Chapter 14

The Gorgon was a spirit that protected Serpiewood. It followed only the words of the territory’s lord and no one knew where it resided in Serpiewood. The three-headed Gorgon could turn people into stone just by making eye contact.

Asterope brushed the plaster body of the Gorgon as she thought. When she decided to betray her lord, the first thing Kallieon did was to kill the Gorgon. It was a declaration that he would abandon his status as the lord of Serpiewood, one of Lenirune’s most important territories, and become a conqueror.

She recalled his wretched face, covered in the Gorgon’s wine-colored blood. A part of Asterope’s heart trembled.  

Asterope stared at the Gorgon statue for a long time, lost in thought. When the Gorgon died, she had been happy because it meant she could be loved more by Villish.

The Gorgon was the last bastion of defense for Serpiewood and its greatest monster. If the Gorgon had been alive, perhaps Tama wouldn’t have died. If that had been the case, the story that followed would have been different…

“Is there a symbol of Serpiewood made from the Gorgon?”  

“Yes, Your Grace. An artist from the Imperial Palace painted one and sent it to us.”

“I’d like to make a large banner out of it. It could be placed on the castle or used to decorate the banquet hall.”

This wasn’t just a simple banner. It was a symbol. A symbol that the sacred creature guarding Serpiewood, the Gorgon, would never die no matter what. After all, no one but Kallieon could slay the Gorgon.

And in this life, she would not let Kallieon make such a choice. Asterope ran her hand down the plaster sculpture of the Gorgon and continued speaking.

“I will choose the fabric myself. Prepare various threads as well. I will pick the one that suits it best.”  

“Yes, Your Grace. I’ll prepare candidates and have the fabric merchants visit the castle soon.”

Maria answered calmly. She did not add her opinions on whether Asterope’s choice was right or wrong, good or bad. That was the role of a lady-in-waiting, it seemed.  

Asterope appreciated that Maria did not oppose her decisions. Of course, she could easily ignore any opposition from her. The problem was Tama, who stood behind Maria.

All of Asterope’s orders to Maria had to go through Tama. Through these, Tama would endlessly doubt and judge her. 

Was she someone who could be trusted as part of Serpiewood, or was she still Sodel’s person?

“Ah, wait a moment.”  

“Yes, Your Grace.”  

“I need to speak with the Grand Duke first during the dinner.”

Maria and the maids exchanged glances, seemingly shocked. They could hardly believe that the aloof Asterope would discuss something with the Grand Duke. Asterope, undeterred by their reactions, surveyed the banquet hall.  

“If the Grand Duke permits, we should change the carpet and hang some curtains. And we need to adorn this plaster statue with jewels. It’s too dull, especially the Gorgon’s eyes.”  

She quickly envisioned a scene that would make the banquet hall sparkle. Asterope had an exceptional talent for luxury. She had indulged that talent her whole life. Therefore, she knew how any additional decoration could transform the drab interior into something astonishingly beautiful.  

The banquet hall was essentially the face of the castle, but Kallieon had no skill in such matters. The interior was merely adequate to avoid embarrassment. Asterope inspected every corner of the banquet hall, assessing what was needed. Maria promptly jotted down everything she mentioned.  

Her long dress swept across every inch of the banquet hall. It was a level of attention far beyond what she had for the study. When Kallieon had come to fetch her, she had been gazing at the patterns on the window frame.  

“It’s good that there’s no draft. But the pattern is excessive. It feels stuffy.”  

Kallieon chuckled softly at Asterope’s complaints. Having fought on the battlefield for a long time, he was adept at minimizing his presence. He could even mask the sound of his footsteps perfectly. He had faced sensitive monsters and numerous mercenaries and soldiers. Concealing his presence from Asterope, who had relatively dull senses, required little effort.  

She continued to grumble, unaware of Kallieon approaching.  

“With such a wide window, the view of Serpiewood isn’t visible at a glance. Besides, this window frame trend is so outdated. It looks tacky.”  

He barely held back a laugh as he approached her. She was repeatedly opening and closing the window with a serious expression.  

“Rope.”  

She looked at him, startled. She seemed so surprised that she couldn’t even scream. Kallieon feigned innocence and asked,  

“What were you doing?”

“Y-Your Grace, when did you arrive? I was just looking around…”  

“The window frames don’t please you? You can change them however you like.”

“You were eavesdropping! That’s not a good habit!”

Asterope turned her head away, feeling embarrassed. Kallieon wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and then extended his long arms to close the window.  

“It’s still cold. Don’t open the windows. You’re dressed too lightly.”

“Don’t change the subject. You heard all my mutterings, didn’t you?”  

“I didn’t hear everything.”  

“From where did you start listening?”  

“Well…”  

Asterope pouted her lips. Kallieon found her adorable even when she made such expressions. He felt closer to her in the past few days than he had over the past year.

She gently stroked the back of his hand that was wrapped around her waist and said,  

“I wanted to tell you slowly during the dinner, but if you’ve already heard everything, there’s no point.”

“What were you going to say during dinner?”  

“I want to decorate the banquet hall. I also want to add more embellishments to that Gorgon plaster statue. I’d like to create a new banner using the Gorgon emblem bestowed by the Imperial Palace. I want to hang curtains too. While I’m at it, I want to change the carpet and even the window frames…”

She continued listing her ideas but suddenly widened her eyes and looked at Kallieon. She hadn’t thought it was that much, but as she counted them one by one, it felt overwhelming. She cautiously continued,  

“Is it too extravagant?”  

At her careful question, Kallieon laughed out loud. He then kissed the nape of her neck.  

“Were you wandering around thinking about how to change the banquet hall with the maids?”  

“I didn’t just look at the banquet hall! I also visited the study. But the study…”  

Asterope couldn’t finish her sentence, as she had quickly left due to her lack of interest in books. Kallieon continued speaking as he kissed her cheek.  

“Do as you wish, my Grand Duchess. You can decorate however you like. You can even change the whole castle if you want.”  

“Really?”  

“Of course. Everything will be done as you wish, Rope.”  

At Kallieon’s reply, she blinked her large eyes in surprise. He could feel her excitement. Kallieon smiled as he gazed into her wide eyes, filled with wonder. Asterope hesitated for a moment before continuing,  

“Can I embed jewels in the eyes of the Gorgon statue?”

“What kind of jewels would suit it? The Gorgon’s eye color is difficult to replicate.”

Kallieon was the only one who had looked into the sacred creature’s eyes and lived to tell the tale. Only he knew the color of its eyes. Rope placed a finger on his lips and said,

“You shouldn’t speak such secrets carelessly.”  

Asterope warned him as if something terrible would happen, then shared her thoughts.  

“Since it has three heads, we can mix the colors. Since we’re the Onyx family, I thought agate would be a good choice.”

Asterope continued excitedly. It seemed she had thought about it for quite a while. Kallieon quietly watched Asterope babble on, wanting to make the Onyx family special. The corners of his mouth rose higher and higher.  

“Of course, if we’re talking about beauty, platinum or moonstone would be better. But they don’t carry as much meaning. The Gorgon is special to Serpiewood, after all.”

Asterope added more explanations, as if seeking his approval. Kallieon said nothing, simply smiling brightly as he watched her. Asterope stepped slightly away from his embrace and asked, 

“Your Grace, say something. Does my idea seem too childish?”  

“No, it’s wonderful.”  

“Really?”  

“Yes.”  

At Kallieon’s words, Asterope smiled back at him, feeling confident.  

“Using only agate is boring, so I think it would be nice to use black onyx or sardonyx to diversify the colors. I’ll ask Tama to prepare a budget. I don’t want to deal with difficult things, so I’ll just choose.”  

She quickly added more, thinking Kallieon might worry. She emphasized that Tama would continue handling the budget and other difficult matters. Nevertheless, her voice was filled with energy. Buying and decorating were her strong suits, and she loved being able to show that off.  

Kallieon nodded at her lively demeanor and pulled her into his embrace. Asterope was slightly taken aback by how happy he seemed. 

Was he truly that dissatisfied with the banquet hall? 

Raising her hand to rest on his broad back, she asked,

“Your Grace, did you also dislike the banquet hall?”

“No, such things don’t matter to me.”

At Kallieon’s words, Asterope furrowed her brows. 

Did he really think it was okay to be in such a shabby banquet hall? 

She thought he was far too indifferent when it came to these matters. 

If that was the case, wouldn’t he see decorating as a waste of money? Why was he so pleased then?