Upon entering the front door, Selena grinned, clinging to Kalcionâs arm.
âDuke! What are you doing today?â
Selenaâs cheerful voice filled the solemn atmosphere.
âIâll have to finish my morning training and listen to reports on the houseâs finances and management. Itâll probably take a couple of days to clear them up.â
Kalcion began to move according to his schedule.
âDo you not have any time to spare for me?â
âAh.â
He understood right away. That was one great development.
âWhat do you usually do when you are free?â
âHmmâŠ..â
Selena hummed as she thought.
Now that she thought about it, she wasnât familiar with doing something on holidays either. She was always caught up in practice and schedules because she started working at a very young age. As a result, what she needed more was rest than to play.
Holiday was a day to lie down in bed and do nothing but breathe. Vacation was about lifting the reins of work, exercise, and diet control.
Of course, there was a hobby she had set up in order to stay connected to the outside world. Cooking, exercising, and observing and appreciating how other actors worked.
But they were all done as part of the job. As Selena tried to find something to eat while controlling her diet, cooking became a habit. On the other hand, she observed how other actors worked as a study to develop an eye to survive in the face of rookies every day.
People tend to be happy and excited during their holidays, but Selena didnât know if it was really fun. Rather, it seemed as though she was still working on such days. Maybe thatâs the reason why she was able to become a top star.
Now, she no longer needed to follow any schedules, and no one forced her to take care of herself thoroughly. She could literally have fun.
âRight, what do we really do?â
âWhat do the nobles do?â
âWellâŠâŠâ
Kalcion wasnât intrigued in enjoyment either. If he had hobbies, it would be to train, train, and train.
To be honest, the training that Selena did every night was the most enjoyable time for him. However, he knew this wasnât the time to bring up training. He was also sprouting dry hints.
âCards orâŠâŠ ball games. Perhaps, they play games on boats or something like that.â
âThatâs probably the right thing to play, I supposeâŠ..â
However, none of the two was tempted. People who participate for pleasure and those who play with sincerity and passion would play poorly if they gathered together.
âYou donât want to hang out right now because you have work to finish today, right?â
âI guess so?â
âAre you going to train?â
He had yet to attend his practice because of the situation created at the convene since dawn. If he skipped training even for a day, the calluses on his palms would soften.
âI have to.â
âThen, can I have a look around?â
âThe choice is yours. As long as it doesnât bore you.â
âGreat! Iâll change into training clothes, and then Iâll go sightseeing.â
âDo as you please.â
The same was true for Kalcion, who had to change his clothes, too. Dignity came from oneâs attire.
The clothes he was wearing now were not suitable for training, and above all, they felt empty.
âLetâs get changed, have breakfast, and head to the training ground together!â
âAlright.â
Kalcion nodded coolly.
âAh, Miss Selenaâs closet is this way!â
As soon as Selena walked away from the door, Juna stepped out and guided her.
Kalcion walked along the opposite side of the corridor towards his room. Meanwhile, Selena, Juna, and two maids naturally scurried to their respective locations.
The two maids must have been maids of the mansion given their unfamiliar faces. Upon arriving here, most of the maids accompanying her on the journey were told to return to Renbird. And thatâs how Juna was the only maid personally known by Selena.
âOh, my! You couldâve called me if you were hungry!â
âI told you to take a rest in case you were tired. Whatâs more, I woke up and found myself in the Dukeâs room, which is why I didnât want to call you.â
âFeel free to call me anytime from now on. Iâll stick next to you and make sure it doesnât happen again!â
Juna began to babble endlessly while clinging alongside Selena.
In front of Kalcion, she carefully chooses the words that come out of her mouth. But whenever sheâs alone with Selena, she starts chatting openly.
Perhaps it was time to mince the seat next to Selena. Now that theyâd arrived at the mansion, there were new maids, and she would have to make sure she didnât lose her position. The maids of this mansion surely had faced an unpleasant occasion. This opportunity would be great to make her spot secure.
âI know. Please take good care of me from now on.â
Selena said, pretending she didnât understand Junaâs motives.
âStick to me like this, and carry out your seek behind my back. Thatâs what you want.â
Selena or Juna, which one would be more secretive was yet to be discovered. At least on the outside, they both appeared to have simple personalities.
âYou donât have a closet yet, but Iâve prepared a dressing room in a sizable room here as I thought it would be most needed soon.â
âAh, I seeâŠâŠâ
Arriving in the closet room, Juna skillfully picked out Selenaâs attire from between the rows of hangers.
âIâm glad I learned it while helping them organize it yesterday. Anyhow, training clothes. UhmâŠ. slim clothes for horseback riding? Do you think a set of pants for that would be better?â
âPants would be nice.â
âOhâŠ..but the pair of trousers isnât fancy. Miss Selena has such colorful and delicate features. She would look better in clothes with larger patterns.â
Selena glanced at Juna, who seemed to be having a difficult time touching the clothes while forcing a smile on her face.
It is uncertain if Selena is convinced of Juna to be the one.
Was Irelle desperate enough to have a maid sitting on her head so easily? Or was she so naive to even feel it? Or had it been a very different form of relationship than it was now?
Everything was just a guess unless Irelle came back from her grave and told her the truth.
âNo, it wouldnât matter. He has asked to teach me something, so Iâm only going to learn it.â
âOh my goodness! Like swordsmanship. No, youâll lose popularity if youâre known to be a girl who does such things.â
âOn the contrary, I think the Duke will love it.â
Selena, unlike Irelle, didnât care about Junaâs warning.
Juna regretted changing her into such clothes. She didnât think it was right. All the same, she muttered the words under her breath. One of the things Selena really disliked was the pretension of people.
âOh, canât I dress myself? Youâre acting like a mother.â
Juna giggled as Selena grumbled.
âOh, my. What are you talking about? I was just saying that to help Miss Selena. The society of the Capital is a very scary place to be in.â
âHmmâŠâŠâ
Selena knew it was, but itâs Juna who was trying to scare her more than necessary. Juna was surely aiming for something, considering her excitement.
However, Selena was totally in Junaâs hands. She had to think before she moved.
Selena whispered into Junaâs ear, so that the other two maids wouldnât be able to hear.
âThe people in the capital are surely a little out of order. All the maids in this house give me an uneasy feeling.â
âThatâs what the capital is like. Not only the maids, but the aristocrats are very dreadful. Iâd suggest you at least stay close to me when youâre inside the mansion. Iâll take care of whatever is to come on my own.â
Juna was treating Selena like a newborn chick.
So fragile and precious, but unable to do anything on its own without her help.
Juna chirped right after she finished putting the adornments in Selenaâs hair. Juna touched Selenaâs hair as if to feel her handiwork that would become sporadic soon.
âThe meal has been prepared.â
Just in time, a maid announced through the door. On her way to the dining, Selena gave a visit to both sides of the hallway. The doors were locked.
âHave all these rooms been occupied?â
âIâm not sure. They usually stay locked up, but theyâre open when guests arrive.â
âOhâŠâŠ Then there must be a lot of vacant rooms.â
âYes. There are 46 vacant rooms now.â
The house was the size of a hotel. No one, however rich they were, lived in a house with 46 rooms. Selena flinched while thinking of Kalcionâs wealth.
She entered the dining hall to find Kalcion already sitting at the table drinking juice. He had also changed into a training suit. He wasnât wearing accessories like Selena.
âHere I am.â
âSit down.â
Kalcion pointed to Selenaâs seat.
Their seats were apart by the distance of the vertically long table. A ball rolled down by her on the table wouldnât even reach him.
Such a table was meant for couples who were married but didnât want to face each other. Selena couldnât tolerate the distance.
âMy seat is here.â
Selena stood with her hand pointing to the closest seat to Kalcion.
All the servantsâ eyes turned to Kalcion in unison.