Chapter 6 – Change (Part 7)

‘What is that? It must be a passing mouse. It can’t be a person.’

Hoping that no one was there, she slowly turned her head to look, only to find a large figure obscured by the shadow of the shelves.

Ronan Hass, who had been crouching and examining the items, was staring at Elysia with a bewildered expression.

‘How do I get out of this situation? How? How? How?’

At that moment, Elysia’s brain was working more furiously than at any other time in her life. However, outwardly, she was as stiff as a person turned to stone upon seeing a mythical monster.

It wasn’t as if she always shook her leg and lamented her fate like this. It was a rare, reckless behavior that happened once in a few years, and she had been caught by Ronan Hass.

Even if she now returned to her elegant and noble demeanor, she couldn’t erase the appearance she had just shown. After all, sitting like this in a storage room was something no noble family member should be doing.

‘Should I faint? If I pretend to faint and then wake up saying, “Oh, where am I? How did I end up here?” maybe he’ll believe it.’

While Elysia was thinking of such an absurd plan in shock, Ronan was doing his best to grasp the situation. Seeing Ronan with his hand on his chin, deep in thought, Elysia thought even her desperate plan wouldn’t work.

Finally, after understanding the situation, Ronan returned to his usual smiling self and slowly stood up.

Elysia’s face grew increasingly tense as she watched Ronan rise. Even as she clearly saw Ronan slowly approaching her, she remained rigid, trying to figure out how to handle the situation.

“Please stand up. The food storage room doesn’t get any sunlight, so it’s not good to stay here for long.”

Ronan offered his hand. Elysia managed to extend her stiff fingers, not from the cold but from tension, and took Ronan’s hand.

Ronan helped Elysia to her feet, gently smoothing out her crumpled skirt and tucking her disheveled hair back. As they approached the entrance of the storage room together, Ronan paused for a moment.

“There might be someone passing by, so let me check first.”

Ronan slightly opened the door to peek outside and, seeing no one nearby, opened it fully.

Elysia quickly stepped outside, worried that someone might see her, and headed directly to a path a little away from the storage room. The sound of her shoes clicked rapidly on the stone pavement of the walkway.

Ronan closed the storage room door securely and approached Elysia. Trying to appear as elegant and dignified as possible, Elysia spoke as if nothing had happened, exerting silent pressure for Ronan to pretend he hadn’t seen anything.

“…Please pretend you didn’t see what just happened. I suddenly had to do a lot and… I think I lost my senses for a moment.”

Ronan ran a hand through his tousled auburn hair and smiled brightly.

“What incident? I just stopped by the storage room to check the stock of premium spices that the Haas Trading Company regularly delivers, and met a young lady who was taking a walk nearby. Was there something else?”

Elysia forced a smile on her tense face and agreed.

“Hohoho… Right. I was just taking a walk. Well then, you must be busy, so I’ll just…”

“No, I’ve finished most of my work, so if it’s not a bother, I’d like to join you for a walk.”

‘It’s a bother, a huge bother. If you’ve decided to pretend you didn’t see anything, just leave!’

However, contrary to her wishes, Elysia had no choice but to agree to Ronan’s request since he had seen her true self.

“…Sure. It’s not a bother at all.”

Just then, two escort knights patrolling the garden passed by and nodded to Elysia. As soon as they passed, Ronan turned to Elysia.

“Not to brag, but I’ve met many women, and quite a few of them were different on the outside than they were on the inside. But the demeanor in the storage room earlier was a different level of recklessness. It seems the Serenze family has a particularly free spirit.”

Elysia was enraged by words that seemed to insult her parents.

“I’m unusually reckless because I was born not normal. So don’t insult my parents and family like that.”

Ronan was rather taken aback.

“You seem upset. That’s not what I meant. I think it’s good for children to grow up freely in such a family atmosphere. My family is similar, so they raised me in a way that I didn’t feel pressured even though I was peculiar from a young age. Seeing that you haven’t lost your individuality despite being a noble, I felt a sense of kinship and couldn’t help myself…”

After hearing his elaborate explanation, Elysia felt Ronan’s sincerity and her heart softened.

“If you meant it that way, it’s fine. I guess I became sensitive after showing such a disgraceful side.”

“I hope you don’t think it was embarrassing. Using the word ‘reckless’ was one of my bad habits. I didn’t think it was a serious matter, so I inadvertently teased you. Most people in the Haas family enjoy small jokes. The only serious one in the family is Aaron. I guess I’ve taken on the free spirit for my brother’s share. People usually find it charming.”

Ronan exaggeratedly ran his hand through his hair and laughed. Elysia also laughed, seeing Ronan trying to lighten her mood.

“You’re quite good at packaging yourself as a playboy under the guise of a free spirit.”

“Oh dear, you wound me. Such stories are slanders from people who don’t know me well. I’ve never juggled multiple relationships or weighed people against each other. When I’m in a relationship, I focus solely on that one person.”

“Well, that’s a relief to hear.”

Though she chided him, Elysia continued the walk with a more relaxed expression. Her violet-like eyes sparkled, no longer maintaining the demeanor of a lofty noblewoman. Ronan thought this face was better than any he had seen before.

“You must have found it difficult, living freely in the Serenze family and then coming to the Ducal household.”

Elysia felt unexpectedly touched that Ronan understood her struggles, which no one else knew about. Her sparkling eyes grew moist.

‘Get a grip, Elysia! Isn’t it enough that you showed an embarrassing side earlier, and now you’re about to cry?’

Elysia chided herself, holding back her tears. But soon, her eyes welled up with tears. Ronan noticed but pretended not to, turning his gaze to the Duke’s garden and walking silently.

***

After a short walk, Ronan indeed returned to the trading company, and Elysia headed back to the mansion. The butler didn’t mention checking the budget again, perhaps noticing how tired Elysia looked upon her return.

Meanwhile, Cassius, who had left for work early, didn’t return home even by dinner time. Elysia had a simple dinner alone for the first time in a while, then returned to her room to read a book before lying down early.

However, she couldn’t fall asleep easily due to the heaviness in her chest and the flood of thoughts. Elysia sighed and got out of bed.

‘I can’t sleep at all. Should I ask for a warm cup of honey tea?’

After a moment of contemplation, Elysia shook her head and opened the window leading to her balcony. The moon was gradually rising in the sky seen from her room. But merely opening the window didn’t ease her troubled mind.

Thinking she needed a night walk, Elysia, still in her light nightgown, threw on a large shawl and went outside.

***

Around that time, Cassius was working late at the Administrative Palace due to the overwhelming workload. He worried that King Clois or Princess Karinsa might show up again because of the incident by the lake at the Central Palace, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

Cassius hadn’t slept properly the previous night and had gone to work early in the morning. The complexity of his thoughts also contributed significantly to his fatigue, making him more tired than usual. Cassius pressed around his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and tilted his head back.

After careful consideration, he concluded that he couldn’t finish all the work today. Normally, he wouldn’t have done so, but having decided to leave work, Cassius got up and left the office at the Administrative Palace.