Side Story, Episode 5
“…Alright.”
The silence in the reception room lasted only a moment before I nodded readily.
At my positive response, the Empress looked genuinely surprised, her eyes widening.
“Huh? What did you say?”
“I said I agree, Your Highness, to your proposal.”
When I repeated myself, not just the Empress but also Diana and Madame Zed, who were sitting beside her, widened their eyes in disbelief.
“Really?”
“Are you serious, El?”
“Oh my.”
They had been encouraging me so fervently, yet now they looked as though they couldn’t believe their ears.
Tilting my head, I asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted to see it?”
“Well, yes, I did. But to be honest, I half-expected you to brush me off.”
You were bold enough to propose it knowing that? Impressive.
“Thinking about it, though, it’s not a bad idea. A public proposal might be too much, but a private event with just Ian and me should be fine.”
I answered confidently and shrugged.
The more I thought about it, the less it seemed like a bad idea.
After all, for the past year, Ian had done so much for me without expecting much in return. Honestly, I hadn’t really done anything for him.
Sure, at the beginning, I’d taken him out on various dates, but that was more about my sense of responsibility than any personal sentiment.
‘And let’s be real, those were practically training sessions.’
The thought left me feeling a bit strange.
“Well, let’s do it.”
Of course, balancing this with wedding preparations, which only had about a month left, would be quite the task. But if not now, when would I ever make such a bold decision?
Love and life are all about timing, after all.
Resolving myself once more, I looked at the three people in front of me.
“Oh…”
Seeing my positive reaction, the Empress, Diana, and Madame Zed all looked intrigued.
Actually, now that I thought about it, their synchronized expressions were almost uncanny. If someone told me they were sisters, I’d believe it.
Oblivious to my inner musings, the three of them began chatting excitedly, their expressions lighting up.
“Really?”
“That’s amazing, El! This is why I love your bold side!”
“Your Grace, is there anything I can do to help?”
“Of course, we have to help!”
I didn’t understand why their eyes sparkled so brightly when I was the one planning the event.
‘Still, having these three offer their help is nothing to turn down.’
After all, weren’t these three the most proactive troublemakers in the entire Empire?
And after a year of being the Duchess, I was well accustomed to being everyone’s source of entertainment.
Ignoring their starry-eyed gazes, I added, “I’ll figure out the details starting now. We don’t have much time, so I’ll need to have a solid plan within three days. I do have a few ideas already…”
“What are they, what are they?”
The Empress asked eagerly, clearly unable to contain her excitement.
“Candles, a ring, roses… Those should be part of it, don’t you think?”
Those three are classics for any proposal.
At my suggestion, the three of them nodded vigorously.
“Candles, a ring, roses! Perfect!”
“Instead of just a bouquet, how about decorating the garden with a thousand roses?”
“That’s brilliant! And we could line the garden path with candles after sunset!”
“As expected, Madame Zed has an eye for this.”
“I’m still no match for Her Highness, though, am I?”
I’d barely thrown out a suggestion, but the three of them were already buzzing with excitement, exchanging ideas about how to execute the proposal.
Should the candles be arranged in a heart shape, or would lanterns be better? Would blue roses be more striking than red ones? Maybe we should hire a full orchestra?
‘If someone saw this, they’d think they were the ones planning the event, not me.’
Watching them, I didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh, so I ended up wearing a confused expression.
“Anyway, fine. If that’s what you want, Duchess, I’ll roll up my sleeves and help!”
“Me too, El!”
“Leave it to me.”
With an enthusiastic determination, the three of them beamed.
“How reassuring.”
“Of course! I can’t miss out on such an entertaining— I mean, important event!”
Your Highness, you just let your real thoughts slip, didn’t you?
As I narrowed my eyes, the Empress cleared her throat and suddenly stood up from the sofa.
“Anyway, let’s discuss the details later. After all, this is the Duchess’s event to prepare.”
With that, Diana and Madame Zed rose from their seats as well.
“Are you leaving now?”
I asked cautiously, standing up with them.
‘Phew, they’re leaving sooner than expected.’
But that was wishful thinking.
The Empress gave me a baffled look, as if to say, What are you talking about?
“Leave? Where would we go?”
“Huh?”
“The proposal is one thing, but we also have work to do. Surely you haven’t forgotten why we came here?”
With a cheerful smile, the Empress gestured to her attendants.
“Lady Lawrence, Madame Zed.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“At your command.”
“Take the Duchess to the fitting room immediately. From this moment, we are creating the finest attire for the Duke and Duchess.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
Before I could say anything, the two swiftly approached and grabbed my arms.
“Let’s go.”
“Come on, El.”
Faced with their bright, cheerful smiles, I closed my eyes in resignation.
So begins another life-shortening ordeal.
It wasn’t until evening, five hours later, that I finally escaped their clutches.
After the sun had fully set, the three reluctantly let me go, and I dragged my exhausted body to the bedroom, feeling ten years older.
‘It wasn’t just friendship that brought them together.’
As expected, the Empress, Diana, and Madame Zed shared not only their camaraderie but also their intensity.
“…Eloise?”
How much time had passed?
I heard the door open, followed by Ian’s cautious voice as he called for me, sprawled out on the bed.
I weakly extended an arm toward him, waving lazily.
“You’re back, Ian.”
“What happened?”
He sat beside me on the bed, gently stroking my forehead as he asked.
“What’s left you so drained this early in the evening?”
“The Empress, Lady Diana Lawrence, and Madame Zed came by.”
At my response, Ian made a sound of understanding, his expression showing he grasped the situation.
“You’ve had a rough time.”
“As you can see.”
“And you haven’t had dinner yet, I presume.”
“I didn’t have the energy.”
I chuckled weakly, wrapping my arms around his waist.
As he patted my back soothingly, Ian adjusted his posture.
“In that case, I’ll have a light meal sent to the bedroom instead.”
I lifted my head slightly.
“Huh? There’s no need. I’ll just rest for a bit and come down. Didn’t you come home early so we could eat together?”
“Well, I did, but your face looks too pale right now.”
He whispered playfully and leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek.
“Besides, I much prefer spending quiet time with you here in the bedroom.”
“…You’re starting to love the bedroom a bit too much.”
“Thanks to someone.”
His responses no longer fazed me at this point.
Narrowing my eyes at him, I hesitated before voicing a thought that had crossed my mind.
“Ian.”
“Yes, Eloise?”
“…Have you ever had any romantic notions about proposals?”
“Proposals?”
“Yes.”
Ian’s sky-blue eyes widened slightly in confusion at my sudden question.
“What brought this on?”
“Oh, nothing. Just… Thinking about marrying you again made me wonder. Everyone has some kind of dream about that, don’t they?”
Feeling a bit awkward, I scratched my cheek and added quietly. Ian tilted his head, seemingly contemplating my question, before flashing me a soft smile.
“Well, I’ve never really thought about it.”
He then looked at me with amusement, his gaze gentle.
“Usually, I’d be the one proposing, wouldn’t I?”
“That’s true.”
In this world, men generally took the lead in proposals.
“Then what if you imagined it now?”
At my suggestion, Ian’s expression turned thoughtful, then shifted into a teasing smirk.
“Well, even if I were to dream of something like that…”
“…”
“You’re already the most extraordinary gift I could ever ask for.”
“…Where do you learn to say things like that? Is someone holding special classes for you?”
Why was he becoming so effortlessly smooth?
Chuckling at my flustered reaction, Ian softly ran his fingers through my hair and kissed my temple.
“So, you don’t need to worry about things like that.”
“…”
“You’re all I need, Eloise.”
• • •
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