51 ~
From Tashian's resolute words, Diego could only bite his mouth. He then lifted the goblet with a displeased expression on his face.
"Are you still in the mood to be on a date now? To be precise, that's my younger sister! Always keep in mind that I have my eyes on you."
"…. You've talked enough, stop now."
Meanwhile, even after the secret conversation between the two men was over, Eun-woo was watching the audience for a while, unaware of the passing of time.
The atmosphere inside rose because all the unnecessary lights had been turned off, making the people anticipate the performance. People in the lower seats were all noisy, changing their seats, whereas the upper floors were all filled with dinner, likely a tea party. Everyone was engrossed in their own entertainment, some even played cards or gathered together to have drinks.
Eun-woo muttered to Selena, who was standing side by side with her, watching the audience.
"It doesn't look like a theater where performances will start at all… It's mostly like a restaurant."
"Is that so? I really don't know since it's my first time here in the Grand Theater. I initially thought that it would be like this."
Eun-woo was briefly frozen at Selena's answer. She then realized how dumb she was to compare the theater in modern time than in this time.
She smiled awkwardly and covered the situation.
At that moment, a gentle melody filled the hall. People who had been noisy at the quiet, yet heavy sound of music murmured all at once, and the noise subsided in an instant.
Seeing that, Eun-woo and Selena made eye contact.
"I think it's about to start."
"Let's go back to our seats."
She followed Selena, who was returning to Ikshid's side, and returned to her original seat. After all the lights went out, the inside of the theater was dark, except for the faint light illuminated from the other side of the curtains, where all the attendants were waiting.
Eun-woo relied on the light, leaking through the red curtain as she made her way next to Tashian.
As Ikshid foretold, the play was about the Quill of Lucius, and the jewel of Genova. And the main story in the play was about the romance between a prince and his fiancée, who were forever lost in people's minds due to the curse of the quill.
The play began with a loud chorus. Prima Donna Calista as the fiancée and another male solo as the crown prince reached the climax of the first act.
Eun-woo was a little surprised to see the noisy crowd quietly focusing on the play. After three or four songs, the first part came to an end when the main character, the Crown Prince, was cursed by a quill pen due to his uncle's scheme.
As soon as the act was over, the theater was filled with indistinct noises again. The vendor who had gone back to the theater after being away for a while, the vigor in the lower seats became noisy too.
Eun-woo, who was drunk with the afterglow of the first play, was startled by the commotion.
The candle was lit once again in the box seat where they were. Eun-woo was then aware of the existence of Tashian, who was looking at her face.
"… How was it, was it worth watching?"
"It was great. I didn't know that time had already passed."
Eun-woo sheepishly blushed and answered him. It must have been because she was in love with the play that she didn't expect that long time had passed.
Tashian answered with a faint smile on his face.
"It seemed so."
When did a person like him, who always sits at a desk, overlooking all his work and duties every day, and sometimes would be occupied with seeing people associated with the imperial palace, thought of this idea and had her come along?
Eun-woo was moved by his kindness. She whispered as if he could not hear it.
"Thank you for bringing me along. Let's go again next time."
" … Of course."
His response was barely audible for her. And she thought that it was because of the buzzing surrounding.
Act 2 began in the noise. Diego, who had been sitting next to Eun-woo, had disappeared somewhere.
She looked around her and searched for Diego's presence.
"Where do you think my brother went?"
"It seems that he has found a new target again. Don't mind him too much. Your brother disappears after a day or two anyways."
Ikshid muttered muffled. Act 2 begins at the scene of the panicking of the remaining characters after the disappearance of the prince. Several supporting actors appeared on stage as a group and started singing.
Eun-woo was drunk with the cheerful yet roaring melody and almost stood in front of the railing. In fact, in some box seats, a few crowds could not resist the excitement and got up from their seats and leaned against the railing to watch the performance enthusiastically.
Eventually, the group song responsible for the excitement of the second act ended, and a gentle melody began to flow. As the music started, the curtains swung back.
Eun-woo widened her eyes when she saw the servants who suddenly came in the middle of the song, were carrying something.
It was ice cream. To be precise, it was a dessert like shaved ice mixed with milk and crushed ice in a bowl of mashed various fruits. It was a brilliant snack made to be eaten with a teaspoon in a small glass bowl.
It had been quite some time since the second act started, so it was also a time when she was bored. The sound of spoons hitting the glass bowl reverberated here and there. There seemed to be occasional laughter and chattering surfacing from somewhere. Opera, which used to be quiet, has regained the hustle and bustle of the break.
Tashian took his share of dessert from the servant and explained softly.
"The audience takes a piece of dessert while watching the play of Aria."
Eun-woo took the spoon into her mouth and responded with a mumble to Tashian's explanation.
It wasn't surprising anymore. She enjoyed a dinner before the start of the performance, but she had wondered what kind of dessert it was during the performance.
Tashian received the dessert bowl from the servant and placed it on Eun-woo's plate.
However, he himself refused the dessert.
She scooped the dessert that looked quite appealing and delicious, before shoving it into her mouth. The cold vanilla-flavored sorbet melted in her mouth in an instant. The sweetness she regained from the dessert came with the happiness she felt. The sweet song resonated in Eun-woo's ears, and her mouth was filled with the refreshing scent from the dessert.
However, she gradually became unable to focus on the desert alone. The song that started quietly had a sad melody.
Eun-woo thought as he put the spoon into her mouth.
'It's sadder than I thought……'
Mezzo Soprano, who leads Aria del Sovette, plays the role of a maid in the Imperial Palace who secretly loved the Crown Prince. She could not forget His grace who saved her when she was young, and she was a woman who had been hiding her affection for the Crown Prince for a very long time.
Aside from the prince's fiancée, she was also a woman who witnessed him under the curse. After his disappearance, beside his fiancée, who still remembers him and struggled to locate him, she was also commemorating his disappearance.
Sekonda Donna wistfully echoed quietly her role as Aria as the audience clattered their glasses
(My dear prince, do you remember the first day we met? You don't.
When was the first day we walked the same street? On those days when we saw the same thing and laughed?
You won't remember them. When did it always have to be me to remember such agony?)
51.2 ~
A piano performance resounded on the stage, and laughter erupted here and there, as some of the audience seemed to be joking around.
Sekonda Donna's solo continued on the stage where no one was paying attention.
(Oh, Prince! Please tell me…! What should I be sad about now? Having no place to go into for the rest of my life? Or having to marry someone other than you?
No. The saddest thing for me is the fact that your vision will always come to haunt me every night and will also keep me from falling asleep.)
The noises from the glass and spoons echoed somehow long. It was thanks to the desserts given to them and the lower seats were also provided with it after they paid for it. No matter how heartbreaking the play was, everyone seems nonchalant, as if they were betting on the play in the very beginning.
It wasn't until the glass in the hands of the audience showed the bottom that the song of Sekonda Donna ended.
Even in front of an indifferent audience, the singer who sang enthusiastically raised her skirt to show respect to everyone. After she went backstage, her attendants came into view, collecting their empty glass.
It was then that he discovered Eun-woo's glass that had melted and flowed down from the ice that Tashian had not eaten. The dessert she hadn't eaten had completely melted and even her fingers holding the glass were wet.
Seeing her state, Tashian's heart pounded as if she had fallen from the 6th-floor staircase.
"You… are you crying right now?"
She tried to wipe off the traces of her crying in a hurry, as the tall man beside her had a contemplative face. But even so, her sleeves were all wet due to constant wiping of tears. Albeit wanting to shake off all the traces visible, her reddened nose says it all.
She answered, clearing her throat loudly so as not to make a noise in her throat.
"No! What do you mean, who's crying…?!"
She doesn't know if the real Eleanor was like this, but for her, it was the first time to see a performance like this.
In the middle of the second play, where not everyone is concentrating, 'A performance you listen to while eating ice cream,' and 'Aria Del Sorbet' was a disgraceful stage.
Nevertheless, Mezzo-Soprano's lonely tone touched Eun-woo's heart. It was because of the lyrics of the song with the sincerity of the maid, who was only a supporting role in the side tracks of the play.
Eun-woo fanned her hand around her eyes to appease her shyness and made a muffled sound.
"I guess they didn't clean the box seats well. There is a lot of dust."
The box seat she was sitting in was reserved for the imperial family. Therefore, it's a place servants wil especially maintain the cleanliness whatever happens. Tashian looked at the woman who couldn't raise her head, making excuses that didn't work on him.
Knocking, something touched Eun-woo's cheek. It was a dry cloth. Tashian held out his handkerchief.
"… I'll tell the manager to clean well."
Thanks to Tashian for pretending not to know, Eun-woo carefully received a gray handkerchief with no embarrassment in her hand.
"Thank you."
She patted her eyes with the handkerchief he had handed her, clearing her mind.
Suddenly, the curtains hung back and forth on the box seats where they were staying. There was nothing but the faint noise of preparing for the next stage and the shouts of the audience outside, and the inside of the curtain was completely silent.
Eun-woo raised her head and looked inside the box seat.
Selena disappeared from the seat as soon as the second act was over, and Ikshid was sleeping with his head resting on the back seat. Not to mention Diego, who had already left somewhere in search of something that will pique his interest.
In other words, she and Tashian were the only two in the box seat.
Inside the dark grand theater, the narrow box seat was a bit dark. In the silence, there was a rustling sound of the collar even if she moved a little bit from the seat where she faced Tashian.
"… How are your eyes?"
To Eun-woo, who was frozen by the strange tension flowing between them two, Tashian tilted his head toward her.
"Ye- Yes?"
"I mean your eyes. There was dust in it, you said."
Eun-woo blinked her dry eyes now. She had thought that he'd feign ignorance forever, then she guess no.
Then a large hand suddenly reached her cheek. It was a natural touch, as if he was going to remove the dust from her eyes.
It was sudden, but Eun-woo couldn't shake his hand on her cheek. She had to raise her head from where she was sitting to meet his face.
Without even lowering her head, she received his gaze, staring into hers.
It was his quiet eyes that met hers, but what kind of fireball was in it that she had experienced in the garden of the Imperial Palace earlier?
Again, her heart started beating uncomfortably.
Then his thumb suddenly brushed her lips. Eun-woo was startled like a bird that had been attacked and leaned her body backwards.
"… There's jam on it."
Eun-woo blinked again. It looked like the sauce from the sherbet she ate earlier. She felt heat rising from her cheeks.
However, Tashian's surprise actions did not end there.
"It's still there."
He lifted his other hand and lightly wrapped it around her cheek, and with the rest of his hand he rubbed the corner of his lips once again.
Eun-woo was surprised and pushed his chest with both of her hands.
"Oh my, I'll, I'll do it!"
But he was not easily pushed back. It only appeared that she was pushing a rock-hard stone.
52.1 ~
I will erase it a bit more, and it will be over."
"It's okay! I said I will do it!"
He was more persistent than what she expected. He also seemed not willing to let go of her face.
Eun-woo intently stared at the face in front of her, who remained still, thus she had no choice but to let him wipe the sauce off her lips.
Then, his hand rested on her lips and stopped.
He was right in front of her. And it was also the first time his hand touched her this much. They were so near to each other that they could hear each other's breathing.
She suddenly pondered why she allowed this man to get so close to her. There was even an illusion that his face was inching forward even more.
The strange thing was that nonetheless, she didn't feel any desire to avoid it.
She could see his neck was moving in front of her. It felt like he wanted to do something, but he was hesitant. On the other hand, she wanted to know what he was so hesitant about. Somehow, she could feel that heat was being transported to her head, to the point that her eyes were wide open in daze. To be specific, it was as if the heat on her face was longing for something.
She closed her eyes, as if reciting a pledge. The next moment, what she could hear were their heartbeats intertwining together, lingering in her ears. Suddenly, the curtains were pulled up in a haste. That moment, Eun-woo jumped out from her seat, as if she was a billiard ball, bouncing. The spirit that seemed to disappear from her body came back and her heart started to beat steadily afterwards.
Eun-woo hurriedly trimmed her hair that had been disfigured to the sides, and pretended to be calm, using all her might.
As soon as her curtains were pulled back, Tashian, who quickly pulled back his hand back, had returned to his usual expressionlessness.
Selena quietly returned to her seat and sat down as if she hadn't noticed anything strange about the two of them.
However, when the curtains were all pulled back and the stage started again, the minute tremors left on Eun-woo's body did not go away.
The performance started again, and soon everyone in the box seats fell in love with Prima Donna's song.
It was the climax of the second act. People couldn't breathe and concentrated on the explosive high notes of the soprano and the tenor's voice that wrapped around it and produced a smooth and perfect harmony.
It was the same with Eun-woo. She forgot to shut her mouth and only watched the beautiful stage. She didn't care no matter what noise she heard next to her. She seemed to be left with only the show and herself. It was such an intense performance.
But when everyone in the theater was focused on the stage, there was one person who was alone looking elsewhere.
Tashian's deep, dark eyes did not turn toward the stage, but toward the enchanted profile of the woman sitting next to him. Everyone was paying attention to the singers' enthusiasm, and no one noticed the subtle and most personal emotions in his expression.
However, as Eun-woo was focused on the performance, he, too, was completely overwhelmed by her.
He seemed to have come to see her, not Calista's performance. Tashian's eyes looking at the woman seemed to be gazing at something not in this world.
It contained ecstasy and awe. The emotion of the man who faced a sight that could not even dare to capture his dreams melted. He was like a wandering sage who finally accepted the god. In those eyes, there was dedication even if a stranger came to notice him. He was close to blindly falling in love.
The woman (Eun-woo), who was obsessed with the performance, and her man (Tashian), who was obsessed with her. One man's gaze continued unnoticed until the end of one song, until his gaze became gloomy to others if they did see it.At the end of late summer, the Duke's Castle was preparing for the coming autumn.
All the servants in the house were busy working to please a guest with power comparable to that of a hostess today. Of course, the guest was sipping tea with another guest she had invited, unaware of the servants' busy footsteps.
"Miss Selena, would you like some more tea?"
Lady Miller's maid, Hannah, kindly suggested to Selena. She smiled as Selena nodded her head.
After Selena became her companion, Selena didn't bring any maid, therefore Eun-woo gave one of her maids.
With her tender care, Selena was perfectly accustomed to being Eun-woo's companion in studying. No matter how much Selena came to be her companion, servants from different families, starting with low status, showed respect for her as a noblewoman.
"How do you like this patterned fabric, lady?"
While they were drinking Dorandoran tea, Anit, Eleanor's nanny, picked up a couple of clothes and showed them to her. Eun-woo opened her mouth from the teacup as if thinking about it and asked her nanny.
(TN: I searched for Dorandoran and found out that it's milk tea nowadays. I don't know if such tea exists though.)
"Ah, did I mention that this is a curtain to be replaced this time?"
"Yeah. We've taken quite a few samples, so please choose between them."
A few days ago, she received an unexpected offer from Johannes.
〈"I am planning to change the interior decoration of the castle when fall comes. Is Miss willing to take over the task?" 〉
Eun-woo blinked in surprise at the suggestion.
While the season changed after living in the Duke's Castle, the décor inside the mansion has also changed several times. But of course, there were all minor changes, such as the location and color of tablecloths, curtains, and flowerpots.
Even with such small changes, her mood would change 180 degrees, so it was pleasant and fun for her to see such a thing.
But now Johannes even wants to leave those things to her.
When Eun-woo hesitated a bit, Johannes said with a broad smile.
〈"This is also one of the qualities that Miss will take over in the future. Think about the things you will do here as practices and give it a try."〉
Eun-woo was swept away by Johannes's persuasion.
So now, along with Selena, picking out the color of her curtains, holding a swatch of her multicolored splendor in her hand.
"The harvest season is coming soon… How about this kind of chestnut or rat color?"
"Then wouldn't it look too simple?"
"The hem is embroidered in bright colors. Then I think it will look a lot cozier with a hint of autumn."
Her words were the cause why Anit was passionate and overly activated to work. It was because Eun-woo decided to learn how to embroider.
Anit came right away with a basket full of her threads and needles and pushed them to her right away.
〈 Goodness…..! You did well, Lady! Embroidery is a basic skill of a lady! After you came to the mansion, you gave up on sewing practice altogether. How much worthwhile would it be to practice unfinished business on this opportunity and decorate the interior of the mansion by yourself? 〉
Anit's eyes flashed with desire as she spoke those words.
With the gaze of such a maid, the nanny, along with other maids, gathered around her, jokingly chimed in one word at a time, sympathizing with her.
Eun-woo laughed awkwardly at the obvious behavior of Anit, the maid and nanny.
These days, Anit had abandoned her dream of making her lady into a princess, but she was nurtured by another dream behind the scenes. And it was none other than the master of the mansion, the Duke of Verk, who fanned her newly ignited dream.
〈 "Miss, I guarantee you that His Grace will be impressed if you embroider him something yourself!" 〉

Anit's thoughts about the Duke weren't good. She thought that he had a bad reputation, and that he'd be a good Lord and a master but not a good husband. But the truth lied to her after staying in the duke's castle for a few weeks.
Ever since rumors began to spread among the servants that the Duke had a crush on Lady Miller, who was staying in the house, Anit was more enthusiastic than anyone else to make the rumor true.
There was a saying that Anit talked like a mantra as she combed Miss's hair every morning.
〈"A high envy, high authority, and such wealth! There is only one reason why the unmarried duke, who is so well-rounded, permitted a Lady like you in his house until the Marquis castle is repaired! Already among us, there are even rumors that it is the Duke himself who is delaying the repair work of the Marquis Castle. Lady, a man can only listen to women and have the ability to feed his wife and children. His Grace is so handsome, Lady, what's there to postpone, right?" 〉
It was Eun-woo, who had already been deprived of her honey-like morning sleep for several months because Anit decorated her with flowers every morning saying that she might run into the Duke every morning.
Her hands and feet were always so clean, that they are being commanded by Anit.
Of course, it was the maids who made the mess, but Eun-woo was also working hard to match the assortment by hand sewing a small cloth beside her.
As it turned out, Selena, along with Hannah, suddenly joined the group.
Thus, the duke's Fortress was able to bloom because of a group of women sewing with a higher academic enthusiasm than ever before, and to fight off the cold autumn wind.
"Is it really true that Calista is running for this Flora Festival?"
"No way. She has so much to lose, you know? Calista is the best singer in the continent, therefore why would she trouble her reputation and run for Flora?"
As the women clapped their hands and talked about various things, the topic of discussion turned to the Flora Festival, an agency of autumn that is a hot topic in the capital these days. The Flora Festival was a festival for commoners to offer food and drinks while offering this year's grain and fruit in honor of Flora, the goddess of harvest.
As it turned out, it was also a national holiday and a public holiday.
The festival usually lasts for several weeks, and it has become synonymous with the season of relaxation, in which people eat, drink, and have fun, whether in the capital or the countryside, aristocrats or commoners.
However, the most talked about thing was the contest to select Flora, the goddess of harvest.
"Last year, the girl who worked as her maid was chosen as Flora, right? Rumors circulated that she received enormous support and married a wealthy, well-known foreigner…."
"She remembers that last year she was a lady of a noble family. She was the seventh daughter of a Korean-American family, and she is now a Countess."
Anit nodded her head at the chatter of the maids and added.
"Once a man is married to the chosen Flora, it's not the Flora's job to marry into a good family. In the first place, it was only for the privilege of baptizing in the Black Cathedral, where only the great heirs and elders are allowed."
Eun-woo clenched her hands while quietly listening to their story, and suddenly a curiosity arose at the words of Anit.
"Baptism…?"
"Ah… Miss. Literally giving you a blessing. On the day of the coronation of the Emperor himself, it is an opportunity to enter the sanctuary, which is only accessible once."
"Is that really possible?"
Eun-woo was surprised and asked a question. If it were a black cathedral, wouldn't it be the home of the heir who is said to be the country's highest authority and the elders who will protect him? Even the Crown Prince Ikshid was forbidden to enter except on the day of the coronation when he was crowned emperor.
It was also the place where Fedellamon's candlestick, a treasure of the Empire, was kept.
Anit spoke with a proud attitude.
"Of course! Lady Flora is the daughter of the Black Virgin. That's the privilege for a lady who passed three exams during the festival and proudly qualified for Flora."
Eun-woo organized her thoughts carefully. Now that she thinks about it, Selena once joined in for being the Flora while in full swing of her relationship with Ikshid.
'By the way, the winner wasn't Selena.'
Selena was close to being chosen for being the goddess Flora, but unfortunately she didn't win. But ironically, that was the most decisive moment for her to decide her marriage with Ikshid.
Eun-woo silently grabbed her own piece of cloth in front of her and glanced at Selena, who was preoccupied with her embroidery.
She was dressed with a green gown, and her coveted red hair was tied in a tight ponytail.
Even with the same woman, Eun-woo swallowed dry saliva at the beauty of the main character.
'But who was the winner……?'
However, no matter how much Eun-woo thought about it, while looking at Selena's hair, no answer came out.
Her head was spinning steeply with new information.
"Selena, do you think you will run for Flora this time?"
Eun-woo asked carefully, rolling a small needle with her index and thumb. She looked up at her sewing cloth, where Selena was preoccupied with her own cloth, and she answered.
"Yes. It's embarrassing, but I'm going to try it. The Flora Festival is a big support for single virgins just by participating."
"Participating?"
"Yes. The Flora Festival is held along with the Knights Battle. My cousin's brother is participating in the knight battle this time."
Eun-woo's eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
I suddenly remembered that her family was a knightly family with a long history.
Eun-woo's hand, touching the needle, became busier.
"… Anyone can participate?"
"Yes. Eleanor, are you going to join too?"
Eun-woo threw the needle she was holding and held her hand.
"No! Absolutely not!"

53 ~
Translator: Lioness
Editor: Lioness
At her strong reaction, all the hands of the women in the group stopped for a moment. Only Selena was continuing her work at the same speed as before.
She answered with her soft smile. Her hands were still moving diligently.
"Yes, right. Eleanor doesn't really like being the spotlight."
Eun-woo smiled at Selena awkwardly, nodding her head. Perhaps, she had overreacted too much without realizing it. However, it's not good to go outside when she doesn't know when or where she will meet someone who knows the real Eleanor.
Aside from that thought, Eun-woo's head was spinning rapidly.
If Selena went to the Flora festival and won, her worth will increase.
(TN: Considering Selena's low status, maybe this sentence meant that her status will naturally be in a higher position since she is the winner, if ever.)
Eun-woo glanced at Selena's side face, who had lightly reminded her that she had been getting a lot of party invitations lately. As rumors spread that Selena was living with her in the duke's house and serving as her companion, there were more invitations than usual.
'If Selena wins… she'll get more invitations than she does now. Thus a formal application for marriage might come in too.'
Anyway, her goal was to delay the marriage between Selena and Ikshid as much as possible.
Eun-woo thought deeply with a face that seemed to have decided on something.
'Helping Selena win being Flora might have a positive impact in the future…!'
As she was determined, Eun-woo looked at Selena's side face resolutely then to her sewing hands.
Selena, who had been concentrating on accurately embroidering each stitch by moving her hands like her machine, seemed to feel a burning gaze at her sense of duty and raised her head."… "
"… Eleanor?"
"Yes, Selena?"
After a silent exchange of glances for about 10 seconds, Selena called her name with a soft smile as usual.
"If you need help with embroidering, feel free to ask."
It was an innocent expression with no trace of her suspicions towards her.
Eun-woo shook her head and smiled awkwardly. She truly felt fortunate that Selena had no such kind of sense in this situation.
At that moment, Selena's maid, Hannah, who had been concentrating on sewing without her words, opened her mouth.
"There is going to be a birthday party for Countess Rifeido soon. Miss Selena was also invited. Are the two of you going to attend?"
"Of course!"
Anit was the one who answered, who was diligently sewing with her hands and opened her eyes excitedly.
"She has three unmarried, grown-up sons! And since it's the Countess's birthday, her three sons will attend!"
Eun-woo annoyedly rolled her eyes secretly at Ani't invisible purpose for saying that, who seemed to be out of focus.
"Come to think of it, I heard that a lot of promising knights are participating in the knights' competition this time."
"All the children of the Rifeido family will also participate."
"Would His Grace, the Duke, participate too?"
Hannah asked, as her eyes shone in eagerness.
"As if! His grace, is he free to participate in such a miscellaneous event?"
"Nonsense! It's a contest called a preliminary interview to be in the Imperial Knights!"
"Preliminary interview?"
When Eun-woo curiously asked, Janet spoke and explained to her.
"It was said that there are two ways to become a member of Imperial Knights. First, it is to be recommended by one of the knights, who has an outstanding achievement, and second is to win in this kind of tournament before a knight competition."
"As the Knights Competition is an annual event, it is famous for producing many knights every year."
"I also know that which is why my cousin took part in it too with that in mind."
Selena slowly opened her mouth.
"If you achieve high results in the knight competition, there will be many high-profile people to pay attention to."
"His grace, the Duke, will also be watching, right?"
"Sure. Because he is the commander of the knights."
"Lady, if you go to the competition, please take us too with you! Please?"
"As if! You're so clumsy!"
When Hanna clings to Eun-woo's side and asks her to take her along with her, Yuria stops Hanna. But Hannah didn't stop, giggled and chattered.
"What's wrong? Do you happen to know? That the winner of the knights competition will go to Flora's room?"
"Hey, Hannah!"
Anit hurriedly warned Hannah, but Selena and Eun-woo had already exchanged glances. Eun-woo looked at Anit and opened her mouth carefully.
"He will come to your room at night….? Who will?"
"What do you mean who, Miss? Of course, the winner of the Knights competition."
Hannah, who had a playful smile on her face, and the maids who seemed to enjoy the conversation while watching Eun-woo, blinked their eyes and giggled.
"I mean 'Visiting Night,' lady."
Eun-woo, who did not know what those words meant, couldn't help but be puzzled. Anit, who was watching her like that, reprimanded the young maids to see if they could see her and made them quiet.
"Stop! Hannah. What reckless speech and behavior are you spouting in front of Miss?!"
The maids looked at each other and shut their mouths. However, the stillness was broken once more as Selena moved her lips to the side that she had been keeping silent.
"'Visiting Night' is a small custom that can be said to be the junction between the two events, the Flora Festival and the Knights Competition. In short, the knight who won the competition has the privilege of visiting the room of the lady who was chosen as Saint Flora of the year for one night."
At Selena's clear explanation, Eun-woo let out a small gasp like a person who had attained enlightenment. Eun-woo's cheeks naturally turned reddish due to the conversation that turned lewd that everyone expected.
Selena saw it and continued her explanation with a sly smile.
"Of course, the official customary law does not allow any physical contact between the two of them as they are virgin bachelors before marriage. Aside from Flora's presence, there will be a nanny and a maid attending to them, so they can avoid any unexpected accidents at any time."
"But there's really no guarantee that nothing's going to happen between the two, right?"
Yuria smiled meaningfully and added her words to Selena's explanation.
"In fact, Flora and the winner of the Knights Competition often get married before the year changes, miss."
"Usually, don't the winner of the knight marry the Flora of the year quickly?"
"Yeah, it's an act to fully cover the bride's belly…"
"Hannah!"
Anit hurriedly cut off Hannah's words. However, Eun-woo's face was already as bright red than it already was. She painstakingly nodded her head and pretended to focus all her attention on sewing the cloth in front of her. However, the maids did not stop chatting.
Yuria, the smartest and most intelligent of her maids, opened her mouth.
"Lady, don't be too surprised. It's such an old tradition, so there aren't many winners who actually keep the 'visiting night'."
"Yes, ma'am. Don't worry Even if you become Flora, the three of us will sit in front of your door like a hound! If there's any sound, we can jump right inside!"
Laughter erupted again. Eun-woo put her head down as far down as possible to hide her reddened earlobe, and bit her lip to hold back her laughter.
Selena was also enjoying the conversation and was smiling softly. Of course, her hands were moving faster and more accurately than any of them.
Eun-woo opened her mouth as she stood by and watched the works of her hand gestures.
"Oh my God, Selena… Can you possibly sell this?"
In her words, three of her maids gathered to watch Selena sew the embroidery with her proper gestures. Shouts erupted everywhere.
"This sewing is nothing. Eleanor's embroidery is also cute and pretty."
Eun-woo scratched her ear in embarrassment as she looked at her poor embroidery compared to Selena's.
Leaves and walnut patterns embroidered on the dark green fabric with white thread were already filling up one tier. On the other hand, the pattern she engraved was shaped like an acorn on one corner of the fabric.
"Um… I guess I'll have to do mine again."
As Eun-woo muttered in a low voice at her embarrassment, Selena quickly stopped her.
"Don't do that. Eleanor's embroidery skills aren't bad either. And above all… the Duke will love it more."
"Yes, Lady. Don't stop."
"Right. Even if it's small, the important thing is, you did it with your hands."
All of a sudden, her maids joined her one by one to stop her from ripping her new cloth. Before she knew it, Anit had taken away the fabric she had embroidered, preventing her from fixing it any further.
Eun-woo was bewildered at their strange behavior, and on top of that the importance of sewing it with her hands. Hannah giggled and opened her mouth.
"If our maids made the curtains with their fingers crossed for a hundred days, would the duke be more interested in a small, embroidered piece by Miss?"
Eun-woo realized the beauty of their words only then, and her face reddened.
After she entered the Duke's Castle, the strange rumors between the Duke and Lady Miller did not diminish with each passing day, but rather spread with the passage of time.
Now, not only the family members in the Duke, but also when she went to her small group, more and more people asked her about the duke's well-being.
"Wh, what are you talking about? Everyone knows that me and the Duke have nothing to do with each other."
Eun-woo said, avoiding the secret gazes of the maids who were facing her. But she knew them and pretended that she didn't notice them.
In fact, their interests to each other were openly revealed, and a kind that can't be simply ignored.
Eun-woo thought about the gifts he always brought when he came back from a long business trip.
Sweet patisserie that he hands to her every time he comes home late at night, or precious fruits that Johannes occasionally sends her. When she is studying, tea that clears her mind that he always sends through Anit.
His consistency, which always asks if there's anything uncomfortable when inside the castle…
It felt like her body was being twisted. It was the woman who these days desperately realizes what it means to be a true human being. When she thought of such things, she was so happy that even her eyelashes trembled.
However, when she thought about the uncertain future, her expression was shadowed again. Eun-woo sighed when she saw herself playing the role of a hostess who takes care of the house.
"What's with your sigh, miss?"
Janet, with her gentle nature, asked her. As if Eun-Woo was feeling nothing, she shook her head and lowered her gaze again to the sewing street. Then Hannah said.
"Ehh. Don't worry too much, miss. His grace, the duke, is very busy these days. He must be taking care of things in advance so that he can take a break during the festival."
She misunderstood that Eun-woo regretted not spending time with the duke because he was busy.
Eun-woo opened her mouth to quickly deny Hannah's words. But Anit, who was by her side, was one step faster.
"Alright, lady. When he comes back, do suggest that you two should go to the festival together."
Eun-woo was sweating profusely.
"No, why would I bother a busy person like him…"
"Ugh! Our lady is so naïve and it's also a masquerade festival. What kind of festival is the Flora Festival again?"
"Wh, what kind of… festival?"
Janet's eyes lit up and she opened her mouth.
"Of course, it's a festival for lovers."
Yuria said one more drink from her side.
"Perhaps on the first day of the festival, Cremons Square bursts with lovers? Even feelings of love that never existed are welling up."
"Lady, when you go out to the square, you must see the Fountain of Uria! When you turn around there and toss a coin, you can enjoy eternal love if you toss a coin!"
"Hannah, do you believe in such childish stories?"
The maids opened their mouths again and spoke loudly. At that time, the four of the maids suddenly asked in synchronization.
"…Then, is His grace not participating in the competition?"
54.1 ~
Translator: Lioness
Editor: Lioness
Eun-woo recalled the conversation she had with him at the ballroom the other day.
He clearly said that the knight battle was meaningful in recharging the morale between the knights, competing with each other, and strengthening their relationship. That's why he seemed to have said that even if he participated as the Commander-in-chief, it's useless.
"I think so."
As Eun-woo muttered, Yuria said.
"As the commander-in-chief, he must have a ton of things to deal with."
Then Hannah pondered something, and she asked a question.
"By the way, who did his grace, the duke, serve at that time when he was still a knight? No matter how amazing and outstanding a knight is, they have those times when they are given that evaluation. Do you know the lady?"
Eun-woo blankly blinked at her sudden question.
He must be a mere knight in his early days; therefore he must have been trained under a certain master as his or her knight. No one wields the sword right after they are born.
However, Eun-woo could feel the atmosphere suddenly getting stronger. Except for Hannah, all the other maids looked at each other and kept their mouths shut.
At that moment, Selena broke the quiet silence and opened her mouth.
"The duke … I don't think he had undergone such."
"What do you mean?"
Eun-woo asked a question while still not understanding Selena.
Wouldn't it be impossible for him to rise to the position he is today if he hadn't received training as a servant knight? Could it be that Selena is saying that he is occupying his place by his status and position?
Tashian was a very outstanding knight who made a heroic contribution to the Great Genova War and was an honorable general who was envied by all others knights.
Eun-woo wondered how he was able to become the commander of the Hellasium Imperial Knights without going through the period of a servant knight.
Suddenly, there was a cold voice from behind them that interrupted their chatter.
"…I will explain that."
It was Johannes. Eun-woo suddenly found the butler standing at the entrance of the terrace where they were gathered.
Johannes bowed slightly towards Eun-woo and Selena. Her cold marble-like voice was heard again.
"Duke Verk that time was 18 years old when he was given the title, and right after, he was sent to the expedition to the northern part of Kartina."
Eun-woo put down the needle she was holding in her hand upon hearing Johannes' words.
She recalled the name of the said place she had vaguely learned in Johannes class.
Kartina was a term used to refer to the northern peoples, often called barbarians, who lived a nomadic lifestyle by raising horses in the middle of a vast grassland.
They had a combative spirit and were the scourge of an empire that went south through the borders of guarded Hellasium and Genova. However, the value of their territory was too small at that time to invade the area.
In the end, the Empire invaded the guarded* border area and was unable to take any measures other than periodically sweeping up Kartina, who was only looking for an opportunity to expand their power.
(TN: The guarded part wasn't the literal translation of that, but because the literal tl of it was the KEEPER OR GUARD OF THE BORDER, I just changed it to GUARDED to therefore fit the context.)
"As soon as he arrived in that barren land, he was referred to as Sir Reinhardt's knighthood and went straight to war. There was no prior notice or training. At that time, the units given to the lord were newly recruited soldiers, they were mostly boys who had just completed training and enlisted. It can be seen as literal bunches of whoever, with a boss, who had never even served as servant, nor had seen much bloodshed and had no experience in combat."
Johannes' expression was almost the same as usual. She continued her speech, keeping her clerical, and firm voice.
"On the other hand, the enemy His Grace and his troops had to deal with was the Plainsman cavalry of Kartina, known for their brutality. Previously, no one had spoken of this battle… but from what I heard it was basically the road to death."
Eun-woo swallowed her dry saliva after listening to Johannes.
Even if she didn't know the whole situation, she could already imagine how ugly the situation was at that time. Tashian, who must have stood to the frontliners, leading the troops who had a hard time defending themselves amidst a desperate situation, where they couldn't see an inch ahead because of the amount of their enemies.
Johannes suddenly approached their table they were sitting at. The butler's straight forehead without a single hair sticking out made her impression to others even sharper these days.
"But His Grace returned from that battle without a single member of the army scathed."
At Johannes' last words, no one at the table was able to speak. Even Selena had stopped moving her hand. The stillness subsided after a long while.
"…With the strong recommendation from the Crown Prince, who highly valued his achievement at that time, he was recommended as an elite knight of the Imperial Knights Templar without a separate examination. After that, he showed steady progress, thus, he was appointed to the position as the commander-in-chief after Sir Miliano, who had just retired before the War of the Great Genova. It was unanimously appointed, with no one against it."
Eun-woo was incapable of saying anything. She recalled the first time she met him.
Facing him inside the rose garden of the Imperial Palace; he looked like an unreachable mountain- huge and unyielding. The feeling of intimidation was being disseminated like grains of sand if she dared to approach him. Because he was accustomed to commanding his subordinates, he has this indescribable power of the kind that was terrifying to look at. It seemed as if he was born that way.
But even for such a person like him, there were hard times when he couldn't see an inch ahead of him.
Hearing his past from someone other than him was a feeling she wasn't quite used to.
Eun-woo touched the cloth in front of her. His boyhood, when he had to climb up a barrier a thousand times higher than the others with his bare hands, seemed to come vividly as if unfolding in front of her.
At the same time, she could feel her feeling from within surfacing and turning deeper and deeper, into another path. She was afraid of her hopeless feelings for him.
Eun-woo tried not to act like a puppy pup that flirts in front of her dizzy thoughts.
"Oh, I brought a cloth."
What awakened her dazed thoughts was the voice from the maid, Anit. She burst into admiration after looking at the white cloth in Johannes' right hand.
"I didn't expect you to get it so quickly! Oh my gosh."
The eyes of the quiet maids immediately turned to the white cloth in Johannes' hands. Eun-woo made a puzzled expression as she looked at the white cloth that Anit was lifting.
She wondered what items the smart maid, who always writes down in the ledger and submits if there is anything else she needs for her, asked the butler of the duke department to provide directly.
"Anit, what is that?"
54.2 ~
Translator: Lioness
Editor: Lioness
"Oh, I'll show you later. It's the fabric for the new lady's clothes."
Anit said with an awkward smile in a slightly different voice than usual.
"If it's only a cloth, why did you add a few more layers than the previous one…"
"Ah… it's because this isn't an easily available fabric in the market. Come on, what are you doing? Hurry up and finish it before the sun goes down! Move quickly."
Eun-woo felt a strange sense of alienation from Anit's attitude, which was different from usual. But her loyal maid looked like she would do no harm to her.
At Anit's instructions, the maids hurriedly grabbed the needles and fabrics they had been letting go of and started to focus on their labor again.
"…Anyway, lady, when you go out to the square, you must watch the parade procession of the Imperial Palace soldiers! It would be so cool!"
"The clock tower in the square is also worth seeing."
"Tell him that you would like to see the exterior of the black church. It will be crowded with people around, but it is a building worth seeing at least once in your life."
"Ey, the Flora festival is street food after all. Lady, you must try the honey apple!"
It was after each of the maids mentioned essential tourist attractions of the Flora Festival and started chatting with each other while laughing enthusiastically.
Eun-woo also felt her heart pounding like cotton candy with anticipation for the ever-inflating festival.
She had never thought that she would want to go first to such a crowded place. But she seemed to be fine if she's with Tashian.
She, above all else, goes her way with him, who will dare harm her?
At that time, she noticed that the maids, who had been giggling amongst themselves, and who had never stopped talking, suddenly shut their mouths like a hawk.
When she lifted her head, feeling something strange about her, she had already discovered that a large figure was standing at the entrance to the terrace where Johannes had disappeared a while ago.
Eun-woo recognized Tashian's tousled black hair and felt her heart start thumping out of control.
He wasn't fully dressed to go out somewhere in relation to the work of the Knights Templar, but he was wearing light armor which somehow looked quite heavy.
As soon as he appeared, an illusion arose as if the air inside the terrace had subsided heavily.
She found him at the entrance, and he approached her directly with his heavy and long footsteps. The silver-gray armor that was draped over his black attire gave off a harsh iron sound whenever he moved.
Even though he had an expressionless expression on his face that seemed to be the same as usual, he seemed infinitely cool and capable, perhaps because she had heard his past earlier from Johannes.
Eun-woo was a little embarrassed by the sudden sense of distance from him in her mind. But at the same time, she couldn't take her eyes off the man who was approaching her without uttering anything.
"What were you doing?"
In front of her maids and Selena, he asked her gently, who didn't give her any second to cope in the situation as he stretched his hand towards the chair she was sitting on. At the sudden action, Eun-woo's body stiffened without realizing it herself.
She couldn't remember from what moment he started coming so close to her, not paying attention to the maids and Selena's eyes.
"Didn't you hear from Johannes? I'm going to change the interior of the Duke's Castle a bit. I was embroidering on the curtains."
"Embroidery? You yourself?"
He raised his eyebrows together, flicking one. She saw his eyes peeking through the needles in her hands and secretly and slowly covered the embroidered cloth under her palms.
Tashian once again asked her, subtly frowning.
"It's obvious. Johannes ordered you to do it, right? I'm telling you; you don't have to do that."
He leaned his head towards her. Eun-woo was startled by this and grabbed the embroidery that had been covered with the palms of her hands. She didn't want to show him her messed up embroidery.
But Tashian's attention was not on the embroidery in her hands, but on her fingers.
"Look… you've got your fingertips red."
He grabbed her hand tightly, and kicked his tongue.
Eun-woo felt goosebumps on her back at the touch of his blunt and hard hand touching her soft palm. His rough, callused hand with no soft part at all was rubbing her fingertips very softly.
Eun-woo looked at Selena and her maids in embarrassment, but she couldn't get her hand out of his grasp.
"It's, it's okay. It doesn't hurt at all. I haven't done much."
Selena and the maids were the ones who worked hard to sew from early morning. Eun-woo stamped her feet in his heart hoping that he would not see her ugly embroidery, which was only an acorn that she had made hard for half a day.
"Omg, look at my mind. I forgot to prepare the bath water. Guys, why aren't you standing up?"
At that moment, Anit jumped up, screaming as if she had suddenly remembered something important. Following her, the rest of her maids stood up in a row and began to tidy up her seat, taking her bustle of her sewing supplies out of her reach.
Eun-woo was embarrassed by the sudden closing of the sewing meeting and gave an unspoken gaze not to go to Anit, but the experienced nanny did not blink an eye.
Eventually, the maids bowed to the duke and disappeared in a dash. Of course, Selena gracefully left the place with a plastered kind smile on her face.
"Eleanor, I'm a little tired too, so I guess I'll have to go to rest for a bit. See you later in the class. Then, Your Grace, the Duke, I shall take my leave…"
Instantly, there were only two of them left on the terrace. It happened without any fuss, and she couldn't contain her composed self.
Eun-woo froze on her spot, dyeing her ears red. On the other hand, Tashian had a wide smile on his face with his pleasant expression, watching how Selena and the maids fled away.
"I, I usually get bath water only after dinner, so why today……"
Eun-woo stumbled in embarrassment, unable to make eye contact with him. Then he grabbed her hand, which he was still holding on to, and grabbed her with the other.
"I guess I lifted your hand too early."
He looked down on her with a casual look, but it seemed like he was a bit mad.
Even though she knew everything, Eun-woo was speechless and stared at him.
But soon after, she turned her blushing face to one side, and he bowed his head toward her and made eye contact with her.
"Why are you like that? Are you mad?"