Elena froze, holding the cup, unable to take any action. A superior who was even kind enough to pour water for her! Since when had he been like this?

What surprised her even more was Rudfelix’s reaction.

She thought he would never accept it. Rather, she expected him to ignore it or brush it off as usual.

Elena looked up and froze when her eyes met his.

His gaze toward her was so warm.

“Oh my.”

Roina brought both hands to her mouth in surprise at Rudfelix’s softening expression. Though she was just sitting and watching, there wasn’t a dull moment.

“When Count Jellisto personally introduced his daughter, I wondered why, but after meeting her, I understood the reason.”

Rudfelix suddenly brought up Suharto’s choice at that time, when he had supported Baron Vulti and cornered Count Jellisto.

“That incident became the catalyst for our connection.”

As Rudfelix looked at her affectionately, Elena tightly clenched her hands under the table. Her toes curled in embarrassment.

She had entered as an aide, but the atmosphere flowed as if they were lovers, making her feel awkward and unable to interject.

Moreover, she didn’t know how to react to the Grand Duke’s sweet gaze, which was different from usual.

“I’ve never seen that expression before.”

Suharto’s eyes narrowed at Elena’s quiet demeanor. Until now, she had spoken her mind without restraint, but now it seemed as if her mouth was sealed shut.

“One never knows what creates new connections. I’ll remember the Grand Duke’s words.”

Suharto readily acknowledged this. Then he rang a bell to call a servant.

A servant entered, carefully holding a box with both hands. As previously instructed, he placed the box in front of Elena, opened it to reveal its contents, and then withdrew.

“You’ll accept this one, right?”

Suharto’s gaze. Roina and Count Emphraim looked curious, not knowing what was happening.

And……

Should I accept it? Elena felt like her hand might burn a hole under Rudfelix’s intense stare.

Elena stood up and reached into the box.

The fluttering peacock feather and the conspicuously embedded jewels were somewhat off-putting, but it was much better than the pen she had seen at the ball.

She grasped the pen, held it up, and shook it slightly as if gauging its weight, then nodded with satisfaction.

‘It’s well-made.’

It fit comfortably in her hand and was light. It was the type where you just add ink and write, so if the pen didn’t break, it would be good to use for a long time.

“Thank you.”

The two men’s reactions to her acceptance were starkly different.

“I knew you’d accept it. My discerning eye for people is matched by my discerning eye for selecting items.”

The implication was that he had a good impression of Elena in terms of judging people.

Roina acknowledged that it looked good at a glance, and Elena felt the same.

As the two women nodded in agreement, Suharto’s smile deepened.

He looked at Rudfelix with a ‘what do you think?’ expression.

“I thought I provided more than enough pens at her desk?”

He had prepared dozens of pens at her desk in the imperial palace, within arm’s reach.

“This pen is good for carrying around. It’s light and not too big, making it convenient to carry.”

As Elena inserted the pen between the pages of her notebook, Suharto drank his wine with evident pleasure, as if to show off.

“I hope this pen can create a new connection with Aide Elena.”

Rudfelix briefly looked Elena up and down before casually dropping a remark.

“Do you need anything else?”

“No.”

Why ask such a question here?

“Surely there must be something?”

What are you trying to say? Elena looked at him anxiously.

“Didn’t you covet my pocket this morning?”

“That’s because there were better things in your pocket than what you gave me……”

She wanted it because there were many better weapons than the handkerchief. Why bring that up here?

“Lady Elena.”

At Roina’s small but clear voice, Elena turned to look.

“Didn’t you say you were going to work this afternoon?”

“Ah……”

Why does she have to bring that up?

“It’s true that I’m working in the afternoon, but that’s because I saw His Highness this morning.”

“I see.”

Whether she asked innocently or not, Roina didn’t inquire further and just smiled.

“You should be more precise. It wasn’t that you saw each other this morning, but that you were together all night.”

Rudfelix was speaking to Elena, but his gaze was fixed on Suharto.

“Your Highness the Grand Duke, if you say it like that when we were together for work, others will misunderstand.”

“Who said anything about misunderstanding?”

This time Elena was properly caught.

Unable to explain that nothing had happened, she couldn’t shake off the uncomfortable feeling despite there being no misunderstanding.

“So you make her work all night?” 

Suharto’s voice cracked slightly.

“I adjust working hours flexibly depending on the situation.”

“So it’s working hours where you never know when you’ll get off. Is that why all your aides ran away?”

Suharto turned his gaze to Count Emphraim. At his look that seemed to say, ‘You know all the Grand Duke’s aides ran away, don’t you?’, Count Emphraim could only manage an awkward smile.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Elena slightly raised her hand to gain the right to speak.

“Yesterday, I volunteered to work late. His Highness the Grand Duke simply stayed with me.”

“Not many superiors would make time for their aides.”

Rudfelix immediately caught the end of Elena’s words and mockingly laughed at Suharto.

“Call me next time too.”

Suharto responded to Rudfelix’s provocation by speaking to Elena.

“I’ll come too.”

“Your Highness……”

“No need to be moved.”

Elena wasn’t moved at all. She just wanted to ask why the two men kept acting like this.

‘This is really uncomfortable. Uncomfortable.’

The unrelenting gazes of the two men were extremely uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Count Emphraim, who had been quietly observing, wanted to outright suggest to the Grand Duke and Crown Prince to just ask directly.

Do you like me or him?

* * *

On the way back from the Crown Prince’s palace, Elena recalled how she had been watching the interaction between Suharto and Roina.

Roina found Suharto intimidating because he was the Crown Prince, but she kept glancing at him, while Suharto regarded her as just another lady.

Even when he handed her the brooch right before parting, he treated Roina indifferently.

‘The story has definitely changed.’

Her serving the villainous Grand Duke and the connection forming between Count Jellisto and the Grand Duke were all different from the original work.

‘But even if the author’s intended story has gone off track, it seems to be trying to return to its original path as if by coincidence.’

Since entering Elena’s body and living here, she had realized that this wasn’t just a collection of fragmentary story flows but a real world. However, when Roina and Suharto unexpectedly encountered each other, she became confused.

They had met and even had lunch together, but nothing happened.

‘What is it? What could it be?’

“What are you thinking about?”

Rudfelix, who had been walking ahead, had been watching her for who knows how long and slightly tilted his body to the side so Elena wouldn’t bump into him.

“I’m sorry.”

How embarrassing it would have been if she had stupidly walked into him.

“If you can’t find an answer by thinking alone, it’s okay to ask someone else.”

With a look that said ‘preferably me,’ Rudfelix blocked Elena’s path as if urging her to speak.

Elena hesitated whether to tell him, then slightly revealed only a part.

“I’m confused about whether what I know is the whole truth.”

Out of frustration, she blurted out words that he might not understand. Having entered Elena’s body knowing how the story would unfold, she hadn’t been too anxious.

She knew which people to avoid and how to act, making it easy to adapt to Elena’s life.

But as the plot twisted strangely, she became confused, realizing that the sword she had been proudly holding was actually made of sand.

“If that’s the problem, the answer is simple. Do what you can do.”

“What I can do?”

“If the result doesn’t change, then there’s nothing you can do. At least, not doing anything will leave you with more regrets.”

“I see.”

His words gave her an indescribable sense of relief. What did it matter if it was made of sand! She could wield it and harden it again. Instead of despairing that she had swung it and broken it.

Rather than spending time on such worries, it would be more beneficial to act toward the ending she wanted.

‘That would probably be preventing the Grand Duke’s death.’

Even if their connection would be severed after two years, she hoped that Grand Duke Rudfelix wouldn’t die. She also changed her vague belief that he wouldn’t die if he didn’t do bad things.

“Thank you.”

As she thanked him with a much-improved expression, a smile briefly appeared and disappeared on Rudfelix’s lips.

‘He did smile, right?’

“You readily accepted that pen.”

“Ugh!” The choked groan that escaped prevented her from responding immediately. Elena thumped her chest once and brazenly replied,

“Of course I had to accept it when His Highness the Crown Prince gave it to me.”

“You accepted it even though I said I didn’t like it.”

His atmosphere gradually froze over.

Elena shouted at Rudfelix’s back as he walked forward again.

“I’ll use this pen to diligently write about Your Highness’s affairs.”

Though the Crown Prince gave it, she said she would use it for him.

“……”

“……”

Won’t you say something?

The longer the silence continued, the more her palms sweated.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

“I’m coming.”

Elena smiled at his softened atmosphere.

She disliked the idea of the Grand Duke dying and wanted to continue getting along well like this.

She…… had grown to like him.