Chapter 50

“I’m sorry. I should have gotten a better carriage.”

Cersinia was now suffering from motion sickness. But it was a much better ride than the wagon she rode with Ben three years ago.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s better than the wagon we rode back then.”

Ben knew she was talking about the wagon they rode when they left the cabin. But it’s different, since now he had the power to afford a better carriage than this one.

“If I knew this would happen, I would have prepared my carriage. I’m so ashamed.”

He wanted the road to the capital to be as comfortable as possible for Cersinia, but the carriage was wobbling too much. He could feel every stone the wheels hit. Even though he brought the best-looking carriage in the village, it was still an old one that was not well maintained.

Ben didn’t expect Cersinia to agree right away and thought it would take her some days to think about it. Had he known, he would have prepared a good carriage in advance. His shoulders dropped in frustration.

“It’s still good enough.” Cersinia smiled softly at him.

As long as she didn’t ride this carriage for the rest of her life, this was enough for her.

During the long ride, Ben updated Cersinia on the situation of the capital. Count Dexter, who had committed crimes, was stripped of his title. The authority over his territory was temporarily given to Ben. Cersinia only nodded while Ben told her everything. She didn’t dig it up too deeply because just being able to get out of there made her feel grateful.

“Wow…” May exclaimed in admiration. Her eyes twinkled like stars.

Because they departed at dawn, they arrived at the capital by noon. When they passed by the scenery of densely planted trees and grasse, May cried as she saw the capital.

“Cersinia! Look over there!”

May pointed at the people who gathered together. A man, dressed in a ridiculous costume, was performing a strange trick in the buzzing crowd. The card he was holding disappeared and reappeared instantly at a few movements.

‘Oh, there’s a magic show.’

It was a simple trick, but she still got amazed by it. Cersinia used to see more splendid and amazing magic tricks before. Still, this one got her more excited than then.

‘Is it because it’s been a long time since I’ve seen this kind of thing?’

Cersinia watched the magic show with an intriguing gaze.

“Amazing, right?” A soft voice said next to her.

Cersinia turned her gaze to Ben. Her lips formed a small smile.

“Yes, it’s fun to watch.”

The lively streets were quite different from the secluded place she was used to. And now she felt like she became a country bumpkin.

“We will be arriving soon.”

With those words, the low and crude wooden building disappeared, and then splendid tall buildings made of stone began to appear.

* * *

“We are here.”

Earlier, Cersinia had hesitated for a moment when Ben suggested for her and May to sleep at his mansion but accepted it when May shot her a pleading gaze. It’s also because May said she was a little scared of them both being in the capital unprotected.

“Did we really arrive?” suspicious, Cersinia asked Ben.

When the carriage passed the gate, Ben said that they had already arrived but the carriage continued to move. Unlike the bumpy road they had taken to get to the capital, the road to his mansion was smooth.

Before the mansion appeared, there was a decorated garden that looked amazing and made Cersinia’s eyes grow wide. Statue of dozens of people holding hands encircled a beautiful large fountain. But it wasn’t just that. The well-kept garden was filled with various flowers as if only spring existed and next to it was a beautiful greenhouse.

May exclaimed as they passed through the gate and headed to the mansion entrance, Cersinia on the other hand couldn’t help but silently be amazed. The amount of money spent on the exterior of this enormous land made it hard to tell if this was a mansion or museum.

“Get off carefully.”

When the carriage stopped, Ben got down first and extended his hand to help the ladies get off. Cersinia hesitated at first but eventually grabbed hands. Finally, she stepped out of the carriage, after half a day and lifted her cumbersome skirt with her hands. Her body felt sore and stiff from the log ride but she didn’t think of stretching.

“…Is this really a mansion?”

Cersinia was suspicious when the carriage kept moving 10 minutes after entering the gate. However, as soon as she saw the mansion with her own eyes, all her doubts melted away. She never thought she would see such a large mansion in her lifetime.

“Wow! This mansion looks like a palace!” May’s exclamation was accurate.

The magnificent and high mansion existing on the wide land showed off its splendid and architectural beauty. Cersinia’s mouth widened at the luxurious sight she had never seen before.

“Welcome, Your Excellency.”

An old man, dressed in well-groomed clothes, approached and bowed politely to Ben. His hair was fading white, and there were wrinkles on his face.

“Cersinia, this is Murchen, the butler.”

“My name is Cersinia.”

‘What do you mean butler?’

With a curious gaze, she stared intently at Murchen and bowed her head to greet him. Murchen aslo bowed, but deeper than her.

“You can call me Murchen, lady Cersinia.”

Murchen had a kind smile with his eyes bent round.

“They will be staying here for a while, so do your best to make sure they don’t feel uncomfortable.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Cersinia, you must be tired. I’ll show you to your room.”

Ben smiled kindly and guided Cersinia towards the thick large door. Everywhere they went, servants bowed to greet them…to be exact, to Ben, the owner of this mansion.

Ben didn’t even acknowledge them and kept looking at Cersinia. Seeing people standing like soldiers and bowing to greet them, reminded Cersinia that Ben was the Grand Duke and that she was in the Grand Duchy.

‘It’s exciting.’

Everything was new to her, so it all seemed amazing. You could see her crimson eyes glistened at the sight of her surroundings. And the fact that Ben was walking next to her added to her stranger excitement.

“Because we came here in a hurry, the room might be shabby.”

Ben said. Following Ben, Cersinia entered and looked at the large room.

“This is shabby?” She asked in disbelief.

There was a king-size bed with a mattress that reached up to her waist and on the ceiling, a large silver chandelier lined with crystal was shining. There was also a wooden table, and two velvet sofas for one person were placed side by side next to the window. The room was so beautiful that it would be rude to call it shabby.

“The bathroom is over there. May’s room it next door to your right and mine is across from you room.”

Ben seemed to emphasize the ‘right across from your room’ part but Cersinia didn’t give it to much thought.

“I hope your stay will be comfortable and let me know if you need anything.”

Cersinia nodded. She was grateful to have this much convenience. Plus she has no intention of staying in the capital for too long, she was here mostly because Ben’s wounds worried her.

For the time being, Cersinia planned to stay in the mansion as May wished and decide where she would settle next. As for daily necessities, she had everything she needed in the luggage she brought. She didn’t want to get greedier, because if she get too attached to Ben once more, it would be hard to leave this place.

“Don’t think of it as greed, if you want something, just tell me. It’ll be my pleasure.”

Cersinia turned to look at Ben with big eyes. She didn’t voice her thoughts but it seemed like Ben had heard everything. At her reaction Ben smiled affectionately.

“I should call you Grand Duke from now on, right?””

Since this was the mansion of Grand Duke Alexdemikan Shorevarce, not Ben, Cersinia thought it would be absurd to keep calling him Ben.

“Just call me Ben as always.”

“Can I really do that?”

‘Was he also called Ben by others?’

When Cersinia thought about it, the name Ben itself never appeared in the novel. It’s probably because she was the one who gave it to him. Just by looking at that, a lot of things has changed from the original story.

“Yes, I like that name.”

Cersinia nodded. There was nothing more to say, if Ben wanted to be called like that then she would do it.

“Then please, rest comfortably, Cersinia.”

Ben left the room with a smile on his face and Cersinia was left alone in the big and quiet room. And that was when the accumulated fatigue hit her. Not only from the peaceful atmosphere but also because she had spent several hours riding. As she lay on the soft bed, a groan escaped her lips when all he muscles of her body loosened up.

‘How much does this bed cost?’

It was so fluffy that she wanted to steal it. Comfortable, Cersinia slowly closed her eyes.

Knock. Knock.

Cersinia opened her eyes at the sound, wondering if Ben had come back.

“Come in.”

A few seconds later, the thick, large door swung open silently and a maid entered the room. As Cersinia saw the unexpected figure, she quickly got up. The woman looked like she had the same age as her.

“My name is Verne. From today onwards, I will serve lady Cersinia.”

“Verne?”

“Yes, it’s Verne.”

The woman calmly introduced herself. She never seen the woman but strangely the name felt familiar to Cersinia.

‘From where do I know this name?’

Cersinia stared at the woman standing in front of her. She had ordinary dark brown hair and beautiful pure-looking auburn eyes. If Cersinia resembled a rose, Verne would be like a lily. The woman who gave off a gentle impression had a noble aura. Even though she was wearing a maid outfit, Cersinia mistakenly thought that Verne was wearing a dress. To the point where Cersinia had an optical illusion and saw a crown on Verne’s neat styled hair.

‘No, wait a minute. A crown?’

A flash of light flashed through Cersinia’s mind.

‘Why… Why is that person here!’

Cersinia freaked out as if she had seen a ghost.