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Chapter : 33
“Yeah. Go ahead and ask.”
“…What’s an appetizer?”
She finally asked what had been on her mind. Estin chuckled and explained.
“It’s a small dish served before the main course to stimulate your appetite. It’s also called a starter or entrée.”
“Wow, so that’s what it means!”
It was fascinating. Normally, just one bowl of soup like this would’ve felt like a full feast to her. But to think this was only the beginning and that there was an actual main course still to come—it felt like she was discovering a whole new world.
“Stuffed quail wrapped in tea leaves and roasted—today’s main dish.”
“Try the salad too. It’s seasoned with rose petals, orange juice, pepper, and vinegar.”
“This is a crepe cake layered with chocolate and vanilla cream. We topped it with sweet berry jam!”
As soon as she cleared her soup bowl, the staff began bringing out new dishes one after another. Compared to the food they had at the villa, that had merely been a tasting sample—this was a true feast.
Miela’s fork never stopped moving.
‘Mmm, I feel like I’m going to look forward to lunch every day now!’
After the very satisfying meal, just as she was about to head back to her room, Miela suddenly stopped in front of the dining room door, as if something had hit her.
“This is bad.”
“What is?”
Estin looked at her, puzzled. Miela muttered quietly, looking shocked at her own poor memory.
“…I forgot how to get back to my room.”
“I figured this might happen, so I prepared something. Here, take this—it’s a map of the ducal mansion.”
Estin fished around in his pocket and pulled out a small, crumpled scroll.
“A map? Like… a floor plan?”
“Exactly. It’s a drawing that shows how everything inside the building is laid out.”
Even the secret passages and hidden areas were included. In other words, it wasn’t something just anyone could have.
But Miela was now his fiancée, and in a few years, she would become the duchess. So in effect, she was already a part of the Valoir household.
“…But I still don’t get it. I can’t really tell what’s what…”
Despite the thoughtful gesture, Miela shook her head after staring at the map intensely for a while. The complicated layout of the floors reminded her of a maze, and the more she looked at it, the more dizzy she felt.
“It’s okay, you’ve got me.”
Estin reassured her. Though, as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized they sounded a bit irresponsible. He planned to stay by her side as much as possible, but realistically, he couldn’t be with her every single day.
Letting her rely on him completely might not be kindness, but selfishness.
‘What’s the best way to handle this?’
He wanted to help Miela adjust to life in this mansion—even when he wasn’t around.
After some thought, Estin took Miela’s hand and led her somewhere.
“Where are we going?”
“I’ll give you a tour of the mansion. It’s easier to remember places when you walk through them yourself rather than just looking at a map.”
And so began their tour of the estate.
Worried she might get lost if she let go of him, Miela clutched his hand tightly. Their clasped hands didn’t go unnoticed.
“Guys, look over there!”
“Oh my, it’s the young master! And he’s walking with the young lady.”
A small boy was leading a confused-looking girl around. One of the maids watching them murmured unintentionally,
“They look just like a sweet older sister and younger brother.”
Another maid gasped and hushed her.
“Hey! Don’t say stuff like that. The young master doesn’t like it when people say he looks like a ‘younger brother.’”
“Seriously?”
Thankfully, Estin didn’t hear any of their conversation—his focus was entirely on Miela.
“If we go this way, we’ll reach my father’s office. I’d show it to you, but he’s not home right now, so it’s probably locked.”
He gestured with his eyes toward a firmly closed mahogany door. Since the mansion was so vast, they didn’t linger in one place for long and continued moving.
“This is the library. There are tens of thousands of books. If you want to read something, just tell the attendant.”
Miela nodded but then suddenly remembered.
“Okay! Wait, but… I can’t read.”
“…Right. I forgot.”
Estin’s face stiffened at his slip-up, but he quickly recovered.
“Well, that’s fine. We’re going to hire a tutor for you soon anyway. You’ll learn to read, and also basic manners and etiquette.”
“Really? That means I’ll be able to read books too? Even novels?”
He expected her to grimace at the thought of studying, but her response was unexpectedly enthusiastic.
“Of course.”
“Wow, that sounds amazing! Once I learn, I’ll read one book a day!”
She smiled brightly, her determination shining through.
“Heh… Oh right, we should get going. At this pace, we won’t even get through a quarter of the mansion today.”
Estin chuckled and led her to the next spot.
“This is the garden. More precisely, the front garden of the main building.”
“It’s like a maze! I feel like I’ll get lost!”
Miela’s expression constantly shifted between awe, wonder, and a touch of fear as she looked around. Estin leaned in and whispered,
“Actually, I got lost here once too. When I was even younger than I am now.”
Miela tried to picture Estin as a smaller child, but it was hard to imagine.
“…When you were a baby? Like toddling around?”
“Not quite that young. But still, be careful.”
He shook his head with a laugh.
“There’s another garden called the rear garden. It has a glass greenhouse where my mother keeps her favorite plants. It’s maintained by magic, so it’s warm in winter and cool in summer.”
“Just hearing about it makes me want to go! It sounds amazing!”
“But you can’t enter without my mother’s permission. You should ask her sometime.”
“M-me?”
Even though they had hugged and cried together, Miela still felt intimidated by Regina. Maybe it was her naturally cold demeanor.
But Estin was sure his mother already cherished Miela.
“Yeah. I think she’d say yes. She might even offer to give you a personal tour.”
“…Okay. Then I’ll try asking.”
Miela hesitated but eventually nodded.
“Great. Mother really appreciates brave gestures. Now, let’s head over to the training grounds.”
“Training grounds? What do they do there?”
“That’s where the family knights train and hone their skills.”
If not for the curse, Estin would likely have been training there too. Now that he was healthy again, he figured it was about time to learn swordsmanship. For imperial nobles, swordsmanship was a basic requirement.
‘More than anything… I want to be able to protect Miela.’
He had a reason to become stronger now, even if he couldn’t quite say it out loud.
“Okay, then… hmm?”
Just as they were about to resume walking, a carriage pulled up at the mansion’s main gate.
Its heavy and solemn design clearly set it apart from the others.
“Looks like Father is back.”
Estin muttered, while Miela jumped in shock.
“By Father… you mean the Duke of Valoir, right?”
“Yeah.”
Estin nodded. At that moment, something her mother had once said came rushing back into Miela’s mind—about Duke Yurhan Valoir, the terrifying head of the household.
‘Miela, if you ever work at the ducal house, make sure not to anger the Duke.’
‘Is he that scary?’
‘Well, yes. He’s known to be very strict and cold. Of course, I’ve never met him myself—it’s just what I’ve read in novels.’
That story had left a strong impression. In truth, Miela was more than a little scared.
‘What if the Duke doesn’t like me?’
