CH 21

That was when Blake was lost and went crazy.

Lily was in the hallway. She was on her way to the banquet hall while talking to the other knights.

This was the first time she had a proper discussion with a knight here.

“We stay out there for three months and then stay in the Winter Castle for a month! I can finally meet such a beautiful guest.”

“By the way, I heard that the name of the Order is the Wolves of Upus….That’s strange.”

“No way. You know what Upus means.”

“Is it strange? Lord Blake explained it to me a few days ago.”

Lily nodded and the young knight’s eyes lit up strangely.

“It is true that Upus means wolf in the old language. That’s why the wolves of Upus are called…. It means to connect the past with the present. We exist to protect history. The Upus people were free wolves at one time.”

“That’s a wonderful word.”

The knight seemed to be perplexed throughout the conversation.

“I can’t believe the captain told the Lady the origin of the word…….. He’s not that kind of a person. We don’t usually share old words with outsiders. That’s the unspoken rule. The pure blooded Imperialists will only ridicule it.”

The knight thought. 

Could it be that Captain Blake has a special interest in Lily? If so, that’s very good news.

There had been a new fervor among the people of Winter Castle recently. So to speak… A great plan to make Lady Lily stay in the castle until she dies.

The first opinion was this.

This received the most support, but was discarded due to a slight lack of practicality.

Because it’s not going to be Lily Hedwick any more, it’s going to be Lily Upus. It will be more likely that Lily will stay in the castle for the rest of her life.

But the employees were vehemently against it.

After a twenty-six hour meeting, they finally agreed that ‘marriage between them’ was the way to serve Miss Lily for the rest of her life.

‘But I can’t believe the captain told Lily about the old word. If I tell the others, they’ll be glad to have the good news.’

At any rate, there was one thing that was certain.

“At least our captain believes in Miss Lily.”

Then Lily had a new feeling, too.

She smiled and thought more seriously than her usual graceful smile.

Blake, sometimes that man knows, but sometimes he doesn’t know.

‘Always grumbling, but soft.’

Was it because he had a weak heart that he mangled his muscles to create a protective coating?

Lily had lived in a society where a body without physical labor was a sign of beauty. And Blake’s solid figure was very unique.

Lily arrived at the huge dining area that was the banquet hall.

“Miss Lily!”

“Wow, Miss Lily!”

“Duchess!”

Duchess?

Lily turned her head to the side to see who had called her “Duchess,” but there was no one at that table anymore.

This was because the employees quickly searched for the culprit.

The culprit, who accidentally uttered his wish and made a mistake, will be released after receiving a full mental education.

“Did I mishear?”

Lily tapped her ear lightly.

“Of course you did. No matter what you heard, I’m sure you heard it wrong.”

“By the way, you really are beautiful, Lady!”

“I thought our clothes would look good on you.”

Lily sent the people around her back to their original positions.

“I’m not a famous theatrical actor…Calm down and go back.”

She lifted the skirt of her dress and stepped inside. Upus’ suit still looked awkward.

She looked around the dining room, where the party was being held.

“Wow………….”

A different kind of banquet where they didn’t call Lily’s full name when she entered or recite the fame of her family’s name.

The smell of meat and stew was about to make Lily hungry.

The chandeliers on the ceiling had a reddish tinge to them. The floor was covered with bearskin to keep out the cold.

‘I thought the dress was thick, but it’s cold here.’

Even some furry men were throwing snowballs from outside to his friends.

‘It’s noisy. Where is Lord Blake?’

Lily had been going around the halls looking for him, everyone greeted her when they passed her.

Someone even hugged her roughly. It was fluffy because everyone wore thick clothes.

“You saved my brother! My savior!”

“Lily!”

“Hahahaha! Sorry!”

The atmosphere was completely different from the past parties she had attended.

Oh, a similar memory came to her mind.

It was when the Botty family led the ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the Imperial Civil War.

On the way there in a horse-drawn carriage, she saw a village festival.

The men competed for the record by throwing spears far and wide, and the children threw tomatoes………….

She could see a similar scene here all the time.

A smile appeared on Lilly’s face.

If she hadn’t joined the party, she might have really regretted it.

Just in time, she found Blake in this huge space. The man was on the podium.

At that time, Blake had created hundreds of different answer sheets in his mind.

He even came up with 341 reasons why Lily should stay in the castle for longer than a year, and finally he saw her.. …….

“…”

The man’s pupils went wide at her new appearance.

Blake had thought that no one would look better in the imperial dress than Lily. But what about now? The dim colors and multiple layers of costumes here were different. …………… Really.

Lily had just spotted him, too.

“Oh, mother chicken.”

The two got closer under the sound of a drum beating cheerfully by someone.

Even to her eyes, the man stood out even more today.

His solid physique was enhanced by the armor. His dark hair also seemed to be nicely groomed.

“Where did the normally irreverent Blake go? I mean the exposed Duke, who showed his chest clearly.”

“In case you didn’t know, physical contact isn’t the only form of sexual harassment, lady criminal.”

“Hmm, you always say this. Then arrest me, lord Double Standard.”

Lily joked and held out her hands.

“Thanks to the Lady, I have too many nicknames.”

“Is that so? Dictator, mother chicken, exposure duke, double standard.”

Instead of arresting Lily, Blake escorted her onto the podium.

Lily thought he was dressed nicely because of the banquet, but that wasn’t the only reason.

Blake was just about ready to say, “Stay a year longer than you promised.”

“I’m not sure what wind makes you dressed like that.”

Blake’s low voice was dull. He said something entirely different.

He couldn’t take his eyes off Lily since she first walked in.

Lily was dressed in a special outfit.

She didn’t know it, but her dress was tailored to her body embroidered with a wolf, a traditional Upus pattern.

The fur cape with hat that covered her shoulders was also in the traditional Upus winter clothing style.

“Isn’t it beautiful? I’ve never seen an outfit like this before.”

Lily’s white skin was as transparent as it could be seen inside, and her eyes were pure. Her face was so small that it made him wonder if it was the same person.

Blake observed Lily’s beautiful figure, and before being too obvious, he averted his gaze and cleared his throat.

“But this is…………”

His words were slurred.

He had been wanting to see Lily in a western dress here.

This is…

This is…

Wasn’t this a noble’s outfit of the duchy? And there was only Blake who was currently a member of the Duchy.

A stranger could mistake Lily for his wife.

Of course, he didn’t suspect the servants as the culprits.

The maids must have done it without much thought with the strong will ‘let’s dress Lily the best thing.’

‘You perished humans.’

Actually, though, that was the servants’ intention to dress Lily like the Lady of the house.

Blake deliberately changed the subject.

“Is your body okay?”

“Actually, I’m still lying down in my room. It’s my soul that’s here now.”

“You seem to be feeling much better.”

“Of course I am. I’ve been resting a lot.”

“Still, take care of yourself. Don’t walk around recklessly. How annoying it will be again if you get injured.”

Blake couldn’t help but clam up at the look on Lily’s face, “Another petulant remark, mother?” 

I don’t know why I’m so used to your nagging, Lord Blake. I never had a loving nanny, but I can picture someone like that from you. It doesn’t make me feel bad, it makes me feel strange.”

“That’s not true.”

Blake had a dirty personality from an early age. He was like a banker who worked nights for a week. Lily, who was playing with him at the time, was a much younger child, so Blake must have been a constant nag even then.

“…By the way, are you naturally dismissing me as a nag?”

“Hahaha.”

“Just laugh all you want. And in the tomb where the Lady is buried, laughter can be heard even at dawn.”

“Anyway, I have something to say.”