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chapter 32
Under normal circumstances, Florencia would have refused, no matter how earnestly the Empress pleaded.
But today was different.
The plan they had made together had fallen apart, and it was necessary to soothe the Empress’s disappointment and anger.
Watching Florencia hesitate, Miranda twitched her fine eyebrows.
“Grand Duke Klitzman seems to be attending the party with Lady Payson. After the hotel scandal, if the two of them appear together… truly, everyone at the party will only have eyes for them. That must never happen.”
“……”
In this situation, Florencia had only one acceptable answer.
She had to say, “Yes, I will do it.”
Yet she hesitated.
She disliked breaking the rule of never attending social parties.
She couldn’t bear to watch Elion dance with another woman.
Still, she couldn’t allow them to steal the attention for the entire party.
And she also had to appease the Empress.
“……Very well.”
Finally, Florencia nodded.
Miranda smiled brightly and took Florencia’s hand.
“Oh my, what a wise decision, Saintess! This will be the most memorable moment of the social season this year!”
“……”
“Please allow me to gift the dress you will wear that day.”
“Yes. I will accept it with gratitude, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, I’m already so excited!”
Her piercing high-pitched voice jabbed playfully at Florencia’s temples.
Virginia, Countess Payson, noticed something unusual in the eyes she cast at the bouquet Elion carried.
Grand Duke Klitzman holding a bouquet—it was an odd combination.
The Duke had been away from civilian life for the entirety of his adulthood, always on battlefields.
No doubt, his hands were far more accustomed to bloodied swords than delicate flowers.
Even the illustrations in newspapers usually showed him holding a sword or the severed head of a monster.
Yet he actually looks quite fitting with a bouquet in hand…
After this brief thought, Virginia bowed politely.
“Welcome, Your Grace.”
“Greetings, Countess. I came to inquire about Lady Rubiana’s condition.”
“Your considerate attention is greatly appreciated, Your Grace.”
Virginia personally guided Elion to Rubiana’s bedroom on the third floor.
The reason Elion had come here again today, just as yesterday, was that Rubiana had been placed under strict confinement.
The Count and Countess had nearly fainted at the thought of their daughter wandering the shopping district alone, almost collapsing.
Today, they had ordered her to stay close to her bedroom for her physical and mental well-being.
“But instead of feeling well, I’m bored out of my mind.”
Rubiana grumbled, pouting, as she sipped her milk tea.
“I wanted to go see Omar for a check-up, but I couldn’t even do that.”
“……”
“I’m sorry to trouble Your Grace by having you come all the way here while you’re busy.”
Her complaints came out in an unending stream.
Elion sat silently, as if practicing some form of meditative patience, listening to her grievances.
Then, suddenly, her high-pitched excited voice spoke again.
“Still, the bouquet is really nice. Thank you, Your Grace.”
Rubiana’s gaze turned toward the bouquet on the table.
It was a bouquet of gypsophila with three red roses in the middle.
The combination of pure white gypsophila and red roses was visually appealing.
It almost resembles me with my silver hair and red eyes…
Seeing her lips curl slightly upward, Elion thought he had made the right choice in following Fred’s advice.
You wouldn’t go empty-handed when visiting her, would you?
I’m not here just to visit. That’s just an excuse.
But everyone else, aside from the two of us, must think this visit is a formal inquiry into her condition, right?
…That’s true.
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant conversation, but thanks to it, he had a bouquet in hand.
And thanks to the bouquet, he received the Countess’s warm smile and Rubiana’s gratitude.
Fred is surprisingly useful, after all.
As Elion internally praised his aide, Rubiana asked him:
“Did Sir Fred choose this bouquet?”
“He did advise me, yes.”
Her question was on point but slightly deflected.
After all, the final decision was Elion’s.
He had decided to buy the bouquet, and he had chosen the combination of gypsophila and red roses that resembled her.
Rubiana’s smile, which had lingered on her red lips for a while, seemed to fade slightly. Then she widened her eyes and asked:
“Oh, by the way, what happened to that strange magic circle we discovered yesterday?”
“Ah, I forgot to start with that.”
Rubiana had played the greatest role in discovering the magic circle.
Of course, it was to remain a secret between just the two of them.
Even so, Elion thought he should at least give her appropriate recognition for her contribution.
“Lady Saintess and the envoy handled it well. The capital’s barrier is now fully restored to its previous state.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Thanks to the restored barrier, monsters won’t appear in the capital anymore. So you don’t need to be afraid, Lady Rubiana.”
“……Yes.”
Rubiana smiled.
The risk of becoming a target for monsters due to leaking magical energy had disappeared!
Even though she wasn’t fully possessed yet, she had fulfilled her role as the heroine!
It felt as if a difficult task had been completed, and her heart felt lighter.
Perhaps that was why the milk tea tasted even sweeter than before.
And the apple pie was just as enjoyable.
While Rubiana munched on her dessert, Elion spoke.
“It’s unfortunate that you, Lady Rubiana, played such a great role in maintaining security in the capital, but it can’t be publicly acknowledged.”
“What do you mean? It was Your Grace who discovered the magic circle.”
“Yes, but it wouldn’t have been possible without you. Do you… want a reward? If it’s within my power, I’d like to offer one.”
Rubiana’s red eyes widened slightly at the unexpected offer.
She had acted out of her sense of duty as the heroine.
She had never thought about a reward.
“The reward isn’t necessary. Your words alone are enough. I just happened to be lucky. In fact, I’m the one who benefits the most from this discovery. And…”
“……”
“I’m already receiving the most important thing from Your Grace. That’s enough for me.”
“……I see. If that’s what you think, then I won’t argue. But if you ever want something in the future, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
“Yes, I will.”
Elion was quietly surprised to see Rubiana nodding with a gentle smile.
She was completely opposite to the time when she had knelt, asking him to share his magical power.
On one hand, he knew that magical power was the most important thing to her, but on the other, it was a little disappointing that she wanted nothing else.
He had been prepared to gift her land, money, or even dresses and jewelry as a reward.
Disappointed? What a ridiculous thought…
Elion sipped his now slightly cooled tea, swallowing unnecessary thoughts.
After a few moments, he spoke again.
“There’s something I’d like to ask of you, Lady Rubiana.”
“What is it? You’ve given me magical power, so I’ll do anything!”
Rubiana said cheerfully.
But the moment she heard Elion’s request, she regretted it.
“Could you attend the Burnett Duke’s party this weekend as my partner?”
“A party… as… my partner?”
Rubiana asked, still in a daze, forgetting even that she was chewing apple pie.
Speaking with food in her mouth—no proper noblewoman would ever do such a thing.
“This is the Emperor’s order. If you refuse, I’ll have to attend with another lady.”
“Attend with… another lady?”
Ah, that’s right.
Only then did Rubiana recall the description of Emperor Christopher Blay that she had read in the original story.
The gentle-natured emperor had always felt a sense of debt toward his much younger half-brother, Elion.
He felt guilty for taking away all the love that the young brother deserved.
The late Empress, stepmother to Elion and mother of the current emperor, doted on her stepson but abandoned her biological son in a provincial territory.
This had been a condition imposed by the royal family for her to become the emperor’s consort: she could not have children.
And if she did, the child would immediately be sent to the provinces and not raised in the palace.
All to protect the Crown Prince Christopher at that time.
She loved the late emperor and cared for Christopher, so she accepted all the royal conditions.
As a result, Elion grew up as an abandoned prince without his parents’ love.
Christopher had vowed to help Elion marry and start a family as soon as possible to alleviate his guilt.
Even against Empress Miranda’s objections.
