The Crazy Prologue Never Ends

54. Street Rumors

It was an unexpected remark.

“But why didn’t he come in person?”

“He doesn’t have an invitation, so he couldn’t enter. It seems he was rejected because he’s not a noble. They gave me your name?”

“My name? Do you know why he came?”

“I’m not sure about that… When I asked again, he just said he came to deliver tree.”

Tree?

Ah, I remembered.

It must be the tree I ordered yesterday. It was an expensive tree with lots of branches, so maybe they came to deliver it in person.

I did urge them, but I didn’t expect them to rush out of the banquet hall just to see me.

Considering they even postponed the previous reservation by adding extra money, it seemed urgent enough.

“Should I tell the them to go back if Lady doesn’t know?”

As the answer lengthened, the servant glanced at me cautiously. It seemed like a mistake. After all, it wasn’t common for a commoner to call for a noble lady at a banquet.

“No, I understand what it is. Where is he waiting?”

“He’s waiting in the backyard.”

“I’ll go there now.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

I went to the backyard with the champagne. My dress was long, so it kept getting stepped on along with the grass. Holding up the hem of my dress with one hand, I walked towards the agreed-upon backyard.

There were no lights, and in the dimly lit backyard stood a man dressed in brown.

“Lord Kandall?”

He turned around.

He must have been in his late teens. He looked quite young for a lord.

“You came to find me?”

He looked around where he was standing. There was no sign of any trees. There wasn’t even a small cart.

What’s going on?

He didn’t respond to my words. After hesitating for a while, he took off his hat.

Brown hair with amber-colored eyes. Small freckles dotted under his eyes. His slightly rough skin made the man, who had just shed his boyishness, look innocent.

It was strange how the man, after taking off his hat and staring at me intently, hadn’t replied to me. He said he came to deliver tree, but he had been staring at me intently since earlier.

Feeling uneasy, I clenched the champagne. If he was here to deceive or mock me, I was prepared to pour it over him.

“Are you Leonie Sien?”

At that moment, the man spoke.

“Um…”

I stopped myself from pouring the champagne to his head. My words got stuck in my throat.

When purchasing all the items in the mansion, I had put down the name of Deon as the proxy. Not only the trees for the greenhouse but also the jewels and clothes for the ladies were all purchased under his name.

However, he knew my name exactly.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“It’s me.”

Was there a man so close to Leonie that they called each other by their names?

I greeted him with a bewildered feeling.

“Um… it’s been a while.”

I offered a safe greeting. If we already knew each other, it seemed okay to meet anyone.

After all, it was true that I had been stuck in the northern outskirts and hadn’t met outsiders for over four months.

He took a step closer. He looked at me with tear-streaked eyes.

Fortunately, my greeting didn’t seem awkward.

He seemed to think that my stiff demeanor was due to my embarrassment.

I smiled awkwardly, hoping my stiff lips would look natural.

“Leonie… Are you okay? Is your body… okay?”

He scanned my body from head to toe. His gaze, full of concern, didn’t feel unpleasant.

“Um… I’m fine.”

I nodded.

“You don’t know how worried I was. You should have told me earlier. If you had told me the situation properly, I wouldn’t have brought that medicine. When I heard that you had left for the north with that medicine…”

Ah, the medicine.

It was the medicine for suicide that had been left alone among insignificant items.

This man was the one who brought the medicine for Leonie.

It was definitely a more intimate relationship than I had thought.

“Are you really okay? I heard you were in the capital and rushed here. But you… have you gotten this close with him to attend such a noble party hosted here? Then the rumors on the streets, no, wait.”

He trailed off.

“What’s the rumor?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

He brushed it off.

“But why did you come looking for me? It doesn’t seem like you came to deliver wood.”

He was embarrassingly empty-handed. He didn’t even have a document bag with a contract in it.

“I…”

He hesitated for a while, then lifted his head with determination.

“Leonie, I came to rescue you.”

“What?”

I looked at him blankly at the sudden words. Then suddenly, I regained my composure and burst into laughter.

It was a childish act. There was youthful vigor in his eyes.

Confidence that he could do anything and accomplish anything. The eyes of someone who hadn’t properly faced reality yet, fearless.

He seemed like a young master.

“How?”

“Um…”

He hesitated for a moment, perhaps unsure how I would react.

“I’m going to tell….”

“What?”

“I’ll tell everyone about the unfair treatment you’re receiving. I’ll have it published in the imperial newspaper.”

Of course, there was no plan. Would the imperial family really allow the fact that there was demon blood in their lineage to be published in the imperial newspaper?

That would be more than just embarrassing for the imperial family. Moreover, the newspaper wouldn’t just publish it as truth; whoever revealed it would be sentenced to death.

“Will the Emperor really be on your side? No matter how much he may dislike him, he’s still a prince and of royal blood.”

“But it’s not right for you to be exploited under such a man. Even if your family agreed… You should have told me sooner. Why did you endure it alone like this?”

My body trembled. It seemed like I was barely suppressing my anger.

He stammered and continued.

“I thought you would stay in the north after you left. But suddenly you’re in the capital… I even heard from the ladies. You… you…”

“What have you been saying about me since earlier? If you know something, just tell me the truth.”

Although I was irritated by the continued conversation, I was also curious.

The rumors that had flowed from Elizabeth’s lips had been filtered and selective, fitting of a lady. What Suren had heard were just rumors she had picked up while tearing apart a burnt piece of bread in the kitchen. The true opinions heard from the common people in the taverns and streets were something new.

He looked at me and answered.

“You’re… You’re the Duke’s lover.”

Lover.

It wasn’t a particularly pleasant word.

Still, was it better than being a noblewoman who had sold herself into debt?

“Rumors are just rumors. You shouldn’t pay them any mind.”

My legs went weak. I only now keenly felt the high heels that had been supporting me. I sank onto the nearby stool.

As I lifted my dress and massaged my legs, he turned his head.

“Do you like that rumor?”

I looked at the man. Would any woman actually like the rumor of being a mistress?

“Do you think I would?”

“I don’t think so, but… You often used to say, you wished your last name was longer, like that of a high-ranking noble. You didn’t want a surname that ended with just one word.”

As he said, the deeper the history here, the longer the surname.

The middle name of nobles is a unique privilege bestowed by the imperial family.

Leonie Sien.

A name that ends succinctly without a middle name.

Although Elizabeth introduced herself as the Countess Arin, when officially presented to the emperor, she would recite a longer middle name than her full name.

Even if it wasn’t Leonie, the nobles here disliked names that ended too succinctly.

They said it felt pitiful, as if their family’s shortcomings were revealed every time they introduced themselves. Within the few letters of their name lay a short history, insufficient money, and inadequate estates. Their inferior lives were all condensed into a few letters, worse off than commoners.

“But what you hated more than that was being poor. Whether going to a party, sleeping, going for a stroll, or working. You hated wearing the same dress every time. so you didn’t care if you didn’t have a noble title as long as you married a rich merchant.”

“…Was that so?”

“I couldn’t do it back then, but now I can. I inherited the top from my father. Although I don’t know if the life of a noble will end, it might be a better life than that of a baron… So, let’s run away.”

It was a sweet temptation.

In the past, I would have grabbed that unfamiliar hand and left without hesitation.

But I couldn’t do that now.

“I can’t go.”

I shook my head.

“…Why?”

“I have reasons.”

“You’re giving up without even trying…”

“Do you think I can leave him?”

He flinched at my sharp gaze.

He struggled a lot. But in the end, it was futile.

Offering to save someone is like throwing a net to someone drowning.

Moreover, would a newly appointed rural baron really help me escape?

Deon would be out for blood, against all odds.

It was an absurd idea.

Moreover, being a commoner who knows about the existence of blood, if he’s caught by Deon, he would be killed without hesitation.

“Enough.”

I didn’t want to see any more sacrifices.

“If you care about me, just come to the Imperial Palace occasionally.”

“Imperial Palace? Stay at Imperial Palace? Are you really… his mistress?”

“Something like that.”

“What kind of answer is that? do you love him?”

It felt like a pure question from an innocent child, free from impurities.

Love?

“Yeah. Well…”

It was uncomfortable. I wanted to end the conversation quickly. I nodded my head.

With my ambiguous answer, he still wore a puzzled expression.

The man with freckles who suddenly appeared. Was he the one who broke the agreement and got information from the head maid of the blood guard?

If so, it was fortunate. It meant that the agreement hadn’t fallen into the hands of someone else.

And it was fortunate that I didn’t inform Deon of that fact. I almost got my naive hometown friend killed for nothing.

“How can I contact you in the future?”

The only outsider who came to find me. I felt the need to get closer to him somehow.

“I’ll give you my business card.”

He retrieved a piece of paper from his pocket, signed the back, and then passed it to me.

I read the messy handwriting.

Philip.

It was the name of a friend of Leonie that I didn’t know, one that didn’t appear in the original work.

He must be a commoner, so he wouldn’t have a surname.

“I’ll call you soon. I hope you come.”

“Yeah. I’ll be waiting. Because we’re friends…”

Friends. It was a meaningless word, but for some reason, one side of my heart felt warm. It felt like I found a place to lean on.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

Back in the ballroom, there was a strange excitement in the air. I soon understood why.

Deon and Isella were among several couples dancing. Although the music playing was calm and slow, their movements were not restrained, and they were deeply engaged with each other.

She whispered Something, and Deon lowered his head as if he couldn’t hear well, pressing his ear closer. As a result, they ended up embracing each other more tightly. Their appearance seemed quite intimate.

Viter, observing from a distance, had a satisfied expression on his face.

The situation is turning out to be interesting.

His loyal vassal seemed to have already marked the woman by his side as his wife, whether she was a duchess, a crown princess, or an empress.

The first meeting between Isella and Deon wasn’t intense enough to evoke emotions in each other.

But at the same time, it wasn’t bad either.

Deon needs a noble family to strengthen his position.

Isella also seems to have a liking for the man who saved her precious sister.

Perhaps it’s a destiny that will continue. Even without a child or a sword, it’s enough.

I lifted the champagne I was holding and took a sip. Then I swallowed it in one gulp. A harsh sensation spread slowly down my throat.

I knew I shouldn’t drink alcohol due to mt blood, but today I wanted to.

“Do you love him?”

Philip’s words kept echoing in my mind.

It was bitter.

Perhaps it was because she had just heard the word “mistress,” but the alcohol tasted particularly bitter.

She’s perfect.

Compared to her, where I stand is just a created position. A place that will collapse like a sandcastle once its usefulness ends.

A corner of my heart felt numb.