As Kalcion grabbed her wrist and ate the flower with his mouth, Selina watched with blank eyes as he let go of her wrist and walked away, chewing on the flower. The way the bright red petals disappeared between his lips was especially conspicuous.
Red petals were crushed through the gap between the white front teeth, slightly exposed between the lips.
“Sweet.”
She watched him mindlessly until the red color of the petals completely disappeared. It was only then did she came to her senses with Kalcion’s appreciation. He was as dazzling as if a good-looking person was pouring light from his entire body when he put on a filter called love.
“Have another…”
Selina fumbled, unable to even look down at the flower in her hand. The next moment, Kalcion's hand crossed the window of the carriage. His invasive hand gripped her chin and pulled her impatiently.
Her lips were captured.
Like sucking nectar from a flower, his lips made a light noise and went away. She gazed at him with cloudy eyes, like someone whose soul had been taken from her lips.
“This one is sweeter.”
The way he smiled and walked away was no different from an adolescent boy excited about his first love.
“…There are people.”
“It’s better for them.”
Selina, who made sure that Dion wasn't looking, covered her flushed face.
“…I can't.”
The way she blushed was no different from that of an adolescent girl, not knowing what to do with the boy's kiss.
Kalcion was busy throughout the journey. Even though he rode his horse side by side with Dion and talked about something with a serious face, when he saw something unusual in the distance, he came back to her.
“See the tree in the distance? It was said to be the oldest in Renbird. They say it lived for an estimated ten thousand years.”
“Wow?”
“Do you like it?”
What is there to do if she likes the trees? However, it was difficult to say no to Kalcion's excited bragging.
“Yes.”
“Then, let me give it to you.”
“…What?"
What was he talking about? How the hell was he going to give a tree to her?
“I'll register it in your name, so if you want, you can charge for the tour or hide it so no one can see it.”
It would be talking about if she stayed here. Typically, what followed after ‘You don’t have this at home?’ was ‘I’ll give it to you.’
“Ahaha…”
Selina didn't even think of refusing the offer, so she just laughed.
If it were just any other gift, she would have said thank you, but he gave her a tree. It was new.
However, her speculation was complacent. Kalcion's numbers exceeded those of others, so she forgot again. His barrage of gifts was just beginning.
When she admired the field full of flowers that extended to the end of the horizon, he would offer to give her the whole field. And when she said she liked the cute village she saw while passing by, she offered to hand over the sovereignty.
Eventually, Selina even acquired one of the gates of Silenza.
By the time she reached Silenza, she had a total of five plains, thirteen trees, two villages and a gate. While she had had houses and cars, she had never had trees, plains, or gates. She wondered what it means to have it, but she also finds Kalcion cute as he tries to give her something.
Selina bursted out laughing every time she received something.
However, as she passed the gates of Silenza, the laughter naturally faded.
The atmosphere was quite different from when she left. She could see the number of soldiers guarding the castle gate increasing.
Upon entering the fortress, the armament of those walking around in line became more solid and full-fledged. Even if a battle broke out right away, it seemed that they were prepared so that they could respond immediately.
The tension in the castle spread to Selina as well.
“Any more news?”
“There are five. Shall we take a look right away?"
“Let’s go to the conference room.”
After Kalcion escorted her as she got off the carriage, he stopped walking after touching her hand, which he had been holding all the time.
“Selina.”
“You can go and talk. I’m tired, so I’ll go in first and rest.”
She took the lead first.
It was obvious what he would say. No matter how much he wanted and cherished her, he was Renbird’s master. Dealing with the Crown Prince was an urgent priority.
As she let go of his hand, he strengthened his hand at the end so it was as if she had half shaken his hand off. Even though his heart skipped a beat for a moment, Kalcion smiled as if nothing had happened and turned around.
…It shouldn't hurt her heart just by shaking off his hand because she would completely abandon him in the end.
Selina, watching Kalcion move away to the end of the hallway, turned and stretched her shoulders. She had reached Silenza…
Where it all started… and where it all ends.
With her complicated mind, she couldn't get into her room right away and lingered in the hallway.
When would she leave? How would she leave? What was the way to leave? Unless Kalcion told her to, she never stopped imagining.
Selina vaguely thought that it was like the interpreting bracelet that Selina wears on her, that it might be in a way she couldn't even imagine. She then set her eyes on every corner of the castle, thinking that it would be a scenery she would never see again if she left.
Silenza Castle, which had sunk before the return of the Duke, was noisy.
The servants clamored, clinging to the carriage to unload and move things mixed with the chatter of people seeing each other for the first time in a while. In the midst of this, she caught sight of Mrs. Janet, who was standing alone and giving directions from one place to another.
The Crown Prince admitted his crime. Irell tried to capture the Crown Prince but failed, so the situation was set when she made an extreme choice on her own. The fact that the will was left behind and the fact that the door was closed from the inside were also explained.
She could understand that Mrs. Janet, who was in the room next to Irell, was sound asleep and could not hear anything on the day of the incident unless she was murdered, because there was no need to make a fuss.
‘Still, it's not good enough.'
She felt like something was still stuck.
Sensing Selina's gaze on her, Mrs. Janet turned around. When their gazes met, her uneasy look made Mrs. Janet turn her head away again.
Just like her, Mrs. Janet must have a lot of ill feelings towards her. Mrs. Janet's disregard for her was enough just to ignore her and move on. However, Selina would always be in trouble if, after she had left, Mrs. Janet remained as another power in the castle.
“Are you going to skip guiding the room?”
This was for Kalcion, not about her venting her own anger.
Selina found the justification to quarrel.
“Isn’t it okay to do whatever I want?”
Mrs. Janet replied coldly.
“That is normal, not doing your job is another matter.”
“The only one who can point me out is His Excellency.”
“Did you harass Irell that way? Even though she is going to be engaged, she is not engaged yet, so you are not her subordinate. Are you saying so?”
She just said what she had to say though the reply came back a beat too slow.
“…It's none of your business. More than that, why are you so interested in Lady Zion?”
“In any case, I might end up with half of Renbird, so I thought it would be better to sort out unpleasant incidents from the past.”
“…I beg your pardon. Half of Renbird?”
Mrs. Janet's voice jumped out at once.
She didn't even hide her anger, showing that her anger soared at that word. However, Selina didn’t even flinch as she faced her rage that was shooting straight at her. She knew that Mrs. Janet had not killed people with her own hands, so there was nothing to be afraid of her.
Selina raised her chin nonchalantly.
Sensing an unusual air current between the two, the servants slipped away.
“Why? Did you think that would never happen? It could be that now. So, how are you going to use your hands?”
“What do you mean using my hands? What are you talking about?”
“Like how you laid your hand on Irell.”
“Me? I don't know what you heard, but my only job was to help Lady Zion adapt well to Renbird.”
“Even if you knew that Irell was pregnant?”
Mrs. Janet shut her mouth.
It was an impulsive question thrown at momentary thought, but it was an unexpected response. It was true that Irell decided to kill herself because there was a will left, but did no one intervene in the process?
“In front of Irell, who is suffering to the point of death, who could have said just one word to die?”
“….”
At those words, her closed lips turned white.
It was clear that Mrs. Janet had stepped on something uncomfortable. It seemed that her thoughtlessly thrown bait caught a fish. Selina persistently poured out harsh words in order not to miss it.
“The people who harassed Irell, the duke said he would never forget and find the last one. It would be Renbird's shame that something like this would happen again. But now, who knows, maybe you, who used to sing about Renbird's honor, honor… might have caused Renbird's shame?”
“How dare you…!”
A loud shout erupted.
Selina, as well as the servants, were frightened and stopped moving. Only the sound of Mrs. Janet's heavy breathing resounded in the silence of the hallway.
“How dare you talk to me like that?! The former Duke asked me directly to please work for Renbird! Live for the honor of Renbird!”
Renbird's honor and shame…
The prediction that these words touched Mrs. Janet was correct. Even though she was still anxious about Selina, who seemed to be getting closer to being the real Duchess, Irell’s matter came up again, and Selina even mentioned Renbird’s honor.
Mrs. Janet, who had lost her temper, swallowed the bait she had thrown at her and went on a rampage. In this state, obtaining a confession for the sake of ‘Renbird’s honor' would be a piece of cake.
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