DYBAR - Chapter 15 < Happiness And Unhappiness Come At The Same Time >

DYBAR - Chapter 15 < Happiness And Unhappiness Come At The Same Time >

Do Your Best And Regret It

It was her first time attending an official tea party. 

Ethella lifted her lips from the cup of rose tea. The strong scent of roses was burdensome. The conversations flowing on the table were equally burdensome.

"You are still beautiful today, Your Royal Highness."

"Look at the pink diamond necklace you're wearing right now. It was sent by your suitor, the Prince of Welton Kingdom, right?"

"It suits you so well, Your Highness."

"Is that so?"

The Princess smiled and touched the necklace as if satisfied with the excessive praise. The same conversation was repeated for an hour already. 

Ethella recalled the invitation. At the tea party, where she was worried about the letter asking her to attend the banquet so she could show her pictures of her sister, there was no mention of her sister. On the contrary, when she tried to bring up the story about her sister, the conversation was cut off along with subtle looks. 

It was a tea party that came at the risk of being scolded by her family. Rather, she felt tired. 

'Should I go now?'

It was a time for Ethella to worry.

"I didn't know you were that pretty. What do you think, Princess Madeleine?" 

"Yes. You are beautiful."

That was the simple answer. The Princess lifted her cup, hiding her embarrassment.

The Young Ladies followed the Princess and laughed awkwardly. The Princess glared at Ethella with her evil eyes.

She grew up receiving only the Duke's love, but Ethella Madeline paid no attention. Earlier, she disparaged Olivia's dress and ruined the atmosphere she had naturally created.

"You are mistaken. My sister looks good in all colors, so she's beautiful no matter what she wears."

That wasn't all.

"Currently, my sister organizes not only the Duke's house budget but also the budget of the duchy's territory. On top of that, financial documents from the Crown Princess's palace come to my house every day. If my sister was really an official, would she have been such an honest and good-working official?"

Ethella took Olivia's side and the illegitimate child in every conversation. She cut off every time the conversation turned to negative things about Olivia, and now she wasn't even motivated to participate in the conversation. Are all the blood mixed with Madeleine's family like that?

"By the way, Your Highness."

Suddenly, Ethella looked at Reyna. 

"When can I see the photos of the banquet you mentioned in the invitation?"

"It's a banquet photo, but... The Princess's purpose was to take pictures, right?"

While Reyna was winking at the daughter of the Marquis of Libeorn, Ethella spoke lightly.

"Thankfully, Her Majesty the Princess suggested that I come to see my sister's photo first." 

With those words written in the postscript of the invitation, Ethella left her mother's home, the Marquis Helquin, and came to the imperial palace. She was even prepared to get scolded by her family. But she really wanted to see a picture of her older sister.

The article was all about her sister and the Grand Duke who said he had sworn an oath to her sister, but Ethella couldn't see any pictures.

Ethella, thinking of Olivia, smiled. Did her sister wear the jewelry pin she gave her?

Strange glances passed over the new table. First, the Lady of Count Shamin spoke kindly.

"It seems like you are really close with the first princess, Princess."

"Sure. I'm her only sister."

The ladies laughed and exclaimed, 

"Oh my,"

At the answer that made Ethella feel proud. That laughter was somehow subtle. They were making eye contact with each other and looking at Ethella with sympathy.

The sense of déjà vu suddenly flashed through Ethella's mind. It was similar to the looks older workers gave her when she was playing with her older sister when she was young. An uneasy feeling rose up like a warning. 

Just when she was thinking that she really had to go now, Countess Shamin shook her head.

"As expected, you are gracious, Princess. Do you take after your mother?"

"What does that mean?"

"No, that's right."

Countess Shamin shrugged her shoulders and looked at everyone at the table.

Suddenly, Ethella's eyes met with the Princess. Ethella was startled by the evil emotion reflected in her bright blue eyes and averted her gaze. Her kind voice fell upon Ethella without any filtering.

"How can you treat the daughter of the dancer who killed your mother like your own sister? I can't even imagine."

Ethella didn't know what they were talking about. That couldn't have been possible. How could Olivia not be her sister? 

She's a bit distant now, but it's clear that her older sister was kind to her. 

Her father and brothers secretly entered her room, read her stories, and put her to sleep. Sing songs and teach dances.

"How can you treat the daughter of the dancer who killed her mother like your own sister?"

She remembered my older sister dancing in the moonlight. Also green eyes, different from her family's. Ethella's breath caught.

Ethella, who had been shaking her head in denial, lowered her head. She did if her hair would cover her face. The face she had glimpsed of Ethella was becoming blank.

The Princess smiled with satisfaction.

Then, as if she were truly sorry, she walked up to Ethella and put her arm around her shoulders.

"You did not know, Princess? It was a fact that everyone in the empire knew."

"..."

"The reason the Princess's mother died."

"..."

"It's because of that green-eyed girl."

The whispering Princess's eyes twinkled evilly. At the same time, one of the axes of the world that formed Ethella collapsed.

***

"Even if a chandelier falls at the Chandler Theater today. It won't take it."

Well, I guess not to that extent."

"Of course, it's more than that! You are a lady who was honored by a war hero!"

I laughed a little at Sally's heated words. Of course, the social world will be noisy as well. The Prince's fiancée received the oath of the man with whom she was married. 

"You may not have seen it earlier, but I heard that all the delivery men who delivered today didn't leave the back door in a hurry. Thanks to you, I also became a popular star this morning! Look at this. I also received business cards from reporters that Stable Keeper Peter asked me to pass on."

Sally held out a stack of business cards with an excited look on her face. It was a yellow paper that dealt with gossip. I joked.

"So, are you trying to contact me?"

"No way. I never do that! I also received training as a dedicated maid very diligently."

I smiled softly as Sally shook her head. The carriage entered the streets of Lheirn.

I counted out the things I had to do. I have to mail a letter to Ethella and check to see if it arrives in her mailbox. I also had to buy a gift for the Grand Duke to replace the jewel pin.

I shook my head, remembering the reply I  couldn't write in the end. When I told him about the jewelry pin, he seemed cool, and when I talked about the treasured sword, he seemed like he was going to give me something huge.

Whatever he is, he would be happy to ask for it with a gift. What should I buy in exchange for Ethella's jewelry pin? 

While I was thinking about it, the carriage stopped.

I was about to leave when Sally quickly held the door open. And she said with a worried look on her face.

"Miss... Of course, there will be drivers around, but anyway, there might really be a lot of people flocking to you today. Of course, I will protect you!"

"Why are we so careful?"

"Whew. Miss. It's true."

I ignored Sally's concerns and left the carriage. When I had fallen exactly five steps from the carriage, I  recognized that I had been right about Sally. Of the people who would normally look at me with hostility, about half were glancing at me with eyes I had never seen before. 

O swallowed my embarrassment at the unfamiliar gaze and walked forward, trying to think of other things. 

What does a man who has everything need? No joke, Grand Duke Vikander had it all. Fame, status, and even enormous wealth. I thought about the taxes in Vikander territory that were increasing every year. Even though taxes were rising due to gem mining, Vikander territory was never behind on taxes. 

What is really better? It was a moment when I was walking quietly and thinking.

"Hey, lady."

At the sound of a young voice calling, I looked down and was a little surprised. A small girl, maybe five or six years old, was looking up at me. In an instant, the street became quiet as if cold water had been poured on it. 

Feeling that silence on my skin, I looked at the child. The brown-haired child held a pretty flower and looked at me with her longing young eyes. Before Sally, who was behind me, could reach the child, she said, making him roll her bright eyes at me.

"You are the Princess, right? That princess?"

"yes! "

"A Princess as pretty as a fairy!"

I unconsciously covered my face with my hands as the child shouted innocently. I am a Princess as pretty as a fairy. My face lit up as I heard a name for the first time in my life. What on earth did that child hear that made her call me that? Funnily enough, while I  was embarrassed, the corners of my mouth kept turning up. It felt sweet as if I had been poured with honey.

 I can't believe there's someone other than Ethella and Sally who looks at me kindly. Before I knew how to react, I held out my flower, which the child was holding. A pink wildflower that looks like it was picked from somewhere. What is that one flower?

I took the flowers with my slightly trembling hands.

"...Thank you."

I wanted to say something more, but even those words got choked up in my throat. A part of my heart that had been tense somewhere melted away. The child smiled brightly and ran away. The other children followed behind the child, shouting.

"Wow!"

Starting from that sound, the Leheimn shopping district became noisy again.

I quietly looked down at the flowers. Surprisingly, even though she had only picked up a flower, my body no longer felt intimidated by my gaze. Sally grinned and looked at me.

"I hope you like it. A Princess as pretty as a fairy. When will I hear such a story?" 

"That's just what the kid said "

Even Sally, who was oblivious, noticed that the Lady's ears were turning red as she spoke calmly. 

I rolled my eyes into half moons. Somehow my heart tickled as if a gentle breeze had blown by. The pink wildflowers fluttered in my hands.

 "...I'm asking for a jewel. Wouldn't it be better to have the same jewel?"

"Yes?"

I smiled brightly and walked ahead. Toward Madame Deaton's jewelry store.

The brunette child ran down the alley. And she spoke smugly to the brown-haired man standing in the alley.

"I gave flowers to the Princess!"

Winster, a brown-haired man, said with a little surprise.

"How did you immediately know that she was a Princess without even hearing an explanation? Did you hear the explanation? " 

"They said she was as pretty as a fairy."

"That's right!"

The kids who followed responded like a chorus. Is it? Winster tilted a little. The children talked about Olivia with flushed faces.

"She was like a real fairy. Her smile is also pretty." 

"I saw it too!"

"I wanted to give her flowers too."

Among the regretful children, a girl raised her nose.

"Originally, a brave person fights, fights, whatever! I said I would have it all! Anyway, I kept my promise, so, you too will keep your promise!"

What a man. Even before Winster was upset, five or six children were looking at him with sparkling eyes.

"As promised, this is yours."

Winster handed a new ball that was next to the children into their arms. The children ran out laughing and shouting.

"Thank you!"

Meanwhile, the Grand Duke, who had been leaning against the wall, slowly got up.

Are these kids really smart?

"You're looking for a girl without even knowing her hair color."

"Well, don't they say that kids have the best aesthetic sense?"

Winster, who was answering indifferently, suddenly felt a cold feeling in his life. Even as his body instinctively flinched, Winster cried out as if he was aggrieved.

"No! Well, why are you doing this again?"

They delivered letters in the morning, and as if Madeleine was not enough to organize the reporters around her, he even recruited children to deliver flowers. Winster worked hard for His Master, and in the end, he came back not as an incentive, but to live! 

The man muttered, ignoring Winster's sorrowful gaze.

"... It's okay. You'll only see me because your eyes are so high anyway,"

No, who asked the Princess to look at me?

It is said that people cannot speak when they are in awe. Instead of speaking, Winster pounded his chest. Really, he was the one who had the hardest time here. People who weren't like that changed when Olivia Madeleine's story came up. 

Winster was really making up his mind that he would never help again, but the Grand Duke, who had gone that far, suddenly turned around. 

A playful voice called out to Winster.

"Aren't you going?"

Hey, he doesn't know. Winster needs to go to Vikander Territory and relieve this damn sadness to the fullest! Thinking to himself, Winster ran again today.

"I'm going!"

***

In Jeweler Madame Deaton's shop.

"Um, can you show me that too?"

Blue-gray velvet boxes were piled on the living room table. I pointed and Madame Deaton opened a new box. The obsidian cuffs sparkled.

"As expected, the Princess has excellent insight. This is the only one left since it was imported from the Kingdom of Welton."

Madame Deaton made a fuss, but I shook my head. Rather than a precious gem, it would be better if it was a gem that reminded me a little more of the Grand Duke.

Suddenly, the Grand Duke's eyes appeared. Red, sparkling, kind eyes just like jewels.

"Princess?"

"Yes, yes?"

I was startled when I heard her calling me and raised my head. Madame looked at me with concern.

"What are you thinking like that? Are you hot? Your face was red."

"No. Just... Is there anything else?" 

"These are the best products imported this month. I can't believe you don't like it,  Princess. I need to get a job in charge of imports."

Madame Deaton pretended to pout and turned her head away. Madame Deaton, who started the business under a new name after her divorce, was one of the few people I could treat with sincerity.

"Or would you like to go out and look around?"

Madame Deaton pointed outside. After thinking about it for a moment, I went out into the hall. While the jewels in the showcase that looked like detailed craftwork caught my eye, there was one jewel that particularly caught my eye. It was a red gemstone ring that looked like it was burning. 

When I saw the jewel with a flickering flame in the crystal case, I somehow thought of the Grand Duke. As I looked at one place, Madame quickly approached me.

"Princess, do you like that?"

What Madame took out was a sapphire bracelet next to the ring.

"Not that one, but the ring next to it."

"Yes? This ring?"

It was the moment when Madame's expression became ambiguous at my words

"How did you know that ring was yours?"

A drowsy whisper came in. I raised her head as the voice sounded familiar to me somewhere. When I arrived, there was a large man wearing a pitch-black robe standing next to me. That robe is definitely there.

"Big..."

"Shh."

The beautiful face visible beneath the robe glanced at Madame. Surprised, I opened my bunny eyes and bit my mouth. Then the new Madame looked at the Grand Duke, tilted her head, and then spoke cautiously.

"Unfortunately this is not for sale. Another guest entrusted us with a wedding proposal ring, so we are just storing it."

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