Philome was overwhelmed by the preparations that had started early in the morning.
It would be more accurate to say that she didn’t even remember taking a bath and getting a massage to reduce swelling.
Perhaps because it was a banquet where she was dressing up properly for the first time in a while, the duke’s maids were excitedly treating Philome like a doll.
Philome quickly realized that she couldn’t stop them, so she simply let them move her around as they pleased.
“Wow!”
Philome opened her eyes at the small exclamation.
She saw Liazell covering her mouth with wide, sparkling eyes beyond the mirror.
Philome quickly turned her body to greet Liazell.
“Liazell, you’re here?”
“Philome, you look so beautiful. Like a princess!”
Liazell, who had come closer, bounced up and down in place, worried that she might ruin Philome’s appearance.
Philome burst into laughter at the child’s pure compliment.
“Really? That’s such a nice thing to say!”
Even as she said this, she felt a bit guilty for not being able to take Liazell to the banquet since existence hasn’t been revealed officially yet.
“Should Liazell dress up like this next time?”
“With you, Philome?”
For Liazell, being with Philome was more important than wearing a princess-like dress, and she eagerly asked back.
“Of course.”
“Yay, that sounds great!”
“Do you want to see more?”
“Yes! I’ll sit quietly.”
Sophia and Liazell sat on a nearby sofa, chatting amicably while watching Philome get ready.
Philome kept glancing at them through the mirror, smiling at their friendly demeanor.
At that moment, the finishing touches on her makeup were being completed, and she was checking her dress for the last time.
Knock, knock.
Hearing the sound of someone knocking at the door, Philome said to Liazell, “Liazell, I think it’s the Duke. Can you greet him for me?”
“Yes!”
Liazell quickly jumped up from the sofa and ran to the door. As Liazell opened the door, Philome turned her body.
“Liazell?”
Kaein, who had heard that Liazell was watching Philome get ready but hadn’t expected her to greet him, paused for a moment, then held out one of the bouquets he was carrying.
The bouquet, large enough to fill a child’s arms, was made up of simple flowers, contrasting with its colorful wrapping.
Recognizing the flowers, Liazell’s eyes widened in surprise.
They looked exactly like the flowers she had bought a few days ago in the plaza.
“It’s a gift.”
“Thank you, Uncle! They’re so beautiful!”
Liazell beamed as she brought Kaien in front of Philome.
Kaien bowed and kissed the back of Philome’s hand. His warm lips lingered on her skin before slowly pulling away.
His bare hand, ungloved, brushed against Philome’s hand.
The sensation was vivid, leaving a lingering impression of his lips and touch.
“You look truly beautiful today, Philome.”
“You look beautiful too, Duke.”
It wasn’t something one would typically say to a grown man, but Kaien was indeed someone who matched the word “beautiful” perfectly. Today, he had styled his hair and dressed formally.
Even in a light suit or shirt, a person who shines becomes even more beautiful when dressed properly.
As Philome observed Kaien, she noticed that their dress codes were the same, which made her feel a bit embarrassed.
“Is that so? Don’t you have anything for beautiful me?”
“I’ll give you what I’m holding in my hand.”
Philome was referring to the bouquet Kaien had brought, but he tightened his grip on her hand, which he hadn’t let go of yet.
“This hand?”
“The bouquet.”
“That’s disappointing.”
Kaien shrugged and placed the bouquet into Philome’s arms.
It wasn’t large, but all the flowers inside were of unique colors.
Philome suddenly looked down at her dress. It was a subtly lavender-colored gown. Most of the flowers she received were also shades of purple.
“Did you match the bouquet to the dress code?”
“Yep. Purple suits you very well.”
The man with purple eyes said this.
“It’s as if you’re destined to be with purple for a lifetime.”
Philome chuckled softly as she looked into his calmly shining purple eyes.
“Is there really such a destiny?”
“There really is.”
His serious tone made it sound less like a joke.
Philome fiddled with the bouquet, then buried her face slightly among the flowers to inhale their fragrance. A variety of floral scents wafted around, but the one she was most familiar with was the violet.
“That flower is my favorite.”
Kaien lightly tapped the corner of his eye.
“My eye color is the same.”
“True.”
Philome smiled as she looked down at the violets.
“Oh, Duke, you’re all ready, right?”
“Yep. Can we go now?”
“Yes, I’m all set too.”
Philome linked arms with Kaien and took Liazell’s hand as they descended the hall together.
They then encountered Harnen, who had just arrived.
“Oh, Boss!”
Harnen waved cheerfully at Philome.
“Wow, Boss, you’re all dressed up today!”
“Aren’t you tired? Are you okay?”
“Is it hard to watch a kid?”
It was the first time leaving Liazell alone in the mansion, and Philome felt worried. While she didn’t distrust the duke’s household, she wanted Liazell to have various experiences while spending time, so she had called Harnen.
Harnen had gladly accepted and came here.
“Liazell, say hello. He’s my friend.”
“This is Harnen, little one.”
Liazell couldn’t take her eyes off Harnen’s long green hair.
“Is Harnen a fairy?”
“What…?”
Philome burst into laughter at Liazell’s innocent words.
“Harnen isn’t a fairy, but he’s friends with one. If you ask him to show you the fairy, he might do it!”
“Please show me the fairy!”
“Hey, come on, little one. I’m going to give you a memory you’ll remember for a lifetime today!”
“Wow!”
“Yay! Me too!”
Seeing Sophia excitedly run along made Philome unable to hold back her laughter.
“I expected it, but the three of them really get along well.”
Perhaps it was because their mental ages were similar; they really clicked.
Kaien smiled as he escorted Philome to the prepared carriage.
“They seem like they’re having a blast.”
“Yes, I think so.”
Philome giggled, imagining Liazell and Sophia happily following Harnen.
Once in the carriage, Philome looked across at Kaien and noticed the brooch attached to his chest.
“Did you wear that again?”
“Yep.”
Typically, nobles don’t wear the same accessory repeatedly.
Countess Bonita was like that too. Even when she was deep in debt, she would regularly buy new accessories and dresses.
Kaien carefully adjusted his brooch.
“I wanted to show it to everyone.”
Knowing what the brooch, the same color as her eyes, meant to Kaien made Philome’s face flush.
“Oh, right. Harnen said he secured a certain amount of stock.”
Although the spirit scrolls hadn’t been officially distributed yet, Harnen had been working on producing a lot in his spare time.
Since Harnen had to handle the stock alone, Kaien didn’t plan to release a large quantity from the start. The smaller and more expensive the items, the more people were eager for them.
“That’s a relief. We should be able to release them in a few days.”
“Sounds like people’s reactions were better than expected?”
“Yeah. They’re accepting the spirits much faster than we expected.”
Cute things tend to capture hearts more than pretty or handsome ones. The adorable spirit characters quickly found a place in people’s hearts.
“It’s better to start at least before I leave.”
“Seems that way.”
Philome added with a mumble, “It really isn’t long now.”
There was barely a week left until Kaien headed north. It felt like just a few days ago that she had heard he was going to the north a month earlier.
“Do you wish I wouldn’t go?”
Philome turned to Kaien.
Kaien, with his arms crossed and a playful smile, looked at Philome.
She lightly laughed and nodded.
“Yes, of course.”
“Huh?”
Kaien was surprised by Philome’s affirmative response.
“I think it’ll be lonely if you go, Duke. Even though you’ll come back occasionally, I’ll still worry.”
Philome admitted to herself that she relied on Kaien quite a bit. He was a dependable person, someone she could lean on.
“And I know you deliberately had Madonna assign me the role of hostess.”
thanks for the chapter