Chapter 2 Part 9 – A Changed Honeymoon

“Please go ahead.”

“Yes”

As soon as Eli got up, he headed for the Imperial Palace. As soon as the steward announced that Marquis Grit had arrived, permission to enter was granted.

“You asked for a vacation, but are you here to work again?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“But what brings you here then?”

“I have something to request, and something to inquire about.”

Emperor Shannua of the Ruben Empire nodded as if he expected it.

“Did you know that Viscount Del is coming to Lord Remade’s party?”

“How should I know?”

Evaluating the emperor’s expression silently, Eli nodded as if he understood.

“What’s the request?”

“My wife sent a letter to you, and I’d like you to ignore it.”

“All of them?”

“Yes, you can just burn them.”

The emperor’s expression became quite subtle at this strange request.

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

Eli had no more to say.

“How long will your vacation be?”

“I’m planning to use a holiday that I haven’t taken for several years, starting since I began serving Your Majesty. So, it might be quite long.”

“How long? Don’t you know that without you, the palace would be in huge chaos?”

“If the palace can’t function without me, making it work is Your Majesty’s job.”

As always, Eli’s words were straightforward.

This was not surprising, the emperor himself was so fond of him so he was never bothered by this. 

“Then, please  excuse me, Your Majesty.”

As soon as he had finished speaking, he turned and walked away, showing no sign of regret.

“Where do you plan to go on your holiday?”

He asked in a loud voice as Eli turned to leave.

“I will be staying in the capital. Goodbye.”

With that final remark, Eli left the audience chamber.

“Are you going to stay in the capital for your entire holiday? Why even take a holiday?”

The Emperor, who couldn’t understand his actions, scratched his head and shook his head in disbelief.

***

“What kind of dress are you going to wear?”

The maid helping her dress asked Ruby.

“…Something that covers the neck.”

“Alright.”

The maid left to fetch a dress suitable for covering the neck.

Meanwhile, Ruby examined herself in the mirror. The red mark on her neck was vivid. It was the mark left by Eli. Ruby had never had such a mark left before. In the past, she had found it somewhat annoying that her husband didn’t leave any marks as evidence of their love. There were times when she wanted to prove to those around her who taunted her for not receiving love from her husband. But now, seeing the remaining evidence of their love, made her feel strange.

The maid who was supposed to bring the dress hadn’t returned for quite a while. Ruby waited and then pulled the bell to call someone.

Only then did the maid hurry back.

“I’m sorry, My Lady.”

Bowing her head, the maid helped Ruby get dressed.

“His Lordship asked me to clean out your dressing room. I was about to go get the dress, and then I was called in to help…”

“Did he?”

“Yes.”

Once dressed, Ruby adjusted her hair and then headed to the dressing room.

In the dressing room, she found many clothes spread out in the hallway. The maids were cleaning the dressing room as if redecorating it.

“What is all this?”

“My Lady.”

The maids quickly greeted Ruby when they spotted her.

“Lord Grit ordered that the old clothes should be sorted out and replaced with new ones for you, My Lady.”

“What’s going on…”

Ruby was dumbfounded, as she had no intention of such a change.

“Stop.”

“Yes?”

“Put the clothes back where they were. There’s no need to clean them up.”

The maids hesitated when Ruby countermanded Eli’s orders.

“Come on.”

Only then did they stop tidying up and put the clothes back in place.

Eli, who had just gone to the palace, soon arrived on the second floor.

“Ruby.”

“Yes?”

Eli greeted Ruby lightly on the cheek when he arrived. Ruby, who had become accustomed to this, reacted as if it were a normal occurrence.

“The maid wanted to throw away the clothes, but I told them to leave them because they’re your mother’s belongings.”

Ruby explained the maids’ actions to him as she watched them expectantly.

“Then we can store my mother’s clothes in a separate room and yours in this one.

The maids who were putting their clothes away froze when they heard Eli’s instructions.

“No need. Here, I have more than enough dresses to wear as it is.”

“It’s no trouble to move five dresses.”

She found it amazing that he knew how many dresses she had matched in the capital soon after her arrival.

“And how are you going to get to a party in five dresses, Ruby? You can’t even wear them all the time.

Eli smiled slightly, apparently noticing Ruby’s expression. However, that smile, along with his words, seemed to convey that divorce wasn’t still on the table, causing Ruby to turn her head away intentionally.

“I’m not going to any party. So, I don’t need many dresses.”

“Are you not going to wear dresses at all inside the mansion? Well, that’s fine with me.”

As he stroked his chin with his finger while looking at her, his gaze seemed to ask, “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

Ruby stared at him with a stern expression, and Eli laughed again. Ruby couldn’t understand what was so funny about it.

Eli stopped making fun of her when he saw that Ruby’s patience was wearing thin and ordered the maids to continue organizing. 

The maids hesitated and glanced at Ruby. It was clear that they were in a difficult position due to her ongoing struggle with Eli.

Seeing the maids’ confusion, Ruby sighed and nodded.

Eli’s decision was one thing, but the maids would be filling the closet with Ruby’s decision.

No matter how organized the dressing room is, it will never be filled with dresses.

“Today’s weather is nice. How about going out for a trip?”

“……”

“If you don’t want to, a walk in the garden is also fine. It’s nice to sit under a parasol and have some tea.”

“…… Let’s go out, then.”

It seemed better to go out for a while than to further burden the busy maids.

* * *

“Get in.”

The destination for Eli was the lake

It was a famous dating spot.

“Is this new?”

The Marquis of Grit’s markings, which were distinctly different from the other boats, proved that fact

“Yes, because I want to ride with you. I can’t just pick any boat, can I?”

It sounded like he had prepared in advance for a possible outing.

Although she didn’t know well, she could roughly estimate that when Eli had arrived in the capital, he immediately placed an order.

Ruby, who had been silently watching his hand, cautiously took it. As the boat gently swayed, Eli held her hand and supported her waist. As she leaned on him with one foot outside the boat, the gentle ripples soon subsided.

“It’s my first time riding one.”

She was a little excited with her small movements.

“It’s my first time too.”

But he seemed quite familiar as he took his position and paddled slightly.

“I’ve been practicing so I could ride with you.” Recognizing Ruby’s suspicious gaze, he added.

Of course, she couldn’t possibly believe that. She thought he might have pretended to be inexperienced if Lady Miles had asked him to row. Although he remained composed in front of others, he had his own way of treating Lady Miles differently. Annoyed at herself for recalling the relationship between the two at this point, she deliberately turned her head as if she didn’t care.

***

As befitting a famous dating spot, there were many men and women around. There were couples who seemed to be getting to know each other and others who appeared to have a long-standing relationship.

Suddenly, Ruby wondered how she and Eli must appear to others. Eli didn’t interrupt Ruby’s thoughts as he rowed the boat. Following Leton’s directions to a place with a beautiful view, he steered the boat there.

Fortunately, as they entered the place, Ruby’s eyes sparkled. Her expression, which had previously looked somewhat displeased, had completely softened. It might have been faster if he hadn’t found rowing more difficult than he thought, but he was relieved to see that she seemed to enjoy it.

“Why is this place famous? Seeing a beautiful view of the water is the same, isn’t it?”

“The flowers fall like rain here.”

It was a place where you could experience a beautiful flower shower in the wind. Shortly after the boat stopped, flower petals swirled in the breeze.

“I think it’s better to watch than to catch.”

While Eli was lost in thought, Ruby reached out with a smile. It was more of a reflexive action than one with any particular meaning. Even when she went on outings with Lynn, they had tried to catch falling petals together. It was a kind of game
.
However, Eli was faster at catching them than Ruby.

“Did you catch one?”

“Yeah.”

In his outstretched palm, there was a small, delicate petal.

“May I take it?”

“…I’ll catch one more for you.”

With that, he effortlessly caught another and placed it on Ruby’s hand. A bright smile bloomed on her face as she admired the petals.

“I’ve never seen someone catch them before. I always just picked up the ones that fell.”

Now, she held the petal gently in her hand to prevent it from getting crumpled while enjoying the flower rain.

“They say that if you catch falling petals, your first love comes true.”

“Do people really believe in such superstitious stories?”

Eli alternated his gaze between Ruby, who was observing the petals falling like rain, and the petals scattered here and there. Eventually, he put them in his pocket to prevent them from getting crumpled.

This wasn’t too bad after all.