Chapter 6 – Change (Part 5)
Soon, the two were seated at a table with tea brought by a maid. For a while, Emiliano and Cassius merely stared at their teacups.
Cassius remained deep in thought, while Emiliano tried to guess what had occurred as he lifted his teacup.
“It seems His Majesty is considering a marriage proposal between me and Princess Karinsa.”
Emiliano was grateful he hadn’t sipped his tea, as he surely would have spat it out.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“Today, I received a secret summons from His Majesty and went to the lakeside behind the palace. But instead of His Majesty, Princess Karinsa appeared.”
Emiliano racked his brain but couldn’t find a fitting response.
“Has there been a dramatic change in domestic affairs that I’m unaware of? Why would His Majesty do such a thing suddenly? Did Princess Karinsa throw a tantrum again?”
“His Majesty is indeed soft on his sister, so it’s not out of the question. However…”
Emiliano waited for Cassius to continue.
“Even if it’s his sister, His Majesty wouldn’t have accepted the Princess’s request without some calculation. I suspect this is not unrelated to the movements of the aristocratic supremacists.”
“Do you really think His Majesty intends to pair you with Princess Karinsa?”
Cassius quietly sipped his tea in response.
“So, after being deceived by His Majesty into meeting the Princess by the lakeside, you came rushing to me. Was today…”
As Emiliano spoke, he glanced out the window. The moon shone brightly outside.
“A moonlit lakeside. The atmosphere must have been nice.”
“What do you think? If His Majesty proposes a marriage with Princess Karinsa, would you accept?”
“I already have a fiancée.”
“But it wouldn’t matter if it was broken off.”
At Emiliano’s words, Cassius silently glared at his teacup.
“Does it… matter? You chose her by casting lots, and you were so suspicious you even used medicine.”
Cassius, who had been silent, suddenly stood up.
“I’ll be going. Sorry for disturbing you so late.”
Without waiting for a response, Cassius left the room.
“Why did he come here in the first place?”
Emiliano was left looking bewildered.
***
The next morning, Cassius went to the Administrative Palace without having breakfast. Elysia, on her part, was busy preparing for Ronan Hass’s visit with a prototype early in the morning.
“I need to finish reviewing the parts I couldn’t check yesterday.”
Elysia instructed, and Millie responded.
“Those lists were prepared by the head butler and the head maid. You just need to check the lists without having to go around personally. Would you like to have breakfast in your room?”
“Yes.”
Thanks to the head butler and the head maid, Elysia was able to leisurely have breakfast in her room while going through the lists.
However, before she could even finish her meal, the usually quiet entrance of the Ducal residence began to buzz with noise. Finishing her meal early, Elysia descended to the first-floor drawing room and halted on the stairs.
“Move those boxes to the drawing room, and ah! Line these up in the central hall. Be careful there! That’s delicate fabric, and it frays easily.”
Ronan Hass was bringing in numerous boxes, rolls of fabric, and display stands to showcase the fabric, accompanied by a dozen or so workers.
“Are you planning to move the entire trading company here?”
Elysia was already weary from the endless stream of goods. Ronan, overseeing the goods being brought in, noticed Elysia standing on the staircase landing and greeted her with a smile.
“Madam! I wanted to have everything set up to surprise you before you came down, but you’re here already.”
“Ronan Hass, do we really need to see so many items? I wanted to divide the Ducal residence into zones and decorate each zone with different types of fabric, maintaining a unified look with the minimum variety.”
This was Elysia’s attempt to reduce the number of fabric types she needed to review.
“I anticipated that and prepared accordingly. Even if you want to keep it similar by zone, you wouldn’t hang the same fabric in every room of a place as grand as the Ducal residence, would you? So, I’ve prepared a variety of tones so you can select slightly different colors and patterns for each zone.”
Elysia suddenly found herself fond of the black and gray that enveloped the Ducal residence.
“Shall we start by looking at what’s been displayed in the drawing room?”
Another long day was beginning.
***
Elysia’s assumption that simply choosing what she liked from the items Ronan Hass had prepared would suffice was a major miscalculation. After Elysia made her initial selection of curtain fabrics and tassels with different characteristics and patterns, Ronan stood up.
She thought he was about to return to his trading company, but Ronan suddenly declared,
“Now, shall we start in earnest?”
Wasn’t that what we have been doing?
As Elysia stared at him, wondering what she had been doing all this time, Ronan explained.
“We’ll temporarily hang the fabrics and patterns you’ve chosen in some places. Seeing them in place allows us to gather the staff’s opinions and check how well they fit the actual locations.”
‘Does that mean I have to go around the entire Ducal residence again?!’
She had thought the number of workers Ronan brought seemed excessive, even considering the large amount of fabric. But now, hearing Ronan’s explanation, Elysia understood why so many workers were necessary. Even if they were only hanging the fabric temporarily in a few places, many people were needed for the task.
“The workers from the trading company will handle the setup, so Madam, please tour the completed areas and give us your feedback.”
The staff of the Ducal residence were already excitedly assisting the workers from the Hass Trading Company in hanging fabric throughout the mansion. The head butler, head maid, and Millie followed Elysia. Ronan accompanied Elysia as well, with a staff member trailing behind him carrying additional decorations and fabrics.
Ronan immediately noted down Elysia’s feedback in his notebook. If none of the items the staff were holding or had hung seemed suitable, he would quickly call a worker to fetch something else from the boxes in the central hall.
Having grown accustomed to the monochrome of the Ducal residence, Elysia felt dizzy looking at all the colorful fabrics. Seeing dozens of new fabrics in one day left her unable to discern which choice was better or even what she had previously selected.
When lunchtime arrived, Elysia internally cheered.
“Madam, you seem quite exhausted from the morning’s work.”
When Ronan expressed concern, Elysia stiffened and composed herself. She didn’t want to appear weak as the mistress of the house.
“No, it’s fine. Not just me, but everyone in the Ducal residence is eager to see the transformed mansion. The Duke must also be hoping for the work to be finished soon. Things will be chaotic during the renovation period, after all.”
“I see. Then I’ll arrange the selected items side by side for comparison. That should make it easier for you to make a quick decision. I’ll help with the setup so you can see them right after your meal.”
After bowing to Elysia, Ronan went to have lunch with the workers. He had noticed that Elysia’s physical and mental stamina were nearing their limits and wanted to expedite the process to lessen her fatigue.
Elysia picked at her food, having lost her appetite at the thought of continuing the work after lunch.
***
Ronan Hass had been transporting mountains of fabric and decorations to the Duke’s residence since morning. While Elysia was having a hard time with that, Aaron was also experiencing an unusual day, having arrived early at the Administrative Palace. Since Duke Grendel had arrived early, Aaron also ended up going in early.
From the moment Aaron entered the palace, he sensed something was off. The knights verifying entry were glancing at him more than usual. Both the officials in their offices and the waiting servants approached him but then retreated after gauging his reaction. Knowing that the Duke had stayed late due to the King’s special instructions the previous day, Aaron felt uneasy.
‘Something big must have happened yesterday!’
Aaron quickened his pace toward the Duke’s office within the palace. Once inside, he scrutinized the Duke’s face, which usually revealed little, but it didn’t seem any different than usual.
Yet the air in the office felt unusually stifling and prickly today.
“Your Grace, about the special directive from His Majesty yesterday…”
“Nothing happened.”
Cassius cut him off before Aaron could finish his question.
“What?”
“Nothing happened. It wasn’t a special directive; His Majesty was momentarily confused.”
Aaron wanted to ask more but his survival instincts told him he shouldn’t, so he ultimately said nothing.
‘Something significant must have happened, so why isn’t he telling me? Is it beyond my ability to handle? Or does he not trust me?’
Feeling disheartened by the thought that he might not be trusted, Aaron began his work.
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millie_
Meh… it doesn’t matter if he marries the princess. There doesn’t seem to be anything Cassius can personally offer Elysia. She doesn’t want the life of a Duchess, and she seems to dislike the work that comes with it. There’s no intrigue or stakes high enough for anyone to keep being involved. Is this even a romance? Where is the chemistry between Elysia or Cassius. ❓❓❓