After the dance with Ruth ended, we returned to the terrace in the same way we came. Floating in the air without any equipment and being transported felt unfamiliar and never quite comfortable.
Upon arriving at the terrace, I lightly brushed off my dress and quickly scanned it. As a result of checking, I noticed the soles of my shoes and the bottom of my dress were slightly wet from dancing on the water, but it wasn’t bothersome enough to care about.
After I examined my outfit and looked up, our eyes met with Ruth, who had been watching me since who knows when. His eyes sparkled with excitement as soon as he saw me, as if he had been waiting just for me to notice him.
Ruth stared at me for a few seconds in that state and then quietly asked,
“So, how was it?”
Although it wasn’t explicitly mentioned what he was asking about, it was clear. He must be asking about the dance we just had on the lake. I was confident about that internally and smiled broadly.
“It was wonderful enough to be a memory I’ll cherish for a lifetime.”
“That’s a relief to hear.”
“But how did you come up with the idea to dance on the water? I wouldn’t have thought of it.”
“Hmm, I just thought you might like the water. It just seemed like that to me.”
Huh?
I couldn’t help but tilt my head at his ambiguous answer. I wondered where Ruth had seen something in me to think that way. Since I entered the palace, I hadn’t even seen a small fountain, let alone a lake, so I hadn’t shown any sign of liking those things.
While I was furrowing my brow and pondering, Ruth suddenly grabbed my hand and firmly pressed his lips against the back of it. This brought me back to reality, and I looked down at Ruth, who was now kissing my hand, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
What’s this…?
A dumbfounded suspicion crept up on me. Normally, I would have understood the situation immediately, but being with Ruth, I felt as if I was swimming through a dream.
Aware or unaware of my state, Ruth maintained his lips on my hand, offering a final greeting that concluded the dance with proper etiquette.
“May the blessings of the Atzeca goddess be upon you.”
Then, he slowly straightened up and let go of my hand, as if that had been his only purpose.
Standing there dazed as if I was merely observing the situation, I soon came to my senses and couldn’t prevent my face from flushing. I was embarrassed by the near mistake of falling into a silly misconception again. Hoping Ruth hadn’t seen inside my head, I took a deep breath and started to speak.
“May the blessings of the Atzeca goddess be upon you.”
After I also exchanged greetings, Ruth, who had returned to his original atmosphere, leaned against the terrace railing with a slightly relaxed posture.
“I hope today remains as a good time for you.”
With those words, he imparted to me a wish of unclear meaning, then closed and slowly lifted his eyelids as if savoring the breeze passing by him.
After watching Ruth for a moment, I soon realized what he was trying to tell me and let out a sigh.
Ruth was still concerned about running into Helen and Duke Hazel at the banquet earlier. He was internally worried that it might present another ‘bad memory’ for me.
After understanding his intention, I chuckled softly and walked over to stand beside Ruth, leaning my arm against the railing and responding.
“Yes, of course.”
It will remain a good memory. Whenever things get tough, it will be a memory that, by just looking back a little, will fill me with energy. It will be such a precious memory that I wouldn’t want to show it to anyone for fear of it fading. I swallowed all the words that followed.
Then, reflecting on the feelings I felt over the lake, I changed the subject.
“Your Majesty.”
“Did you call?”
“Your Majesty said it yourself. The sea is no different from being trapped in another framework, and to find freedom, it is right for me to break my own mold.”
“I suppose I did say something like that.”
“What if I need Your Majesty to break free from my mold, what would you do?”
The “mold” I’m speaking of is Serbia itself. The cage that has invariably trapped both the twelve-year-old and the twenty-three-year-old me.
Consequently, this mold has made me approach those around me not as ‘myself’ but as ‘Serbia’.
Therefore, if I want to break this mold, it’s inevitable that it would affect Ruth, who is deeply connected to ‘Serbia’. Whether that effect is positive or negative.
That’s why I was curious about Ruth’s opinion. Even if it means causing a crack in his own world because of me, I wondered if he has the will to help. Or, if he’d rather lead a fake, yet utterly peaceful life, keeping everything hidden beneath the surface.
After contemplating my question for a while, Ruth eventually broke into a refreshing smile.
“I would still help. I mean, we promised to do so in the first place. And well, I think it wouldn’t be bad for me to learn a sense of adventure in the process.”
“……”
His answer, although playful, was known to carry a sincerity deeper than anything else, which naturally caused my lips to purse.
Right. This is why I like you, with such a personality.
A sense of belated relief made me mistakenly feel a warm rush to my eyes. It was a delusion that wasn’t unpleasant at all.
With a small sob, I took several deep breaths to quell the rising emotion and managed to maintain a calm tone as I spoke.
“Your Majesty. You said you would grant me a wish in recognition of my hard work last time.”
“That’s right. Do you have any wish in mind? As long as it’s not asking for the stars in the sky, I can grant anything.”
“Yes, I have one.”
As I nodded, Ruth gestured for me to go on with a tilt of his chin. However, since it was too early to speak of it, I smiled more broadly and shook my head.
“Not now, later. I’ll tell you after the hunting contest is over.”
The end of the hunting contest would also mark the end of our agreement. Therefore, it would be time to reveal the whole truth. That I was not ‘Serbia’ but ‘Selena’. That I was the ‘child’ Ruth longed to see.
“So you must fulfill my wish, no matter what.”
My only wish was that Ruth would love me, even if I were not ‘Serbia’. That was all.
As I finished my not-so-simple request, Ruth shrugged nonchalantly as if it were no big deal.
“Of course. Whatever it is, I’ll make sure it comes true.”
“Yes. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Even if this were an exaggeration, I’ve decided to trust Ruth. Now, there’s nothing left for me to do but trust him. If I don’t, I’ll slowly decay from the inside.
As I was thinking this, keeping a composed expression, I heard someone drawing the curtains outside the terrace. The sound was crisp, twice, unmistakably intentional, drawing my attention towards it. And just as I suspected, soon after, a servant spoke in a monotone from beyond the curtain.
“His Imperial Majesty, the Duke of Obelton’s young lady.”
“Tell them.”
“The lady requests your presence in the second-floor drawing room.”
“The lady.” While it wasn’t specified who, since it was a servant of the Abyss family using the term, there was only one person it could be, so there was no confusion. Ruth seemed to understand this as well, looking back at me after hearing the servant’s message.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
I answered him similarly and with a gesture, Ruth began to move with a faint laugh, and I stepped forward to follow him.
It’s time to leave this dreamlike moment behind.
***
The place where the servant of the Abyss family took us was a reception room located in the most secluded corner of the mansion’s second floor. It was a place one wouldn’t bother searching for unless they had stayed at the Abyss mansion for a considerable amount of time.
“Please wait here.”
“Thank you for showing us.”
After reaching the front of the reception room door and bowing to inform us, Ruth expressed his gratitude with a businesslike expression and then knocked on the firmly closed reception room door two or three times. He then slightly parted his lips as if to announce our arrival.
“May we enter?”
“Yes, please come in.”
Despite not having explicitly announced our presence, Helen calmly gave permission to enter. It seemed she had already deduced that those standing at the door were us, just by hearing the knock.
At Helen’s quick response, Ruth raised one eyebrow quizzically and glanced at me, as if asking if we should go in. In response, I nodded up and down and then took a deep breath.
Ruth gently pushed the door open, and the dark corridor was brightened by the light spilling from the reception room. I glanced down at the light touching my toes and walked towards the direction where Helen’s distinctive rose scent came from.
Helen was waiting, perhaps having tea until we arrived, sitting on an elegant crimson sofa with a teacup at her lips.
From the way she held the teacup to her posture on the sofa, everything about her was the epitome of an exemplary noble, bearing no resemblance to the common folk ambiance I was familiar with, not even the slightest.
“Given that we’re both equally busy, let’s get straight to the point.”
After making sure that I had taken a seat next to her, Ruth, sitting opposite Helen, opened the conversation.
“I’ve heard a lot through my fiancée, but I’d like to hear directly from you, Miss. Could you tell me what you expect from me and what I can gain in return if I fulfill your expectations?”
