Translator and Editor: Lea and Aki

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Chapter 12

As she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness.

"How long have I been asleep....?"

She sat up and found the office empty. The candles and the fireplace were still lit, so it was neither cold nor dark. Kalcion seemed to have returned to his room.

She stretched as she rose from the sofa. She felt hungry, perhaps because she was sleeping for a long time.

"I feel hungry."

As she was mumbling to herself, she heard a knock on the door from a maid.

"Are you up, miss? Should I get you a meal?""Is dinner time over already?""Yes miss, a long time ago."

She said, laughing lightly.

"Sigh...Then I guess I'm the only one who couldn't enjoy those delicious dishes. You should've woke me up."

Kalcion had scheduled his supper with Fionel this evening. There was no other opportunity to provoke that girl. It was more precious than missing something delicious.

"No, dinner has been postponed until tomorrow because His Excellency wasn't feeling well."

'Huh? But, he looked fine enough. I never thought the great Kalcion could even fall sick.'

"I see. Then, I'll have my meal in my room."

It would be a bit of a problem if she stayed in an office where the owner wasn't there himself.

The meal was already prepared when she arrived in her room. The steaming food was at the perfect temperature.

Surprisingly, all of them were palatable, even though she was having them late. She wasn't much picky when it came to food as she had to travel to different countries due to her work. But there were some foreign dishes that didn't really suit her taste.

'It's worth living here.'

Selena quickly emptied her plate. Even though it was a meal for a person like her, it was important for the chef to make it delicious. She ate more than usual that it seemed as if she was starving.

"Oh, I'm full."

She undid the ribbon of her dress and tapped on her stomach. The dress was a bit tight. Unable to sit down, she tried to lie down on her bed, but she sat up again as she felt uncomfortable. She looked at her lightly swelled up stomach.

She wasn't in a position to call the maid.

"Do you need anything else, miss?""Well, this dress...can you please help me with it?""Ah...uh...Yes!"

The maid, who was holding the empty plate, became flustered.

The maid, who ran like the wind, quickly began to dismantle the dress. With every loosening of the ribbons of the dress, she felt relaxed.

"Whoa. Now, I can breathe.""Would you like me to prepare a bath for you before bed?""No, I might explode if I go there. I feel like I'm going to sink like a ship.""Sure, miss."

The maid walked away as she said."You can call me anytime, miss."

Selena wandered alone in the room, trying to put her stomach at ease, but she changed her mind.

'This won't do! I have to run!'

Selena was also famous for her thorough self-care. It was important for an actor, but at some point in time, it just became a habit of hers.

Coming out of her room, she spotted an employee.

"Excuse me, can you please tell me where can I find a field?""Over there, miss. Across the garden, near the walls..."

The servant unconfidently blurted out.

'How would I be able to find out a place with that kind of an explanation?!'

However, she didn't want to waste her time asking for further details, so she left the building after a slight nod.

While Selena was traveling to the Castle of Renbird, she had noticed a wide gap between the buildings and the walls that separated the cliffs.

'He said it was near the wall.'

If she went to take a short walk along the wall, she would be able to return quickly. Since it was a field, she might be able to hear people training on the way.

Selena recklessly stepped into the corridor leading to the garden.

"Uh."

As soon as she did so, a sharp wind blew in through the pillars of the corridor. The night was quite cold. She glanced back to see if she could get anything to wear, but she stopped.

She would have to run into that servant again to get to her room. She hated being irritated more than feeling cold. She was going to exercise anyway, so she thought a little cold wouldn't make her fall sick. She hastened her steps as she kept making excuses.

Even if she went through the corridor, she wasn't close. The walls were not as close as they seemed to be.

As she came out to the large garden, she found a pavement that wasn't even straight. The crisscrossing paths were starting to get confusing.

"....I'm doomed."

The moment she admitted she was lost, she stopped walking.

'I'll only make it worse if I advance my path.'

But, staying still didn't also mean that the road would move on its own. She had to return back somehow. She couldn't even see the building properly, from which she had come out, through the high bushes.

'Should I wait for a passerby or shout for help?'

As she was thinking, she heard a rustling sound from somewhere.

'Huh? Is anyone there?'historical

Wishing it to be a servant or a knight, she slowly approached the sound.

'Wait, what if it's an assassin?'

"......."

As she saw a short woman dressed in simple but neat and tidy clothing behind the bushes, she pulled up the corners of her mouth and smirked. It was Fionel.

First of all, Selena had won in the first battle.

It was important for her to get one step ahead of Fionel from the start. Half of her fighting spirit was overpowering.

"Ah."

Fionel was quick-witted. Selena thought she might run away after such humiliation. Fionel, however, was the type to hit and not the type to run.

She had even spoken in an informal language the first time they met.

Her speech was short. She laughed as she drew one lip in the face of a straight-up quarrel.

"Hello, miss."

Fionel's eyes grew bigger. She didn't expect the honorifics.

"What are you doing here?""Where were you...going?"

Fionel was already stuttering, and yet she didn't run away.

"That's not your business.""A-Are you going to find the Duke?"

She thought the only place for her to visit in the middle of the night was where Kalcion was.

So, it was confirmed that she was wandering like that. Unlike Selena, who intended to exercise, Fionel seemed determined to visit Kalcion.

"There's no reason for me to tell you where I'm headed to. But, can I ask why are you visiting the Duke?""You're so fearless.""Oh, was I supposed to be scared right now?"

A perfect method to raise a verbal battle.

"Malism makes me feel better."

Fionel clenched her teeth, giving me a warning look.

'That look isn't even close to scary.'

Fionel had a physique that was shorter than Selena's and was likely to break before it could fly away. Her shape was nothing other than glass.

"That isn't scary."

It was so trivial that she forgot momentarily that Fionel was one of the suspects who was responsible for the murder of Kalcion's prospective fiancée, Irel, and the words just popped out of her mouth.

Fionel had a transparent personality. It's good for Kalcion that she didn't hide her anger in front of Selena, as she did in front of him.

"Hey!""What?!"

Selena shouted back. She thought she could at least pretend to be elegant on the outside. Fionel was embarrassed by Selena's stronger-than-expected counterattack.

"A-Are you an aristocrat?!""No, I'm a commoner.""What? How dare you talk to me like that!""And why are you shouting at me like that! Do you not know that both of us are the Duke's guests?"

Even if it was like a dog fight, it was important.

The only thing left was to win. Selena's mother had once told her not to get beaten up even though she might pay for it.

It seemed like Fionel was aiming for her hair, but she stopped. She knew she was going to lose anyway.

If she was an ordinary commoner, Fionel might have caught her off guard. But from her looks, Selena was not ordinary. Fionel couldn't even attempt to win just through words. Fionel, who was furious, breathed heavily.

"So, are you rich?""......What?""Or, what else would it be? Aren’t you here to support the Duke with riches?""What are you talking about?"

Fionel drew her thick lips through a rough breath.

"Don't be so secretive.""I'm his.....""You know, you could die doing that."

Fionel said in a cold voice that was even colder than the wind that was blowing.

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