After another ten minutes of travel, the carriage finally stopped in front of the villa.
I had assumed it would be a small retreat, but I was entirely mistaken.
The villa was as massive as the main residence of the Grand Duke’s estate.
No sooner had Ian helped me out of the carriage than a small figure came dashing toward us from afar.
“Grand Duchess!!!”
As always, the princess made a dramatic entrance, skidding to a stop in front of us.
“You’re here!”
“You’re already here, Princess.”
“Yup, I came as soon as I woke up this morning.”
The princess beamed at me.
“Look, isn’t my outfit pretty today?”
She was wearing a bright yellow dress made by Madame Zed and a wide-brimmed hat.
The hat, in particular, was adorned with the satin ribbon accessory that Ian and I had picked out together last time.
The princess’s satisfied gaze darted back and forth between the two of us.
She adjusted her hat with a flourish and turned toward Ian.
“Ahem! Brother, I loved the gift.”
At last, Ian, who had been staring off into the distance, lowered his gaze to look at her.
He slowly examined the hat she was wearing before giving the slightest nod.
“Yes.”
‘Oh, come on.’
Was that all? Couldn’t he at least say it looked nice?
Unlike me, who was frowning in disappointment, the princess seemed more than pleased with his reaction.
Her chubby cheeks lifted, making her face look round and joyful.
“I really love it!”
She proudly shook the ornament attached to her hat, but of course, Ian gave no further response.
‘Come on, show half the reaction you did before we left.’
Unable to stand the awkwardness any longer, I was about to jab him in the side with my elbow when the princess, quicker on the draw, beckoned me over.
“Grand Duchess, come here for a second.”
“Huh? Sure.”
I lowered my arm, abandoning my jab at Ian, and walked over to the princess, bending down slightly.
Standing on tiptoe, the princess giggled and whispered to me.
“This ornament, it was your idea, wasn’t it? I also got the contact information you sent through Madame Zed.”
“Oh, you noticed?”
“As if Brother would have thought of that? You’re the only one who would have the sense to send the ribbon along with the shop owner’s name and address.”
I guess it was obvious.
Since denying it at this point would be strange, I nodded in acknowledgment.
“If you’re interested, give them a visit. The person is a bit rough around the edges, but their skill with lacework is incredible.”
“I was planning to visit soon. Thanks, Grand Duchess.”
“Don’t mention it. Think of it as a birthday present.”
As the princess and I continued whispering to each other, Ian squinted at us, clearly not fond of being left out.
Before his expression could turn any more displeased, the princess quickly pulled away, laughing.
“Anyway, since we’ll be spending a week together, I look forward to it.”
“Look forward to what? You have your own plans, and I have mine. Besides, Brother will be with you, right?”
The princess stuck out her tongue playfully before running off toward the main building.
Watching her energetic figure disappear, I turned back to Ian and casually linked arms with him again.
“Shall we head inside too?”
❖ ❖ ❖
Upon arriving at the main building, the first thing we did was pay our respects to the Emperor and Empress.
“We greet His Majesty, the First Sun of the Levant Empire, Elisio Carlottus Helios Levant, and his Empress, the Radiant Moon of the Empire, Her Majesty Empress Lailie Heremias Gerion Levant.”
Ian and I bowed respectfully, and the Emperor responded with a hearty laugh.
“Even after coming all this way, you’re still stuck on such formal greetings?”
Well, it would be treason if we didn’t.
I held back the retort rising to my throat and simply smiled.
“My apologies for the delay.”
“We just arrived ourselves. The servants are still unpacking our things.”
The Emperor looked back and forth between Ian and me, a pleased smile on his face.
“Seeing the two of you standing together brings me such joy!”
Then he winked at me, clearly delighted that I had managed to bring Ian along.
“Your Majesty, perhaps we should let them rest now. They must be tired from the journey.”
“Ah, yes. You must be exhausted from the trip. Go and rest. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess’s chambers are on the third floor. The servants will show you the way.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. We will see you again soon.”
After bidding them farewell, a waiting servant guided us to the third floor.
It seemed that the Emperor and Empress would be staying on the fourth floor, Ian and I on the third, and the princess on the second.
“These are your chambers for the duration of your stay.”
The place where the servant stopped was in front of an unusually large door in the center of the third floor.
As they opened the door, a wide window spanning the entire opposite wall, a balcony, and beyond it, a stunning view of the deep blue sea came into view at once.
Without realizing it, I covered my mouth and let out a gasp.
“Wow.”
‘It’s even more amazing than I thought!’
It was worth coming here, even if I had braced myself to be sandwiched between them!
I quickly crossed the room and slid open the glass door leading outside.
A cool sea breeze that had been gathering at the window rushed in, brushing against my cheeks.
Standing on the cliff’s edge, the sound of crashing waves rang melodiously in my ears.
“This is wonderful.”
I was enjoying the sea breeze for quite some time when I turned around with a smile.
By now, the servants had long since disappeared, and Ian was standing there in the white and blue room, staring at me. Not the sea, but at me.
‘What’s with that expression?’
His face looked a bit strange.
He wasn’t his usual sullen self, nor did he seem displeased.
‘Why has he been looking at me like that so often lately?’
I tried to examine his face more closely, but just then, a gust of wind from the sea blew my hair into my eyes, obscuring my view.
Giving up on observing him, I pushed my hair behind my ears and gestured toward him.
“Why are you just standing there? Come here and take a look. The view is stunning.”
At my urging, Ian furrowed his brow for a split second but slowly walked over to the balcony.
“Do you like the sea?”
“It’s beautiful.”
Who doesn’t like the sea? However, for the busy modern person, finding the time to go see it isn’t exactly easy.
‘But this really feels like a vacation!’
Ian, on the other hand, stood beside me with an expression devoid of excitement, even indifference. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at him.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to say something like ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel’ or ‘It’s blue,’ are you?”
He opened his mouth slightly as if to respond but then closed it firmly.
Got him.
The more I looked at him, the more curious I became about how he was wired.
After giving him an exasperated once-over, I turned my gaze back to the horizon. The meeting point of the sea and sky, which I had seen earlier from the carriage, was even more vivid here.
“Well, at least I won’t be bored with this view for the next week.”
Waking up every morning and seeing the ocean through that wide window—just thinking about it made me happy.
Even though I was here to watch over the princess instead of the Duchess of Brilluze, I wouldn’t have to follow her around all day like a nanny.
I had already taken care of the work at the grand duchy, so I might as well enjoy myself while I’m here.
Feeling satisfied just from looking at the sea, I left Ian on the balcony and began humming as I explored the room.
Since it was a villa, the interior wasn’t overwhelmingly ornate, but rather refreshing and comfortable.
In the center was a living room with a wide window, and on either side of it were the bedroom, reception room, and study.
After wandering around for a while, I opened the bathroom door and let out a small gasp.
“Oh.”
There was also a window facing the sea in the bathroom. I liked that you could soak in the tub while looking outside.
‘I’ll have to ask Vivi to prepare a bubble bath later.’
Grinning with satisfaction, I closed the bathroom door and headed to the bedroom.
“Wow, the bedroom is the nicest.”
As befitting a vacation home, all the main rooms had views of the sea.
The large bed in the center of the bedroom, in particular, was draped with a blue cloth over the white sheets and topped with a light, airy canopy, giving it a luxurious feel.
After enjoying the view, I left the bedroom and returned to the living room, only to suddenly stop in my tracks.
I stared blankly at Ian, who had just stepped in from the balcony.
Wait a minute…
“Are we… sharing a room?”
♧♧♧
If you want to support the translation and the translator, please buy a coffee 🐳
