After escorting Eloise to her bedroom, Ian returned to his office and leaned back in his chair.
The light from the ceiling flickered across his closed eyelids.
After some time, he raised a hand and lightly ran it over his face before opening his eyes.
“……”
What immediately came to mind was Eloise in the palace hallway, alongside Hayden Roger. Ian’s brow furrowed.
‘Annoying…’
Hayden Roger.
Since their first meeting when they were four, there had never been a time when their relationship could be called amicable.
Hayden’s father, the previous Duke Roger, had followed the emperor and his direct heir, Alicia, like a devoted follower.
It seemed Hayden Roger, with his calm demeanor, had inherited his father’s loyalty, as he couldn’t hide his obsession with Elisia. Naturally, this made Ian an eyesore in his eyes.
Though Hayden had never openly displayed hostility towards Ian, Ian Claude was not foolish enough to be unaware of the thoughts hidden beneath that friendly face.
And now, Hayden Roger was showing an unusually excessive interest in Eloise.
‘What are you scheming?’
It wasn’t strange for Ian and Hayden to clash whenever they met.
After all, Hayden wanted to give everything Ian possessed back to Elisia. Ian was convinced that the reason Kyle had failed to identify the mastermind behind the recent attack, despite his diligent investigation, was because of Hayden Roger’s influence.
So, Ian assumed this was another attempt to attack him through Eloise, and he could have simply maintained an appropriate level of caution.
However, the reason it continued to bother him was…
‘She acted uncharacteristically, as if she couldn’t refuse.’
Lately, Eloise had been more resolute than ever, displaying a strength of will that bordered on stubbornness.
She had been that way since the night she barged into his office at dawn, holding a paper detailing rumors about her.
And yet, the fact that she couldn’t refuse Hayden Roger’s hand…
“……”
Ian’s gaze shifted to one corner of his desk. Amid the neatly stacked papers, a marquise-cut jewel glimmered.
It had fallen from Eloise’s worn shoes during their first “practice outing.”
Despite his meticulous habits, Ian hadn’t stored the jewel in a drawer; instead, he had just left it there, tucked in a corner.
He stared at it for a moment before reaching out to pick it up. The purple gemstone sparkled, scattering the light in multiple directions.
As he looked at it, Ian suddenly recalled something Eloise had said.
‘New shoes lead you to good places…’
Good places.
Back when they had that conversation, he hadn’t thought much about where Eloise’s “good place” might be. But now, things were different.
When she had proposed their one-year arrangement, Eloise had clearly said she wanted to be happy.
“I’d like to meet a kind person, not someone great, and be a little happier…”
Her voice, muttering drunkenly, was still vivid in his mind.
In the past two years, he had never once considered Eloise’s unhappiness, but now even that was beginning to gnaw at him.
Would she vanish like a mirage at the end of their one-year contract?
Suddenly, the thought made him uneasy.
Eloise, who once seemed like a ghost breathing in the shadows around him, now felt close enough to touch, yet so distant that if he took even one step toward her, she might slip away forever.
That was why he had insisted on the one-year reprieve, even though she clearly wanted to distance herself from him.
He couldn’t quite figure out how to explain the strange feeling of regret after spending so long pushing her away, only to now dread losing her.
Perhaps, as Kyle had suggested, he was only just now realizing the gravity of the situation.
‘How pathetic.’
Ian Claude was beginning to find Eloise difficult.
The woman who was both his duty and his desire.
He was certain that none of the solutions he had relied on throughout his life would help him solve this problem, not when it came to Eloise.
It felt like a puzzle he might never solve.
❖ ❖ ❖
Time seemed to flow faster, as if being pushed aside in a rush, and before I knew it, several days had passed.
And during those days, Ian and I continued our awkward dance around each other.
It wasn’t as if anything major had happened between us, but every time I saw Ian, I felt uncomfortable, which led to me subtly avoiding him.
However, it seemed like I was the only one feeling this awkwardness.
Ian, who had dropped a bomb on me so nonchalantly in the garden, carried on with his usual calm demeanor, unchanged by the situation.
He neither approached nor distanced himself from me, maintaining his usual composure.
His complete ease made him all the more infuriating.
He was the one who spoke of selfishness and impure desires, so why was I the only one left obsessing over it?
‘Was that night just a dream?’
I seriously considered the possibility but dismissed it, as I knew better. Pushing aside those pointless thoughts, I refocused.
Regardless of how uncomfortable I felt around him, we still had to have breakfast together every day. And so, I found myself hesitantly eating with him again today.
Just as the third course was being served, Ian, who had been quietly eating, spoke up.
“How is the speech preparation coming along?”
I froze mid-bite as I was about to take a forkful of mushrooms.
I slowly lowered my fork, eyes shifting awkwardly.
“…Uh, not well.”
In the meantime, I had accepted the emperor’s proposal to give a speech at the 100th-anniversary event of the Biblos Academy.
After all, it wasn’t an offer I could really refuse. I figured it was better to accept quickly and start preparing rather than try to avoid it.
It’s always better to get things done as soon as possible.
“I think I need to give it a little more thought. I’ve heard of Biblos Academy before, but I don’t know much about it. Since it’s the 100th anniversary, I should probably say something meaningful…”
“That’s true.”
As my voice trailed off in contemplation, Ian nodded. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye before picking up the fork I had put down.
“So, I’m thinking of heading to the library after this meal. Would it be alright if I borrow some books?”
“There’s no need to ask for my permission. It’s only natural for you to enjoy these privileges as the duchess while you’re here.”
Ian’s indifferent response came back to me. For some reason, his words felt oddly nuanced, and I let out a soft sigh.
“Right, but while I’m up there giving the speech, I’ll be representing the Levant Empire, right? I should at least avoid embarrassing myself. After all, this is about the dignity of our nation.”
That’s right. More than anything, the fact that I would be standing there as the representative of the Levant Empire was making me extremely nervous.
If I made a mistake, it wouldn’t just be my embarrassment but a blow to the nation’s dignity.
As I was lost in these thoughts, Ian, who had been quietly watching me, spoke in a casual tone.
“…If the nation’s dignity can fall because of a mistake you make, it’s probably not worth having.”
The knife I was holding came to a sudden stop.
I forgot to avoid Ian’s gaze and looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
Is that really something a royal should be saying?
Meanwhile, Ian just raised his eyebrows as if to ask what the problem was.
‘Honestly…’
I couldn’t even think of what to say. I gave him a long, exasperated look before turning my gaze away.
‘Now that I think about it, didn’t Elisia say something similar?’
She had said something along those lines when I first visited the Sun Palace and Ian scolded her for disguising herself as a servant.
Something like, “If the emperor’s dignity can be ruined by a prank, it’s not worth having.”
‘How are they siblings but still so alike?’
Despite keeping their distance from each other, they had moments like this when they were surprisingly in sync.
Of course, saying that out loud would only invite a sharp look from Ian, so I decided to swallow the thought.
“What I mean is, there’s no need to be overly nervous.”
“I understand your point.”
I replied primly.
Ian, who had been watching me intently, finally dropped his gaze.
At that moment, the servants arrived to replace our plates and cutlery with the main course.
Picking up his new knife, Ian asked,
“Is there anything specific you’d like to do in the Nomos Empire?”
“Huh?”
“You mentioned touring Biblos Academy, but you can’t stay at the academy for the entire ten days.”
Without looking up from his plate, Ian continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Besides, there’s the weekend as well.”
Though he didn’t say it outright, the meaning was clear.
He was reminding me that, as promised, we needed to spend time together over the weekend.
While Ian’s demeanor remained smooth and natural, I suddenly stiffened.
‘Is this… a date request?’
Noticing that my movements had slowed, Ian raised his head and looked at me again.
His steady gaze made me tense up, and my grip tightened on the knife.
After watching me in silence for a moment, Ian spoke softly.
“Take your time and think about it. I’ll be waiting.”
♧♧♧
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