Besides, how could he be angry when she showed a face like that? But he felt like if he asked her about it, she would make the same facial expression and run away, so he changed the subject.
“So, what did you wish for?”
“What?”
“The bracelet, I mean. You must have wished for something.”
She’d heard that wishes didn’t come true if they accidentally broke, but she was still a little curious. She was also relieved that he really didn’t seem upset. Her face relaxed.
“I didn’t wish for anything.”
“……Nothing?”
“No.”
“You don’t have any wishes?”
“In fact, I do have a wish.”
She does have a wish. She’d always had one wish.
“But I don’t want to entrust my wish to something that might accidentally break.”
“I see.”
“Do you have any wishes?”
“Well, I’ve never thought about it.”
“If you think about it carefully, I’m sure you’ll come up with something. Even if it’s small, it’s okay.”
When he saw her eyes sparkling, he burst into laughter.
“Why, will you grant my wish?”
“If I can.”
“Then take care of yourself.”
“What?”
“I mean do at least half as much as you do for me, for yourself as well.”
He raised an eyebrow, straightening the collar of her coat, which had fallen open, and strode away. But she didn’t follow him straight away. Her breath caught, her face going blank. She clutched at the collar where his hand had been. For some reason, she felt her heart beating faster.
Then she snapped out of it and ran after him. A moment later, she caught up with him. A servant then approached her.
“The Lady has requested to see the knight for a moment.”
When she looked at Ash, he lightly nodded his head.
“Go.”
Elaine followed the servant to Yulina’s room, sat down on the bed and turned her head.
“Ah, fortunately you haven’t left yet.”
“I heard you called for me.”
“Before you leave, I have something to tell you directly.”
The maid placed the tea beside them and left the room. Yulina looked at Elaine’s bandaged arm.
“Your arm… Is it okay?”
She asked in an apologetic tone.
“You got hurt because of me back then. I couldn’t apologize before because I was in a hurry…”
“No, it’s okay.”
She smiled faintly as Elaine awkwardly held up her hand.
“But still… Thank you so much, I really wanted to say that.”
‘Because thanks to you, I realize I was about to make a huge mistake.’
“Is there anything I can do to repay you? I want to help you with whatever I can.”
A request. Normally, she would have said no right away, but there was one thing Elaine needed right now.
‘But… Can I ask for this?’
When she seemed to hesitate, Yulina spoke with a serious expression.
“You can tell me anything.”
“…”
“Because the Lakers always repay their debts.”
At those words, Elaine laughed a little. She is, after all, her father’s daughter.
“Then can I ask you one favor?”
“Anything you want.”
It worked out better this way, there was something more important to her than anything else.
Elain looked straight into Yulina’s eyes and said.
“The battle to subdue the evil dragon 20 years ago. I want to see that day’s travel list.”
***
The royal castle of the capital.
The sound of something breaking echoed loudly in the room. Transparent crystal glass and expensive items laid shattered on the red carpet. Michael swept the items off the table with one arm and took a deep breath out of anger.
“Damn it!”
He hit the table with a bang, pounding his fists and gritting his teeth.
“How dare they! How dare they humiliate me like this?”
Damn Lakers. If him, the crown prince, showed her mercy and proposed an engagement, they should bow their heads in gratitude to him, but they rejected his offer? And in front of that bastard, too?
Ash’s face appeared in Michael’s thoughts. In his eyes, Ash appeared to be laughing at him. Anger rose again at the way he dared to look down on him.
“Damn it!”
Once again things began breaking. This time, his associates did not stop him. He threw things around the room until he calmed down again. He was the country’s only crown prince. He was born with everything and everyone bowed before him. Yes, he lacked nothing.
In fact, Michael did not have to personally go to the Lakers. He didn’t even have to get engaged to the Lakers. For him, there were already families lined up for the crown princess position.
Among them, there were many prominent families. Of course, if she had agreed, he would have welcomed her with both hands, and the engagement would have been set without a hitch. He could obtain many good things without putting in any effort.
But the Lakers were special. After the founding of the country, when the continent was unified, the northern part was the area that had the most difficulty being subjugated. Northerners, who are naturally hard-hearted, have long been difficult for the royal family to control.
The Lakers had a firm grip on the public sentiment in the North. If he could get the Lakers on his side, his status would be lifted even higher. Above all, through them, Michael wanted to prove his abilities to his father.
‘Michael, how many times have you told me that you have to be better than that guy?’
‘Why can’t you do what even that lowly bastard can do!’
‘Pathetic.’
His father’s voice lingered in his ears, like an echo. A contemptuous expression and cold eyes, as if looking at something lowly. From a very young age, his father always pushed him to be better than Ash.
Even swordsmanship and academics, no matter what, Michael could not surpass Ash. His natural talent was completely out of reach from the very beginning. The more he fell behind, the colder his father’s gaze became, and Michael’s anger toward Ash grew.
Everything about Ash was annoying. He was annoyed by his noble face and strength that wouldn’t break no matter how much he mocked him, and even by the way he became a Duke and shone as if spreading his wings. But this time, he ended up showing a shameful appearance in front of him.
Michael gritted his teeth. He opened his mouth without even looking at his subjects.
“Which family was it that asked me for an engagement a while ago?”
He clenched his fists. Even if he couldn’t get the Lakers, he was still more noble than anyone else. He will definitely return this humiliation.
* * *
After Elaine returned to Killiard, Sophia was shocked to see her. Sophia jumped when she saw the bandage on her arm.
“What happened!”
Sophia seemed even more surprised because she knew Elaine’s true strength. But for the knights who wielded their swords in battle, injuries were common. Even after hearing the story, Sophia didn’t lower her voice.
“But what if you got hurt instead!”
“Otherwise, she would’ve gotten hurt.”
“It’s normal for people to live, even if they lose a limb!”
Elaine’s pupils fluttered as if she were saying something scary, and Sophia, who was clearing her throat loudly, blamed it on her excitement.
‘Is she being serious…?’
Anyway, after that, Sophia treated Elaine as if she were a seriously ill patient.
“I can’t believe you’re holding a pen with your injured arm, it’s so heavy!”
“I’ll open it for you!”
“Just skip your shift!”
For Elaine, this was truly an embarrassing situation. To avoid arousing unnecessary suspicion, she had to wear a bandage for a while, but in fact, her conscience was pricked because the wound was completely healed.
“I’ll do it for you!”
And more than anything, it was burdensome. Elaine looked at the spoon held out in front of her and let out a sigh. Sophia was holding the spoon as if she was going to feed her, eyes sparkling.
‘Why does she look strangely excited…?’
Elaine shook her head and spoke.
“Sophia, I’m right-handed.”
The injured arm was the left, so, she could eat on her own. At this point, she was even interfering with her daily life. Even though she could hear Sofia clicking her tongue, saying ‘Tsk, I guess so’, Elaine tried to pretend she didn’t.
The good news was that it wasn’t a major injury such as a broken bone, so she didn’t have to act for a long time. How long did it usually take for a wound like this to heal? Elaine arrived at Ash’s office, calculating the time in her thoughts.
“Ah, Dame Elaine.”
Then she ran into Lowell at the door. He was carrying a stack of documents today as well.
“You came early?”
“I have a lot to report from while you were away.”
After briefly greeting each other, the two went inside together. Ash briefly rubbed his temple after looking at the pile of documents that Lowell had brought with him.
Looking at Lowell setting down the pile, Ash raised an eyebrow.
“You look like you’re in a good mood.”
“Of course. Thanks to you and Dame Elaine, we are under budget this time!”
Lowell continued with a smile.
“Thanks to the conditions promised by the Lakers, the cost of renovation work has been significantly reduced. In addition, I even received a thank you letter from the Margrave, who is famous for his cold demeanor. It means that you have gained the trust of the Lakers. As expected, you are a blessing to our territory!”
“Of course, I feel sorry for their situation, but…”
Lowell added belatedly and sheepishly. Ash, who was looking at Lowell with a pitying expression, shook his head.
“So, what are these?”
In addition to the letters from the Margrave and the documents, Lowell’s hands were full of envelopes.
“Ah, these are all invitations for you.”
“Invitations?”
“Yes, these were sent by ladies requesting to meet with you personally.”
Ash seemed to realize something and made an ‘ah’ sound. Lowell piled the letters on his desk. They were all beautifully colored envelopes with subtle scents. These letters exuded a cute and lovely feeling.
Ash frowned.
“I thought I told you, you didn’t have to report these to me. Didn’t I say you could just discard them?”
In fact, these were all love letters disguised as invitations. In other words, a request for a personal meeting. They meant that the sender wanted to have a closer, more intimate relationship.
