'Cecilia, to be honest, I don't like your maid.'
Before returning to the Marquis' residence, Sienna whispered something to Cecilia alone. It seemed that she was not very pleased with Ilya.
'Because greedy people often don't know their subject.'
The low whispering voice was cool. Sienna, a descendant of the noble royal family, had great influence in society.
'Don't put it too close.'
'I will do that.'
That meant that it would not be as easy for Ilya to debut in the system's social circles as it used to be.
"Your Highness?"
It was then. Ilya's voice shook Cecilia. Cecilia's consciousness quickly returned to reality. She had forgotten that she had called Ilya while Marchiones Calibre had returned and Eden had been away for a moment.
“Oh, Ilya. I’m sorry. I called you and was thinking about something else.”
“No, please speak comfortably.”
Ilya smiled with a clear face. It was difficult to read any sign of sinister thoughts anywhere on her face.
“His Highness the Grand Duke’s birthday is coming up soon, so I think we should send out invitations to each family and prepare a banquet.”
"Ah..."
“I would like to ask Ilya to write up the list of families to invite and the invitations. As you know, Ilya is my only maid.”
As Cecilia spoke in a subtly encouraging tone, Ilya's eyes sparkled. She seemed pleased that her worth was recognized.
“It’s not something I’m going to do now, but I’m telling you in advance so you can look into it.”
“Your Highness...?”
However, having been dealt a blow by Sienna just before, she seemed to be aware that she should not just accept any suggestions.
“I think I’ll be busy with other things.”
“If you don’t mind, may I ask what’s going on?”
Ilya asked cautiously.
“I’ve decided to take His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Princess on a vacation. Before that, I’d like to find out some tourist spots.”
Ilya let out a short sigh at Cecilia's naive answer. She was so busy thinking about going out to play that she was indifferent to the Grand Duke's birthday party. It was clear that she thought of Cecilia as a pitiful hostess who didn't even know what her priorities were.
“Just leave it to me.”
Ilya said emphatically at Cecilia's words. She would be happy because it was something she could do on her own. She was very obsessed with making herself stand out.
“I will invite Ilya to dinner with His Highness later, so let’s talk about putting together the list.”
Besides, it would be a good excuse to approach Eden, so it couldn't be better. Ilya's face brightened at Cecilia's suggestion.
“Thank you for your consideration. I will do my best, Your Highness.”
“Thank you for saying that. You can leave now.”
At Cecilia's words, Ilya nodded and stood up from her seat. Cecilia watched Ilya's excited back and then turned her head with a smirk.
Madame Monte, standing next to Cecilia, glanced at the door through which Ilya had exited. It seemed as if the gorgeous lace on Ilya's dress might fall off.
“Madame Monte.”
Only then did Madame Monte remove her displeased gaze at Cecilia's call.
“I know what Madame Monte is thinking.”
“...”
“But if he is swayed by the splendor before his eyes, it means that His Highness is no more than a man of that caliber.”
Cecilia spoke in a calm voice. Only then did Madame Monte lower her eyes with an “Oh no.”
“I was presumptuous.”
“It’s okay. I know what you’re thinking.”
Cecilia answered with a smile. She knew that it would be nearly impossible for Madame Monte, who could not possibly know Cecilia's thoughts, to understand her strange behavior.
“However, since Madame Monte said so, I wonder what Ilya thinks.”
Cecilia muttered as she spoke. It wasn't because she didn't really know what was going on.
“Sienna doesn’t seem to like Ilya either. Am I just blind?”
Madame Monte rolled her eyes with an embarrassed expression at Cecilia's question. It was an answer she did not like, as it would be insulting to her master.
“But you won’t treat me like family and talk to me like that...”
Madam Monte, who was quietly choosing her words, opened her eyes wide.
“I’ll look into it.”
Madame Monte spoke with a determined face. Cecilia nodded. With an expression that showed that she had not the slightest idea what effect her words had had until just now.
“Thank you. Oh, and tomorrow I will go to the bookstore in the city with His Highness.”
However, it was not that she did not know. Madame Monte was the maid of the mistress, Cecilia, and had more influence than the other servants. Even the head maid, Lauren, and the head butler did not treat Madame Monte lightly.
Madam Monte was never unaware of the implications of that fact.
“No, it wasn’t boring. I was just wondering if you had trouble choosing, and if so, I could help you.”
Eden shook his head and answered.
“It’s heavy, so give me what you’ve chosen.”
"It's okay."
Instead of offering more words, Eden extended his hand. It was a gesture that seemed to indicate that Cecilia’s refusal was merely a polite gesture. Just as Cecilia was smiling and about to hand him the book, Eden’s hand suddenly extended close to her face, causing Cecilia to flinch noticeably.
"Ah..."
“The dust was sitting there.”
“Wow, I was so surprised.”
Cecilia hurriedly made an excuse. Eden silently brushed away the lump of dust that had settled on Cecilia's head.
"Thank you."
Of course, it was quite possible to be surprised by a sudden touch. It was nothing special, but a strange question remained in his heart.
Really, are you just surprised?
He felt like she wasn't the Cecilia Lane he'd known for ten years. Her real face was closer to a blank expression that appeared for a moment, and the smiling face she put on for him seemed like something she had worked hard to create.
“I’ll go check out the other books on the list.”
Cecilia awkwardly smiled and handed the book over to Eden, turning around. Eden felt a subtle sense of distance as he watched his wife walk away.
There's no way a woman who confessed her feelings and hoped for a change of heart would do that.
Eden's eyes, staring at Cecilia's back, calmly sank. Of course, it was his own fault, but he felt bad.
Before returning to the Marquis' residence, Sienna whispered something to Cecilia alone. It seemed that she was not very pleased with Ilya.
'Because greedy people often don't know their subject.'
The low whispering voice was cool. Sienna, a descendant of the noble royal family, had great influence in society.
'Don't put it too close.'
'I will do that.'
That meant that it would not be as easy for Ilya to debut in the system's social circles as it used to be.
"Your Highness?"
It was then. Ilya's voice shook Cecilia. Cecilia's consciousness quickly returned to reality. She had forgotten that she had called Ilya while Marchiones Calibre had returned and Eden had been away for a moment.
“Oh, Ilya. I’m sorry. I called you and was thinking about something else.”
“No, please speak comfortably.”
Ilya smiled with a clear face. It was difficult to read any sign of sinister thoughts anywhere on her face.
“His Highness the Grand Duke’s birthday is coming up soon, so I think we should send out invitations to each family and prepare a banquet.”
"Ah..."
“I would like to ask Ilya to write up the list of families to invite and the invitations. As you know, Ilya is my only maid.”
As Cecilia spoke in a subtly encouraging tone, Ilya's eyes sparkled. She seemed pleased that her worth was recognized.
“It’s not something I’m going to do now, but I’m telling you in advance so you can look into it.”
“Your Highness...?”
However, having been dealt a blow by Sienna just before, she seemed to be aware that she should not just accept any suggestions.
“I think I’ll be busy with other things.”
“If you don’t mind, may I ask what’s going on?”
Ilya asked cautiously.
“I’ve decided to take His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Crown Princess on a vacation. Before that, I’d like to find out some tourist spots.”
Ilya let out a short sigh at Cecilia's naive answer. She was so busy thinking about going out to play that she was indifferent to the Grand Duke's birthday party. It was clear that she thought of Cecilia as a pitiful hostess who didn't even know what her priorities were.
“Just leave it to me.”
Ilya said emphatically at Cecilia's words. She would be happy because it was something she could do on her own. She was very obsessed with making herself stand out.
“I will invite Ilya to dinner with His Highness later, so let’s talk about putting together the list.”
Besides, it would be a good excuse to approach Eden, so it couldn't be better. Ilya's face brightened at Cecilia's suggestion.
“Thank you for your consideration. I will do my best, Your Highness.”
“Thank you for saying that. You can leave now.”
At Cecilia's words, Ilya nodded and stood up from her seat. Cecilia watched Ilya's excited back and then turned her head with a smirk.
Madame Monte, standing next to Cecilia, glanced at the door through which Ilya had exited. It seemed as if the gorgeous lace on Ilya's dress might fall off.
“Madame Monte.”
Only then did Madame Monte remove her displeased gaze at Cecilia's call.
“I know what Madame Monte is thinking.”
“...”
“But if he is swayed by the splendor before his eyes, it means that His Highness is no more than a man of that caliber.”
Cecilia spoke in a calm voice. Only then did Madame Monte lower her eyes with an “Oh no.”
“I was presumptuous.”
“It’s okay. I know what you’re thinking.”
Cecilia answered with a smile. She knew that it would be nearly impossible for Madame Monte, who could not possibly know Cecilia's thoughts, to understand her strange behavior.
“However, since Madame Monte said so, I wonder what Ilya thinks.”
Cecilia muttered as she spoke. It wasn't because she didn't really know what was going on.
“Sienna doesn’t seem to like Ilya either. Am I just blind?”
Madame Monte rolled her eyes with an embarrassed expression at Cecilia's question. It was an answer she did not like, as it would be insulting to her master.
“But you won’t treat me like family and talk to me like that...”
Madam Monte, who was quietly choosing her words, opened her eyes wide.
“I’ll look into it.”
Madame Monte spoke with a determined face. Cecilia nodded. With an expression that showed that she had not the slightest idea what effect her words had had until just now.
“Thank you. Oh, and tomorrow I will go to the bookstore in the city with His Highness.”
However, it was not that she did not know. Madame Monte was the maid of the mistress, Cecilia, and had more influence than the other servants. Even the head maid, Lauren, and the head butler did not treat Madame Monte lightly.
Madam Monte was never unaware of the implications of that fact.
***
Late in the afternoon, the carriage Cecilia was riding stopped in front of a bookstore. Before Cecilia could even carefully step on the step and get out, someone who had gotten out first offered her a hand.
“The weather is really nice.”
It was Eden.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Cecilia got out of the carriage with Eden's help and looked around. Among the fairly large crowd, there was no one around the carriage bearing the Archduke's seal.
“Let’s go.”
Eden gently held Cecilia's hand and walked away.
"Welcome."
The bookstore, which they entered after climbing a few stairs, was very quiet except for the sound of employees greeting them. Eden and Cecilia smoothly passed the employees who had no idea who they were.
“What book are you thinking of buying?”
“For now, I’m going to buy whatever books are on the list I was given. There’s not much information about the island of Laner.”
Cecilia's steps were slow. Cecilia had let go of Eden's hand and was walking a step ahead of him. Eden followed behind her, keeping a suitable distance so that Cecilia would not feel uncomfortable.
Cecilia took out several books, opened them, read them briefly, and closed them repeatedly. She hesitated for a long time, wondering if it was right. And yet, she glanced at him, which seemed uncomfortable. Eden took a few more steps back and naturally looked away to be considerate of Cecilia.
“The history book is on this side...”
It seemed that his gaze was uncomfortable. Only then did Cecilia's behavior become a little more natural. Eden naturally stared at Cecilia's profile standing in front of the bookshelf. Cecilia slowly reached out and took out a book.
Through the window, the sunlight streaming in made it possible to see a swirling stream of dust around Cecilia's body. This was unavoidable, as it was a space where books and other items were stored.
“....”
But perhaps because there was such a precious person in such a shabby space, Cecilia, standing between them, looked very out of place.
Moreover, the smile she used to give him out of habit had completely disappeared from her expressionless face, and an inexplicable coldness was all over her face. Even that look was more natural than the smile she had seen for nearly ten years.
Was Cecilia someone who could make such a face? It was a question that Eden could have naturally answered no to before, but he couldn't answer it now. He was looking at it with his own eyes.
“Cecilia.”
In the space that was just settled in a quiet silence, even the small voice was clear. Cecilia, who had been fixing her eyes on the book, raised her head and looked at Eden. And as if she had never had such an indifferent face, she smiled gently at Eden.
“Did you call?”
It felt strange. It was as if he had seen a side of Cecilia he had never known about.
Cecilia Lane was also capable of making such faces. She just didn't do it in front of him. When he realized that, he became displeased.
“Have you chosen a book?”
“I just picked a few. Are you bored?”
Cecilia walked towards Eden with frequent steps. The slender lines of her body, bathed in the light pouring down her back through her white dress, were dimly visible.
It was similar to the feeling he had just now when he looked at Cecilia. That is, Eden could see only as much as he wanted to reveal, just enough to be able to understand...
“The weather is really nice.”
It was Eden.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Cecilia got out of the carriage with Eden's help and looked around. Among the fairly large crowd, there was no one around the carriage bearing the Archduke's seal.
“Let’s go.”
Eden gently held Cecilia's hand and walked away.
"Welcome."
The bookstore, which they entered after climbing a few stairs, was very quiet except for the sound of employees greeting them. Eden and Cecilia smoothly passed the employees who had no idea who they were.
“What book are you thinking of buying?”
“For now, I’m going to buy whatever books are on the list I was given. There’s not much information about the island of Laner.”
Cecilia's steps were slow. Cecilia had let go of Eden's hand and was walking a step ahead of him. Eden followed behind her, keeping a suitable distance so that Cecilia would not feel uncomfortable.
Cecilia took out several books, opened them, read them briefly, and closed them repeatedly. She hesitated for a long time, wondering if it was right. And yet, she glanced at him, which seemed uncomfortable. Eden took a few more steps back and naturally looked away to be considerate of Cecilia.
“The history book is on this side...”
It seemed that his gaze was uncomfortable. Only then did Cecilia's behavior become a little more natural. Eden naturally stared at Cecilia's profile standing in front of the bookshelf. Cecilia slowly reached out and took out a book.
Through the window, the sunlight streaming in made it possible to see a swirling stream of dust around Cecilia's body. This was unavoidable, as it was a space where books and other items were stored.
“....”
But perhaps because there was such a precious person in such a shabby space, Cecilia, standing between them, looked very out of place.
Moreover, the smile she used to give him out of habit had completely disappeared from her expressionless face, and an inexplicable coldness was all over her face. Even that look was more natural than the smile she had seen for nearly ten years.
Was Cecilia someone who could make such a face? It was a question that Eden could have naturally answered no to before, but he couldn't answer it now. He was looking at it with his own eyes.
“Cecilia.”
In the space that was just settled in a quiet silence, even the small voice was clear. Cecilia, who had been fixing her eyes on the book, raised her head and looked at Eden. And as if she had never had such an indifferent face, she smiled gently at Eden.
“Did you call?”
It felt strange. It was as if he had seen a side of Cecilia he had never known about.
Cecilia Lane was also capable of making such faces. She just didn't do it in front of him. When he realized that, he became displeased.
“Have you chosen a book?”
“I just picked a few. Are you bored?”
Cecilia walked towards Eden with frequent steps. The slender lines of her body, bathed in the light pouring down her back through her white dress, were dimly visible.
It was similar to the feeling he had just now when he looked at Cecilia. That is, Eden could see only as much as he wanted to reveal, just enough to be able to understand...
“No, it wasn’t boring. I was just wondering if you had trouble choosing, and if so, I could help you.”
Eden shook his head and answered.
“It’s heavy, so give me what you’ve chosen.”
"It's okay."
Instead of offering more words, Eden extended his hand. It was a gesture that seemed to indicate that Cecilia’s refusal was merely a polite gesture. Just as Cecilia was smiling and about to hand him the book, Eden’s hand suddenly extended close to her face, causing Cecilia to flinch noticeably.
"Ah..."
“The dust was sitting there.”
“Wow, I was so surprised.”
Cecilia hurriedly made an excuse. Eden silently brushed away the lump of dust that had settled on Cecilia's head.
"Thank you."
Of course, it was quite possible to be surprised by a sudden touch. It was nothing special, but a strange question remained in his heart.
Really, are you just surprised?
He felt like she wasn't the Cecilia Lane he'd known for ten years. Her real face was closer to a blank expression that appeared for a moment, and the smiling face she put on for him seemed like something she had worked hard to create.
“I’ll go check out the other books on the list.”
Cecilia awkwardly smiled and handed the book over to Eden, turning around. Eden felt a subtle sense of distance as he watched his wife walk away.
There's no way a woman who confessed her feelings and hoped for a change of heart would do that.
Eden's eyes, staring at Cecilia's back, calmly sank. Of course, it was his own fault, but he felt bad.
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