“It can never be changed. What’s decided will happen.”
She felt the words slip out of her mouth again.
Again?
It was as if it was not herself, but Elysia, the owner of the body, who had thought of and said it.
“Then I must have been destined to meet you. I’m lucky.”
Eleon smiled mischievously.
Seeing his brightly smiling face without concern, the unknown shadow that had been cast in her mind seemed to vanish.
Suddenly, Elysia wanted to hug him.
She wants to rest her head on Eleon’s hard chest.
Ah! whatever. The only thing I do every day is eat and sleep.
She felt like she wanted to take a break.
Where does this vague feeling of fatigue come from? Did Elysia suffer from it originally?
She sighed in frustration without realizing it.
“Do you have any concerns?”
“No, I don’t have any worries.”
“Hmm. You haven’t received a single marriage proposal since your debut.”
“How do you know that?”
Mrs. Oze scolded her for it, but she was in trouble because she didn’t have any desire to go to tea parties to be introduced to men in the unfamiliar society.
“I found out by chance. Am I the only one who comes into this house?”
“I wish you were the only one.”
“If my lady wants it, I can send a marriage proposal tomorrow.”
“Then send it. Just because I receive it doesn’t mean I have to get married.”
Eleon looked at Elysia with a serious face.
“I have a condition.”
“What is it?”
“I want you to consider me seriously as I have you in my heart.”
In an instant, the sounds of birds and insects disappeared.
She could not feel the coolness of the tree’s shade, nor the wind blowing slowly.
Elysia’s heart was pounding.
“I’m not asking you to love me as much as I love you. Even if you like me a little it’s good, so I hope you are sincere to me as well.”
Even if she didn’t say anything at that moment, she could definitely feel it.
This man…..knows who I am.
……. You know I’m Rona.
That’s why he said he only found half.
The rushed emotions were beyond description.
Among those who knew the real Elysia, only she herself did not know her.
She saw herself as more of a Rona in the shell of Elysia.
Eleon knows Rona.
The fact that he knew that Elysia was Rona comforted her clumsy heart.
“…….Your Highness.”
Eleon looked over to where Mrs. Oze was.
But Mrs. Oze disappeared without them noticing.
“Apparently I have the approval of Mrs. Oze.”
Eleon lightly grasped Elysia’s shoulders with his large hands. Then Eleon lowered his head to her and closed his eyes.
Is he nervous too?
His long eyelashes seemed to tremble a little.
Then Elysia slowly closed her eyes.
Eleon’s lips touched her forehead.
Phew
When she was about to open her eyes after the light touch ended.
His breath reached Elysia again.
On her still closed eyelids.
At the tip of her nose, she was holding her breath.
And on her lips.
He stayed a little longer on her lips. The scent of sandalwood lingered on the tip of her nose the moment their lips stopped touching.
“I wanted you to give me a real kiss first.”
Hearing Eleon’s words, Elysia blushed. He seemed pleased.
“Now do you know why I come here every day?”
Elysia nodded her frozen head.
* * * * *
The busiest street in Constance Avignon, the capital, was Blanc Avenue.
In the middle of the wide street that led directly to the Imperial Palace, there were carriages and a sidewalk. Trees and flower decorations were neatly arranged on the side of the road.
Along the busiest street, colorful signboards lined up. They were all luxury shops with glass show windows. Beyond the clear glass, colossal luxury items were flaunted enough to make even ordinary aristocrats buy them.
A shop with the sign ‘Auge‘ written on a black background in bright golden letters occupied the top spot among high-end stores.
Eleon left his horse with a servant and strode into the store.
Upon seeing him, the manager quickly escorted him inside with a respectful attitude.
The store owner, Mrs. Oze, smiled and bowed her head.
“Your Highness.”
“Sit down.”
Eleon’s attitude of omitting greetings and treating her casually was an expression of trust and intimacy.
As a result, Mrs. Oze’s affection for Eleon deepened.
Eleon put the envelope in front of her.
“Your Highness, what is this?”
“Check it out.”
What came out of the envelope was a contract to exclusively supply a year’s worth of mining of high-end diamond mines owned by the Clevent family to Mrs. Oze’s store.
“Why…why is Your Highness giving me this?”
“I was able to hold Lady Elysia’s hand once thanks to your hard work.”
“Thank..Thank you.”
Mrs. Oze quickly bowed her head.
“Is the Duchess still stubborn?”
“Yes.”
Mrs. Oze looked embarrassed.
“But the Duchess values procedure and dignity, so if you send a formal marriage proposal letter, there will be no reason to object. It’s the decision of the Duke of Yuter after all.”
“I see.”
As Eleon let out a small sigh, Mrs. Oze felt a cool breeze pass through her heart.
Beneath the shiny black hair like a healthy wild horse, the eyes are redder and more beautiful than ruby.
Mrs. Oze was upset and resentful towards the Duchess of Yuter for hurting Eleon.
“She doesn’t like me.”
“Oh no! That is not true”
Mrs. Oze jumped, forgetting the pride and dignity of being the best matchmaker in the Empire.
“That’s impossible. It is that the young lady has many flaws, that she is ashamed of showing her to the world”
“I can’t admit that. She’s flawless.”
“Oh, I made a mistake. It’s not that Lady Elysia has flaws, I just meant that she is in a subtle situation. She’s the perfect bridesmaid. She is indeed a beautiful and virtuous lady, and that it’s rare in the capital. She is probably the most beautiful bride of the year.”
Eleon’s eyebrows, which had risen in disgust at the word ‘flaw’, regained his composure when she said ‘Bride of the Year’.
“That’s right.”
As Eleon smiled sweetly, Mrs. Oze felt like she was about to stop breathing.
Ah, I should have called the painters to paint his expression and left this as a painting.
If Elysia made Eleon smile like that, she somehow wanted this marriage to happen so no one in the capital would miss seeing him smile.
“What about marriage?”
“Everyone is ignoring my opinion.”
“Has someone else come to visit her?”
Mrs. Oze nodded.
“Aside from your courtship, rumors have spread that the Grand Duke visits the Duke’s residence every day. Is there any family that dares to compete with the Grand Duke?”
“That’s great. It was a good thing I asked you, you’re very competent.”
“Oh my, Grand Duke. Ho ho ho.”
Mrs. Oze, who had forgotten her dignity, laughed and barely came to her senses.
“What Your Highness requested has been completed.”
The large velvet box she brought out seemed quite heavy.
Eleon opened the box lid.
What was inside was a tiara and necklace set.
She set diamonds in a white gold frame and a large pink diamond in the center.
The necklace also gave off a cold and dazzling light, as if it had been inspired by pure white moonlight.
“You did a good job in a short time.”
“It was an honor to work for Your Highness the Grand Duke.”
Mrs. Oze’s eyes also sparkled, looking at the beautiful set of jewelry.
With this amount of money and jewelry, the opportunity to make such a huge treasure is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a jeweler.
“It suits her.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Eleon’s lips as he stroked the dazzling tiara with his fingertips.
The golden color didn’t seem to match Elicia’s thick, honey-colored hair. But a white gold tiara would make her shine like a goddess.
Just imagining it, Eleon’s heart pounded.
When he thought of the white veil that would be put over her head with this tiara, his heart ached because he wanted to see it as soon as possible.
“Where should I send it?”
“Send it to my residence right away.”
It took him quite some time to check out the diamond ring for the proposal.
When Eleon signed the payment contract, Mrs. Oze was so moved that she almost cried.
“Farewell Your Highness.”
After leaving the store, Eleon mounted his horse and headed to the Grand Duchy.
The street, where the sun had just set and the lights were beginning to come on, was quite spectacular.
“Come to think of it, she never looked around the capital.”
Eleon thought it might be because she lost her memory and couldn’t remember, or because she was a priestess.
“I’ll have to come with you next time.”
Thinking of how Elysia would be happy to see the capital, Eleon thought it was a good idea with a happy expression on his face.
Although he was alone on his way back to the Grand Duchy, his heart pounded as he imagined the day when the two of them would soon be together.
* * * * *
After Eleon returned, Elysia went back to her room a bit excited.
“Oh my gosh. Does he really like me?”
She was embarrassed because the pitch of her tone was high when she talked to herself.
There was something Karina had said to her, but it wasn’t about Eleon.
That is now out of her mind.
“I guess I like Eleon.”
It wasn’t the male lead buff.
She just had a good time spending time with him.
She wondered how many times she thought she would have liked to stay with him more than stay here.
“Ah.”
It wasn’t even a proper kiss, but just having one kiss on the lips made her heart race.
Elysia, who was in a bad mood, suddenly felt as if she had it all.
“Maybe……It’ll be fine if I don’t go back.”
The first memory that came to mind when she first woke up was on the lakeshore.
You could only return to your original world only by seeing the original ending. But if you can find the meaning of life here too, it would be okay if you didn’t have to go back.
“A lot of things happened that changed the original story.”
It’s not a common cliché either. Until yesterday, she was even lamenting why the original story had deviated, but a few words from Eleon made her change her mind.
Elysia thought that she could avoid death if she held Eleon’s hand.
She wandered into her room excitedly.
“Elysia.”
Outside the door, she heard Mariela call out to her.
“Yes, Mother.”
She smiled brightly and opened the door.
Mariela paused for a moment when she saw her face, but soon came inside and closed the door.
“Do you have something to say?”
Even after entering the room, Mariela seemed to hesitate about something.
“What did the Grand Duke tell you?”
“A marriage proposal letter…….He said he will send it.”
She was a little shy to say it herself.
“Sigh.”
Mariela let out a long sigh.
For some reason, Elysia had a feeling she wasn’t going to say anything nice.
“Elysia. You can’t marry him.”
She expected it.
“Why?”
Elysia reacted immediately like a stranger.
“Even Mrs. Oze said that the Grand Duke is the number one groom in the capital.”
“He….He….”
Mariela was speechless.
What should I say to my daughter, who seems to have fallen in love with him and can’t even listen?
“Why not?”
“He…..”
It was when she couldn’t keep up with the conversation.
“…..Is it because he’s the male lead?”
She caught on!