Chapter 35
“Then, please excuse me.”
As soon as Enzhe granted permission, another voice came from the door. It was an emotionless, gentle voice that Sue, Melaine, and Enzhe all recognized.
“Woo!”
“Glory to the empire.”
Acrea, who had been standing by the door, stepped forward.
Sue couldn’t help but be captivated by his handsome features, which were as impeccable as ever. His bright smile suited his white uniform and blue cape perfectly.
“What brings you here, Woo? You never visit our house.”
Enzhe spoke first, unable to hide her excitement, before Sue or Melaine could even greet him. She was genuinely happy to see her friend.
“It’s been a while, Enzhe. And I apologize. I used the Lopetrefer information network to find out where you were. It wasn’t very noble of me.”
Acrea, standing in the doorway, responded casually.
“Hehe, it’s alright. I’m not surprised. It’s what you always do.”
Enzhe shook her head.
“Could you wait a moment? I’ll be ready to leave soon.”
Enzhe fidgeted in her seat. She seemed eager to leave and join Acrea.
‘Yes, please leave quickly, both of you.’
Sue, assuming that Acrea had come to pick up Enzhe, sighed inwardly in relief. But Acrea didn’t seem to be in any hurry to answer Enzhe.
After a brief pause, Acrea smiled wryly, his eyebrows furrowed.
“I’m sorry, Enzhe. I’m not here to see you today. I’m here for someone else.”
“…What do you mean?”
Enzhe blinked her large eyes in confusion. An awkward silence filled the room.
Acrea cut through the silence abruptly. His platinum blonde eyes, which usually held a faint smile, were now focused on someone else.
“Lady Melaine Vava. I’m here at the request of Marquess Yuna Vava. Would you be willing to accompany me?”
“My sister’s… request…?”
Melaine stammered, repeating his words. She had never dreamed that Acrea would come to see her. And it was at the request of her sister, Marquess Yuna Vava? Melaine felt her mind go blank.
“Yes. Marquess Yuna requests your presence.”
“Why would my sister suddenly… And why are you here, Master Acrea…?”
“I’ll explain everything on the way.”
Acrea didn’t say another word.
…It’s a family matter.
The three young ladies instinctively understood.
The Vava marquis family was a prestigious family, but they didn’t have much connection to the other two grand duke families, aside from the Lopetrefer family.
‘Maybe they’re having a dinner party to build connections… But why so suddenly?’
But it didn’t matter what Sue thought.
It wasn’t her that he had come to see, so she quickly accepted it.
“I’m really sorry, Enzhe. I’m happy to see you after so long.”
His bright smile was emotionless and mechanical. But his voice was so gentle that even Sue, who had nothing to do with the situation, felt reassured.
“It’s alright… I understand if there are circumstances. Go ahead, Melaine.”
Enzhe’s excitement cooled down. She was trying to appear composed, but she was probably quite upset. But even Enzhe couldn’t interfere in a family matter. And she couldn’t throw a tantrum because she was trying to act charming in front of Fritz and Acrea.
Melaine quickly gathered her belongings and walked over to Acrea. Acrea, having achieved his objective, left the room without any hesitation. He bid farewell to Enzhe from beyond the door.
“Thank you, Enzhe. I’ll see you at the ball.”
“…Yes. I’ll write to you.”
“Okay.”
“Please be careful, Master Acrea, Lady Melaine.”
Sue, who had been watching nervously, hurriedly bowed her head. Melaine waved back at her. Then, Acrea responded in his gentle voice.
“Enjoy your time, Lady Sue Byron.”
He was truly a doll-like person, whether in a good way or a bad way.
After the two left the private room, Enzhe and Sue sat in silence, sipping their tea.
Sue thought about saying something, but she quickly gave up. She didn’t know what Enzhe was thinking. She didn’t want to say the wrong thing and end up fainting in this unfamiliar salon.
“…This is boring. Let’s go, Sue.”
Fortunately, Enzhe gave the order to leave after a few minutes.
Enzhe looked at the dessert tray, which was still full, then put down her fork quietly.
“I have to prepare for that damn ball.”
There was a bite to her words, but her delicate voice didn’t betray any emotion.
“Then I’ll call for the carriage. Please wait here for a moment, Lady Enzhe.”
Sue got up to find one of the Lopetrefer family servants who were probably stationed around the salon. But Enzhe got up without a word, ignoring her instructions.
“I’m coming too. I don’t want to waste time waiting.”
“…Yes, shall we go together?”
Sue smiled faintly.
They didn’t speak until they left the salon and found one of the Lopetrefer family servants.
Three days after her meeting with Enzhe, Sue went out again. But this time, it wasn’t to the main street, but to the outskirts of the capital. There was only one person she would meet in this area.
Leo Noel.
The borderlander who was staying at the Noel count family’s residence.
“I apologize for being late. Have you been waiting long?”
Today, they were meeting not at the usual salon, but on a nearby street. It was at Leo’s suggestion to take a walk in the outer district.
Sue was dressed more comfortably than when she had first met him, but she still maintained a certain level of formality and elegance befitting a noble lady.
“Not at all. I just arrived myself.”
A deep, low voice came from above. She had forgotten because they had always met at the salon, but he was very tall. She tilted her head back and met Leo’s gaze.
“How have you been?”
“I’m always well. How about you, Sir Leo?”
“Haha, I’m the same. …Well then, shall we go, Lady Byron?”
After exchanging brief greetings, they started walking slowly along the outer street near the canal.
She was wearing a wide-brimmed pink bonnet because of the summer sun, but fortunately, the weather wasn’t as hot as she had feared, so it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Leo knew the outer district well. She had heard that he had mostly been staying in this area since arriving in the capital. He seemed to know it better than Sue, who had been born and raised here.
As they walked along the path Leo led her on, Sue enjoyed the scenery of the canal with gondolas passing by and listened to his stories.
“Oh, did you hear? The other day, on Beata Street, the owner of the bakery spilled flour all over the street. So that day, Beata Street was covered in white powder.”
“Haha, I bet the owner was devastated.”
“…Yes, she was. Oh, and also, in the back alley of Orlando Street…”
It was her first time walking around outside the salon with Leo, but in the end, it wasn’t that different from being inside the salon.
Pointless, trivial conversations.
Leo always initiated the conversation. He mostly talked about gossip from the outer district. He seemed to be deliberately avoiding the dark and depressing topics he had brought up during their first meeting.
Sue listened quietly, occasionally laughing or agreeing with him. It wasn’t that different from how she treated Enzhe, but the pressure and fear she felt were completely opposite.
At first, she had met with Leo out of a sense of obligation. But lately, she had realized that she was becoming more comfortable with him. Or rather, she had realized it after meeting Enzhe three days ago.
‘How did we become like this?’
The question popped into her mind as she watched the beautiful scenery of the canal from under Leo’s shadow.
They had started out as simply the perpetrator and victim of a traffic accident. Then, she had learned that he was a member of the Noel count family, and after that, Noel had started delivering Leo’s letters… And now, they were spending time together like this.
‘We’ve become friends.’
Sue smiled faintly.
This simple relationship with someone who had nothing to do with the novel, noble families, or the academy was quite comfortable. She didn’t have to think about anything when she was listening to his stories.
‘What’s good is good. That’s what Noel did too.’
She remembered the blue-haired boy who had approached her out of the blue, declaring that he wanted to be friends.
Come to think of it, I wonder what Noel is doing. He would be busy with the barrier inspection around this time.
…The barrier inspection.
“Lady Byron, I have a question.”