Chapter 27: The Proposal (1) 

The dawn mist was exceptionally thick. Feeling the cold penetrating her skin, Eirene wrapped her shawl tightly around herself as she headed to the meeting place with Siaran. 

Gemma, who had come along, stood at a distance to keep watch. As Eirene went behind the gazebo in the garden, she saw Siaran waiting. 

Draped in a black cloak, Siaran spotted Eirene and lowered his hood. His dark pupils moving in the darkness made him look almost like the demons from whom he borrowed power, but Eirene wasn’t afraid. 

Whether he was a demon or whatever else, he only needed to be useful to her.

“Why did you wish to see me?”

The eeriness emanating from Siaran matched the deep dawn perfectly.

“It’s about the Divine Power.”

“Is this something we need to meet secretly for?”

“Depending on your answer, our conversation might become lengthy.”

“Please speak.”

“You told me to practice to develop my Divine Power. Tell me how to practice.”

Silence fell. With both of them quiet, only the hooting of a night owl could be heard from somewhere in the darkness. 

The person who had told her to practice surely wouldn’t be ignorant of the method, so why wasn’t he answering immediately?

“Show me your hand.”

She had expected this much. Siaran pointed to her injured hand, and Eirene unhesitatingly removed the bandage, extending her clean hand where the wound had disappeared. 

When she opened her palm, Siaran brought his lantern closer.

“The wound is gone.”

“Yes. That’s why I’m asking. When I didn’t have the ability, practice didn’t matter, but if the ability I thought was gone has returned, I should try. You said if I want to live, I must prove my worth.”

In truth, this was why Eirene had asked to see Siaran. He clearly sided with the Count and Countess, yet he had explained to Eirene “a way to survive” and told her to practice developing her Divine Power. 

It couldn’t have been with “Eirene’s best interests” in mind. He must have felt a necessity. Of course, she had no intention whatsoever of becoming useful to them. 

On the contrary, she wanted to use him. 

Siaran bent down to examine Eirene’s hand carefully. A smile spread across his face, like someone who had received welcome news.

“At this rate, you don’t have far to go. Since the ability to heal yourself seems to have returned already, you should practice the next step. Tomorrow I’ll bring a rabbit with its ear cut off. Try healing it yourself.”

“If this is practice, why cut off a rabbit’s ear?”

“Why? Would you prefer I cut off the ear of that maid over there?”

He was referring to Gemma. But what sin had the perfectly healthy rabbit committed?

“If you feel sorry for the rabbit, you can heal it.”

“And if I can’t heal it?”

“That would be the rabbit’s fate. There’s no other way to practice. Practice means turning your desperation into an ability that you can use anytime. When you healed Lady Aishe, I helped you, but now you need to try on your own.”

“And after that?”

Having experienced healing Aishe, she had some sense of how to heal another living being besides herself. But she had no idea what Siaran meant by the ability to purify souls possessed by evil spirits.

“You learn by experiencing. If you wish, I can arrange for you to meet an evil spirit later. But first, try with the rabbit tomorrow.”

“I understand.”

She couldn’t tell how this would help with what was to come, but it was better than being able to do nothing. 

She briefly thought it would be nice if the ability that had allowed her to kill the people in the mansion returned too, but things were different now. She no longer had the desire to do that to Aishe and the Count and Countess.

“You said you disliked practice, so why have you changed your mind?”

“I told you. Because my ability has returned. Now you tell me. What is my Divine Power needed for?”

Last time, he had avoided answering, telling Eirene she didn’t need to know in depth. Would he evade again today?

“If it’s needed, will you offer it?”

“That depends on what it’s for.”

“I’ll tell you when the time comes.”

Eirene returned to her bedroom after the brief conversation with Siaran. She opened the curtains to look outside, still shrouded in darkness, then lay down on her bed. 

She needed to get at least a short rest for tomorrow. She wasn’t worried. Now she just needed to watch events unfold over time and find what she could do.

* * *

Early in the morning, Count Phineas had a cigar in his mouth as he tore open an envelope stamped with a snake emblem. It was a letter from the Grand Duke of Dervel addressed to Count Phineas. 

Since it was rare for the Grand Duke to send letters to the Count, he unfolded it with anticipation.

“He’s not asking to be invited to the mansion again, is he?”

Countess Phineas peered over her husband’s shoulder.

“If it’s an invitation, I’d gladly accept. What’s so difficult about that?”

Count Phineas, who had been reading the letter, put down his cigar.

“What? He’s coming to propose?”

“Propose? Let me see.”

The Countess snatched the paper her husband was holding. The strength in her fingers gripping both ends of the paper gradually increased, wrinkling it. 

Of course, she had expected this day to come, but it was surprisingly early, to the point of being disconcerting. 

Moreover, this kind of proposal was not proper etiquette. In Bainfelt, nobles customarily coordinated the wedding date together, and even the day of the proposal was decided after consultation.

“This is suspiciously sudden.”

“What kind of situation is this, not asking for our opinion but simply announcing it?”

“I should ask Eirene what she knows.”

Countess Phineas hurried toward Eirene’s bedroom. 

Eirene, who had been having breakfast, stood up when the Countess appeared. Gemma was attending to her meal, but the Countess ignored her and thrust the letter in front of Eirene.

“The Grand Duke has sent a letter saying he’s coming tomorrow to propose.”

“Propose?”

Eirene’s eyes widened as she read the letter.

“Did he say nothing to you about this?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

Eirene’s face clearly showed her bewilderment. With a look of disbelief, she took the letter from the Countess and read it over and over.

“Goodness, tomorrow of all days. Why would he make such a decision without consulting anyone?”

“Has he found out?”

“Even during our last meeting a few days ago, he was affectionate toward me. If he suspected my identity, he would have been busy questioning me. But that day he was preoccupied with expressing his affection. I wonder what this is about.”

It was well known that the Grand Duke expressed his affection for Eirene regardless of the place. The Countess had seen it with her own eyes several times. But she couldn’t find any other reason except that Eirene’s identity had been discovered. 

Perhaps he simply loved Eirene so much that he wanted to rush into marriage, acting without thinking things through. 

Countess Phineas snatched the letter back from Eirene and left. Preoccupied with the unexpected news of the proposal, the Countess failed to notice Eirene’s cold gaze watching her from behind as she hurried away.

* * *

The commotion ringing in her ears wouldn’t stop even when she buried her face in her pillow. After returning from a ball that had lasted until late at night, she wanted to sleep in, but the noise forced her to get up. 

Aishe roughly opened the door and shouted toward the outside.

“Can’t you all be quiet? Why is it so noisy!”

She had expected someone to come and explain after shouting like this, but when no one came, she was puzzled. 

Stepping out a few paces, Aishe watched the servants bustling about, then caught a maid who was hurrying past.

“What’s going on?”

“The Grand Duke is visiting tomorrow, my lady.”

“I see. You may go.”

Why is he suddenly coming? She felt strange. 

Aishe didn’t change out of her nightgown and went straight to find her mother. The Count and Countess Phineas and Siaran were gathered in the study.

“Oh my, Aishe. What are you wearing!”

Seeing Aishe, Countess Phineas exclaimed in shock, frowning. What did her nightgown matter right now?

“I heard that the Grand Duke is coming tomorrow. Why is he coming?”

Count Phineas extinguished his cigar and sighed.

“He’s coming to propose to Eirene.”

“P-propose?”

She knew this day would come eventually. After her conversation with Siaran, Aishe had decided to accept it as something that would naturally happen. But tomorrow was too soon.

“Lady Aishe. Please go change your clothes first. Walking around the mansion in your nightgown is unladylike. Why is everyone so confused? This was bound to happen anyway.”

“It’s happening faster than expected, so it’s unsettling.”

“This is actually better. Faster is better than slower.”

Unable to argue with Siaran’s words, Aishe ran her hands through her hair, messing it up. She felt terrible.

“I’m anxious. I feel like I’m going to die from anxiety.”

Her heart was pounding like a fish out of water. Her mother stood beside her, embracing her and saying something, but she couldn’t understand properly. 

Only when cold water touched her lips did she come to her senses.

“Aishe. Drink some. Drink and pull yourself together.”

After taking a few sips of the water her mother offered, Aishe regained her composure and arranged her tangled hair with her fingers.

“I’ll go change my clothes.”

Leaving the study, she immediately called for a maid.

“I’m going to bathe, so prepare everything.”

She entered her bedroom and sat in front of the vanity. She saw herself in the mirror. Despite having just woken up and not having washed her face, she was a beautiful lady. 

Flowing golden hair and blue eyes. There were few women this beautiful anywhere in the Empire. It made her feel somewhat regretful.

“But what can I do?”

She had to let it go. The time to abandon this appearance was approaching. 

Honestly, her personal preference was for her current look rather than Eirene’s, but if Clive liked it, she could discard it without regret. Eirene’s appearance was also beautiful. 

Eirene had black hair she had occasionally envied. Above all, what she coveted most was the pale skin. She used to dislike it because it made Eirene look sickly, but now she noticed the strange charm of that paleness. 

The image of a woman who looked ready to collapse at any moment yet somehow appeared strong attracted not only Aishe but others as well. Especially men. 

She had heard the sons of noble families whispering at balls. That if Eirene weren’t the Grand Duke’s fiancée, she would have been more popular than Aishe. That while Aishe’s beauty was like a doll you wanted to admire, Eirene’s beauty was a desire you wanted to conquer. 

They spoke in voices full of regret about something that stirred men, making filthy comments. 

Outwardly, Aishe pretended to detest such talk, but in reality, she didn’t. At first, she liked men who confessed to her and treated her like an angel. Men who apologized even for holding her hand and felt guilty about embracing her. 

Being treated like a saint made her proud for a while, but as time passed, it became irritating. If they liked her, what was that about? She had intended to enjoy herself since this body would be discarded anyway, but she hadn’t even been kissed. 

So she envied Eirene, who was the object of men’s lust.

“Why am I envious?”

They’re talking about her. Aishe looked at herself in the mirror and picked up a brush. She slowly brushed down her hair and spoke to the blonde woman looking back at her.

“Tomorrow is the day you receive a proposal.”

The day she had dreamed of for so long.

“It’s a good day, so I shouldn’t be angry. Let’s wait for the Grand Duke while looking pretty.”

She reached out to caress her reflection in the mirror.

“Wait just a little longer, Eirene. Soon you’ll be able to find your true self.”