Chapter 5. The Villain Growls

“Your Highness.”

Elena sighed.

She came to refuse the Crown Prince’s gift but ended up causing a misunderstanding with her superior.

Elena pondered what to say while facing Rudfelix.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’

Her superior’s disapproving expression made her feel like a child caught doing something bad. The timing and place couldn’t have been worse.

She had gone out for lunch and was discovered at the Crown Prince’s palace. Elena couldn’t believe her luck.

‘Nothing I can do about it now.’

Elena decided to brazenly push forward.

“Would you like to hear about your subordinate’s personal matter?”

There was no need to add ‘I’ll tell you if you want.’

“No.”

As he turned around, the wind from his clothes made her close her eyes unconsciously. The breeze touched her cheeks before dispersing.

Elena slightly opened her eyes to glance at his back.

She smoothed down her uniform. She could feel the badge he had personally pinned on her.

‘What’s there to hide anyway.’

Since the Grand Duke preferred this uniform to a dress, she didn’t see why she needed to keep this matter secret from him.

Elena approached his side and matched his pace as he strode forward with his long legs.

“His Highness the Crown Prince gifted me a dress to wear at the annual event.”

She felt awkward after saying it. It sounded like she was bragging about receiving a nice gift from a man.

“I was on my way back from returning the gift.”

She spoke casually while observing his reaction, but there was no response from him.

‘He must really think I’m bragging.’

Feeling like it might lead to ‘The Crown Prince seems to like me. What should I do?’, she felt she had to say something.

“I must look like I don’t have any clothes.”

But the only thing she could think to say was about looking like she had no clothes.

‘Where did my quick wit go?’

Her fingers fidgeted in embarrassment.

“I see.”

She spoke without thinking he would take it literally and ended up flustered.

“I really do have clothes, you know?”

She protested “I am a count’s daughter after all,” but Rudfelix had already walked ahead.

“Maybe I should have just let him misunderstand? No, do I really look that pitiful?”

Muttering in disbelief, Elena hurried to catch up with him.

“I’m trying to tell you I didn’t have a private meal with His Highness.”

“I never asked about that.”

Though he denied it, his tone had softened.

‘I did well to explain.’

Though she might have come across as a noble lady without clothes, at least there would be no misunderstandings. Only then did she become curious about where her superior was heading.

“Where are you going, by the way?”

Rudfelix raised one eyebrow but remained silent.

Elena quietly followed him and caught a scent.

‘Horses?’

He walked straight into the stable and brought out a horse.

“Can you ride?”

“Yes.”

She had learned horseback riding as a basic skill.

While she was distracted by his graceful movements mounting the horse, he had already ridden far away.

“Right, I know you’re not a kind boss.”

As he had mounted and left first, Elena also got on a horse.

Maintaining her balance on the horse as it shot forward, Elena followed him with a stable posture.

* * *

‘We’re at the mansion.’

As they entered the mansion in the capital, an elderly gentleman with completely white hair came out to open the door.

“Welcome, Your Highness.”

“I came to look for it myself.”

“This way, please.”

Elena couldn’t help but gasp at the parade of tailcoats. There were so many clothes prepared for one person.

As if they had rented an entire clothing store, it was filled with nothing but clothes and related items.

‘This size would be larger than most clothing stores.’

The ceiling was high and well-ventilated to prevent humidity. Elena admired the refreshing feeling despite being indoors and settled in one spot to look at the clothes again.

‘It’s all black.’

Though there were slight differences, such as silk collars or the use of dark navy, overall, they were similar black tailcoats.

After dozens of completed tailcoats were brought in, trays piled with fabric like mountains followed.

Rudfelix brushed the shoulder of a completed outfit and tried one on in front of the mirror.

The tailcoat seemed to be drawn to his hand before smoothly wrapping around his body.

‘It suits him well.’

Because his hair was light, the black fabric didn’t make him look dark at all, and his striking features meant he didn’t need many decorations. His deep eyes sparkled in the mirror, and his high nose and closed lips looked aristocratic.

Elena realized that just one person changing clothes could inspire such admiration.

‘His face does all the work.’

It didn’t matter which tailcoat he wore from the start.

“Is this all that’s been made?”

“Ahem. Yes.”

When Rudfelix looked at the butler’s reflection in the mirror and asked, a hurried cough came with the answer.

For some reason, when he looked at the butler in the mirror, the butler was covering his mouth and glancing at something.

Following his gaze, there was Elena staring at him as if enchanted. She was blankly staring until their eyes met, then startled, she started fanning herself.

“First, you were staring intently at my face, and now you’re doing it again.”

At Rudfelix’s words, the butler barely held back his laughter.

“It’s troublesome if my aide keeps falling for my face.”

“You misunderstand. I’m not falling for anything at all.”

Though Elena denied it completely, her voice lacked strength.

Rudfelix had never had an aide who so openly admired his face before.

“Do you like my face that much?”

“It’s because it suits you so well.”

“As my aide, you need to be able to assist me in everything. Do you know how to judge clothes?”

“I don’t have much direct experience.”

Since there would be more occasions like this, Rudfelix needed to check Elena’s eye for fashion. He reached out to her.

“Come and choose yourself.”

“Your Highness’s clothes?”

“Yes.”

Elena hesitated briefly before obediently approaching. And like him, she brushed the shoulders of the clothes while examining them one by one. However, nothing seemed to catch her fancy as she wasn’t picking anything.

Finally, she reached for the fabric, and he watched her movements intently. She had returned to her aide’s perspective, far from when she was blankly staring at his face.

‘Any would be fine, but nothing really stands out.’

That was why Elena took her hands off the tailcoats. She spread out the fabric directly and observed everything from texture to pattern with eagle eyes before picking one.

“May I borrow your shoulder for a moment?”

Elena unrolled the round fabric and draped it over his shoulder before stepping aside. When she moved away, the mirror reflected Rudfelix.

“Oh my.”

Elena made an exaggerated fuss.

“This fabric must have been here today with the mission to make Your Highness shine. How can colors suit you so well? As expected of someone I knew was extraordinary from the first sight, you can pull off even such bright colors.”

Rudfelix smiled, seemingly amused by Elena’s flattery.

She was quick-witted, emphasizing why she had chosen white fabric among the black tailcoats.

“I am quite extraordinary, aren’t I? My gaze is sensual from the start.”

He quoted part of what Elena had first shouted.

“Ugh, seriously.”

She wanted to erase that memory completely. Elena looked up at Rudfelix with a pout, calling him evil, before asking seriously.

“Is this alright with Your Highness?”

What she had brought was white fabric with a subtle pearl sheen. She had chosen it thinking it would complement his particularly sparkling lips.

Rudfelix had asked her to choose clothes, and Elena had brought one. Now she waited for his answer.

He brushed the white fabric draped over his shoulder and slightly twisted his upper body. Elena followed closely, worried the fabric might slip.

When he moved his shoulder to the opposite side, Elena followed again. She was like a little chick.

And thanks to the fabric in that chick’s hands, he was…

“Like a white swan.”

When Rudfelix expressed it in one phrase, Elena’s hands trembled.

‘After going around as a black swan all this time.’

Taking it as disapproval, she started to lower the fabric, but Rudfelix pulled it from Elena’s hands. Their eyes met as Elena was pulled along, still gripping the fabric.

“I didn’t say I disliked it.”

“Then shall we make clothes with this fabric?”

“I’ll leave it to my aide.”

“I’ll have it completed quickly and bring it to you.”

Elena hugged the fabric and stepped back.

“Choose one for yourself too.”

“For me?”

After giving a formal response, her tone suddenly became casual.

“Is this because I said I looked like I had no clothes earlier?”

“Yes. I can give at least one outfit to my subordinate.”

“I really am not someone without clothes.”

“You’ll be attending the annual event with me. Do you have clothes prepared for that?”

“No… I don’t.”

Only then did she realize she couldn’t refuse Rudfelix’s offer.

The Crown Prince’s gift could be replaced with many others, so there was no regret there.

However, as an aide, she only had the uniform she was wearing.

‘It would be strange to go in as an aide wearing a dress.’

Elena awkwardly held the fabric. It felt strange and embarrassing when it was for herself rather than someone else. The texture felt unfamiliar even though she had just been looking at the same fabric.

Then she spotted one and boldly picked it up.

Rudfelix slightly frowned. He seemed displeased.

“You gave me white fabric but chose black for yourself.”

Looking at the rolled fabric in Elena’s hands, he muttered as if dumbfounded.

But Elena stubbornly hugged it and approached the mirror. As it was quite heavy and she almost dropped it several times, Rudfelix supported it from below.

“Thank you.”

She spread the fabric and draped it over her shoulder as she had done for Rudfelix. The fabric felt soft due to its good quality and had a nice color.