82.
Clang, clang!
The door closed.
Left alone, Lucian repeated Elze’s words in his mind.
“I will definitely help you escape.”
Her kind voice kept echoing in his ears.
“…”
Lucian lifted his head to gaze at the vase of cornflowers she had left behind.
Then, carefully, he touched the blue-purple petals.
…They were soft.
“She said they resembled the color of my eyes.”
Lucian clenched his fist tightly.
He hadn’t even known the name of this flower before.
He had never cared about it.
But now…
“…”
Somehow, he had a feeling that he would grow to like cornflowers from now on.
* * *
That evening, Dante visited unexpectedly.
“Marquis?”
I was feeding the pigeons and turned to look at him, wide-eyed.
It was strange; he had said he was too busy to see me. Why was he here?
Dante stood by the door, leaning against it and frowning.
“What, those pigeons again?”
Why was he in such a bad mood today?
Trying to lighten the atmosphere, I joked with a smile.
“Are you jealous because I’m doting on the pigeons?”
“…”
Dante pursed his lips tightly, almost like he had been hit in a sore spot.
“Marquis?”
“…”
I tilted my head and called him again, but he still looked sullen.
‘No way, really?’
Ridiculous.
I stared at Dante in disbelief.
At the same time, he rebuked me in a half-hearted tone.
“Do you spend all day with the pigeons?”
He was obviously aware of my work status through Liam and was just picking a fight for no reason.
I suppressed the sigh that was about to escape.
“Is there something lacking in my management duties?”
“…”
Dante furrowed his brow deeply.
I continued speaking politely.
“If there’s a problem, please tell me. I will address it.”
“No, that’s not what I meant… Damn it.”
Cursing under his breath, Dante ran a hand roughly through his hair.
“Forget it. I’m just in a bad mood.”
“In a bad mood?”
“Yes. Even that stickler Liam praises you now and then. So stop worrying unnecessarily…”
“What about you, Marquis?”
I asked abruptly.
Dante blinked in surprise.
“What?”
“I’m curious about what you think of my work performance.”
I deliberately looked down, pretending to be dejected.
“If it doesn’t please you, then it’s meaningless.”
“Hey.”
“The only person I want to help is you, Marquis.”
As I said those ingrained sweet words, Dante’s sullen expression softened a bit.
“How could I not be pleased with your work?”
He said, his tone less harsh.
“If I weren’t satisfied, would I have appointed you as the manager in the first place?”
Liar.
I thought coldly.
‘He only gave me the manager position because the original Elze had begged tearfully for it.’
Dante shrugged and added.
“Do I seem like a person who acts on emotions?”
Well, just looking at how he treats Benedict and Lucian… he does seem quite emotional.
Even as I sarcastically thought to myself, I kept a bright smile on my face.
Then, suddenly.
“Oh, by the way.”
As if he just remembered, Dante handed me an envelope.
“What is this?”
“I don’t know. It seems to be from Countess Martin.”
Brigitte?
I quickly took the envelope.
<To my dear Elze,
The weather has been quite hot lately. How have you been?
In Count Martin’s territory, it’s the peak of summer right now. The grass and garden trees are so green and lush that just looking at them makes me feel refreshed. Recently, Joseph brought me some flowers. Despite being apart for so long, he hasn’t forgotten me. I can’t tell you how happy that made me.
By the way, there’s an outdoor cocktail party hosted by the Imperial Family in early September. I’ve received an invitation. Since Joseph is still too young, I’ll be attending as the representative of our count’s family. So, I was wondering if I might be able to see your face there? I’d really love to meet my precious friend at least once.
I’ll be waiting for your reply. With love, Brigitte>
Joy overflowed in every letter of her writing. I couldn’t help but smile faintly as I read it.
When I wrote to Brigitte last time, I asked if we could meet because I had a favor to ask. She skillfully replied to that part, showing her usual thoughtfulness.
I tucked the letter back into its envelope, feeling content.
But then.
“What’s in that letter that’s making you smile so much?”
Dante’s voice turned sarcastic again.
“Oh, the Countess Martin will be attending the cocktail party hosted by the Imperial Family this time.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It seems the Count’s family has stabilized quite a bit. That’s really fortunate, isn’t it?”
I replied with a bright smile, quickly thinking. Brigitte’s assistance was essential for my escape plan. I had to meet her somehow, and this party presented a perfect opportunity.
‘It would be great if I could attend that party too…’
But the Lepherian family were low-ranking nobles. A family that had never set foot in central politics had no chance of being invited to such a selective gathering. Moreover, I was practically an outcast in the Lepherian family.
But then.
“Then you can meet her this time.”
Dante said casually.
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
“What?”
“I was invited to that party too.”
Dante showed me a luxurious invitation.
On the envelope, the golden seal of the imperial palace glinted coldly.
“You can attend as my partner. Right?”
“Oh…”
I looked up at Dante in a daze.
Although I had attended the Diorlance Club before, it was an unofficial event. No matter how prestigious it was, it wasn’t officially recognized by the Imperial Family.
But this cocktail party was…
‘An official event hosted by the Empress.’
And he was taking me as his partner?
Why?
Moreover, allowing me to meet Brigitte meant…
‘Dante is giving me special treatment.’
He was making me his partner for an official event, breaking the rule that boarding school staff should not interact with those who had left. This felt like…
…he was serious about our relationship.
“Why do you look like that?”
Dante closely examined my expression and asked.
I reflexively smiled.
“I thought you’d be pleased.”
“Of course I am.”
I replied, feigning excitement.
“Thank you. I’m really happy.”
“Really?”
Dante’s stern expression softened into a crescent-eyed smile.
“Then keep smiling.”
His hand gently brushed my cheek.
“You look best when you smile.”
“…”
At that moment, my heart sank.
“I’ll try.”
I replied half-heartedly and turned my gaze to the pigeons to avoid his eyes.
Dante stared at me quietly.
His gaze was so warm that…
…it made me feel strange.
* * *
Time passed, and early September arrived.
I attended the Imperial Family’s cocktail party with Dante.
It was still early autumn, and the midday sun was still hot, so the Imperial Family held the party in the cooler evening.
“Marquis Offenheir is attending the Empress’s cocktail party…”
“And his partner is Lady Lepherian?”
The attendees looked at us with curious eyes.
However, the blatant contemptuous gazes I used to receive had significantly diminished.
‘Well, Dante has been showing he cares for me a lot lately.’
