Chapter 74

As I expected, the cream-and-green outfit suited Aiden very well. Aiden, who was neatly dressed in the tailcoat with even his hair slicked, was truly cute.

Who would think that Aiden was from the street?

“It suits you well.”

After I praised him, Aiden brushed the back of his neck shyly. Even though the clothes had changed, his character remained the same.

“Because Miss gave it to me.”

Even if I gave it as a gift, it might not have been suitable for him.

I tilted my head. I couldn’t understand. But Aiden just smiled at me like that.

I twisted my body a bit to make it easier for Aiden to enter. He lightly bowed his head and walked slowly into my room.

“Come in for now.”

“Yes.”

I checked that Aiden had entered and closed the door. He turned his head here and there as if looking around the room.

He was probably comparing my old room with the one I was currently staying in.

“What’s going on?”

I walked past Aiden to the table, smoothing out my big dress. But it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

Uh, the dress and the hem… they were very fluttery… Wasn’t the dress worn this time twice as long as the dresses worn on the engagement day and the greenhouse party? No, it was three times as splendid.

Fluttering laces tickled and rolled into my legs.

As I kicked the dress that didn’t go my way and tidied it up, Mia suddenly came to mind.

How could Mia walk around without being disturbed even though she was wearing such a large dress?

As expected, villains were different no matter what.

Of course, I was the leader of the villains, but that was an old story.

For me, who had forgotten the memories of the past and had only the memories of my previous life, I was no different than a clean slate.

I recalled Mia’s admirable movements and stopped the exhilaration of kicking and walked slowly.

Well, this wouldn’t work.

Eventually, I gave up on kicking and walked slowly. I didn’t care whether the dress was wrinkled or not.

Aiden, who had been quietly watching my actions, came closer, bent one knee, and straightened the ends of my dress.

I quietly looked down at Aiden. He arranged the dress quickly, accurately and neatly, befitting of someone who had served as a servant for a long time.

Oh, by the way, it felt like we were back in the old days.

Back when I was always in my room and he was always sitting on the chair in front of the door.

I looked down at the familiar top of his head and turned my head out of the window.

“I wanted to show the Miss how I’m dressed.”

I was in a drowsy mood while staring out the window, and I was barely opening my eyes when I suddenly heard a voice come from below.

I opened my flickering eyes properly and lowered my head to look down at Aiden, but because Aiden was bent down, all I could see was the golden top of his head.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t figure out what kind of face he had when he said such a cute thing.

He came running to show himself wearing the gift… Just like a puppy.

I unconsciously raised my hand and tried to stroke his hair, but my reason came back and I stopped my hand.

No matter how much he looked like a puppy, Aiden was still a person. Ugh, my unconscious almost beat my consciousness.

Instead of petting his round head, I spat out compliments.

“Yes, it is pretty.”

T/N: she did use the word aka pretty not beautiful or it suits you or sth haha

His hand, which was busy tidying up the ends, suddenly stopped. The frozen shoulder made me wonder if I had done something wrong.

Was it pretty or not?… Anyway, Aiden soon moved his hand again and finished what he was doing. Wow. The dress was as neat as when the maids first put it on.

As expected, you were still a pro even after you quit.

After finishing his work, Aiden slowly got up. It wasn’t until he fully stood up that his face came into my view.

With a slightly flushed face, the pupils lost their way and wandered around the air before fixating on me.

I think his face was a little red, but he was taller than me and the bottom half of his was shadowed, so I wasn’t sure.

His lips, which trembled as if he wanted to say something, closed tightly, and soon curved along with his eyes, drawing a long arc.

“Yes, please continue to make me pretty.”

Whoosh.

The sound of the wind leaked in through the small crack in the open window. However, Aiden’s voice came more clearly than that.

I blinked. What did he mean? ‘Yes, please continue making me pretty.’

Did he become a puppy after going to the Magic Tower or was Aiden originally like this?

Whoooo.

All the while, the windows rattled and swayed in the summer breeze. Then, in an instant, a strong wind blew the window wide open.

The wind swept through the room in an instant.

Both my hair and Aiden’s hair fluttered in the air like leaves swaying in the wind.

Oh no, my hair was just done by the maids. ‘Sorry, maids.’

But it wasn’t just the hair that the wind was messing with.

Wearing high-heeled shoes and a long dress, I lost my balance due to the sudden wind.

Soon, my right foot staggered greatly and my body leaned to the right.

‘Oh, I’m falling. I shouldn’t fall.’

However, contrary to my thoughts, I stood upright with my body centered.

No, I wasn’t exactly standing, I was floating in the air.

“Are you all right, Miss?”

Aiden opened his eyes wide in surprise and asked.

“Ah… I’m okay.”

Aiden stretched out his arms toward me floating in the air. Telling me to hold on to them.

I quietly put my hands on his arms, and Aiden slowly lowered me from the air.

My feet hit the floor. While my feet were in the air, the hair that had been suspended in the air also fell down my shoulders again.

“Thank you.”

…He saved me again.

Being like this reminded me of the engagement party the other day.

Aiden saved me from falling down the stairs.

His tumultuous cry and desperate, sorrowful expression.

He was the same today.

The surprised face, the worried tone, the way he held me in the air.

And my buzzing head.

Yes, if there was anything different from that day… I didn’t seem to be able to say thank you right away.

To him, to thank him for not letting me get hurt.

It was that I could consider myself lucky that I wasn’t hurt.

I… I was thankful I wasn’t hurt… I had been indifferent to myself all my life.

If I lived, then I lived, and if I died, I died. If I was hurt, then I was hurt. That used to be it.

I hated being hurt, but I never worried about being scarred or thought that others would worry about me.

Even if I fell and my knees were scarred, it did not matter to me at all.

But today… That wasn’t the case. The moment my body stumbled, I thought I shouldn’t fall.

I thought of the faces of my family who would worry about me, of Lucas who would come to see me and scold me, and of Jane who was expecting me to go to the ball today. And Aiden, who was startled right in front of me and stretched out his hands towards me.

Also, I remembered how I admired myself while looking at my reflection in the mirror earlier.

I raised my hand and felt the scar on my left arm. I let out a small breath, feeling the scar that gave off a faint contrasting sense.

Strange. It was a strange feeling.

“No. I just did what I had to do.”

Aiden’s words brought back my mind that had been lost in thought.

Hearing Aiden’s voice, I raised my head and blinked my eyes, then lowered my hand that was groping for his left arm and nodded.

After that, we were silent for a while. Just as the silence was about to lengthen, the well-timed knock was heard.

“Miss, please go down.”

It seemed that Jane had brought the maids. Instead of me, who almost fell, Aiden opened the door himself.

In fact, he could just tell them to come in… He walked so gallantly that I missed the opportunity to speak.

Well, it must’ve been unfamiliar to Aiden to shout at them to come in.

When the door opened without a word, Jane, who was standing outside, widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at Aiden.

She was surprised for a moment, but she greeted Aiden quickly.

It was nice to see them both looking good and having a lot in common with each other as senior and junior.

“Oh, Aiden.”

“Long time no see, Jane.”

Besides, there was no awkwardness because they were two people who had been friends over dessert for a while.

Aiden greeted Jane and held the door open to make it easier for her and the maids to enter.

Jane, who bowed her head lightly and expressed gratitude, was followed by the maids.

All the young maids glanced at Aiden and their cheeks blushed.

Everyone was cute.

Their cheeks blushed when they saw Aiden, but the maids, with their professional spirit, quickly settled into their positions with their eyes focused on me.

“Miss. Let’s go.”

Jane, who was supporting the dress, said with a loving smile.

Her eyes were shining.

Just like the fairy grandmother who cast a spell on Cinderella.

“Let’s go.”

***

I raised my head and looked at the palace in front of me. At first glance, it looked like a large mansion, but could we dare to call it a ‘mansion’?

The scale of it was staggering.

I thought the Duke’s residence was also amazing.. If the palace was like a tiger, then the mansion was like a kitten…? Wasn’t this too much? Anyway, I meant that it was huge.

“Selena.”

As I stared at the palace in awe, Lucas, standing next to me, quietly called me to bring my mind back.

“Ah, yes.”

I straightened my posture and walked as he led me. In front of my eyes, Mother, Father, Brother, and Princess Ariel were walking upright.

Aiden was following behind my back. Lucas was my partner, so he stood next to me, but Aiden was an escort wizard who didn’t have a partner, so he stayed behind me.

When I glanced back, Aiden smiled as if telling me not to worry.

“Selena.”

“Yes.”

Lucas called me over again and made me straighten my head.

After stopping for a while in front of the large door, the soldier guarding the door accepted the invitation from Father and checked something.

Soon, his eyes widened, and he bowed politely.

“Duchy White!”

The loud shout was followed by brilliant trumpets. Anyone who heard it would think that there was a parade going on somewhere.

“Are you okay?”

Lucas, who was standing next to me, lowered his head slightly and whispered softly. My hands trembled only briefly at the sudden sound, but he must have noticed it.

I gave him a nod.

“I’m okay.”

The trumpets that had been ringing in my ears stopped, and the large door opened wide.

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