The next morning.
Before leaving his palace early, Clive asked Mrs. Hanon for a favor.
“I know she will be fine, but please take care of her.”
Even if he didn’t say who he was, it was obvious.
“Yes, Your Highness. I will keep that in mind, you don’t have to worry. What you told me to prepare yesterday, hasn’t it changed?”
It was about perfume.
Clive, who frowned slightly, opened his mouth to say something, but immediately closed it and nodded.
Mrs. Hanon went to the annex palace where Eirene was staying after seeing his carriage depart.
Not long ago, Clive wrote an invitation to Eirene and called Mrs. Hanon.
“My fiancée doesn’t know much about the world. No, she just doesn’t know anything. Even if she makes a mistake, I hope for your understanding.”
“Of course, I will. But aren’t the Phineos rumored to be strict about their children’s education?”
“That’s in the past.”
“But they should have at least taught her the basics.”
Mrs. Hanon Mrs. Hanon was also the first to know that Eirene didn’t know many things because she thought she had been raised preciously.
“That’s not the problem. If Lady Phineos doesn’t know anything, teach her, and tell the maids in advance so that she doesn’t feel embarrassed after making a mistake. Watch your mouth.”
The conversation ended like that, and there was no other talk, so she was a little nervous when she met Eirene.
But the lady of the House of Phineos was the Grand Duke’s fiancée.
She did not lack appearance, aura, or demeanor.
Mrs. Hanon could not make a hasty judgment because she had only seen her for a short time.
What if she took classes again? I can teach her.
The lady that Mrs. Hanon saw yesterday was bothering her somewhere in her heart.
* * * * * * * * * *
Matilda knocked on Eirene’s bedroom door, and an answer came from inside.
When she walked into the room to greet her, Eirene was already awake, standing in front of the window.
“Did you sleep well, my Lady?”
“Yes, I slept well thanks to you.”
Matilda wondered why the bedroom was so bright, it was because all the curtains were drawn to the sides and the window where Eirene was standing was open.
She was worried about the cold winter morning air, but the lady with only a shawl over her pajama didn’t seem to be cold.
“My Lady, did you open all the curtains?”
“I felt stuffy. Oh, did I do your job? I’m sorry. I didn’t even think of that.”
“Oh no! No!”
Matilda shook her hand and head vigorously at the same time.
It didn’t matter if Matilda didn’t open the curtains this morning.
But it will be a problem if this continues, but it only happened once.
Matilda was surprised that this happened even though she had served other ladies from various noble families before coming here.
It was rare if a lady was awake before she was awakened by a maid. And even if the curtain was left open, it was only a window.
“The curtains are heavy because it’s winter. I hoped my lady hadn’t had a hard time.”
“The curtains were heavier than they looked. Still, it was nice to be able to move, it distracted me. It feels so good to see the sun.”
Eirene was happy to see the ordinary sun that rises every morning and stays in the sky until evening.
Matilda could hardly understand her.
Eirene stopped her when Matilda tried to close the window.
“Leave it that way. The fresh air clears my head.”
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Not at all.”
It seemed like it was getting colder, perhaps because of the steam coming out of her mouth, but Matilda couldn’t close the window because she wasn’t a lady.
“Then I will prepare the washbasin.”
Matilda closed the door and ran into Mrs. Hanon.
“The lady got up early and left all the curtains open. Now I’m going to prepare the water.”
“Did she open the curtains herself?”
“Yes!”
Mrs. Hanon asked to confirm the unexpected situation.
It’s something a noble lady shouldn’t do.
No wonder Clive asked her to take of Eirene.
“Did she sleep comfortably last night?”
“Yes, when I greeted her in the morning, she said that she slept well.”
“Did she say anything else?”
“Yes. But do you feel good when you see the sun?”
“Well, I’ve never thought about it. Why?”
“That’s what the lady said. It seems that she likes the sun.”
Matilda went to do her job after saying that Eirene was unusual.
Mrs. Hanon stopped her raised hand when she was about to knock on Eirene’s bedroom door.
She pondered whether to talk to Eirene or not.
She’s not yet married, but she was worried about scolding her over little things.
Clive asked her to teach her anything she didn’t know, and Mrs. Hanon thought so too, but when she was in front of her room she hesitated.
She concluded that it would be better to do it herself and not someone else.
When Mrs. Hanon knocked, a clear voice answered.
Eirene was sitting in a chair in front of the window. She turned her head and smiled slightly.
“Was your first night at Derevell Palace comfortable?”
“Yes, I slept very comfortably. It was my first time feeling….”
Eirene stopped talking, turned her head to the window, and tried to talk about something else.
“It’s all thanks to your hard work.”
“I am glad that you are comfortable. My Lady, I gonna have to close the window. The morning air is cold.”
“You’re talking like Matilda. I’m fine, but I shouldn’t cause you to worry.”
Mrs. Hanon approached and closed the window before Eirene, who got up to close the window.
Slowly closing the window as if it were nothing special, she brought up the curtain situation to Eileen.
“My Lady, you can ask Matilda to open and close the curtains.”
“As expected, I made a mistake.”
“It’s not a mistake. It’s just that it’s something you shouldn’t do.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Eirene took it well.
Mrs. Hanon, who had been smiling out of unnecessary worry, looked carefully at the young lady’s face as she looked out the window again.
She’s quiet.
Quiet was the most appropriate expression to describe her.
Mrs. Hanon was drawn to her, but it could have been her own illusion.
The more she looked at her, the more different she was from the girl she heard from Clive.
Eirene, sensing Madame Hanon’s gaze, turned her face.
“Is there anything else you want to say?”
“No. The way my lady is sitting is so beautiful, I was staring at you without realizing it.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Eirene is a beauty that cannot be expressed in words.
She looked like an ice princess trapped in a tower from a fairy tale.
“It’s good to hear that.”
“I’m not saying it to please you.”
“All right, thank you.”
If anyone heard it, they would see Eirene as an arrogant person who took her beauty for granted, but the lady seemed to think that Mrs. Hanon’s compliment was not sincere.
Mrs. Hanon changed the subject because more explanations would be more excuses.
“My Lady, please warm yourself near the fireplace. Your nose is red.”
Since her skin was pale, redness was quite visible.
Eirene’s hand was numb from the cold when she lightly touched the tip of her nose.
“Hurry up.”
Mrs. Hanon grabbed Eirene’s arms and lifted her.
How long have you been in the cold wind?
Eirene’s skin felt like ice.
“You have to stay healthy so you can go back home. If you get sick, Your Highness will be blamed.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
Eirene pulled a chair near the fireplace and sat down while Mrs. Hanon tossed in more firewood.
The red nose quickly returned to its original color, but the skin was whiter than her eyes.
Mrs. Hanon stayed with Eileen for a long time because she somehow liked her.
* * * * * * * * * *
“I’m glad you’re coming home faster because of a certain guest.”
Mrs. Hanon said as she brought the perfume that Clive had ordered.
“There were many times that I came back early even when we had no guests.”
He opened the lip of the perfume and gently shook the bottle from side to side.
He sprayed the perfume on one wrist and rubbed it on the other wrist to see if he liked the scent.
Clive sniffed his wrist and asked Mrs. Hanon.
“How is it? Do you smell the perfume?”
“There’s a subtle smell.”
“What about the cigar smell?”
Mrs. Hanon, who had wondered why he asked about the cigar smell, soon realized the reason.
“The smell is a bit mixed, but it’s fine because of the perfume.”
“You mean you can smell it, right?”
Mrs. Hanon guessed that the reason he was sensitive to smells since yesterday was because of Eirene.
“Does the lady hate the smell of cigars?”
Clive stopped sniffing his wrist, paused, and nodded his chin lightly.
“That’s great. You should quit smoking right now.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
For Clive, Eirene’s existence didn’t seem to have reached that level yet.
However, Mrs. Hanon could see that the situation would turn around one day as time went on.
“What was Eirene doing today?”
“She’s been looking outside all day.”
“All day?”
“Sometimes the windows were opened and closed. She wanted to go outside, but the weather was very cold, so I stopped her.”
There was nothing to see in the annex palace.
In spring, there would have been neatly organized lawns and colorful flowers, but winter was dreary.
There were only green trees in the forest, but it wasn’t a spectacle either.
Eirene looked at the dull landscape with curious eyes, as if it was the first time she had seen something like this.
Every time she opened the window, she closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air.
“By the way, Your Highness. Does the lady has bad eyesight?”
Eirene placed her hands on her forehead to block out the sunlight. Although the sun was not very strong at that time.
Mrs. Hanon thought it was strange, and as she thought about it, she remembered that Eirene’s hats had veils.
Eirene was wearing a veil when she arrived.
“I couldn’t tell you about that in advance. She’s sensitive to sunlight, so please be careful. Did she make any mistakes?”
“She made a few mistakes, but she was quiet most of the time. Nothing happened. You don’t have to worry. She’s a wonderful lady.”
In fact, there was no problem in the morning.
Eirene wanted to open the curtains because she felt suffocated, and was sorry to call the maid at an early hour.
She made a mistake out of consideration.
When you look at the way you treat the people below you, you can see the character of that person.
Eirene was not fussy with the servants, including Mrs. Hanon or Matilda.
She wasn’t friendly, but she wasn’t rude either.
She was kind enough to say thank you and sorry.
“I didn’t think you’d say she’s wonderful. I think so too. Then let’s go see my fiancée.”
“She’s waiting for you in the drawing-room. When I informed her of your return, she came to the main palace.”
“Eirene came to see me?”
Clive asked surprised.
The slightly enlarged eyes soon returned to their original size, but his mouth revealed that he was in a good mood.
Mrs. Hanon hoped that Lady Eirene would open his heart soon.
She wants to show the image of a man from a family whose symbol is a snake transforms into a well-spoken wolf.
No, not a wolf, but a person.
No matter what it is. Either one will be possible.
* * * * * * * * * *
Eirene, seeing Clive, got up from the sofa and greeted him.
“Welcome back, Your Highness.”
Clive shook his head slowly from side to side.
Oops.
She was supposed to call his name, but she forgot.
Clive sat down on the sofa without answering Eirene’s greetings, probably because ‘Your Highness’ was bothering him.
“I’m still not used to calling you by your name.”
“If you’re not used to it, you should keep that in mind.”
“Alright, Clive. I will never forget it.”
As Clive leaned slowly against the backrest, his long legs stretched out, making them appear longer.
He had a superior body.
She had known his handsome face for a long time, but his body was new depending on the situation.
He looked like a bear because he was big, but he also looked like a slender lion.
And if he squinted his eyes, he would look like a snake.
“Eirene. There’s one thing I don’t understand.”
“Please, speak.”
“You only lived in the basement, right?”
