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Chapter 53
After Elle left, Asella casually perched herself at the edge of Karon’s bed.
“Sorry for showing up uninvited like this. Did I upset you?”
Asella asked, her eyes drooping slightly.
Karon, wearing an unreadable expression, pulled a chair and sat across from her.
“No. So, what’s this about?”
“Well… it was unavoidable. It’s a letter from His Majesty the Emperor. I was a little surprised when my request to visit was denied, so I really wanted to come.”
Asella handed Karon the letter stamped with the Emperor’s seal.
As Karon took it and began reading, his expression gradually grew cold.
“What is this?”
Despite Karon’s icy voice, Asella maintained a sweet expression and shrugged her shoulders lightly.
“It’s exactly what it says. His Majesty has arranged an engagement between our family and yours. Of course, you could refuse, but at least for now, you should pretend to meet for the sake of having a reason to decline later.”
Karon let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair.
“Refuse as you see fit. But… we’ve already had an engagement broken off before. What are they thinking?”
“They probably needed a way to control you. Honestly, the only family that would let themselves be easily controlled is Delros.”
“You’ve become my complete weakness.”
Karon let out a hollow laugh and crumpled the letter.
“Be careful where you say that. It’s a line men dramatically confess to women with in popular plays these days.”
“My weakness? Ridiculous.”
“So… why did you isolate yourself? Were you really sick? You’ve been strong since becoming an adult.”
Asella asked with concern, tidying Karon’s messy hair.
“I wasn’t sick. No one attacked me either. Actually, it’s been quiet lately, so I feel like I can survive.”
“That’s good. Oh, and who was that guest earlier? Can I be friendly with them?”
“…I don’t know.”
“What do you mean ‘don’t know’! Their hair is the same color as mine, and their name is Elle! This is fate! You’re meant to be friends!”
Black hair is common, and the name Elle was given by Karon himself.
Karon thought for a moment, then sighed lightly as if conceding.
“Do as you like. But Elle won’t want to be friends with you. Don’t bother them unnecessarily.”
Having said what he needed to, Karon stood from the chair.
Asella, eyes wide for a moment, quickly grabbed Karon’s hand.
If it had been anyone else, their wrist might have been cut off, but Asella was special to Karon, so there was no danger.
“You didn’t tell me… what happened.”
“……”
“Are you… dating someone named Elle?”
“Not dating.”
“Then why haven’t you shown up in society? We’re friends, right? Is it so serious you can’t even tell your friends?”
“I’m engaged.”
“…Huh?”
“We were supposed to announce the engagement at today’s banquet. This one letter ruined everything. How am I supposed to fix this?”
Karon’s relaxed voice carried more annoyance than anger.
The imperial court had once again disrupted his plans in some novel way—it was just another nuisance.
It was Asella who was flustered.
Her pale, delicate hand gripped the white sheets.
“Then I’ll see you at the banquet, Elle.”
Karon smiled softly, lightly tapping the back of Asella’s hand with his finger before leaving.
Only then did Asella release her grip on the sheets.
When she looked up, Karon had already left the room.
Leaving a woman in one’s room—was it a sign of trust? Or indifferent acknowledgment that it could never be more than friendship?
“…It’s been a long time. And yet, he won’t even say he’s glad to see me.”
Asella pouted briefly in disappointment, then quickly returned to her cheerful self and greeted the familiar maids.
“Miss? Weren’t you going to the banquet?”
Ena, tidying Elle’s room, saw her and asked in surprise.
Leaning against the door, Elle took a breath and awkwardly forced a smile.
“Ah… my head hurt a little. I wanted to rest before going.”
“….”
Sensing something was wrong, Ena hurried to support Elle.
Elle staggered to the bed, exhaling quietly, resting her head against a pillar.
“Ena… did you know that Asella Delros was coming today?”
“…Yes.”
Ena hesitated, unusually timid, before answering.
Elle watched her quietly and gave a faint smile.
“I see.”
“She was just your childhood friend, that’s all.”
Ena hurriedly clarified.
“Not at all.”
“Huh?”
“She was very… special.”
Karon’s expression, his voice, the way he accepted someone barging into his room so graciously—these were all signs of special significance.
“Uh…”
“Ena… I’m not a child. You can tell me. I need to think about things too.”
With Elle’s gentle voice, Ena cautiously sat across from her.
Elle took Ena’s hands firmly, as if to say it was truly okay.
“When you were young, the heir of the family was weak and struggled to leave the room. The whole household ignored them, and the people who became friends at that time were Felix and Asella.”
“Similar to me…”
For a child who couldn’t leave their room, how precious must a small hand extended in friendship have been.
Just as Elle considered Karon her benefactor, Karon likely thought the same of Asella.
A sharp pang struck Elle’s heart.
“Typically, children other than the heir had no future outside scholars, administrators, or clergy. Your childhood self was too weak to think about a future at all.”
“……”
“So perhaps… he considers Asella especially significant. Nothing more than that.”
“I heard there was an engagement…”
“That ended long ago!”
Ena shouted in surprise.
Elle blinked, then laughed softly.
“It’s okay, Ena. I was never involved with Karon to begin with.”
“Huh?”
Ena tilted her head.
“I’ll eventually leave this place anyway. Just having a room, meals, lessons, and money is enough for me.”
No.
Greed always craves something better than the present.
At first, food was enough, then a stable home.
Then she wanted to work under Karon, and now…
“I’m not leaving!”
“Eh? Ena?”
Ena suddenly jumped up, the chair tipping over behind her.
Elle, seeing Ena so agitated for the first time, was stunned.
“You absolutely, absolutely cannot leave!”
“Ena…?”
Elle called her name, dumbfounded.
But Ena, like a severed line, couldn’t calm herself easily.
“Don’t joke about leaving!”
“It’s just the distant future. If someone special comes into Karon’s life, I’ll be insignificant to them. That’s when I’ll leave.”
Elle quickly hugged Ena to soothe her.
Ena panted heavily, shaking her head.
She seemed as if she didn’t even understand why her emotions were rising uncontrollably.
“You promised you’d never leave the master’s side!”
“……”
Elle’s expression stiffened for a moment.
Something felt off. Ena’s reaction was too intense to be just sadness at her leaving.
She wasn’t leaving far.
“Uh… I just wondered if you’re dissatisfied with life here…”
Elle, once expressionless, released Ena and smiled gently.
“Not at all. I like it. I’m happy.”
“Miss…”
“Can I rest a bit? I’ll make it to the banquet on time. Don’t worry.”
Hearing Elle’s bright voice, Ena couldn’t hide her unease but had no choice but to step back.
“Yes. Please rest.”
Left alone, Elle covered her face with trembling hands.
Things gained without effort slipped away like grains of sand.
What she told Ena had been a lie.
At first, food and warm clothes were enough. But over time, the order reversed.
Not because Karon gave her something, but even if all of it disappeared, she wanted to be near him.
When had it started?
Number Eight, once just concerned with filling her stomach, had begun to crave someone.
