Chapter 20

chapter 20

“I didn’t cry.”

Raynald snorted and filling his mouth with a cake full of whipped cream. He was the only one who didn’t know that it was not convincing to say such a thing with red eyes like a rabbit.

“You’re so slow!”

He shouted at the employees, who were shaking their shoulders with laughter. When his pronunciation was crushed due to the cake, he moved his chin combatively to eat the cake quickly.

The employees, who noticed his discomfort, tried desperately to stop laughing, but it wasn’t easy. In the end, they all went out of the drawing room, using a ridiculous excuse to bring more milk and tea.

Yurina smiled quietly, looking at the tea still full in the kettle. Without realizing it, Raynald, who had finished a piece of cake, drank the milk in a gulp.

“I didn’t really cry.”

“Yes, I get it.”

“I’m just…. a little surprised.”

He looked around the drawing room again with moist eyes.

“You was so surprised, huh? I’ve already told you we’re having a party this morning.”

“I know, I know that….”

Raynald poked the green grapes with a fork for no reason.

“I thought I’d just have one little cake. I didn’t know there would be so many people.”

“Did you?”

“Yes. And I’ve never actually had a party like this before.”

“Really?”

“Yes. ‘Cause no one’s been paying attention to my birthday.”

Well, it could have been, considering the life he had lived. Listening to his depressed voice, Yurina recalled her birthday in Korea.

When I was in the same age as Raynald, I invited all of my classmates to my house for a party, and even when it was not easy for me to have a meal with my family, I received a lot of calls and text messages saying happy birthday.

Her birthday was always a happy day. For Raynald, what was his birthday like? Since he was born without knowing his father, would he have only been shunned by his mother?

If so, his birthday might have been so terrible that he didn’t want to remember it.

Yurina put another piece of cake on his plate with only whipped cream left.

“Eat a lot. Let’s finish it and go out for fun as I promised.”

I wanted to make him remember his birthday today as a special memory.

*****

“Yurina, look at that!”

To the shame of his hard-working etiquette class, Raynald pointed out the outside of the carriage with an unquestioned pure face, as he did when we first met.

Yurina looked out the window after him, but couldn’t figure out what he was looking at and being so red.

‘It’s just a normal street scene.’

Evan Street, which is said to be the most frequented in the crowded capital, was a place where various cultures were mixed, popular with both commoners and nobles.

There were few street vendors where commoners could simply eat or watch, and brick-buildings were filled with shops decorated for the nobles.

When the spring festival is held, there is a rare scene where bands and wandering performers from all over the empire perform, but there was nothing special to see at this time of the transition from autumn to winter.

It was a scene that didn’t impress Yurina, who had been to the main street many times.

“Are you still eating food when you’re out there?”

Raynald urged Yurina by grabbing her arm. As he turned his attention along the direction he pointed, he noticed a luxurious cafe. On the sunny terrace, some of the young ladies who came out for an outing were seen having afternoon tea time.

“Yes. It won’t be a heavy meal, but a simple meal like sandwich or salad will be possible.”

Yurina continued to read Raynald’s inner thoughts of looking at the cafe with curious eyes and gestured to Betsy. Betsy quickly opened a window to the horseman’s side and pulled up the carriage.

After finishing a simple meal at the cafe as Raynald wanted, the two of them went back to the streets again, unable to relax and enjoy tea time. It was because of Raynald’s urge to hurry because the days got shorter because it was autumn and there was a lot to see.

Yurina followed him without a murmur today as he wanted.

“There’s a lot of cool stuff.”

Raynald was conscious of people’s gaze and reduced his voice, but could not hide his curious face. Yurina ordered Betsy to hold the pen and ink he looked carefully at in his arms.

That wasn’t enough, so she took him to a luxury store where only nobles went in and out and bought a ruby brooch that would match the color of his eyes.

“Is this really for me?”

Raynald looked puzzled as he looked at the brooch on his palm. Yurina came close to him, picked up the brooch and pushed it in front of his eyes.

“It’s a birthday present. This is the ruby I told you about. What do you think? It shines like your eyes.”

“Can I have something this expensive?”

“What are you talking about? The clothes you’re wearing now are also very expensive.”

She deliberately replied that it was nothing more, and broached his left chest. Raynald lowered his head and looked at the brooch.

His red eyes glistening in the sunlight and ruby’s hard-working light matched very well. Betsy, who was watching the two, also nodded with a satisfied look.

Raynald, looking down at the brooch for a moment, approached Betsy, who smiled warmly, and shrugged and whispered to her.

Betsy opened her eyes wide with surprise, and soon, she nodded with a look of calmness.

“What are you two whispering about?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Yes, it’s a secret.”

“What?”

They smiled at each other and went away without her. Yurina, who was left alone, silently waited for the two in front of the store with her guards.

‘All of a sudden, what is this?’

She was dumbfounded with laughter. Should I be proud or disappointed that Raynald, like a puppy, who was always chasing after her, abandoned her and shared his secret with Betsy?

Yurina looked around, feeling a mysterious feeling that she couldn’t pinpoint.

There were a lot of people on the street maybe because it was the weekend. There were also quite a few carriages with the patterns of the nobility, and the nobles in finely dressed outings were also seen.

‘It’s a good day.’

Yurina enjoyed the warm sunshine pouring over her closed eyes. It was to make good memories for Raynald, but in fact she was also enjoying the outing with him.

I felt like I came out to play with a really close friend. A pleasant tranquility after a long time.

“Young lady.”

No matter how long I waited, when I was wondering that the two had not returned, the guard who was standing behind approached and spoke to her.

“I think you should go over there for a while.”

Yurina grudgingly looked at where he was pointing. Even on this street, where there are many nobles, a well-dressed man was holding Raynald’s arm and talking aloud.

No matter how loud his voice was, he could hear his voice clearly even though it was quite far from Yurina.

“Which family are you from?”

The man grasped his cheek with a big hand as big as Raynald’s face and looked at his face quietly. He seemed to think that Raynald, who had only one maid, was not a nobleman but a child of some wealthy commoner.

When he just met Yurina, the free-spirited Raynald would have slapped her hand and yelled, “What does it matter?” But he just closed his mouth and lowered his gaze.

Yurina could see that his attitude was to avoid causing trouble to her and the Carthia family.

Betsy, who was following Raynald, tried to talk in front of him, but the man’s guard raised the sword and blocked her. The sword was not pulled from the black case but it was threatening enough.

Betsy, who was startled, stood next to Raynald couldn’t do this, she couldn’t stop and looked around. When Yurina made eye contact with her, she waved her hand as if she wanted her to come quickly.

It was rude to do it to a young lady who served by a maid, but it meant that the situation was urgent.

Yurina gestured to the guards on the lake waiting behind her and then approached them with quick steps. In the meantime, the man was still staring at Raynald’s eyes with an expressionless face.

‘How dare you…’

Her anger soared up and Yurina clenched both her fists. Rumors spread that she had fallen out of the Carthia family’s sight, and the abominable face of Mrs. Lauren, who has now disappeared from all walks of life, passed through her mind.

I don’t know exactly what happened, but the situation was obvious. That’s a man who apparently has no fault. He’s making a fuss about Raynald’s red eyes.

If Raynald had been disrespectful to that man first, before he apologized, Betsy would have knelt before him and begged him to do wrong instead.

As Yurina approached her face, Betsy sighed visibly relieved. Until then, the man did not let go of his hand holding Raynald’s face, but rather bowed to his waist and looked into him.

“Why don’t you answer me? I asked which family you were from.”

“If the child I’m carrying has been rude, I’d like to apologize for it.”

Yurina approached Raynald’s side and told him deliberately to listen. So, it meant to get rid of the hand quickly.

In addition, if Raynald had not been rude, it meant a little deeper that the man should apologize to me.

But the man burst into laughter while only looking at Raynald to see if he couldn’t hear Yurina.

“It’s really red. It’s red.”

“What is this…”

“I can’t believe it even when I’m looking at it. Why hasn’t ‘Beatus’ been found so close? If I hadn’t seen you like this today, I would have wasted my time.”

Yurina, who tried to follow his rudeness, was stunned by the word ‘Beatus’ from his words.

‘How do you know that?’

The word was barely found by her reading the ancient books related to magic. ‘Beatus’ an ancient term referring to those with red eyes who have long been the spiritual support of the ruined kingdom of Denik and blessed by the goddess.

But why does the man in front of her not only know the word, but also say it as if he is convinced that “Beatus” exists?

Only then did Yurina take a good look at the man’s appearance.

The middle-aged man, who appeared to be about the same age as her father, the Marquis of Carthia, seemed to have an inkling of whether he was a nobleman or not. A sharp eye and a firm mouth that seem to see through everyone’s heart.

When looking at Yurina, the Marquis of Carthia, whose facial expressions soften infinitely, also had such a stern expression when dealing with his subordinate.

However, it was not because he was a high-ranking nobles that Yurina was surprised.

‘Red hair.’

Today, the red hair shining in the bright sunlight and the untold harmony of gold here also gave us an unusual feeling.

A strange and familiar feeling. Most of all, in the word “Beatus” from his mouth, Yurina instinctively could realize who he was.

“Marquis De Flon…..”

His golden eyes, which had been directed at Raynald all along, had already turned to her.

Yurina’s hands trembled as she received his cold, harsh gaze, which seemed to even notice that she was a stranger from a strange place. She tried holding her hands together to pretend to be calm, but it didn’t work.

“Do you know me?”

It was the correct answer. Yurina instinctively stepped back a few steps. However, the stride was small, so he was not far from her. The man, Marquis De Flon finally lifted himself up from Raynald’s cheek.