Chapter 3

Even after the party ended and the mansion became quiet, Serenia’s work was not finished. The darker the night, the more dangerous things could prowl, so she had to be extra vigilant about the mansion’s security. Serenia personally circled the mansion, receiving reports from the guards, and only when she confirmed that everything was perfectly safe did she allow herself to relax.

“I don’t know how they manage to endure wearing those clothes.”

She remembered the people at the party, laughing and chatting all night, dressed in suits and dresses that looked far more complicated and uncomfortable than her own uniform. She felt a vague curiosity and envy toward the luxurious aristocratic culture she had never experienced, but whenever she imagined herself wearing such a dress and smiling, she couldn’t even picture it.

She’d much rather wield a sword and endure grueling training than attend a social gathering. Just imagining it made her feel awkward and out of place.

If Serenia’s life had flowed as normally as others, maybe she would have considered such scenes to be natural. But now, regretting that was nothing more than a desire she had no right to. Serenia gazed quietly at the now empty and darkened ballroom, then turned away.

“Tomorrow, the Imperial Knights said they would escort us to the Imperial City, so I guess my job ends here….”

“Why, are you disappointed that you won’t be able to see Serion’s face like today after tomorrow?”

As Serenia stretched and headed toward her room, she stopped dead at the unexpected reply to her muttering. She didn’t need to check to know whose voice it was. Slowly lowering her stiff arms, Serenia took a deep breath that no one else noticed. Calmly, as if nothing was wrong—she bit her lower lip and released it, quickly returning to her usual blank expression as she faced the owner of the voice.

“Why are you awake at this late hour? Even inside the mansion, it’s dangerous to wander around alone.”

“The Delaroz family’s mansion? Impossible. Who would dare do anything dangerous here when you’re guarding it so diligently?”

It sounded like praise, but the tone was mocking, making Serenia’s eyes narrow slightly. She knew Lucien had changed so much from how she remembered him, but she still hadn’t gotten used to him mocking her like this.

‘Is he still angry at me?’

She had a sense of why Lucien’s attitude was so sharp, especially toward her. If she had to point fingers, she was the one who broke their promise first, so Serenia had always thought his prickly attitude was justified. But instinctively, a wave of hurt welled up inside her.

Just seeing his face seemed to put him in a bad mood, so she’d gone out of her way to avoid eye contact and quietly stayed out of his way. There was no need for him to go out of his way to run into her and mock her at this hour.

Ever since Lucien returned to the mansion, Serenia had been on edge, and now she felt a deep, accumulated fatigue as she unconsciously sighed.

“Is there something you need me to do?”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, if you waited for me—no, if you waited until this hour, it must be something important.”

“I waited for you? Me? For you? Why?”

Obviously, unless he waited on purpose, the odds of running into her in this hallway at this late hour were zero!

Serenia held back the words she wanted to throw at Lucien, quietly clenching her fist. Just facing him made her feel like her soul was slipping away, so she wanted to escape from Lucien as soon as possible. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep up the mask of indifference if she had to keep enduring Lucien’s mocking.

“Yes. Then I’ll assume we met by chance. It’s late, so if there’s nothing you need, may I go to my room?”

“……”

“Or would you like me to escort you to your room?”

Her tired gaze sharpened a little, and Lucien’s lips curled up.

Who’s escorting whom, anyway.

They may have once trained under the same Master, but by the time they reached adulthood, Serenia couldn’t match Lucien anymore. For Lucien, being compared to a woman in terms of skill was humiliating, but just seeing Serenia show a glimpse of the old days, when they were each other’s only rival, made him feel better.

Lucien, who had snapped at her about waiting, now reflected on his childish behavior and cleared his throat. With a softer tone, he tried to smooth things over, and Serenia’s sharp gaze relaxed.

“I feel like I haven’t really talked with you since coming to the mansion. Tomorrow will be busy with the wedding, and then I’ll have to leave again, so it’s now or never.”

“……”

“There’s something important I need to tell you. Do you have a moment?”

Lucien, who had acted like the youngest Delaroz son all night, shifted his attitude and spoke like an old friend. Serenia, who had wanted nothing more than to escape from Lucien, felt her heart waver.

Unlike before, Lucien had grown into an adult who could shamelessly lie and smile sweetly for his own ends, but Serenia, who had grown up sheltered in the mansion, couldn’t even imagine such cunning.

Maybe it’s normal to feel strange when your brother gets married. And it looked like he’d had some drinks at the party….

Despite her stoic exterior, Serenia was actually quite sentimental, especially when it came to Lucien, for whom she’d always been soft. Lucien’s sweet words easily swept her away. It was unfair, but truly irresistible.

“There’s something important I really need to say. Would you come to my room for a drink? I’m also curious how you’ve been.”

Lucien’s smooth invitation was too strong for Serenia to resist, and in the end, she nodded as if entranced and followed him.

It was foolish, but she couldn’t help it. The voice of her first love, kind as it was in the past, made Serenia become the immature girl she’d been when she first realized what love was.

She thought the feelings she couldn’t give up or pursue had solidified into stone, but the fluttering she’d tried to ignore rose up again in her chest.

* * *

One by one, empty wine bottles gathered on the table. The sound of glasses clinking and their exchanged stories were nothing but trivial tales of the past, but soon the room was filled with gentle laughter.

Serenia didn’t want to show Lucien the disgraceful sight of herself drunk and out of control, so she nervously emptied her glass. But she wasn’t used to drinking, and only realized she was tipsy when Lucien, seeing her flushed cheeks, took the glass from her hand.

Her mask of indifference vanished, and she kept smiling foolishly. The wine that had smoothly gone down her throat earlier now worked its magic, lifting her mood. She quietly handed her glass to Lucien and rubbed her heated cheek with her hand.

“At the time, I really thought I’d be wearing a uniform and sailing the seas with you.”

“That’s….”

While they organized the glasses side by side, Lucien’s light comment weighed heavily on Serenia’s heart, which had been fluttering like a bird. The memories of their childhood, when they endured tough training and pinky-swore to always be together, came back as vivid as ever, untouched by time.