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Chapter 15
It was the tip of the sharp chin of Kalcion that caught her widened eyes. His skin was smooth, even if she was looking at him from this close.
Once again, it knocked over her head again, which was the reason why she woke up.
This was an unknown world. This was the palace of the Northern Duke. And this was his bed. And it was the body of the Duke of Renbird, Kalcion, that she was holding instead of the pillow.
She immediately came to her senses. Cool, morning air blew in from the widely opened window, but she was in a cold sweat.
“Mmm….”
She tried to free herself from him as if he was a lock. However, it didn’t work out. It was because of his hard palm that was covering her shoulders and supporting her back.
‘…..Why is your arm there?’
But she found the answer herself. Her neck was resting on his thick arm instead of the pillows.
So whose fault was it? Unable to release herself away from his grip, she kept looking back and forth.
Kalcion lied upright in his sleeping position. It was her arms and feet that clung to his body like a small octopus. The pillow that she was holding the previous night was ‘crying’ alone far away on the bed. Anyway, she was a hundred percent sure it was her own fault.
“Hmmm…..”
‘Please don’t wake up.’
Selena slipped away her hand that was on his chest, pretending to be dormant. Her leg, which was tightly wrapped around his thigh, also wiggled down.
‘Okay.’
Half of her plan succeeded. Now, she just had to roll to the other side and pretend that she was……
“…….”
“…….”
She met Kalcion’s eyes that were staring down at her.
In an instant, heat rose to her entire face. Her plan failed. As he looked down at her red face, Kalcion quietly released her shoulders.
She quickly rolled over in the opposite direction. But, what was the use?
“…..I told you, I have the habit of rolling over to the left…..”
She stuttered.
“I’ll keep that in mind the next day onwards.”
However, he didn’t do much to restore honor.
Instead, he pushed off the blanket and called for the servant. The servants and maids rushed in as if they were on standby mode.
A new day. The beginning of a new battle.
The Invitation
The day began slowly.
Until just five years ago, Kalcion’s mother, the Duchess, was alive. The maids at the mansion were also adept at serving the ladies. The morning session was twice as long as it was yesterday.
“Is it necessary to be all dressed up for this day?”
“That’s what should be done for a party, Miss.”
A maid chuckled as she decorated Selena’s hair with real fresh flowers from the garden.
“This dress is for breakfast. I’ll dress you up again for the afternoon meal with the guests. I will do my best to make you look prettier for the gathering this evening. And if it lasts until dawn, I’ll take care of your appearance, Miss.”
“……”
Did she think living here would be too easy? Her future here was dim.
“I can’t believe I got the orders to keep serving you all day, Miss. Isn’t it so exciting?”
“…….”
The maid, who was a professional but had never got the chance of decorating a lady, seemed quite satisfied.
‘I guess this is really necessary for a gathering.’
It was no different from her acting career. No, it was even worse than that. She could take some breaks between filming, but this was the reality. That meant she could take no time off from playing her part.
She gulped her own saliva, thinking of those sugary fruits and snacks from her breakfast as she sat still while the maid kept dressing her up.
Meanwhile, Kalcion went through his morning training and took a bath before he came to have his breakfast.
And so did Fionel.
“Miss Fionel has asked you to have breakfast with her.”
Kalcion spoke up as Selena was just about to make her way to the dining hall.
“Oh, is it going to be breakfast instead of supper last night?”
“No, dinner will be dinner. Even if we’re having breakfast together, it’s my duty to invite her to dinner later.”
‘Ugh, these formalities.’
“All right, I’m coming with you.”
She folded her arms around Kalcion’s.
She made up her mind. They’d have to meet at the party anyway, but the more Fionel would see her with Kalcion, the stronger her killing intent would become. But she didn’t need to have any fear of death since she was with Kalcion.
Kalcion nodded effortlessly. As they were walking towards the hall, a servant approached them and bowed.
“We have been informed that Miss Rosalyn will be arriving soon.”
“….Rosalyn?”
“Who’s that?”
This was right after Fionel’s arrival.
“The daughter of Marquis of Toilan.”
“The daughter…..”
Fionel was the daughter of a count, while Rosalyn was the daughter of a Marquis. So, it was bound to be a big and luxurious party.
“At this rate, the Duke will have to escort all the royal daughters.”
“Don’t say such terrible things.”
“Don’t worry, I can feel the pain as well.”
If someone like Fionel appeared at all stages, it would get harder to keep her mentality stable. Level 2 persona was almost on its way when she thought she was halfway in defeating Fionel on Level 1.
“Have a room prepared for her as soon as Rosalyn arrives.”
Kalcion was a human being, and he had to do things he didn’t like.
As soon as Fionel heard Rosalyn was coming, she took off her dress and ordered the maids to help her prepare.
Kalcion and Selena heard that she was busy flipping her closet and scavenging through jewelry boxes.
‘Do I also need to prepare in that way?’
She thought as she looked down at the dress she was wearing. However, she couldn’t find any more colorful attire even if she wanted to.
‘Well, it’s not like we’ve ever met.’
Selena kept eating her snacks quietly. The maid, who was watching her actions, came running to fix her lips every time she took a bite. At one point, she was so frustrated that the snacks didn’t even fit into her mouth properly. Eventually, she ate a few and gave up.
Fortunately, Rosalyn arrived soon. Unlike Fionel, who was close to being ignored when she arrived, Rosalyn was going to be greeted by Kalcion himself at the gate.
“Is Rosalyn special to the Duke?”
“No, he only treats Fionel extraordinarily.”
“Ah….”
It’s not that she didn’t understand. One should be polite and sensible enough to be clingy. Those who always pushed ahead to their opponent’s position were the only ones to be equally courteous and merciless.
As evidenced by that, Fionel proudly stepped out at the gate to stand beside Kalcion.
“Fionel came out to greet as soon as she heard Miss Rosalyn was coming.”
“Yeah.”
“Are we all going to have a meal together?”
“Hmm.”
“I’m so happy to finally be able to have a meal with you, Your Excellency!”
“……”
The voice that threatened Selena last night was nowhere to be found.
Fionel had shiny flowers and jewels that adorned half of her long, winding brown hair. It was a less mature and flamboyant taste, but it maximized her cuteness.
‘Hmm. She put shiny jewelry on her hair instead of putting glitter on her face.’
Thankfully, Rosalyn’s carriage arrived before Fionel could make any further noise.
‘One, two, three…..’
There were a total of thirteen carriages.
Among them, the largest and most colorful carriage stopped in front of Kalcion. First, the attendants from the front and rear carriages rushed down and bowed down to Kalcion.
“Your Excellency, we ask for your permission to drop off our Lady.”
“Yes.”
This seemed to be the first time for Kalcion.
The attendants, who said they needed to do some preparation for her to get off the carriage, went to fetch something from their carriages.
They began to rush as they returned back.
Soon, the carriage door opened and Rosalyn appeared.
As she slowly stepped down the carriage steps, she gave off a fragrant scent of flowers.
Even though she had been riding a carriage for a long time, she didn’t show any sign of being fatigued. She stepped down with a gentle smile, a gentle gesture, and a rather modest but determined look. Rosalyn was completely the opposite image of Fionel.
“Your Excellency.”
Even her voice was gentle.
“Thank you for welcoming such a random visitor like me.”
As she stood in front of Kalcion, her calming smile deepened. The scent was so profound that it even made Selena feel like she was sniffing on real flowers. It was as if spring season had arrived sooner, but somehow she had the illusion of the air getting cold.
Fionel and Selena were also standing beside Kalcion. It was hard to not notice Fionel’s eyes, full of hatred, glaring at Rosalyn.
However, Rosalyn’s gaze never left Kalcion.
“I visited the Duke’s estate but couldn’t ask for proper permission in advance. Please forgive me for being in such a hurry.”
She bowed down with a smile while secretly giving off a glare towards Fionel. At the same time, Fionel also bowed down, afraid of Kalcion noticing her rudeness.
Selena gulped.
‘This is a really scary one.’
“Fionel began her journey as soon as she heard His Excellency leaving the Capital.”
However, Fionel wasn’t afraid at all.
Only then did Rosalyn shift her eyes towards Fionel.
“Miss Fionel.”
The way she looked at her was not much different from when she was gazing at Kalcion. It seemed as if she had met an old friend again.
“Everyone was very surprised when you left so suddenly. Especially when Miss Helen informed me that you didn’t join our tea party. Of course, I worried as well.”
Her every word pierced like a hot blade. Though ostensibly affectionate, Fionel was once again accused of being lame for not appearing in a tea party without a word.
“But I don’t think you’re close enough to follow him all the way here as if you needed to check up on him.”
Only
Fionel was also formidable. She wouldn’t stay still when she was constantly being drilled. But it seemed as though she was holding back for some reason.
“Although the date was coincidentally right, I came as a representative to convey the voices of those concerned about the Duke. Of course, I was also worried about Miss Fionel’s safety.”
Fionel snorted, turning her head sideways.
“Then, Your Excellency, may we go in and have a conversation?”
She never gave a glance towards Selena until the end.
If a woman, whom Rosalyn had never heard of, was standing beside her in a fancy attire, it would be obvious what position she was in. Assuming that, Rosalyn ignored her. As if she didn’t want to bother herself with people like her.
Fionel’s expressions were always transparent and easy to read, but this one was difficult. First of all, Rosalyn was at an even higher status than Fionel.
However, for Selena, it wasn’t that difficult. Selena spoke up as Kalcion moved to make way for Rosalyn to pass through.