Chapter 7 – Progress (Part 6)

As they continued their candid conversation, the time for the family to leave approached. The busy schedules prevented them from following the noble custom of staying for several days, so they had to return home before evening.

With regret, they all headed to the entrance, where Cassius was also waiting to see them off. The Serenze family, who had been chatting happily, returned to their polite demeanor in his presence. Cassius didn’t enjoy the change but pretended not to notice.

Lillian and Marion boarded the carriage one by one. Millie and Daisy, having become friends, whispered to each other, with Daisy giving advice and Millie listening intently and nodding seriously.

‘Wow, Daisy! She really knows how to connect when she wants to. Even though she can be the queen of sharp words with me, she quickly befriends the maids. She’s become best friends with Millie in no time. Judging by their whispering, they’re probably talking about me.’

Elysia looked at Daisy with a mix of anxiety and admiration. Before boarding the carriage, Daisy whispered to Elysia while pretending to tidy her hair.

“Miss, Millie seems better than I thought. Not just Millie, but most of the Duke’s servants too. So, you shouldn’t overdo it either; it might be good to take things a bit easier.”

With that, Daisy winked discreetly at Elysia and boarded the carriage. Elysia thought Daisy might have already won over all the Duke’s servants. Daisy was certainly capable of such a feat.

Before getting into the carriage, Tobias spoke to Cassius.

“Duke Grendel, thank you once again for today’s invitation. I apologize if I was rude earlier. It’s been so long since I’ve seen my daughter that I might have spoken sharply out of a desire to spend time with family.”

Cassius was a bit surprised by Tobias’s sincere and unexpected apology.

“No, it’s only natural as a father. I should have been more considerate.”

Hearing the response, Tobias looked at the Duke thoughtfully.

“Duke Grendel, you seem a bit different from the rumors I’ve heard. As Elysia’s father and a loyal subject of this country, I sincerely hope this engagement brings happiness to you both.”

With that, Tobias turned to Elysia.

“Elysia, it won’t be easy at the Ducal residence, but seeing you today puts my mind at ease. The Duke is considerate, and you seem to be adapting better than I thought. I’d like to spend more time with you, but we’re all very busy these days, so let’s meet again soon.”

Tobias said, patting Elysia on the shoulder. Elysia simply looked at her father. At that moment, Cassius clearly heard Elysia’s inner voice.

<< No, Father. It’s too hard for me here. It’s so hard that I want to go home. I want to wake up when the sun is high and be scolded for being lazy, bickering with my family and living happily like before. Please take me with you, please… >>

Hearing her inner voice, Cassius could only stand there, frozen. Soon, Elysia spoke. Worried that she might actually voice her true feelings, Cassius found himself focusing on her lips.

“No, Father…”

Fearing she would say she wanted to return home, Cassius was ready to say anything to stop her.

“Everyone is busy because of good things, so there’s no need to take extra time to come see me. Next time, I’ll visit home. Please have a safe journey back.”

At Elysia’s words, Tobias gave his daughter a brief hug before getting into the carriage. The Serenze family’s carriage was followed by their escort. Elysia watched from the entrance until they disappeared from view. Cassius glanced at Elysia to see if she might show tears, but she remained composed.

As they re-entered the mansion, Cassius asked Elysia.

“From what I heard today, I’m curious if you’re as comfortable here as you were at the Serenze family. Is there anything uncomfortable or anything you wish for?”

Elysia looked slightly surprised but soon smiled gently and replied.

“My wish was to see my family, and you kindly invited them today, so thank you. I’m doing well, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Cassius wasn’t satisfied with Elysia’s polite response. Whether the potion’s effect had worn off or she genuinely had no desires to express to him, he couldn’t hear her inner voice. Feeling somewhat disappointed, Cassius’s voice turned stiff.

“That’s good to hear.”

At the central entrance, Elysia bid Cassius goodnight and immediately headed up the east wing stairs without looking back. Cassius watched her for a moment before turning to ascend the central staircase.

***

After meeting her family, Elysia spent her days in a state of lethargy. She continued to wake up early and live a regular life according to the Duke’s schedule. However, whether it was due to the exhaustion from redecorating the Ducal residence before her family’s visit or the loneliness that followed meeting them, she found herself in a continuous state of unmotivation.

Cassius seemed to avoid contact with Elysia, perhaps because something had bothered him since then. People from the Haas Trading Company, including Ronan Hass, hadn’t visited the mansion as there were no goods to deliver for the time being, leaving the mansion as quiet as it was before.

The only solace for Elysia was her daily time spent in the garden behind the mansion, but even that didn’t feel as liberating as it used to.

“Madam, if you’re bored, would you like to visit the training grounds?”

“I saw the training grounds when I first came to this house, when the head butler showed me around. It’s fine, Millie.”

“It’ll be different this time! Back then, the knights were either on guard duty or resting, so there was no one there, but now it’s practice time, and you’ll be able to meet everyone!”

“Even with the knights, thanks to the head butler, I’ve already been introduced. If you want to check it out, Millie, you can go. I’ll just read a book in my room.”

“No, Madam! If you stay in your room like this, you’ll become more and more lethargic and won’t be able to do anything. You must come with me right now!”

Elysia was startled by Millie’s sudden assertiveness. Without realizing it, she stood up and started to prepare to leave but then snapped back to her senses. Millie’s tone was exactly like Daisy’s when she used to push her around at the Serenze household.

A sigh escaped from Elysia as she realized.

‘Why is Millie… Oh, no! Daisy must have taught her! Da-i-sy!’

Meanwhile, Millie had already found a light jacket and draped it over Elysia’s shoulders. Seeing that Millie was determined to drag her out no matter how much she refused, Elysia reluctantly let herself be taken to the training grounds.

***

At the training grounds, knights who had become hot from training had either taken off their tops or were wearing thin shirts that clung to their sweat-soaked bodies as they trained or sparred with swords. Seeing Millie’s eager eyes, Elysia understood why she had suggested coming to the training grounds at this time.

‘Millie. This is a tactic Daisy has already tried. The Serenze family guards are all handsome because of Mother’s insistence.’

Elysia had been dragged by Daisy to watch the Serenze guards practice a few times. But after a while, even the appeal of handsome looks and toned bodies became tiresome.

‘Even the Duke, said to be the most handsome man in the Kingdom, seems just so-so now that I see him every day…’

Elysia, who was wondering if the Duke might look different without his clothes, soon shook her head to dispel such inappropriate thoughts.

Knowing that if she showed any reaction at the training grounds, Millie would drag her there regularly, Elysia was careful to control her expression. The knights nodded lightly in greeting to Elysia.

Then, among those sparring, a redhead caught Elysia’s eye.

“Millie, isn’t that Aaron Hass, the Duke’s secretary?”

“Yes, Madam! He’s probably the most skilled here next to the Duke.”

Millie said, seemingly smitten, as she watched Aaron, clad in a white shirt, skillfully push his opponent.

‘So you have to be both scholarly and martial to be the Duke’s secretary. I’ve only seen him standing with documents near the Duke, so I didn’t know. No wonder the Duke travels without other guards; he trusts not only his own skills but also his secretary’s.’

At that moment, Aaron, who had belatedly noticed Elysia standing on one side of the training grounds, stopped his training and ran over to greet her.

“Madam, do you have any business here? If it’s related to the knights, you can tell me.”

“No, nothing in particular. Millie wanted to look around, so I came along for a walk.”

At this, Millie blushed and looked at Elysia with a resentful gaze.

‘That’s your punishment for dragging me out when I wanted to laze around, Millie.’

Aaron, smiling slightly at that, said he’d better get back and turned around. Suddenly, something occurred to Elysia, and she asked Aaron in a small voice.

“Um, Ronan Hass is your brother, right?”

“Yes. …Did my brother do something to offend you, Madam?”

Aaron asked, looking uneasy.

“No, quite the opposite. I owe him a small favor and want to repay it, but as he’s the head of the Haas Trading Company, a simple gift doesn’t seem adequate. I thought it would be nice if I could match his tastes, so I was wondering if you know anything he likes?”

‘No! Madam, if you give my brother something like that, you’ll be completely ensnared! Wait, what has my brother done already?!’

Aaron, hiding his panic, firmly and indirectly objected.

“Madam, there’s no need for you to worry about such things. A small favor is truly nothing to my brother, and he would actually be displeased to receive a reward for it. It’s more of an investment as a merchant to build trust with the Ducal household, so you really don’t need to repay him in any way.”

Faced with Aaron’s firm response, Elysia had no choice but to agree and drop the subject.