashian didn't even forget to give her advice not minding the eyes of others. Eun-woo suddenly thought whether he was familiar with those gazes lingering around.

Well, he'd draw attention wherever he goes because he is a duke of this country.

Eun-woo bit into a small chicken pie with sour orange syrup and mumbled. It was impressive to see what kind of spice they used, as if they were pungent. It was crispy on the outside and cooked smoothly on the inside, enhancing the flavor.

Due to the tension, her stiff body finally had an appetite. Eun-woo stretched her arms toward a salad plate topped with sesame sauce with passionate movements, grabbed a handful of them, and put them on her plate. The sweet and salty scent of the sauce made her mouth water.

They emptied their own plate silently for a while.

While staying with Tashian, Eun-woo found out one more fact about him. He was quite a big eater.

Each meal he ate was three or four times more than hers. It was understandable considering the large size of his body, which seemed to have two bodies intact inside.

Furthermore, doesn't he train every dawn? Considering his daily routine, which started at dawn and did not end until midnight, it was more than acceptable.

Listening to Johannes, he even appeared to be in charge of training the Knights of Capital and as a Duke, amidst that.

So even if he eats like that, he doesn't have time to gain fat.

Eun-woo glanced at him this time, who was reaching out for the pastry filled with lobster, and shrimp flesh.

Anyway, it felt good to see him eating well.

After finishing their meal, the two of them walked around the venue slowly, patting their chubby stomachs and holding a glass of bubbly champagne each.

The huge banquet hall was filled with people and entertainment. There were so many things she wanted to see and witness.

Tashian almost supported her with his one arm, who was busy exclaiming at every view her eyes caught.

They were watching a show where a male acrobat, who was nearly naked, mingled with the crowd around him, with dozens of glasses towered like a mountain, which filled with alcohol from above, and fondly drenched in the tumblers below.

There was a heavy sound echoing, and the voices of the people who were buzzing inside quickly subsided. It was not long before everyone's eyes headed to one place.

Another huge door right next to the door they first used to enter the hall, was already wide opened.

She saw his hand with her hand on it, slipped out, took the cup she was holding away and put it on the table beside her.

She then looked at people's eyes along the way, wondering what was going on. When she couldn't see well because she was covered by the crowd's head, she snooped with her tiptoes raised.

"His Majesty is entering."

Tashian looked down at her and explained.

She felt her heart pounding.

She had seen Ikshid, the Crown prince before, but isn't it the first time she'll meet him in such an official meeting? In addition, this scene was also the first scene in the novel. Somehow, she was anxious and waited for His Majesty the Emperor, and Ikshid's entrance.

Soon after, the Imperial Knights in military uniforms entered vigorously with a fanfare-like loud and sharp melody. She felt the solemn energy at their every sharp pace.

As soon as Eun-woo found them, she looked at the man next to her.

'Wasn't Tashian the head of the Imperial Knights?'

Why is he next to me who should be at the forefront of that wonderful matrix?

She tilted her head.

However, her curiosity was soon erased when a man in a colorful costume, holding a flag with a red sun flag symbolizing Hellasium, appeared.

Eun-woo admired the luxury of the outfit and stretched out to take a closer look. Then a man strode across the hall. At once, she could see that he was Ikshid. Then, the next moment, she was astonished.

'Oh my god! That person is my Older Brother Crown Prince?'

Eun-woo couldn't help but exclaim with admiration at his golden eyes that seemed to walk clearly into her eyes.

Were his eyes carrying such a brilliant light before?

At a glance, he was dressed to show that he was the crown prince of the empire.

With a bright red carpet-like uniform that poked his eyes and a blue insignia on one shoulder, he looked flawless and perfect everywhere.

Whenever he took a step forward with a solemn and dignified step, his mahogany-colored brown hair slightly shook.

As soon as he appeared, people who had stopped all actions and were waiting, raised their right hands and made movements that she didn't know the meaning of, and bowed their heads. It seemed to be an example dedicated to the imperial family.

Eun-woo was embarrassed and looked at Tashian's light gesture, but hurriedly bowed her head like other people.

"Everyone, raise your heads."

In an instant, an elegant voice rang into the banquet hall, which seemed empty. At the word of Ikshid, people raised their heads all at once.

Again, the sound of humming filled the hall. Tashian whispered softly into her ear.

"His Majesty seems to have not been able to get up from the sickbed again today."

As he said, there was no emperor to appear behind the prince.

It has already been more than five years since King Fedellamon I, the father of Crown Prince Ikshid, had been unable to take care of him due to a long illness.

In the meantime, Ikshid, who has won the long battle of the princes with the throne, has replaced the vacancy.

Eun-woo opened her eyes wide and watched Ikshid.

Is that really the same person as the prince she met the other day?

Ikshid stood at the top with a slightly boring look and looked down arrogantly at the banquet hall. His appearance emitted a solemnity and authority that could not be encountered hastily, which she had never found in their last meeting.

"Th-that person… he's the prince that I saw, right?"

Eun-woo tilted her head toward Tashian and whispered lightly. Tashian went silent and couldn't understand. He then replied casually.

"… Is there something different? It's the person you saw."

It was as if there was one more Ikshid she knew.

Don't tell her that in this person's eyes, the sarcastic king, who was making ridiculous jokes in front of them and the impeccable person, one of the royal family in front of them the other day, is the same person, right? However, Eun-woo saw his serious expression and felt a strange conviction that her thoughts were right.

After taking a light look at the audience, Ikshid opened his mouth by giving a light welcome to the aristocrats who attended the meeting. Soon after, he continued his speech.

The speech, which began with a light tribute to the soldiers and generals who participated in the war, immediately went back to the history of the empire, mentioning the names of the senate, the imperial family, and the first successor.

It goes on into a chapter of immunity where he weighed the pros and cons of the imperial power and this war and rebuked ministers who went against his will without mercy.

Eun-woo interestingly observed the nobles staring only at the front with unfocused pupils, as if they were familiar with this scene and their souls were already escaping.

Tashian was also silently waiting for the prince's words to end, as if he was very familiar with his nagging, which was like a stone chewing.

Looking at that, Eun-woo corrected her memory, which had momentarily mistaken the prince for someone else.

As expected, Ikshid is Ikshid. He only changed the words he used to make it more noble and plausible, but the message he was conveying was just as incompetent as when she met him, that her work has increased because of him.

After a few minutes of speech that felt like hours, enough to loosen his legs like seaweeds, Ikshid finally bit his mouth.

Eun-woo thought that living is the same everywhere as she saw the spirit of people who had escaped from this space and crossed the dimension return.

Ikshid ordered the left-center in a short voice.

"Continue the banquet."

Then, the prince sat in a comfortable position on the golden throne which she had given her gaze earlier without saying much.

The music of the band that had stopped began to flow again, and people began to form in groups again with a stiff look than before. Several groups flocked to the prince's side as if they had waited only for that moment.

Eun-woo whispered softly to Tashian as he watched the scene.

"Shouldn't we go and say hello?"

Tashian raised one eyebrow as if it was ridiculous.

"No way. Even if we don't go, he'll come to us on his own if we wait a little longer."

Who's coming? The Crown Prince Ikshid?

Eun-woo laughed in vain at his ridiculous determination. Soon, however, she found herself somehow understanding his groundless confidence.

So they were able to continue their own banquet tour.

The atmosphere of the venue was much calmer and somehow weird than before. Neither the clowns who were excitedly throwing cups into the air earlier nor the acrobats who were pantomime had disappeared.

People seemed to be absorbed in conversations and meals, hiding themselves in large and small groups, formed in several.

Eun-woo turned to find things to see, thinking it was regrettable.

At that time, a group of nobles gathered head-to-head on a red carpet on the floor and were seen immersed in something. When Eun-woo looked with her tiptoes up, and found out that what they were playing was a card game.

Tashian, who saw her gaze heading there, asked in a low voice.

"It's a Blanche game. Do you want to take a look?"

Eun-woo nodded quietly. Then the hand supporting her arm wrapped around her shoulder and led her to the place with a stable step. Eun-woo couldn't shake off the idea that he was like a personal bodyguard she was carrying. Since earlier, regardless of his will, he has been looking for only what she wants to see and eat.

"Blanche is a card game that is very popular in the Yellow Sea now. Literally, it's a game that pulls out people with Blanche and white cards. If you find out that you have a white card from others, you will lose."

'It's a kind of mafia game with cards.'

(TL: There is this game that's famous in Korea which is the Mafia Game. The players in the game will guess who is the mafia, and if they guessed right, they won, if they didn't, they lost.)

Eun-woo interestingly watched the aristocrats playing card games over someone's shoulders. In order not to get caught in Blanche, sitting in one position or another and desperately covering their cards seemed to be a poker.

"There are seven types of cards. King, Knight, Wizard, Archer, Poole, Noir, and Blanche. They symbolize the numbers 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and negative 30, respectively, in this order. A noir with 30 points deducted is a black card, and a blanche that can be defeated in this board just by having it, is a white card. At least three to five or six people each draw a card at random in order to determine where the Blanche card went. And when you're sure someone has a blanche, they shout 'Benepis'."

At that moment, a nobleman who was playing the game shouted in a heated voice.

"Benepis! I'll pick you, Ferrington!"

Then, the people holding the cards let out a sigh of complaints, and they all looked at the cards they were holding.

Some people have been grumbling about whether this is the first time he has shouted benepis.

"He must be saying useless things again, Nedo, dude. Blanche won't come out this fast, right? Ferrington, let me see."

"It seems there's no way out. Nedo, how come your senses get dull the more you play?"

Eun-woo watched all these situations with interest. It seems that Ferrington, who was pointed out by Nedo, did not have a Blanche card.

Then, Nedo cheered and threw his card on the floor.

"Haha! You guys! Do I win if I find Blanche? Let's count. Aren't my cards the highest?"

Not knowing what happened, Eun-woo blinked and pulled out her neck like a turtle to look at his card. His cards, which were thrown away by him, consisted of the king with the highest score. Unlike other people's cards were mixed with several low-scoring cards, such as Archer and Poole's.

Tashian, who was watching the scene, explained to her in a quiet voice.

"If Blanche fails, the person with the highest sum of the numbers of each card wins. This time, Nedo must have been aiming for this method from the beginning."

It was then.

A bright blonde young aristocrat who was participating in the card game silently shouted in a loud voice.

"Hold on! Nedo, what's that on the back of the red king card?"

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Chapter 17

Those who were participating in the card game rushed like some master in martial arts, and turned Nedo's card upside down. As he said, behind Nedo's card was a black card they called Noir.

"A Noir card! Nedo, how can this happen? How can you fool us by overlapping your cards?"

All the participants, including Ferrington and the blonde nobleman, fired arrows of criticism at Nedo in unison.

Ned was also embarrassed with his reddened face, and he came to his senses by the familiar voice pouring into his ears. In front of his eyes, Tashian was staring at him madly with trembling violet-like eyes with a woman in his arms.

"Oh, how far should I say about it…? Anyway, you seem to attract attention wherever you go."

Aigoo, that stings…

Ikshid muttered insinuatingly, as he was conscious of the attention being poured down towards the three of them.

The focus has finally changed.

Nedo shouted that this game was invalid with a flushed face and with his ears wide open. Others drove him to the bottom, saying it was not possible. Nedo, who had no choice, had to drink a strong cognac as a penalty. The game then continued again.

"… Do you want to try for once?"

Tashian winked at the Blanche card, which was left alone in the empty spot, and suggested it to her. As soon as Eun-woo was about to nod with a pounding heart, a very familiar voice came from somewhere.

"No, who is this? My dear sister is here!"

From far away, a crown prince was flapping his golden cape and approached them.

When she saw Tashian's expression, which recognized the owner of the voice like her, rotted in an instant, she contemplated in return, and tapped his arm. At the same time, she experienced the irony of feeling strange disappointment at the appearance of the imperial prince returning to Ikshid she knew.

"His Highness, the Crown Prince!"

"I see the next sun of the empire."

People who were playing card games next to them all stood up and showed courtesy to Ikshid. When he was about to receive their greetings, he beckoned them to sit back, and Tashian and Eun-woo approached right in front of them.

Tashian was more relaxed now, than when he first discovered Ikshid was approaching them, but he still gave him a light silence with a look that he was not very pleased by his appearance. It was such a rude attitude that she wondered if he could do this in front of the crown prince. Eun-woo quickly followed him and posted an example of the imperial family he had seen earlier.

Ikshid looked satisfied with her violet-colored dress.

"As expected, that dress looks very good on you."

The dress was the real gift of Ikshid, which was laid under the golden dress he gave to the Duke and her previously to tease her.

"It's all thanks to Your Highness. I didn't realize that you were such a well-informed person."

"Haha, I mean, I almost didn't recognize the duke. I saw you from afar earlier, but I didn't know that the Duke was someone who could make such a bright face like a sunflower, Lord, no matter how much you like your partner, stop being a sloppy person."

"It's a shame that you're still healthy, too. How come you never get sick?"

Eun-woo, who was listening to their conversation, had no words to say.

Why can these people be so consistent both in public and in private?

Ikshid noticed what was behind them and sighed when he found a Blanche card in the hands of a group of nobles standing from him at a distance.

"Haa…! The two of you leisurely enjoyed it as you two played the game of blanche, leaving me alone in the midst of those boring officials."

"If I could have done that, it would have been a great joy, but just as I was about to start the game, I was interrupted by an unexpected surprise."

"That means, the owner of this body was in the way?"

"I didn't say anything."

Tashian's face, which seemed to return to its usual expression for a while, was about to become dark again.

Eun-woo changed the subject with a bright voice in order not to produce another scene that she watched countless times during refreshments they had.

"Now, what a nice banquet! I don't know if the both of you are enjoying it!"

"Enjoy, my ass! I'm so tired of dealing with the nobles holding glasses and sticking together. There were a lot of people asking me to do this and that when I was about to sit in the chair silently."

Ikshid grumbled, sipping the glass he was holding in his hand.

Eun-woo recalled that he had been surrounded by numerous aristocratic groups since earlier. They were politicians who followed the prince like baby birds with their beaks open and tight.

"I spent a lot of time looking for you to avoid my stops. If our Duke was quiet at this banquet, don't you hate it? Therefore, if I go around the bare corner of the venue, I will meet the Duke, but no matter how much I toured around today, I couldn't find you two. Finally, Tashian, I wondered if you had left your seat in the middle of the banquet and left, so I asked the servant to look for you. What the hell, you were right in the middle of the hall!"

In fact, it was a lie that Tashian and Miller's sister were difficult to find. Far from being difficult to find, it was Duke Verk who was always at the center of attention. At times, there was a certain degree of strange jealousy towards the Duke, who seemed to be getting more attention than the Crown Prince himself.

Previously, when he looked around the hall to find them, he could easily spot a group of people 'watching' two people watching the Blanche game.

'Look at this? It's crowded because we're only in one place.'

Ikshid glanced around with sharp golden eyes.

A group of people, who could not be compared before, were closely watching them, pretending that they were idling around.

They were cleverly covering their eyes with a fan or a glass as if not wanting to stand out from others, but Ikshid could feel their keen curiosity and interest around the faces of certain people, as they touched the surface of their skin with a sharp sense.

The same goes to Tashian, a person who oddly developed five senses.

This was also due to his inevitable position.

The Duke of Verk was the most traditional aristocratic family in Hellasium. Among the numerous noble families in Hellasium, he was the only descendant of the imperial family that had the right to succession, even though it was only a formality.

The duke has been the object of envy and has had the respect of the people for more than centuries since the birth of the empire. However, among the previous dukes, the current dukes', and Tashian Verk's positions were quite different in size and volume.

After being crowned on behalf of Reinhardt, the half-brother who was elected as the successor after the previous duke who died at the age of 17, Tashian Verk was called the emperor's black sword and worked hard all over the continent as the head of the Imperial Order. People said in unison that he was truly the birth of war god.

His great reputation showed, when the pattern of the black spruce tree symbolizing the Duke, appears on the battlefield, the enemies quickly lose their fighting spirit and run away in confusion.

'Rumor has it that even the defeated soldiers of the defeated country respected him and dyed their flags dark purple symbolizing the Duke to ask for protection?'

Ikshid's golden eyes were fierce and stared at his servant, who was called a war hero.

The war in which the Duke participated recorded an overwhelming winning rate of 100 wins. The public praised him as a living legend in the history of the empire.

But Ikshid knew what was hidden behind Tashian's unusual popularity.

In fact, the forces supporting the Duke of Tashian Verk were not bloodlines with higher authority than the aristocracy, but commoners and lower-class people, or status launderers with such a past. It was because he was an illegitimate son of a prostitute from the poor.

Even though he made the greatest contribution to this war, it also made the same sense that he could not mention his name, the leader, when giving a congratulatory message to the Knights earlier.

Ikshid got wrinkles in his forehead, recalling the memory of struggling with the senate for days for ridiculous reasons.

〈"Don't forget that his mother, who was a brothel singer, was born in Genova, the enemy country!" 〉

〈"The only difference is that it was already too far-fetched to just entrust a man who inherited the blood of a lowly prostitute to the great post of commander-in-chief!" 〉

〈"On behalf of the whole elders, I request that Duke Verk be banned from attending this victory commemoration banquet!"〉

The old men of the Senate rushed eagerly to disparage the obvious merit of the duke, based on his veins.

Ikshid looked at them, who seemed to be weaving together, but gathered their mouths and sang together. No, to be exact, he stared at the head of the Senior Citizens' Association, Reinhardt, who was sure to have a light smile as always behind him.

'It's hard to understand… No matter how different the background is, isn't Tashian a legitimate successor recognized by the family, who went in to fill the vacancy after being elected as an heir?'

However, Reinhardt's feelings toward Tashian Verk were vicious enough to see Ikshid as a third party. In response to the chief's hatred toward Tashian, Ikshid always had to feel his endless ignorance.

'Why in the world is that 'heir', who was always restless because he can't bring down his brother who is only a substitute for him in front of the imperial officials?'

As it is said to be a speculation towards the one who sat in the position that would have belonged to him originally, he himself was the heir who was said to have higher authority than the emperor.

They were strange brothers who could not find an answer even if they thought about it this way, and thought about it.

"I knew you'd come here."

Tashian snorted and answered.

"For aristocrats who have grown up precious in their Residence all their lives, wild animals trapped in cages seem to be amazing."

"Don't disparage yourself too much. Some of them have sweet eyes on you with admiration's feelings."

This has been referring to a group of young women who have been glancing and unable to draw attention from the duke.

Most people will look at the Duke as usual, who was only a replacement for the former Archduke Reinhardt, out of curiosity, but among them, there were some people who tried to approach him with a human affinity for him, as Ikshid said.

Of course, it was a separate problem that they were all frightened by the dark face of the Duke and couldn't even talk properly.

"I don't need that kind of gaze."

Sure enough, Tashian responded straight away with a tone of annoyance. Ikshid shook his head and clenched his fist.

"This human with that dirty temper! That is why you haven't been able to get married."

"You're talking about yourself."

"Hey, Lord. Aren't you going to say anything to the Prince you serve? You'll have to break that habit."

"Then Your Highness should say something that makes sense, don't you agree? It's only the servants who bow like a puppet at the words of His Highness."

Tashian, who was answering coldly, suddenly closed his mouth to the mild pain on his arm. Looking down, as expected, Eleanor was pinching his one arm with her index finger and thumb.

Eun-woo looked at the two men who chatted affectionately as usual even with the eyes of people with a feeling of doubt and dumbstruckness. Having endured the desire to yell at them to stop this childish verbal fight right now, she replaced it by pinching Tashian's arm.

She got angry with a voice that seemed to be heard or not.

"Both of you, please stop! Aren't you embarrassed to see other grown-ups?"

"Eleanor, what did I do…"

"Tashian!"

Eun-woo eventually screamed even though it was light.

However, it was the prince, not the duke, who seemed to be shocked by it.

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For the first time in his life, Ikshid revealed his shocked expression on the surface of his face.

No, right now… Did the duke just get pinched?

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Chapter 18

What's more fascinating, was the attitude of the Duke after suffering from unfair treatments.

He was in a hurry as if this airy woman was now a business that was twice as strong as she was previously. Is he done saying that the weak protest just now is all about the reaction?

"When did you two get so close?"

Ikshid watched them bickering little by little, unable to close their open busy mouths. He tried to suppress the strange sense of loss and coughed in vain.

"Anyway, don't overdo it when the party just started, and play moderately until the masquerade, and if you have a chance, rest in the garden or room. I'm here to say that."

"That's very constructive advice."

Tashian sarcastically said in a clear tone that he ignored Ikshid. It sounded like Tashian didn't know that.

Banquets which were especially held at the Imperial Palace were like long-term marathons, so it was almost impossible for a person to participate continuously from the beginning to the end of the banquet. If there was a chance, people took a break in the middle of the banquet in a lounge, garden, and court rooms, where guests were allowed to enter.

"It's not something I said to you, but advice to my sister. Aren't you a monster that stays up all night for three days and nights?"

"What do you mean when you're the one who keeps all members of the Officials from sleeping for a week or two, and keeps the agenda as he pleases?"

"You're so noisy. Whether on the battlefield or in the Capital, you, whose routine is to wake up every morning and swing your sword, aren't worth listening to!"

In the end, their conversation led to a quarrel that could not back down at all as usual.

"Tashian, I'm going to fight with you like this and it will never end. I'm tired and exhausted!"

Ikshid said with a huge sigh.

"Ha…! Elli, I have to give you a special order. In some way, if you go through this stubbornness, hold it well until the dance. I also have nothing to ask so earnestly unless the Duke is a law that nobles above the counts are required! Should there be an absurd disaster in which the main character, whose name is the only Duke of the Empire, disappears in the middle of the banquet?"

Tashian complained in a disapproving voice as if it was useless interference.

"You're also worried. What do you say, if the main person of this banquet can go to this imperial castle to avoid the eyes of the people?"

"Isn't it because of a criminal record?"

Ikshid shouted angrily. Eun-woo sweated hard trying to mediate between the two.

"Don't worry, prince. Anyway, my feet are like this, so the Duke won't be able to go anywhere."

"Feet? What's going on? Did you get hurt?"

Eun-woo quickly responded to Ikshid, who raised his eyes fiercely and said.

"It's nothing. I got new shoes, but I'm not used to them, so I'm just a little uncomfortable walking. I've been getting help from the Duke since earlier."

"Really? If so, the Duke will have to provide generous help as he is now the assistance of my sister."

"I'll accept your order."

Only now did he answer immediately. Ikshid grumbled, turning away from his sister, who looked at him and the duke, as if he had growled to him.

"Then I'll get going because there are a lot of people looking for this Older Brother of yours. Duke, come and look."

Eun-woo sighed as she saw him wriggling through the crowd. As soon as he left, it was noticeable that a group of people followed him.

Only then did she realize that he was the main character of this novel. Even in vain, the prince's presence, which cannot be overlooked, was no exception.

The place where Ikshid left was filled with endless entertainment.

The calm stage sung by a female singer, the women's eye-catching dress and accessories, all kinds of desserts that delight one's mouth constantly, the wine, and bright lights emitted by thousands of candles that hurt one's eyes. The banquet, which lasted until the next morning, consisted of a day tea party and a night ball.

"The Crown Prince is very busy. How come he's everywhere we turn our heads?"

Eun-woo's eyes were not enough just to see Ikshid flashing around the east and west direction of the Venue.

"He likes to meddle here and there, and his job is to be a state minister."

Tashian muttered , as he was about to chew a dried sweet persimmon that he did not know when he had bitten it.

As he said, Ikshid seemed busy as if he was faithful to his work.

Eun-woo mumbled together with the sweet persimmons which Tashian cut in half, watching the spectacular sight of a new group forming, disorganized, and then combined wherever Ikshid moved.

Of course, they were not just bystanders of the banquet.

Not long after Eun-woo parted ways with Ikshid, did they realize that they were facing a new crisis.

"Oh my. Aren't you Lady Miller?"

The first faces she saw began to greet them one by one.

Those who were hesitant and unable to say a word properly at first gradually increased in number when she greeted them, and eventually later, decreased.

"Oh, oh my. It's been a while."

Eun-woo gave an answer to the greetings of people whom she did not know their faces or names. It was because she didn't want to make a mistake with someone who was close to Eleanor.

"I have heard of the renovation work of the Marquis Castle. The tree fell over the villa? You must have been really upset."

"The last time I saw your face was probably at a tea party just before Marquis Miller went back to the battlefield, right? I wanted to ask if you've been healthy and comfortable, but I couldn't, because there were circumstances."

"Lady Miller, are you feeling better now? I thought I couldn't see you today because you were in such a bad health."

As she came to her senses, Eun-woo was unintentionally surrounded by a group of people, while holding the Duke's arm tightly.

One of the ladies who had been talking for a long time opened her mouth more bravely.

"By the way…, why are you with Duke Verk at this banquet…?"

Eun-woo noticed that others were also stopping questions at once and waiting for her answer with a cautious look. She came to her senses.

'From the beginning, the purpose was not me, but this person.'

As she thought, the young ladies who came to them were the ones who secretly admired Duke Verk. If the Duke had originally stood alone, women who would have come up to him and said a word of speech had found Miller Hu's sister, who was 'famous for her connections', next to the Duke.

They didn't miss this opportunity, grabbed hands in their hands and pretended to say hello to Lady Miller, shaking the fans gently with their skirts in front of the Duke.

Upon noticing it, Eun-woo quietly pulled out her hand from the Duke's arm and shouted.

"My feet are a little uncomfortable…!"

"Yes…?"

The ladies exchanged glances with each other. Eun-woo desperately explained.

"As you know, my brother is at war right now, and the Marquis Castle is also in the midst of renovation work, isn't it? The Young Ladies here would be familiar with the fact that the 'kind' Duke Verk here, has provided a poor person like me, a place to stay…!"

The ladies nodded confusedly, looking at each other's faces.

"Then, you know well that Lord Verk here is a 'generous and kind' person who can't just pass by his troubled neighborhood!"

The ladies nodded their heads, baffled again. Therefore, she did not notice that the Duke, who had only been standing next to her like a stone statue, looked at Lady Miller with a rather absurd expression.

"But my feet got swollen while walking around in shoes that I didn't get right this morning. He has been helping me with my inconvenient steps so far… !"

The ladies shook their heads vigorously, exhaling 'aah' and exclaimed at once.

Tashian looked at the scene and smiled in vain as if he was dumbfounded, but Eun-woo ignored it neatly.

"I didn't realize Lord Verk is such a generous man!"

"You're so sweet!"

"Oh my? I knew from a long time ago that Duke was such a broad-minded man."

"Hoho, don't lie!"

The young girls laughed for a while as they exchanged words of haha and hoho among themselves. Eun-woo thought it was this time, and gently touched the Duke's arm and gave him a notice.

'Lord, lord! It's now! Smile in a cool way!'

This opportunity was rare. Wouldn't it be less likely for me to marry him only if he showed off his charm in front of the ladies?

However, Tashian only looked at her with wrinkles between his eyes. He didn't seem to understand her intentions at all.

For a moment, Eun-woo was worried that he might look at them, with the same look he uses at the Crown Prince he was serving.

'Lord! I said smile! Smile!'

In the end, she clenched her lips desperately to convey a message to the duke, who had no intention of dancing on the mat she had laid so hard*.

(TL: Simply implying that he doesn't want to do what she wants.)

And at the next moment, Eun-woo forgot to close her mouth in front of Tashian, who was staring at her, and had his eyes fixed on her.

He tried to twist his head slightly and show a polite expression, but she covered his mouth with her hand and avoided the gaze.

Red energy shone through the half-covered face. His shoulders moved like he was suppressing something.

He burst into laughter. The laughter quickly turned into a low laughter that was good to hear.

He folded his eyes and began to laugh.

It was her first time seeing it. While staying with him, she saw a lot of people smiling softly and laughing at him with Ikshid, but it was the first time for Tashian to be like that and smile purely with joy.

Eun-woo stared blankly at him, who was smiling, then came to her senses and looked around.

The Young ladies were literally mesmerized and couldn't take their eyes off of the Duke. Not only them, but also those who peeped at their party from afar, and those who were immersed in their work, all looked at him with a lost face like those who saw a rare sight.

At that moment, Eun-woo felt a tingling pain as if penetrating her chest. There was an urge to cover her face from people. The strange monopoly desire of not wanting to show others how he smiles with such a carefree expression occupied her mind.

And another thing she felt, was Eleanor's thoughts never leave her mind. It's not herself, but the real Eleanor. What in the world is she to him, that she never shows to others?

Eun-woo felt dark thoughts that had never been embraced, crawling into her head.

Did they always laugh like that when they were together? Did they play pranks, giggled together, bring up the story in their hearts, dig into each other's arms for a while…… And…

Eun-woo was surprised at the last thought and touched her anxious running chest with her hand, swallowing her dry saliva.

'This is crazy. Stop it! Why are you thinking like this?'

However, even the clumsy tears were already in her eyes.

Tashian said the last time they met was three years ago. If it was three years ago, she would had been sixteen years old.

Eun-woo tried to comfort Eleanor herself, saying she was not as mature as she thought, but failed in a lengthy manner.

Soon after, he felt that her attention was focused on him, so he stopped laughing and cleared his throat.

"Hmm. What the hell did you do earlier?"

His slightly reminiscent face quickly looked sulky and rebuked her. Perhaps because he was conscious of the surrounding gaze, the sentence he had always cut in half was equipped with a polite ending.

Eun-woo couldn't make eye contact with him and responded sharply.

"Oh, no… It wasn't much."

Now that his laughter has completely gone, his gaze has long remained in her face. In the strange atmosphere flowing between them, the young ladies who gathered around left one by one. As if when their surroundings were crowded, they regained the awkward silence.

"Ehem. What did you want to say earlier?"

When only the two of them remained, his tone quickly returned to its original state.

His voice was blunt, but Eun-woo noticed that his eyes were strangely raised. Noticing that he was really curious, she replied with a wriggle of her finger.

"Just some…, I think that whenever you laugh, you feel good."

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Chapter 19~

She hesitated at first, wondering if she would say something.

"You didn't look so happy since earlier."

Half of the answer was a lie, and half was true.

Indeed, he had been with her since earlier and kept looking around with a strange wary look. It felt like she was a dog next to her owner. Eun-woo asked carefully.

"Are you bored with banquets…? Is it not fun to be with me?"

His eyes grew a little bigger with absurdity. As if she was wrong, he took a step closer and protested desperately.

"No way. How did I act earlier for you to come up with that conclusion?"

Eun-woo looked sulky and frowned around her eyes.

"Like this, you kept looking around with a serious expression while frowning. When I was with Young ladies earlier, you didn't really focus on what I was saying.…."

Eun-woo realized that he was quite embarrassed by her whining as he saw a shock coming to his face.

"Wait, Eleanor…"

He narrowed his forehead as if thinking about how to explain the situation to her, and then replied with a sigh.

"Ha… I was quiet previously around the Young Ladies, because… I don't really like people. Especially the noisy and angry women… I was just trying to set the mood because the women seemed to have something to say to you."

She didn't think he was doing much, but Eun-woo decided not to be in deep, and moved on. He frowned and continued to say.

"And the reason why I couldn't focus on what you were saying…"

"You kept frowning."

"… I kept composing that impression."

He hesitated and avoided answering. Eun-woo intercepted his words, thinking that she knew the answer for some reason.

Eun-woo realized that her guess was right from his expression.

In fact, these weird eyes, which can only be explained as strange, have been irritating her back since earlier.

Because of this unknown gaze that could not be define where it came from, Eun-woo had no choice but to stand on her nerves throughout the banquet.

Tashian agreed with a scary expression with no other way but to express that he was uncomfortable.

"If I catch that bastard, I'll destroy him. He was a clever guy. He keeps moving around, changing places."

"At first, I thought he was looking at the Duke like everyone else, but he wasn't."

"You're right. He was looking at you. He's been eyeing you since earlier."

At first, she, who attended as a partner of the Duke of Verk, thought she was one of the other banquet attendees who looked at him because they were amazed. Contrary to her expectations, however, the gaze continued for a long time. Later, the enthusiasm of his gaze was so hot that she felt burdened.

Eun-woo replied with a slightly shy voice.

"… But it wasn't that malicious stare."

"It's not important whether he has a bad intention or not. The important thing is that he keeps an eye on you. Throughout the entire banquet."

Tashian frowned harshly and spat out as if chewing. Eun-woo really realized that if he found the source of his gaze, he would turn that person into a silent bowl. She blushed with embarrassment.

"I… Tashian. Let's go over there."

"What's going on?"

"Come on, come on!"

She pushed his back toward the scene, where five clowns were dancing in a row to distract him. He eventually wrapped his arms around her shoulders tightly and led her to the place.

'It may be the gaze of admiring Eleanor.'

Eun-woo thought as she moved while leaning against his wide arm.

As she knows, Elena Miller was also a formidable beautiful lady as Tashian was a very attractive man. There must have been an unmarried noble man who secretly admired her.

'This person must have been the only suitor.'

In fact, the gaze she felt from before was not just one person's. The men around her were glancing closely at her. Eleanor, who dressed up in a violet dress, was beautiful enough to catch one's eyes at a glance.

Of course, Tashian was aware of all of this early on and had been taking a defensive posture no less than a guard dog. It was a familiar thing to draw attention to her, and there was no history of paying attention to her until now, but it was a completely different story to focus his attention on her.

However, regardless of whether he looked at her and lived toward the surrounding area like a double-minded person, Eun-woo was spending her time thinking completely differently from him.

'Is there any good guy…?'

She had been eagerly searching for Eleanor's groom since earlier. However, her project was rarely making progress.

'Eish, I have to know who's who. If I carry around a name tag with my ID on it, where would it go?'

Marquis Young Miss Eleanor Miller, could not marry anyone. At least more than a count, his status must be strong, and must have a beautiful face, so she thought a handsome man would be good.

She wondered if there was anyone near her who was bright in socializing and had wide connections. There was a person who immediately came to mind, but he was currently having a heated discussion with old ministers in a corner of the banquet hall with golden eyes.

She shook her head inside, recalling Ikshid's face.

'I can't make the crown prince act as my Matchmaker for me.'

Eun-woo looked around, wondering if there was anyone else. She glanced up at Tashian just in case, but when she saw his rugged expression, she immediately gave up on her expectations. Rather than being familiar with society, it was a tough momentum to chase away those who came.

She let out a small sigh as she stood next to him, and continued to give a cold look toward her surroundings.

'If I stay with this person for a long time, I won't be able to get a girlfriend, let alone a man.'

She grumbled and thought. It was time for Eun-woo and Tashian to walk slowly through the banquet hall with perfect frostbite dreams.

"Oh."

Eun-woo, who found something, made a short sound.

'It's red hair…!'

Her face rose with anticipation. Finally, she found her target at this banquet.

Red-haired. It was Selena, the heroine of this novel.

Obviously, Selena's hair color was as bright red as the sun, which was described as unusual in the novel. Eun-woo, who recognized it, hurriedly touched Tashian's arm and said in a command tone.

"Duke! Duke! Over there, there! Go over there!"

"What's wrong with you?"

Conscious of his surroundings, he politely asked, but Eun-woo couldn't afford to care about it now.

She hurriedly pointed to a group of people with red hair that she had found and brushed off the Duke.

"Hurry up and go over there…! I'm in a hurry!"

At Eun-woo's urging, Tashian silently led her steps in the direction she pointed. However, when they arrived, there was already no red hair left.

People greeted each other, puzzled by the sudden appearance of the Duke and Marquis Young Miss.

Eun-woo chased Selena's footsteps with a sideways glance, signing Tashian to ignore them.

'She was definitely here just now…'

Selena was definitely dressed in a sky-colored dress with her sun-like red hair tied together in the first scene. She was also a very outstanding beauty, so she couldn't help but to stand out.

"Is there anyone you're looking for?"

Tashian looked down at her with suspicious eyes. Eun-woo muttered, shaking her head hard.

"It wasn't a big deal."

Mumbling roughly, she muttered inaudibly.

Where in the world did she disappear into?

Eun-woo inflated the ball and used her eyes hard to find Selena.

Selena was the eldest daughter of a poor baron family that was collapsing. Like other noble girls, she was invited to a banquet to commemorate the succession hosted by the Imperial Palace, and she didn't even have a dress to wear, so she had to mend the outing clothes worn by the maids herself.

"It's definitely not a noticeable outfit but… That red hair was definitely Selena.'

Twilight hair that the male lead fell in love with at a glance when Ikshid saw it. If the two meet at this victory-celebrating banquet, they will surely fall in love. Their love would eventually lead to catastrophe, causing opposition from the senate and successor, and even breaking the deep friendship with the Duke Tashian at the end.

And the ending was just terrible.

Not only Eun-Woo, but also Anit, who serves her, Yuri, Jenette, Hannah, and her brother Diego, whom she has never seen his face, and Johannes, the butler… And Tashian will die, too.

Then an indescribable pain felt like stabbing her heart.

Eun-woo shook her head small to regain her senses, opened her eyes wide, and carefully looked around.

'I need to find Selena faster than Ikshid!'

Tashian's eyes looked down at her meaningfully.

"Are you sure you're okay? What have you been looking for?"

"Duke. I'm really fine. Shall we go over there this time?"

Since then, Eun-woo has been dragging Tashian by swinging him around the banquet hall. She dug through people, and even if a single red hair caught her eye, she would move from one end of the hall to the other.

Ikshid, who was chatting with the ministers about the last meeting, was also able to see the scene.

"Ha… Isn't it a waste of their eyes to search what they were looking for?"

Instead of standing next to him, Hana opened her mouth as if sympathizing with him.

"Lord. What the Lord is looking at is definitely the Duke of Verk."

"Then can you explain why Duke Verk is walking around the Banquet like a local dog, dragging a small woman who doesn't even come close to his heart?"

"Congratulations."

"Do you remember hearing that the Duke hurt his head in this war?"

"In the ears of this lowly god, I haven't heard of such a thing."

"Then, how will you explain what she and the Duke are looking for?"

"In God's eyes, Lady Miller is using the Duke as a private wagon."

"The same goes for the eyes for the other party."

A moment of silence settled between them. Ikshid decided to pretend not to see such a trick completely.

As if when they had a strange conversation earlier, they changed the subject to the affairs of state affairs where bitter conversations come and go as usual.

Meanwhile, Tashian was persuading Eun-woo, who was eager to find Selena, saying obvious things that would not work.

"Eleanor. As the Crown Prince mentioned earlier, considering the dance to be held later, don't tire yourself now…"

"Oh? Red hair! Duke, go over there!"

"…"

He silently turned toward the direction she pointed. But this time, it was also a failure. Eun-woo grumbled, greatly inflating her grumpy cheeks.

No, what kind of woman knows what kind Hong Gil-dong* she is. Shining from east to west, her hair was so conspicuous, her feet were so quick, and by the time they arrived, Selena had always disappeared without showing a single hair.

(TN: Hong Gildong jeon (Hangul: 홍길동전; hanja: 洪吉童傳) is a Korean novel, often translated as The Biography of Hong Gildong, written during the Joseon Dynasty. Hong Gildong, an illegitimate son of a nobleman and his lowborn concubine, is the main character of the story. Gifted with supreme intelligence and supernatural abilities, he steals from rich and corrupt aristocrats, which has drawn him comparisons to famous bandits like the English folk hero Robin Hood and Australia's Ned Kelly. Historical sources point to the existence of a bandit named Hong Gildong who was arrested in 1500[1] but the historical inspiration for the character was the Korean bandit and folk hero Im Kkeokjeong, who lived in the early 16th century.

From: Wikipedia)

"Eleanor, how's your leg? If you need a break, feel free to let me know."

Tashian did not make a boring expression and did not forget to follow her obedient steps, took her to the chair so that she could rest in time, and led her properly to a table with cakes and snacks.

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Chapter 20 ~

Eun-woo replied with a sip of the sweet fruit wine he gave to her earlier.

"Thank you, Tashian. It's okay now. Shall we go over there this time?"

"…"

He led her without saying a word.

'Oh, it's Ikshid.'

Eun-woo found Ikshid frowning in the distance surrounded by a group of old consuls. He was having a heated discussion with his ministers about the imperial situation.

"It is clear that the assignment transfer from this war is greater than the profit."

"If you do that now, do you mean we should go back to before, when the war has already ended? No matter how high our talent is, there is no such thing."

"The pawn in Genova has been caught as a hostage. Are you satisfied that an aristocratic collateral woman was caught? Even if you take your time, you must find her, protect her, and put them before His Majesty's eyes, to ensure their safety."

"Then do you want me to ignore the personal affairs of Marquis Miller, where the Warawi pirates are holding his lifeline now?"

"After all, Marquis Miller is a man of great spirit and boldness. Since I am not the one who will easily abandon his life whenever I want to end it, it is the thought that it is appropriate to attribute my concern to a noble woman who is said to have been caught as a hostage."

Ikshid became very uncomfortable.

Is it always this easy for the old people in the back room to talk about human life even though they don't go out and fight?

At that time, his sparkling golden eyes discovered a black and large duke and a slender woman next to him, like dandelion hole seeds next to him. Thinking this was the time, he swung his hand toward them without losing his emotion.

"Hey, Duke! Sister! This way!"

Eun-woo forced Tashian to change direction, pretending not to hear the Crown prince's call.

"What are you doing? The Crown prince is calling you."

He replied with an expression of disapproval.

"…… I thought the Crown Prince was calling the servant."

Eun-woo was amazed and pushed Tashian's back. Eun-woo, who sent him to the side of Ikshid, prepared courtesy for the prince and the other noble people who seemed to be in a high position even if she pretended to be with him. However, other characters except the prince bowed their heads toward her and the Duke.

Eun-woo thought to herself when she saw Tashian receiving the courtesy they offered as if it were natural.

'The duke's position is high.'

As she guessed, they were busy squabbling with the origin of Tashian behind them and sticking their heads up to him in front of them.

"Hi, sister. Duke. I'm very fortunate to have discovered you two. I needed someone to explain the situation to these sick and tired ministers here. Lord. Since you were the general commander, don't you know the situation better than anyone else? Let me open your mouth. No matter how much I say, they don't listen to me."

"Your, Your Highness!"

Eun-woo shouted in anticipation of the Crown prince's speech, but the ministers next to him were looking only at the Duke's lips without blinking to see if they were already familiar.

Eun-woo was worried that he would send a pathetic look toward Ikshid as usual. However, she was surprised in a different sense to see his eyes subside violently with a light she had never seen.

"….. Your Highness. What else are you eager to discuss?"

The Duke seemed to blame Ikshid, but his eyes were directed to the old ministers next to the prince.

He opened his mouth with a sad voice that seemed to condemn the sinner, throwing a cool glance at the consuls standing with a tense look.

"Even if you explain a hundred times to noble people who have never buried mud on the hem of their garment, didn't you say that one blood-stained blade that God will return to you speaks a thousand times greater?"

With the spirit of the Duke, who seemed to be dripping thin ice at every word, the ministers were all speechless and quiet.

Ikshid helped with a meaningful smile next to him.

"… That's what the Duke says. If you're upset, go to the battlefield yourself. I'll give you my own knife."

Eun-woo was surprised and admired.

Older ministers were overwhelmed by the momentum of the Young crown prince and the duke and were unable to speak. She trembled, realizing that the two men, who were always beating and harshly joking around each other, could become so scary if they colluded together.

At that time, instead of the white-haired one, who had been closing his mouth like a toad, courageously brought up to the Duke.

"Duke. I have something to say to the Lord. How great is the key to diplomacy held by the Marquis of Miller, a prince like you who has never been on the front lines for a long time would not have dared to guess."

"Does that mean that I, who risked my life and death, went to the battlefield and raised my sword, was an idiot who could not even understand the context before and after this war?"

Other ministers jumped and sweated at his cold response.

"What are you talking about? However, there may be loopholes in diplomacy that the Duke, who focused on the battlefield as the commander-in-chief, missed. It is just a request."

"So to explain, there is a loophole in diplomacy, isn't it?"

As if Ikshid was annoyed, he crumpled and rebuked the ministers.

Eun-woo stood next to him like a bag of barley. She was raising her ears just in case she could hear the name of an acquaintance.

"It was only the nobles of Genoa who worked so hard to catch them! This is unfair treatment. It will be disappointing news for our young soldiers and their families who have shed blood so far."

"Mopasan Baek is right. Even if we wait for the establishment of a new kingdom in Genova, we should bring one of our immediate descendants."

Each of the ministers shouted out loud, raising their voices, saying that they were not enough to be hostage in the system, not in their direct lineage. Eun-woo opened her eyes wide open, pointing to the core of the problem, even in the midst of a fuss in which old ministers rambled on with their voices.

Wait… What does that mean?

Then, the minister Han insisted in a loud voice.

"I strongly insist that as soon as Miller Hu is released to the Warawi pirates, he should be sent back to Austuralch!"

Eun-woo opened her mouth to the captain's argument. And she shouted without time to think.

"No way!"

Shortly after that, Eun-woo felt that all the eyes gathered at the chairman were on her at once. The nobles, who were chatting with joy and entertainment next to them, were all looking at her with a surprised look, including Ikshid and Tashian, who were standing while frowning.

But at the moment, she was so frustrated that she had a fever to the top of her head that she was unaware of the situation.

"No, you're saying something that doesn't make sense. What do you mean 're-dispatched to Austuralch'?"

Eun-woo raised her voice by chattering against ministers three times older than her without knowing that the prince and Tashian looked at her with wide eyes.

"Do the royal family say that they lack royal descendants? Where is the ignorant treatment of killing them all and establishing a new regime? Why do you want to see more blood when the war is over? Now that I see it, you're only saying purely false things! You don't care how many more people die in the process of finding a hostage, do you?"

She exclaimed so enthusiastically that the veins in her neck came up.

"My brother, Marquis Miller! To see the end of this three-year war, risking his own life, he is out to perform the precious mission entrusted to him by the Crown Prince! One day soon he will return! Without hurting a single hair! Isn't it the most important thing to come back?!"

That way, Eleanor's brother, who'd arrived quickly, will organize the traffic for her suitors.…!

However, Eun-woo saved her last words. When she came to her senses, almost all the people in the Venue were looking at her.

When she realized what she had done, she froze for a while, and soon coughed awkwardly.

"Hmm. Well, I never said this because Marquis Miller was my brother."

Even after such absurd words, the ministers were unable to refute the claims of Marquis' Sister, who just said the right words.

Everyone except Tashian was surprised.

The young lady in the house did not die once against the ministers of the political world, and besides, she was able to keep the mouths of the imperial politicians who called him to shut up by figuring out every single word she had to say.

Everyone was speechless and watched the scene, and Ikshid, who came to his senses first, coughed and disbanded the meeting.

"Now, now. You sat down at this brilliant party talking about work to make it taste bad. You're trying to get rid of fatigue. Everyone, stop dispersing, dispersing."

Each of the ministers followed the prince's order with a puzzled look. Eun-woo also tried to return to the corner holding Tashian's arm, avoiding the eyes of those who still looked at her with interesting eyes.

It was then. Her familiar red hair was caught in her sight.

'It's Selena..!'

Eun-woo gasped and looked at the red-haired lady passing right in front of her.

It was real this time. The red hair, which can never be mistaken, was passing by the place where she staged a sit-in earlier.

She hurriedly peeped at the side of the Ikshid. He was immersed in a conversation again with Tashian, who was chatting earlier, with a serious look.

The distance between Ikshid and Selena remained with only a few steps.

Eun-woo quickly escaped from Tashian's arms and grabbed the hem of Ikshid's clothes. As if Tashian couldn't believe it, he opened his eyes wide and quickly watched her knowing she was in the arms of the prince, but she couldn't afford to care about him.

"Crown prince! I have something to say…!"

"Ah. Okay, okay. Elli, it's you again."

Ikshid welcomed her, who suddenly intervened during the conversation.

He was looking at her from a completely different perspective due to the incident earlier.

In other words, he felt the possibility of Miller's sister. He didn't know that his sister, who was considered just a cute and pretty younger sister, was such a bold and friendly woman.

Ikshid predicted that this little lady in front of him would grow into a big woman who could greatly help him in the future. Thus, he listened to her with a more cooperative attitude than usual.

"What did you want to say this time?"

Eun-woo glanced at the elderly aristocrat who was talking to Ikshid, pulled the prince's arm and crossed her arm.

"Come over here for a moment."

Then, without knowing the English, she led the accompanying Ikshid beside her, in the opposite direction of Selena. Ikshid, who was a little embarrassed, soon grabbed her arm as if familiar and led the way smoothly.

The Duke, who was watching it from behind, was left alone. Around him, only innocent ministers gathered again.

"…… Duke, I'd like to apologize for what I said earlier."

"I have a question for you."

But at that moment, there was not a word which came into his ear.

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