After returning to the Grand Duke's house, Jeremiah stayed by Karina's side and took care of her. He went in and out of her bedroom every day, took care of her meals, and checked on her health.
"How are your insteps?"
"I'm almost better now."
"Let me see."
Jeremiah knelt down on one knee under the bed and carefully examined Karina's bruised instep. Her small foot was held in one hand. Karina curled her toes slightly in embarrassment but did not pull her foot out of his hand. She knew that pulling it out would be useless. Even though she refused, Jeremiah did not give up and doggedly followed her all day until she received the compress. Karina, who could not run away properly because of her injured foot, finally raised both hands. Jeremiah was careful not to press hard on her instep, and gently stroked it. Then he began to apply a warm compress with a towel soaked in hot water. It was a familiar and skilled hand. Karina stared blankly at the sight.
'At first, I couldn't even breathe properly because of the awkwardness and embarrassment.'
She was embarrassed because the place where his touch had touched her felt more sensitive than the bruised area. However, she had become somewhat accustomed to the repeated actions over the past few days.
'Why does it suddenly look so different from the past...'
Karina was so curious, but there was no one here who could answer. She was anxious because she didn't know why. She couldn't figure out what to do in a situation that was so different from the past. The question 'Why?' took hold in one corner of her mind and wouldn't leave.
Why did my past self have to be treated with such cruel contempt and coldness?
If there was one thing that was different about her from the past.
'That...'
In the past, she had worked hard to be loved, but now she had just given up on being loved.
'That's all.'
If this was the result of that difference, it was too miserable and dismal for Karina.
She felt like she would laugh in vain because of the contradiction of this situation she was in. If this situation was really what she had gained by giving up his love. Because there was no guarantee that she would not be abandoned again when she wanted to be loved again. Even as she thought about that, her heart wavered helplessly. Every time she felt that Jeremiah truly cherished her, her heart would prickle and she would cry. Every time he looked at her with loving eyes, she felt the urge to believe him. But...
'Can I trust him?'
Fear and anxiety took over.
'How can I guarantee that this isn't a momentary whim or a delusion?"
Karina couldn't believe that she could expect to be loved without worry anymore. She felt pathetic and funny about her weak self, but she couldn't help it. If she expected something and then got abandoned again, she thought she wouldn't be able to bear it.
'What should I say to him?'
Her worries deepened. He said he would wait forever, but she could clearly see in his eyes that he wanted to hear an answer quickly, which made her feel uncomfortable. Every time he looked at Karina with longing, her heart would swell and she would feel embarrassed. However, no matter how much she thought about it, her head would only get more complicated, and the answer would not come easily. She decided to put aside this worry, which kept coming back as the same question, like a hamster wheel. She didn't know how long she could pretend not to know.
'Ah, good.'
The towel, which was just the right temperature, wrapped around her feet, and made her feel good. After finishing her meal, she was full, and as she felt the warmth spread through her feet, her whole body felt tired. The nerves that had been tense and tense also relaxed. Karina blinked, unable to overcome the drowsiness that was pouring down on her. Jeremiah, who noticed her condition, snickered and laid her half-closed eyes comfortably on the bed.
"Don't worry and just relax, I'll take care of the steaming."
"Oh, no."
She didn't want to show herself sleeping in front of him, defenseless. Karina quickly shook her head and tried to shake off the sleep. Then as if to help her wake up, he brought up a new topic.
"They say there will be a banquet at the palace soon."
"A banquet?"
Karina tilted her head at the unexpected news of the banquet.
'Hasn't there ever been a banquet held at this time in the past?'
It was strange, but when she thought about it, the past and the situation had already changed a lot. The future that was coming would also be different from what she knew. Karina had to recognize and deal with the changes that came from that difference.
"It is said to be to celebrate the safe rescue of the Crown Prince and the Grand Duchess from the Cursed Forest and to spread the word of the Empire's greatness. On the surface, that is."
"..."
Her brow furrowed when she heard those words.
'Someone was captured by a monster and barely managed to return alive.'
Even now, she is living in seclusion in the Grand Duke's private residence under the pretext of receiving treatment and recovering and is not going to see the Emperor.
'A banquet in the middle of all this?'
She had escaped death several times in the Cursed Forest. In the meantime, the royal family and nobles who had been sitting in the conference room and talking nonchalantly were said to have been anxious to cover up the situation, regardless of whether she and the Crown Prince's lives were in danger or not. Her and the Crown Prince's lives were not important to them. Nevertheless, they were safely rescued, so they exaggerated the fact and used it as an excuse to hold a banquet to attract many people's attention. It was a trick to divert attention from the fact that the appearance of monsters in the capital would cause confusion among the people of the empire and prevent the empire's status from falling among the neighboring countries.
'They decided to throw a very splendid and grand banquet.'
Their purpose and intentions in hosting this banquet were obvious and it was annoying.
"All nobles of the empire must attend, so we must prepare as well."
"Yes."
Karina let out a deep sigh.
'Yes. Why didn't the Crown Prince and I become the main characters of the banquet?'
If that had been the case, she would have felt worse.
"You don't have to worry about anything. I'll take care of everything."
Jeremiah reassured her in a gentle voice. What was that? The unpleasant feeling quickly subsided.
"Let me rest for a moment."
After the steaming, Jeremiah went out to put away the basin of hot water and the towels. He saw the door he had left. Seeing the empty doorway, she naturally thought of Mikhail.
'By the way, where did Mikhail go?'
Her escort was often absent these days. In fact, Mikhail was busy trying to find the source of the malicious rumors about Karina and to keep in touch with the Magic Tower. He also had to find a way for her to leave the empire freely, away from the medium, with the dragon contract, and he also had to find out why the warlocks kept getting involved with Karina and what they were after. It wasn't easy even for a capable wizard like him. However, Karina had no way of knowing this situation unless Mikhail told her directly.
'It seems like he's communicating with the magic tower somehow.'
She thought she should ask him when he got back.
***
The news of a banquet in the capital spread quickly. Just as Jeremiah had said, there was no need to worry about anything, so Karina didn't have to prepare anything. Jeremiah had already given the order, and the dress, jewelry, accessories, and shoes she would wear for the banquet were all prepared quickly and with the highest quality. Her personal maid, Jen, cheered as she saw them.
"Oh my goodness, it's so pretty! I think it would suit the Grand Duchess very well!"
The aftermath of that cheering continued to be Karina's skin care, contouring massage, nail, and hair care, but it wasn't bad. She didn't have to give any instructions because every detail was taken care of. Karina really just had to focus on relaxing. The day of the banquet came quickly.
***
And on the day of the banquet. Jeremiah spoke cautiously in the carriage on the way to the palace.
"There's something I want to give you... I'm not sure if you'll like it."
There was hesitation in his voice as he spoke those words.
"What is it?"
When Karina asked, he glanced at her. Then, with a determined expression, he took out a rectangular box a little bigger than the palm of his hand and held it out. At first glance, it looked like a jewelry box containing trinkets.
'Wasn't it already prepared?'
She accepted it, wondering why he was giving it to her again. And the moment she opened the jewelry box.
'Ah, this is...'
Her expression became ambiguous. Inside the jewelry box was a luxurious emerald necklace with a transparent shine. In the past, it was the necklace that Caroline had boasted about every day as the masterpiece of jeweler Paulo and had not even allowed her to touch.
'Why is this here?'
Karina, who had checked the contents, raised her head and looked at Jeremiah. He was watching her reaction with a very nervous expression.
"I bought it because it reminded me of you the moment I saw it. I couldn't stop looking at it because it was the exact same color as your eyes....I felt like you had to have it."
Even after saying that, she could feel that he was fidgeting, worried that she might dislike it.
"..."
Karina remained silent without answering.
It felt strange.
'You thought of me?'
At first, Karina couldn't believe his words that he bought it because he thought of her when he saw it, but she was secretly happy. Of course, it wasn't just because of the past memories that shr felt happy, but it was also the first time he had been so nervous about giving her something. It felt strange.
"You don't like it?"
As her silence grew longer, Jeremiah finally couldn't bear it anymore and asked. Karina, who had come out of her own thoughts, hesitated and then answered.
"It's not that I don't like it."
To be honest, no one said anything good, but that seemed enough for Jeremiah. He let out a sigh of relief.
"If it's okay, can I wear it for you myself?"
Karina didn't know if he was prepared for this, but the color of the dress she was wearing today was a toned-down dark green. The transparent emerald necklace was also a good match. Karina nodded and took off the necklace she was wearing. When she gave permission, Jeremiah quickly bent down and approached her. He put his hand around Karina's neck, being careful not to put any weight on it, and put the necklace on. As he got closer, she could faintly feel his soft, heavy body scent. And his breath touched the nape of her neck.
"...!"
Karina, who was startled, unconsciously tensed her body. She tried hard not to show her nervousness, but the corners of her ears turned bright red. Fortunately or unfortunately, they were hidden by her hair and Jeremiah could not see them.
"It's all done."
He stepped back a little to see her wearing an emerald necklace.
"You're pretty. You really suit each other."
Jeremiah smiled at her, seemingly satisfied.
'Ah...'
At that moment, Karina's eyes opened wide. She couldn't take her eyes off his face smiling at her. His smile, which she didn't usually see, made his already handsome appearance even more perfect. His face sparkled as if he had been sprinkled with stardust. However, there was another reason why Karina couldn't take her eyes off him.
'Has he ever smiled at me like that?'
She couldn't remember when he had last smiled so brightly at her.
'It seems like I've seen it a long, long time ago...'
"Karina?"
"...!"
Jeremiah, who felt his gaze fixed on her, called out to her. Before she could even recall her memories, Karina suddenly came to her senses.
"Thank you."
She looked down at the emerald necklace around her neck.
'Looking at it this way, it seems pretty.'
Karina touched her necklace with an awkward smile in a subtle mood. At that moment, knock. The carriage stopped and a knock was heard outside along with a voice.
"We have arrived."
Jeremiah reached out to her.
"If you're ready, let's go."
"Yes."
She got out of the carriage, escorted by him. It was time to enter the banquet hall.
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