CH 18

“Minuelle.”

Esadien, looking into my face, which was very depressed, gently took off the twisted finger. He said while sweeping the wrinkles on the thin gloves.

“Your complexion is not looking good.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you said you were busy, but you must be overdoing it. You’d better rest.”

That’s not why.

I swallowed the words and murmured, clutching Esadien’s hand tightly.

“I want to be with you.”

“I’ll come again. So rest now.”

A low voice rang out comfortably.

Taking his voice as a comfort, I closed my eyes once and opened it, looking at the book Esadien put down next to me, and said.

“Then I’ll lend you the book. Please come to return it.”

“I will.”

Was the front hall this close to the library?

I went out to see Esadien off, fiddling with his hand for a while and barely letting go.

“Minuelle, I have to go so that you can rest.”

“But.”

“Didn’t I promise a while ago? I’ll come back.”

“Esadien.”

“Yes.”

Because I was so happy, it seemed that the foretold downhill in front of me felt even more painful. I said, hugging Esadien tightly.

“I was very happy that you came today. I miss you so much.”

Esadien hesitated and eventually hugged me. I closed my eyes, smelling the cool scent in his arms.

‘Yeah, it’s gonna be fine.’

Esadien got used to me like this before I knew it, because he didn’t have the same expression as Lafesch.

So let’s not be nervous.

***

But the promise he had made was in vain.

From the very next day, I was further distressed by Lafesch, who awakened as a question mark killer.

“How did you two meet?”

“What?”

Time to catch his breath. Lafesch smiled lovingly, supporting her face with both hands.

“Minuelle and the Prince. I was really surprised to see you as an angel from a fairy tale.”

“The Prince is a wonderful man.”

I roughly answered while pouring tea into my mouth, but I was sincere about what I said.

So far, Lafesch’s chat has been mainly about questions about me and stories about my taste. However, questions about Esadien increased the day after she met him.

Little by little, little by little, like the water is filling up under my feet.

“It’s frustrating.”

Maybe that’s why my heart became more and more stuffy.

“What’s wrong with your face, Minuelle?”

It was only then that Ramande gave his divine power while worrying.

“What’s going on?”

“What do you mean. It’s because I’m tired…..”

After meeting Ramande, I have never hidden anything from him. But this time, I honestly couldn’t tell.

‘Do you think Esadien might like Lafesch because of the original? How can I say that?’

It was fortunate that older sister Juella was away for a few days on an urgent business trip. If she had me, she would have told me to stop everything right now.

“Minuelle, how was your first meeting with the Third Prince?”

It’s tea time again. As if giving a bribe, Lafesch pushed the peach mousse plate toward me.

“…..”

Looking at it for a while, I smiled while holding the teacup.

“The Emperor made a place for us to be close to each other. As soon as I saw him, I fell in love with the Prince.”

“Did you fall in love with each other at first sight?”

I couldn’t breathe.

Lafesch may have just asked, but the meaning came to me differently.

‘I think that trust should exist even if you can’t expect love.’

Because Esadien doesn’t believe in such feelings.

It felt as if Lafesch knew it and was prying between us.

I thought my voice would come out weird like this. After barely swallowing another sip of tea, I naturally changed the subject.

“I think the messenger came and left earlier. When did you say the dress was due?”

“Oh, wait a minute. I wrote it down here!”

Even after that moment passed, the questions about Esadien kept coming.

“When did you two get engaged? It is said that in a noble family with high stature, the opponent was decided from an early age.”

“I heard that you stayed up all night for a week to make a tapestry and give it to him! Does the prince treat you that well?”

“I heard that the last time he came was his second visit? I heard that Minuelle mostly went to the Imperial Palace…..”

Where do you come from hearing stories like this?

If it had been my original personality, I would have skipped over it, or, excitedly, would have sat down and boasted about my Esadien.

But for Lafesch, I couldn’t do that. I was just becoming more and more sensitive.

“I heard that the Prince inherited his hair color from his mother…..”

“By the way, Lady Celeste.”

Finally I got fed up with this situation. To me, who called with a straight face, Lafesch winked and said.

“Hey, Minuelle. Why aren’t you calling my name yet?”

Ha. I was dumbfounded. You’re showing so much interest in Esadien that you want to win my favor.

“I’ll take it slow. But Lady Celeste must be very interested in the Prince?”

“Ah…”

Lafesch rolled her eyes for a moment and smiled broadly.

“Did you feel bad because I kept asking?”

“…….”

It seemed to be said, “You’re not wary of me, are you?”

I hated people who answered questions with questions.

‘What is this? Wasn’t she following me because she liked me?’

At the same time as that thought, another question followed as if reading my mind.

“Minuelle, do you know that I like Minuelle a lot?”

Alas, as expected, she’s a bad guy. To the point where I break the thought of letting it go as well as possible.

“If you mean it, stop asking questions about the Prince.”

“What? Ah… Was it rude?”

“It’s not polite to overdo anything. Especially if it’s about someone else’s fiancé.”

“I just thought you two were cool…….”

“I don’t want to hear it again, no matter what the intention is.”

Don’t touch my man. It’s the original, I don’t give a damn.

She raised his eyes coldly and expressed such a message with her whole body.

“I’m sorry…..”

Lafesch finally apologized in a voice as small as an ant, but I didn’t accept it. You don’t have to accept all the apologies.

The next day, Lafesch did not bring up the story of Esadien, perhaps still being self-conscious.

And the next day. Lafesch asked a random question.

“Well, Minuelle. Would you hate it if I asked Sir Tregosnan to meet you?”

Theodore? You hated him so much. It seems that she is not trying to meet again and embarrass him, so I’m curious as to the reason for the change in attitude, so I asked.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Oh, I think I was too rude the last time I saw you. I’d like to apologize….”

You had a real sense of rudeness. I’m not sure if I should say this is a relief.

I said with a sigh.

“That’s a good idea. I don’t think Sir Tregosnan would say no.”

“Well, then…..”

However, Lafesch’s request, twisting her body, was surprising beyond unexpected.

“I’m thinking of asking you to go see an opera….. Minuelle, will you join us?”

“What? I think it would be better if it’s just the two of you watch that.”

I haven’t been there with Esadien yet.

“I am so ashamed and embarrassed. And if it turns out to be just the two of us….”

Lafesch dropped his gaze with a pathetic expression.

“……”

I folded my arms without saying a word.

The balance of my mind was already leaning toward disliking Lafesch.

So I wasn’t affected much by that pretty face, but it wasn’t that I didn’t understand her situation either. Since she is an adopted daughter, there must have been a part where she was conscious.

“If you can’t remember even if you meet a hundred times, the other person should introduce themself a hundred times.”

Lafesch doesn’t have an older sister who says, “You don’t have to remember anyone’s name.”

I feel a low sense of superiority about the fact. And at the same time, I felt such a sense of shame about myself.

“…..Then I don’t have a schedule in three days, so let’s do it that day.”

“Wow, thank you.”

As she pretended not to win, Lafesch smiled softly and grabbed my hand.

“You don’t have to thank me.”

I was sincere, because I was going to get out in the middle and tie the two together.

‘If I had stayed in a temple or a temple, wouldn’t this have happened….?’

Such thoughts suddenly crossed my mind, but I was soon buried in the rush of work.

***

Three days after that

“What’s going on? When you have time, you go somewhere other than the Imperial Palace.”

“….just. I have a promise.”

Ramande stopped teasing and looked at me for a moment and asked, perhaps because I was nervous.

“What’s the matter?”

“No, not work. Then I’ll be back.”

“You’ve been looking sick lately.”

“It’s all right.”

I just shook my head. I couldn’t tell Flendena that I had devised a scheme that was shameful to see.

“I’m going to go now.”

I thought I’d get caught if we talked more. Ramande, who was chasing after me, grabbed my arm as he tried to get into the carriage in a hurry.

“Oh my gosh!”

“I think you’re hiding something.”

“Hiding….”

“Do you know that you keep rolling your eyes?”

“Me? Really? Are my eyes so clear today?”

He opened his eyes clearly and fluttered his eyelashes. Then Ramande looked at me for a moment as if he was trying to gauge something, and soon smiled.

“Well, you can’t hide anything from me.”

“Ahaha…”

I just smiled awkwardly and fixed my eyes only on Ramande’s hair sticking out for no reason.

His beautiful face, which was silent for a moment and examined my reaction, formed a fierce smile.

“Right? Huh?”

Ramande rubbed my cheeks mercilessly. I had no choice but to say yes because of the unforgivable touch.

Maybe that was a sign of things going wrong.

When I finally got out and arrived at the Opera House, Theodore and Lafesch were awkwardly sitting at a distance from each other.

“How have you been, Lady Karinen?”

“Yes, yes.”

I whispered to Theodore, who smiled and pretended to kiss my hand.

“I am glad that Lady Celeste has changed her mind.”

“Ah, haha. I do not know….”

What is this? The reaction was weird.

But before I could even ask why, Theodore, with his upper body blurred, turned the topic around with his usual hoarse voice.

“The Prince was worried that young lady was getting thinner, but it is true. Why are you so small? Just like someone who will blow you away.”

“How many people do not look small to the Lord?”

I laughed out loud even as I spoke.

‘Esadien thinks of me too.’

The feeling that had subsided quickly improved.