CH 303

“You have to hurry! You’re going to be late for your appointment!”

Elin, who had come down from the carriage, spoke in an urgent voice.

Orhan approached Elin’s side, who was stamping her feet and showing signs of anxiety, with a frown on his face. He seemed to have gotten quite adapted to it, seeing that there was no awkwardness at all even though he was dressed in the kingdom’s attire.

“I knew it since you were dragging your feet. It’s an important day when you were invited to the royal palace, but it looks like I’m the one who is going to get scolded by His Highness.”

After Orhan’s grunt, Ayla could be seen with her black pearly hair rolled up beautifully.

Staying at the Count’s mansion, the more time passed, the more she showed off her beauty. Although her mouth was rough.

“You’re nagging me again! What can I do, when I wanted to look pretty? You should have woken me up earlier. It’s purely Orhan’s fault that things went wrong.”

“Wow, are you blaming me again? If the Young Lady keeps being like this, I also have an idea.”

“What, what. What are you going to do? Are you going to… hand in your resignation letter?”

Ayla, who had come down to the ground, glanced at Orhan and blurred her words.

Even the ridiculous quarreling with Ayla was now one of his small routines.

It was cute to see his master pouting and looking at him.

What was the point of saying anything more?

“That’s enough. Let’s go in now. His Highness will be waiting.”

A small sigh came out of Orhan’s eyes as he looked at Ayla.

***

“So this is what the west palace looks like. I think it’s a lot different from the banquet hall I saw before!”

“Because, unlike the banquet hall, this is where the royal grandchildren stay.”

“The Young Lady stayed here every day, didn’t you? It’s amazing.”

Ayla’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Elin scanning her surroundings with an excited voice.

Soon, the steps of three people walking side by side reached the stairs leading up to the second floor.

“This staircase is a very notorious place, Elin.”

“Why? Did the stairs do something wrong?”

Elin asked, her eyes widening at Ayla’s mysterious words.

Ayla, who was slowly looking around, leaned down and whispered to Elin.

“I always meet someone I don’t want to meet.”

When Ayla finished speaking, she raised her body and tried to take another step. Then, at that moment, ‘Young Lady!! In front of you!!’ cried Orhan urgently behind her, but it was already too late.

Thump!

She bumped into something unidentified, and it didn’t take long to realize that something was a human.

Through Ayla’s eyes, a rough body and hands could be seen, with a red ruby ring on top.

‘Damn it.’

The hilt of the sword in his waist added conviction to her ominous thoughts.

Ayla slowly raised her head with an awkward smile.

The smell of starch coming from over the collar, the rather dark skin color, and the dark brown eyes on top of it, which were staring silently at Ayla.

“The west palace maid, Ayla, greets the Grand Duke.”

The royal greeting naturally came out of Ayla’s mouth as she spotted Kyle.

As expected, habits were scary. It was unbelievable that the young lady wearing a pretty dress was considering herself a maid.

She wanted to slap her mouth for moving of its own accord, but it was once again too late.

“Did you decide to become a maid again?”

Kyle, who kept his stiff expression, tilted his head and asked.

At his question, Ayla raised her head, which she had lowered, and briefly replied, ‘No.’

As she faced him, his appearance looked somewhat different. His always-angry eyes were slightly gentle, unlike before.

His lips, which called her ‘my love’ at some point, were also quiet today.

With an attitude that he seemed to be no longer interested.

“Go on.”

‘He’s telling me to go like this?’

The last time she saw him wasn’t so good.

Ever since the day Eden lost consciousness, she never talked to or met him.

The attitude he had just a few months ago, of coming at her as if it had to be her, was nowhere to be seen. Did his obsession, which seemed to bind him with chains, end so easily?

She felt dejected somehow.

“Young Lady, let’s go.”

Elin, who was watching the situation, lowered her head and spoke.

All three of them had a bad relationship with him, and it had never been a good one.

It would be a good idea to get out of here before something happened.

Elin’s fingers poked Ayla in the waist.

“Y-yes. Let’s go.”

Contrary to her answer, Ayla’s gaze was still fixed on Kyle’s back as she moved away.

Her slightly open mouth and shaky eyes were expressing her perplexed mind.

‘What was I going to say, now that things have come to this? It’s fine. It’s better like this.’

Ayla, who was moving her lips slightly, turned around with a shallow sigh.

Elin and Orhan, who followed her, made a fuss as they tried to get out of there.

The three people standing side by side gradually became more indistinct, until they disappeared.

Suddenly, there was no one else on the stairs.

Except for something sparkling that had fallen at the bottom.

Trudge, trudge.

There was a large shadow under the sunny window.

Soon, the dark shadow leaned down, its size shrinking.

Ting.

The thin piece of metal struck the marble staircase, making a sharp sound.

Kyle’s rough fingers picked up the blue hair decoration.

The butterfly shape, which seemed it would flap its wings right away, resembled the child he kept deep inside his heart.

***