6. Dawn
“It’s really hot in the South.”
Ney, sitting next to the carriage window, said while wiping her sweat with a handkerchief.
Agnes was so exhausted by the heat that she had lost all desire and ability to speak.
She simply opened the window, put her face out, and let the wind blow over her.
“Ah, we’re here!”
Nae exclaimed.
Squinting her eyes, Agnes began to see a gray castle standing tall between the trees.
At that point, she tightened the loose knot of her dress.
When the carriage finally stopped, the door opened from the outside.
Agnes expected to see the Count’s butler greeting her, but an unexpected figure was standing there.
“Welcome to Count Cellon’s residence, Duchess.”
Emmerich greeted her with a beaming smile and extended his hand. Agnes took his hand and stepped out of the carriage.
“Thank you for coming out to greet me personally, Count.”
“It’s only natural to do so for such an esteemed guest.”
The Count skillfully escorted Agnes to the reception room.
“I was surprised when I received word that you were coming.”
“Well, I’ve been interested in the Night of Roses for a while now.”
“Is that so?”
Emmerich gave a peculiar smile. A maid brought tea and set it before Agnes.
She took a sip absentmindedly and was a bit surprised.
“Oh, this is…”
“It’s your favorite tea. I knew you enjoyed it while you were at the palace, so I prepared it.”
“How considerate. Thank you.”
“I have instructed that everything be made as comfortable as possible for you. However, if you need anything, please let me know immediately.”
“Alright.”
A very kind-faced butler approached and informed her that her luggage had been taken care of.
“Shall I show you to your room?”
“You’re going to do it yourself? Is that necessary? You can go back to your duties.”
Agnes waved her hand dismissively. The butler stepped aside and led the way.
“This is the second-best room in the castle, Duchess.”
As he said, it was a splendid room.
The columns and walls were adorned with gold and jewels, making it extremely luxurious.
“And these are the maids assigned to attend to the Duchess.”
Five maids came out and bowed politely.
“Five? That’s too much. Since I’ve brought my own maids, you can take two of these and leave the rest.”
“No. The master has instructed that there be no shortcomings in attending to the Duchess. If you find these maids unsatisfactory, I can bring others.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
Even when she was a princess in the palace, she usually had only three maids attending to her.
The butler showed no sign of resignation. Agnes reluctantly agreed.
“Okay. Let’s do that.”
Only then did the butler smile and bow before leaving.
Ney, pretending to adjust Agnes’s hair, muttered.
“Suspicious.”
“What is?”
“The count.”
“Why?”
“I think he’s up to something.”
“What do you mean?”
“His gaze is very strange. Even when we were at the palace, his eyes had an odd look when he looked at you…”
“Seriously.”
Agnes scoffed.
“Stop with the nonsense and help me change clothes. It’s so hot I can barely breathe.”
Ney, irritated, added a few more comments, but Agnes dismissed them as unimportant.
When night fell, lights were lit all over the castle.
The Night of Roses had been ongoing for almost five days, making the castle quite noisy every night.
After resting for about two days to recover from the travel fatigue, Agnes attended the party held in the castle.
“The Duchess of Arpad is entering.”
Some faces were familiar, while others were completely new.
Before she had taken a few steps, Emmerich quickly approached.
“If you had asked for an escort, I would have gone.”
“The Count?”
Agnes was genuinely curious.
At parties, married women typically received escorts from their husbands or male relatives.
“Why would you escort me?”
“That’s my overflowing goodwill.”
“Please refrain from such goodwill to avoid misunderstandings.”
“Who would misunderstand our relationship?”
His tone was subtle. Agnes looked up at Emerich.
Although they were acquainted with each other, they only exchanged greetings a few times when they were together with Chavolti.
“You….”
“Yes.”
Emmerich smiled lightly.
Agnes took notice of his appearance again. He was a typical handsome man from the South, with his deep brown eyes standing out the most.
Overall, he had a soft and gentle demeanor.
He didn’t seem at all like someone who had been involved in smuggling, trafficking, or colluding with the Pirate King for years.
“It’s nothing.”
Agnes, who had spoken impulsively, decided to hold her tongue.
Emmerich didn’t probe further. Instead, he instructed a servant to bring more drinks.
“I hear you drink better than Prince Chavolti.”
He said, handing her a glass.
”Chavolti can’t drink.”
“Haha. Would you like to have a drinking contest with me next time? I’d like to treat you to some famous wine from the south.”
”Hmm?”
The chance to talk privately came so soon.
Agnes inwardly rejoiced.
“Well, if the Count wishes.”
“When would be a good time for you?”
“I’m here for leisure, so I’ll adjust to your schedule.”
“I have another guest tomorrow, so that won’t work. How about the day after tomorrow?”
“That sounds good.”
Agnes smiled and nodded repeatedly.
There were a few people around looking for Emmerich.
However, he stayed by Agnes’s side for quite a while.
“When will you go boating?”
“Well, I hadn’t really thought about it… but I’ll do it soon.”
Since she had mentioned her anticipation of the Night of Roses, she hurriedly changed the subject.
“Have you made a reservation for a boat?”
“Reservation? Do I have to make a reservation for a boat?”
“Oh dear. To go boating during the Night of Roses, you need to arrange a boat at least a few months in advance.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Well, there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Agnes quickly gave up.
After all, the purpose of her visit was not to go boating but to settle matters with him.
“It would be a pity to leave after coming all this way.”
“If I don’t have a boat, I can just watch by the river, so it’s alright.”
“No. We recently built a small ship. I’ll lend it to the duchess.”
“Oh, there’s no need to go that far.”
“You’ve come all this way. Isn’t it a pity to leave without enjoying it?”
He asked with a playful, breezy smile, like a spring breeze.
“Hmm.”
Agnes hesitated for a moment.
There was no need to refuse and arouse suspicion.
“Alright. Thank you Count.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
Emmerich bowed politely and then stepped back.
Afterwards, several people approached Agnes and then left.
“Nice to meet you. Duchess.”
“Hmm. And you are?”
“I’m Vasa Cellon.”
“Oh, then you must be the Count Cellon’s…”
“I’m his younger sister.”
They resembled each other enough that no further explanation was needed.
However, there was a different atmosphere about them.
While Emmerich always maintained a gentle smile that gave him a kind impression, his sister seemed like a delicate and shy deer.
“I’ve been using Elemer a lot these days. The sun is so strong in the south that even a few days of sunlight can quickly darken the skin.”
“It’s good to hear that it helps.”
“I’ve always wanted to meet you. I’m glad you came like this. Duchess.”
“Me? Why?”
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Emmerich.”
“The Count?”
“Yes. So if you need anything, please let me know.”
She spoke with a genuinely happy expression.
Agnes felt awkwardly shy in the face of her overwhelming friendliness.
“Thank you, Lady Cellon.”
“Please call me Vasa.”
“Very well, Lady Vasa.”
Basa smiled brightly like the summer sun at Agnes’s words, bowed, and then left.
Someone asked Agnes for a dance, but she politely declined.
She had met everyone she needed to.
Agnes decided to leave the banquet hall when the party was in full swing.
“Are you tired? Shall I prepare a bath?”
As soon as she exited the banquet hall, Ney approached her immediately and asked,
“Yes. And it’s so humid here.”
“That’s right. The west is better. Here it’s hot and humid, making it hard to breathe.”
“It would be better to take a bath before going to bed.”
Agnes and Ney walked through the dimly lit garden, chatting.
“Oh, excuse me.”
A tall man approaching from the opposite direction belatedly noticed Agnes and stepped aside.
In the light, his face was partially visible.
His messy blond hair and sideburns made him look very untidy.
Additionally, he had a crescent-shaped scar under his chin, making him look more like a mercenary than a noble.
A mercenary?
“What’s wrong, madam?”
Agnes quickly turned her head and stared at the man’s back as he walked away.
“That guy earlier. What was the color of his eyes?”
“Hmm. Oh, dark blue? Navy blue? I think it was something like that.”
It’s the Pirate King.
He was definitely the man from the portrait Roland had sent.
Agnes hurried back to her room at a brisk pace. She quickly reviewed the carefully hidden materials she had brought.
“It’s him.”
It roughly matched the characteristics of the pirate king expressed in the picture.
Agnes trembled with light excitement. It felt like things were starting to fall into place.
Without having to bring it up first, she had found a chance to talk with the Count, and had run into the Pirate King by chance.
“Madam. The bath is ready.”
“Okay.”
Agnes smiled broadly as she entered the bath.
The waiting maidservants rushed over to undress her and assist her.
TL/N: Ackk! I really hate this chapter and the next few chapters. Agnes is so DUMB. It’s annoying. But the most annoying one is Emmerich. I’ll try to post more chapters next month. Thank you for reading!!!
