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Chapter 21
Eluana sat on the windowsill of the study and tapped the window lightly with her finger.
Outside the window stretched the lavender garden, swaying like waves following the wind. If she opened the window, the scent of lavender colored by the season would surely drift inside. She felt a little regret that she could not do so.
Of course, the lavender oil Cindy had applied to her hair also carried a rich and deep lavender fragrance.
But it did not carry the wind with it.
Resting her head against the window, Eluana thought of Arden.
The two-story house filled with memories, the lavender garden, the blacksmith filled with heat, the spring with refreshing water, the narrow paths running through the dense forest, the squirrels Rui used to chase, and the warm greetings from the neighbors.
They were days filled with small happiness.
She was only fifteen, and although her life had not been long, everything Eluana had loved was in Arden.
When the upcoming Flos Festival began, Eluana would officially be recognized as an adult. From then on, she would be able to conduct business under her own name.
She had dreamed of living peacefully like that—making swords and farming tools while watching Rui grow up.
If she took Rui and returned now, perhaps she could still live that kind of life.
‘…No.’
Eluana knew.
That kind of life no longer existed.
She did not want to spend her entire life running away.
She hated war even more.
And she could not allow Rui to be hurt.
Therefore, she had no choice but to live as the adopted daughter of the Spes Duke family.
The moment she grabbed the Duke of Spes’s hand and escaped from prison, that path had already been decided.
‘I don’t regret it, though.’
An indescribable emotion surged like a storm before scattering away.
Eluana considered what kind of life she would have as the adopted daughter of the Spes family.
There were two choices.
To quietly live under the protection of the Duke of Spes, or to become his successor and step forward into the center of power.
The first choice seemed comfortable at first glance, but it carried the greatest uncertainty.
That peace would only last as long as the Duke of Spes remained alive.
Stella died when Eluana was nine.
Ron died when she was fourteen.
Eluana knew that the Duke of Spes, who would soon officially become her adoptive father, could also die suddenly at any time.
Her thoughts gradually leaned toward the second choice.
Rather than relying on those in power, becoming someone with power herself was clearly the better option.
‘It obviously won’t be an easy road.’
Perhaps Eluana was walking into the flames of hell with her own feet.
As she imagined an ending where she would become nothing but ashes scattered by the wind, Eluana let out a small sigh.
‘Let’s stop worrying about this for now.’
Eluana composed herself.
She had decided to tell Rui about their “mother.”
‘Will he really be able to understand?’
Even Eluana found it emotionally difficult to accept.
Trying to make Rui understand felt overwhelming.
But no matter what, she had to explain it to him.
Since Rui was also a Cantio, he needed to know the truth so that he could prepare himself if anything happened.
Eluana stepped down from the windowsill and opened the study door.
After confirming that no one was in the sitting room, she was about to go find Rui when the door suddenly burst open.
Through the opening, a beloved pink-haired head popped inside.
“Big sister.”
A natural smile formed on Eluana’s lips.
“You’re back?”
“I looked around the garden. It’s really huge. There’s even a statue this biiig.”
Rui raised both hands high above his head while explaining excitedly.
“You know, I have something to tell you.”
“Okay.”
Rui immediately ran over and grabbed the edge of Eluana’s skirt.
The pink eyes looking up at her were adorable.
After several days of eating properly, his cheeks had become fuller again, and his face had regained its smoothness.
His fluffy hair had also returned to its soft texture.
Thinking that she needed to stay even stronger so Rui would never have to suffer again, Eluana began her explanation.
The long story, connected to the thousand-year history of the Empire, continued for quite some time before finally ending with:
“That’s what happened.”
Eluana waited nervously for Rui’s reaction.
‘Did he understand properly? I can’t let him become anxious.’
Rui blinked his pink eyes several times before nodding.
“So that’s why. I understand, big sister.”
“Huh?”
“You looked like you had a lot of worries. I understand.”
Seeing Rui nod seriously, Eluana hurriedly added:
“The name Stella itself is common, but talking about mother could become dangerous. So mother’s name must remain a secret.”
“Okay. It’s a secret.”
His answer was calm.
Eluana wondered if Rui had really understood everything.
Was it normal for a six-year-old to understand things this well?
She knew he was smarter than other children his age, but wasn’t this too intelligent?
While Eluana was confused, Rui slowly turned his head toward the portrait hanging in the study.
“That person is our mother, right?”
“That’s right.”
“The picture of mother we had at home showed her hair as brown.”
“She dyed it while living in Arden.”
“I see. So mother had golden hair too. She’s pretty. She looks like you, big sister.”
Normally, someone would say that the older sister resembled the mother.
But for Rui, who remembered his mother’s face through the portrait, his sister had been there first.
“Uh, um… So you really understand, right? Mother carried the bloodline of the Cantio Imperial Family. That means Rui and I naturally inherited it too.”
“Yes. We’re the last Cantio, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll be careful. We can’t let anyone find out.”
“Yes. We have to be careful.”
“Big sister, you be careful too. They said if we don’t naturally go to heaven, natural disasters will happen.”
“…Yes. I will.”
After answering, Eluana realized something felt strange.
Looking at Rui’s mature expression, her confusion only grew.
Ever since arriving at the Duke’s residence, Rui seemed to have suddenly become much more mature.
Had the shock of being imprisoned changed him into a child who could no longer be surprised?
She should have taken better care of him.
Eluana felt sorry toward Rui.
Rui looked directly at her saddened face.
“Don’t feel sorry for Rui.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t like responsibility either.”
“…?”
“Just love me.”
“Of course I love you.”
“That’s enough.”
Rui buried himself into Eluana’s arms and rubbed his face against her.
As she stroked his soft hair, her restless heart slowly calmed.
‘Maybe I was the one who was anxious.’
Eluana sighed while patting Rui’s back out of habit.
She must have looked so unstable that even this little child noticed.
At this rate, she did not know who was protecting whom.
“I told you I’ll protect you.”
A smile naturally appeared on her face at the muffled voice coming from her arms.
“That’s reassuring. Our Rui is the best.”
If Ron had seen this, he would have cried while saying, “Our child is so smart.”
It was a day when she especially missed Ron.
Cindy carefully opened the door to the Lavender Room.
Eluana, who had been reading a book thick enough to use as a pillow, raised her head.
Seeing the questioning look in her eyes, Cindy immediately spoke.
“How should I prepare your meal, young lady?”
“I’ll eat with Rui in the room.”
“Yes.”
Cindy gave a short reply and immediately turned around before leaving the Lavender Room.
Her steps were light as she walked down the hallway.
She had been nervous that Eluana might say she wanted to eat in the dining hall.
After passing through the long corridor and turning the corner, she saw Meki waiting there with shining eyes.
“What did she say?”
“She’ll eat in the room. We’re going to feast.”
Unlike Cindy, who looked proud, Meki seemed uneasy.
“That’s good, but won’t we get caught?”
“It’s fine. We already stole two plates during breakfast and nobody noticed. Go bring Jane too.”
Leaving the task to Meki, Cindy proudly headed down to the first floor.
She told the head chef, “She’ll be eating in her room,” and immediately returned to the third floor.
In the corner of the third floor was a small auxiliary kitchen connected to the main kitchen on the first floor through a private lift.
Cindy’s job was to wait in the auxiliary kitchen, receive the food sent up from the first floor, and deliver it to the guest’s room.
Entering the auxiliary kitchen, Cindy hummed while looking at the displayed teapots, cups, and tea leaves.
Not long after, a green light appeared on the lift.
Inside was food prepared for Eluana and Rui, packed tightly.
As Cindy removed the dishes one by one, the counter quickly filled.
After lowering the lift again and looking over the prepared food, a smile naturally spread across her face.
“What should I eat today?”
Bread was unnecessary.
Stew was rejected.
Salad was also eliminated.
Cindy moved the foods she did not want onto the upper section of the serving cart.
Then she removed half of the smoked salmon and placed it onto a new plate.
“This one I have to eat.”
The smoked herring she had eaten before was not really to her taste, but this was her first time trying salmon, so she was excited.
She also took half of the fruits she had never tried before and placed the rest onto the cart.
And finally, the main attraction.
The steak.
Cindy had never dared touch the main dish before.
“But it’s beef.”
Steak made from grilled raw meat was one of the most expensive foods.
And it was beef.
If she did not eat it today, she might never taste it for the rest of her life.
“There are two plates, so taking one should be fine.”
Just as she closed her eyes and removed one plate of steak, Meki, who had returned with Jane, widened her eyes.
“That’s the main dish.”
Cindy held out the steak plate with sparkling eyes.
“You two have never eaten steak before, right? This one is ours.”
“C-can we really do that?”
“Don’t worry. She seems like a country girl who doesn’t even know what food a great noble normally eats. When she asked if this was the usual meal, I told her it was probably because they were treating a guest specially. She won’t suspect anything.”
“We’ll be in trouble if we’re caught.”
“We just won’t get caught.”
Jane, who had been quietly watching from behind, stepped forward and took out a knife stored beneath the counter.
She carefully cut the meat and placed a piece into Cindy’s mouth.
“How is it?”
Cindy’s eyes widened.
“It feels like the meat melts in my mouth. Hurry, you two try it.”
Jane and Meki also put a piece into their mouths.
“It’s delicious. The juices are incredible.”
“So this is what nobles eat.”
As they exclaimed in amazement and ate piece after piece, the steak quickly disappeared.
The smoked salmon they ate afterward was also delicious enough to make their noses flare with excitement.
“It’s so good. The best.”
“I think I could die today without regrets. Thanks to you, Cindy, I got to eat something like this.”
Jane’s flattering words made Cindy’s pride soar.
“Meet here tomorrow morning too. Don’t let anyone notice that we ate in the room.”
“Of course. Don’t worry. But it really is delicious.”
Jane stared at the remaining steak plate on the cart with regret in her eyes.
Cindy felt the same.
The flavor of the beef steak lingering in her mouth refused to disappear.
In the end, Cindy lifted the last remaining plate of steak.
“We should just eat it all ourselves.”
“What if we get caught?”
Meki was anxious, but Cindy confidently smiled and grabbed the knife.
“It’ll be fine. They wouldn’t even notice if we spat in the stew. Actually, I tried it during lunch.”
Cindy giggled and boldly divided the steak into three pieces, placing one into each of their mouths.
After chewing the meat and organizing the empty spaces on the cart, Cindy realized quite some time had passed.
Everything else was fine, but the problem was the stew that had gone cold.
“Should we heat it up again?”
Meki asked, but Cindy waved her hand.
“No need. Why go that far? I’ll take it.”
Pulling the cart behind her, Cindy’s footsteps remained light.
