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Chapter : 35
At Eastin’s explanation, Miela’s eyes widened in awe as she looked around at the portraits hanging on the walls.
All the former heads of the family boasted extraordinary beauty. But more importantly, they all shared jet-black hair.
‘So black hair must be a trait of the Balluar family.’
Miela glanced sideways. At some point—she didn’t know when—Eastin had been staring intently at her. A triumphant smile played at the corners of his mouth.
‘See? I’m going to grow up to be just as cool as them!’
…That’s what his gaze seemed to say. Apparently, being treated like a little kid had hit him harder than expected.
Just then, Miela noticed something different about him.
‘He seems a bit taller than a few days ago.’
Was it just her imagination? Even if the curse had been lifted, it didn’t make sense for all the suppressed growth to suddenly happen at once. That would defy common sense.
But when had curses and common sense ever coexisted peacefully?
‘Hmm…’
As Eastin noticed Miela staring at him instead of the portraits, he asked curiously.
“What are you thinking about, staring at me like that?”
“Oh! It’s nothing really. You just look a little different. Is it because the curse was lifted?”
Miela tilted her head. Eastin responded shamelessly.
“Ah, of course. Honestly, I’ve been feeling the change too. When I woke up this morning, the air felt a little… higher up.”
“Hmm, but now that I think about it, maybe it was just my imagination…”
Miela scratched her cheek, sounding uncertain. Eastin raised an eyebrow.
“It probably wasn’t your imagination. Look at the portraits of our Balluar ancestors. One day, I’ll be just as dignified and powerful as them.”
“They really are all so handsome, beautiful, and cool.”
Miela praised them with the best words she knew. It wasn’t flattery—just the truth. After all, even the current Duke and Duchess of Balluar had stunning appearances.
“Well, our family has always been known for that…”
Eastin was about to continue bragging about his lineage when he suddenly paused, a curious thought popping into his head.
“Miela.”
“Hmm?”
“Which one of our former heads do you think looks the coolest?”
“Huh? Uh…”
Miela was flustered. She hadn’t expected such a tricky question.
Still, she decided to consider it seriously and examined each portrait carefully.
“Hmm…”
She sighed softly, clearly finding it difficult to decide. Finally, she spoke, as if she had reached a conclusion.
“You know what? I think you, Eastin, are the coolest!”
“…What are you talking about? That’s a joke, right? I asked you to pick from among the former heads. Why me?”
He looked disappointed by the unexpected answer, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
‘Did she say I was cool?’
Of course, he agreed with the sentiment. But he was curious—why pick him over all the past dukes?
For the brief moment he waited for her answer, his heart beat faster.
“But you can’t know everything just from portraits, right? Anyway, the coolest Balluar I personally know is you, Titi! I can’t wait to see how much cooler you’ll become once you’re the head of the house!”
Miela gave a small shrug. She still vividly remembered a certain moment.
When the village children had falsely accused her of being a thief, Eastin had suddenly appeared behind her and defended her.
“Ah, I see.”
Eastin didn’t press further. He could feel the sincerity in Miela’s voice, and that alone made him feel like he could fly.
About two weeks later, Miela asked in a bewildered tone,
“Huh? Eastin… Weren’t you shorter than this statue before?”
Near Eastin and Miela’s room, in the hallway, stood a statue of a small angel with wings. Not long ago, Eastin had been just slightly shorter than the statue. But now, when he stood next to it, his head reached just a bit higher.
“Huh. I’ve passed it now.”
Eastin was secretly pleased but answered nonchalantly.
“You’ve grown that much already? Wow…!”
Miela’s eyes sparkled. It turned out her suspicion from two weeks ago hadn’t been a mistake.
“I’m growing so fast, it’s actually a bit of a problem.”
Eastin sighed lightly. His shirt sleeves had become noticeably short recently. He’d heard that rapid growth could lead to growing pains.
‘Luckily, it doesn’t hurt. Maybe it’s because this is how tall I was supposed to be all along.’
They say fish kept in palm-sized tanks only grow as long as a fingertip, but when released into a lake or river, they can grow as long as an arm.
To Eastin, the curse that had restrained him felt exactly like that tank. Who knew just being freed would bring such change?
‘Truly an amazing transformation.’
Incidentally, Eastin wasn’t the only one who had changed. Miela, too, was quite different from when she first entered the duke’s mansion.
Not only had her shabby appearance been tidied up, but she was now also receiving lessons from a governess to match her position as a future young lady of the house. She had become noticeably more composed.
‘How badly am I going to get scolded?’
On the day of her first etiquette lesson, Miela was filled with anxious thoughts.
‘Ugh, I’m scared…’
That was understandable. In the romance novels her mother used to read, governesses were usually strict and sharp-tongued.
They would lavish praise on the noble heroine for her refined manners while constantly comparing her to awkward extras who could never catch up.
‘I’m probably closer to the extra… so I’m probably going to get scolded…’
She tried to stay positive, but couldn’t shake the worry that she wouldn’t hear anything nice.
Just before entering the lesson, Miela reached out nervously to grab the doorknob—when someone tapped her shoulder.
“Hmm?”
Startled, she turned around and saw Eastin. He whispered softly, “You got this!” and patted her shoulder. He even gave her a bright, reassuring smile.
“……!”
That’s right. She had momentarily forgotten.
Her greatest supporter was always right beside her.
Fueled by Eastin’s encouragement, Miela found her courage again.
‘Okay! Even if I’m not perfect, I’ll do my best!’
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Amelia of House Luxran. Starting today, I’ll be your etiquette teacher, Miss Miela.”
After her introduction, Miela swallowed dryly.
Not a single hair was out of place in her perfectly coiled bun. Her dress had no wrinkles, and even her slightest gestures radiated grace and dignity.
Will I ever be like that? Miela wondered as she gave a polite bow.
“Hello, I’m Miela. It’s nice to meet you! Umm…”
She almost called her ‘Miss Amelia’ out of habit, but stopped herself. The Duchess’s advice came to mind.
“Miela, from now on, don’t speak formally to just anyone.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Because that’s the kind of position the future lady of the Balluar household is in.”
But that advice conflicted with something her mother used to say:
“Miela, always be polite to adults, okay?”
This was a problem. What should she do? Miela was flustered—but luckily, a solution came to her quickly.
“Um, how should I address you?”
“You may call me Baroness Luxran, Miss Miela.”
“Got it, Baroness Luxran!”
To Amelia, Miela seemed quite clumsy. She had taught many noble girls before, but rarely had she seen one so rough around the edges.
‘I heard she was a commoner by birth…’
Amelia hadn’t believed it before meeting her. The prestigious Balluar Duchy accepting a commoner as a daughter-in-law? Impossible.
But after meeting Miela in person, she couldn’t help but believe it.
‘So the rumors were true…?’
