She didn't need gold threads or any jewels. On the contrary, the neat and understated dress made Odelia's face and figure stand out even more.
Only a single line of white cotton yarn was draped over her tied hair, and the cut of the dress that flowed along her shoulder line created a subtle tension instead of blatant exposure.
Among them, with all kinds of jewels and large feather decorations, she may seem too neat and plain for a debutante, but with her dignified eyes and upright posture, she caught people's attention.
"Was that woman the golden lion hero at that time?"
"I thought it would be impossible. Well, I don't think it makes any sense just by looking at it."
"How do you... age?"
The men who were muttering were surprised to see Calix standing next to them, and quickly shut up. Yikes, you must have heard.
It's plain, but he can't take his eyes off her. Calix stood still and stared blankly at Odelia.
Odelia didn't care what others thought of her. In her head, he repeatedly remembered the debutante greeting method taught to her by the Grand Duchess.
She kept memorizing it in the corridor earlier, but what was it?
The moment Odelia turned her head slightly to glance at the people in front of her, her eyes met with Calix.
Her chest, which had been suppressed by a lot of tension, quietly softened. As if the tight straps were untied, the shoulder line loosened slightly, and her breath became softer. Just because that person is there.
Odelia made up her mind so quickly that even she was surprised.
'I... Do I look okay now?'
As if reading his mind, Calix nodded lightly. The faint smile on his lips was affectionate even though he seemed indifferent at first glance. It was only for a short time, but it was enough.
Odelia immediately took a step forward, leaning down more calmly and gracefully than anyone else.
With one hand, she unfolded the fan as if she were dancing, and with the other hand, she neatly picked up the hem of her dress, setting a perfect example.
Each movement was more natural than what she had practiced. At that very moment, no one could see her as a lady without a family.
Those who expected Odelia's ridiculous appearance looked very disappointed, and those who were interested in Odelia looked even brighter, as if it exceeded their expectations.
***
The morning when the sun is just beginning to take root.
Calix was sitting by the window, holding a teacup. In the faint aroma of tea from the black teacup, he quietly flipped through the newsletter spread out on the table.
[The unprecedented silent star of the imperial debutante, "Lady Odelia"
Despite her modest attire, she overwhelmed the debutante with a neat and understated gesture, the only one who elicited the smile of Her Majesty the Empress. ]
Calix, who read the sentence as if reciting it, recalled the name again quite clearly.
"Lady Odelia. You're a star."
Odelia, who was sitting across from him, almost coughed for a moment. Her cheeks instantly became hot because of Calix, who casually took out her name and read it with a calm expression.
"I'm glad to be a knight."
Odelia nodded silently and took a sip of her tea. She couldn't tell if the tea was hot or if her face was hot.
The Grand Duchess, who was staring at her, gracefully raised the teacup with a fair smile. Tea splashes from her fingertips, and a happy smile spreads across her face.
"I'm proud, Miss Odelia. But we still have a long way to go. You don't have to tell the whole neighborhood that you drank hot tea."
Cedric looked at Odelia, who was lowering her head, with a strangely heartbroken face. He glanced at Calix over the table and began to spin the jam spoon in the teacup.
"Stars... Since when did you start getting nicknames like that so easily?"
The Grand Duchess quickly turned her gaze to Cedric. However, there was still a calm smile on her lips.
"Cedric, it's not very gentlemanly to stir up a tea like that."
"...Yes, I understand."
Even on Cedric's face, which stopped his hand with a small grumble, there was still a strange hint of resentment. The Grand Duchess noticed Cedric's inner thoughts and laughed.
At that moment, the door swung open and the butler came in with a huge flower basket in his arms.
"It was sent by the Young Master of the Peddington family."
Odelia stood up in surprise.
"Yes... To me?"
As if to use those words as a signal, maids began to enter the room in a row.
"It was sent by Young Master Derek of the Kyle family."
"This is a basket that arrived from the Velois of Count Writer."
"From the Marquis of Esperon..."
The room was instantly dyed with colorful flowers. From lilies and roses to tulips and freesias, it was full of flowers of all seasons and nationalities, and Odelia turned her head with her hands in the air at a loss for what to do
"This is enough... Can I open a flower shop..."
She muttered with a puzzled face, and the Grand Duchess smiled cheerfully.
"Then who are you going to date with?"
"Yes... Date? Do I even have to go on a date?"
Odelia asked nervously, and the Grand Duchess put down her glass, still smiling.
"You could say that all the flowers here are requests for a date from Miss Odelia."
Odelia just blinked her eyes, then suddenly turned her gaze and slowly looked around the room.
'Who are you going to date....'
Who on earth would she choose out of these? She doesn't even know their faces yet, and insists on dating them...
She was momentarily stunned as she looked at the flowers everywhere, and soon realized that it was Calix who had unknowingly stopped her gaze.
A well-groomed face, thoughtful eyes, and a gaze that seems to be focused on oneself.
As if he had been waiting, his gaze calmly and clearly touched Odelia's eyes. In an instant, that single gaze shook Odelia's heart more than the countless flowers piled up.
"Miss Odelia?"
"Oh..."
At the sound of the Grand Duchess calling, Odelia quickly turned her gaze away and simply picked up any flower as she picked it up.
Then the butler, who was next to her, approached politely, took out something small from the flower basket, and handed it to Odelia.
"It's a card."
What Odelia touched was a card with neat silver lettering.
"Baymond Salem."
Odelia looked at the card and muttered her name very low, cautiously.
"Baymond... Salem."
The petals of the red rose that she inadvertently picked up were very soft. However, the weight of the card, the name written on it, and the scent of the flowers in her hand didn't leave much in her mind.
She couldn't shake the feeling that Calix's gaze was still lingering in a corner of her mind, like the feeling left in her hand. The strange feeling that she sometimes gets when she sees him.
Whether he knew Odelia's feelings or not, Calix put down his teacup and opened his mouth.
"You've decided on a date."
His honest words were so calm that Odelia groaned faintly while skimming through the stems of the roses for no reason.
"Ah-!"
"Odelia?"
"...I'm sorry, the thorn..."
The thorns that had not been removed had just stabbed the tip of Odelia's finger. Red blood began to form, and soon it began to flow down Odelia's fingers.
The butler quickly left to grab the bandage and ointment, and Cedric came and began to stop the bleeding on Odelia's fingers with a white napkin.
"Why would you choose such a rose?"
"...You don't have to make a fuss?"
"No! Hey, you were stabbed deeply. I'm still stopping the bleeding."
Cedric made a fuss, but Odelia didn't really hurt her fingers. The only strange thing was that it was clearly a finger that was pierced by the thorn, so why was her heart stuffy?
At that moment, Calix's eyebrows furrowed slightly. He slowly got up from his seat, and before she knew it, he was handed a medicine box by the butler who had returned and approached Odelia.
"You'd better check if there are thorns in it, Cedric."
"Oh... Your Highness, the Crown Prince..."
Cedric flinched somehow and then handed Odelia's hand to Calix with a hesitant look.
Cedric's voice had an emotion that he couldn't hide. Calix, who received the hand, didn't say anything specific, but his gaze was quite deep.
Examining Odelia's fingers, Calix gently squeezed the back of her hand, carefully wiped the wound, applied medicine, and bandaged it.
All the movements were quiet and restrained, and the silence in the room became even more pronounced.
The Grand Duchess, who was staring at the scene, forgot that the tea was cooling down and held a teacup. She immediately muttered to herself, as if she were talking to herself.,
"I always get to see all these funny scenes... True."
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