Chapter 47

Respect.

The one startled by the word was none other than herself. She had never done anything to deserve someone’s respect.

When she saw the faint excitement and subtle anticipation in his eyes, a wave of embarrassment and shame washed over her.

“Ahem. Why?”

“The confident way you carried yourself in the meeting room reminded me of someone I admire.”

“Someone you admire?”

“Well… the protagonist of the book <That Lady is So Cool.>”

As he spoke, his cheeks turned a light shade of red, as if he were already happy just imagining it.

She looked at Ser with a complicated expression.

‘Well, it’s his freedom to like whomever he wants…’

Better to be absorbed in books than to cause trouble everywhere.  

She decided to understand him. Especially since the protagonist of <That Lady is So Cool> was someone she could relate to.

“I particularly liked the way she was so confident and arrogant in front of the nobles.”

“Arrogant…”

Suddenly, she recalled something Pell had said in passing a while ago.  

‘Isn’t the way you treat the Commander just karma coming back to you?’

“Should I just fire all of you…”

“…Pardon?”

Pell and Ser. They were both cheeky, but they did their jobs well, so she couldn’t fire them. Besides, their cheekiness wasn’t even that annoying.  

Maybe it was her own soft personality. She sighed lightly, scratching the end of her brow.

“Why were you asking about the wedding?”

“Ah… It’s just that there are so many rumors…”

“Even if I do get married, it won’t interfere with work, so don’t worry about it. You did well today. Keep it up.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

Sigh.

This was just another thing she had to endure.  

Hearing the faint sound of her energy dropping, she grabbed a sugar cube, dropped it into her teacup, and stirred it vigorously.

***

News of their wedding spread across the empire, and every day invitations to tea parties and wedding gifts arrived from all over.  

One day, an opera invitation from the Earl of LePell arrived.  

‘Moonlit Vow.’

This sentimental title belonged to an opera said to beautifully depict the love between a man and a woman.  

She was relieved that the title of the opera wasn’t ‘Eched and Shaterian.’

The letter enclosed with the invitation specifically requested that she attend with Eched.  

Having received the invitation, it seemed rude not to go, so she asked Eched about it. Surprisingly, he readily agreed to accompany her.

Thus, on that weekend, they headed to the Dermos Grand Theater.  

The Empire’s most anticipated production, they said. It didn’t seem to be an exaggeration.  

The theater, notorious for its hard-to-get tickets, was bustling with carriages and nobles dressed to impress.

“Oh my, isn’t that the Astrea Ducal Family crest on that carriage…”

“My goodness, the Duke and Lady Shaterian must be on a date!”

Naturally, as they stepped out of the carriage, all eyes were on them.  

Thanks to Kirin’s insistence, who had stopped them from leaving dressed casually, they were dressed up, which turned out to be a relief.

Ignoring the slightly overwhelming stares, they followed the staff to their box seats.  

The box seats, which overlooked both the stage and the audience, were spacious and private, prepared exclusively for nobles.  

Though it was her first time attending such an outing, it wasn’t so bad.  

The best part was the unlimited supply of wine and cheese-topped savory biscuits.  

Glancing at Eched, who showed no interest in the wine, she quietly drank his share as well before asking the staff for another glass.  

By the time she sipped her third glass, the curtain rose on the stage.  

The opera ‘Moonlit Vow’ was a poignant love story about a princess and her knight who defied the Emperor’s opposition to continue their love.  

Under a moonlit sky with cherry blossoms falling, the knight held the weeping princess in his arms.

“Don’t do this. If His Majesty finds out, we’ll be in big trouble!”

“Even if His Majesty opposes our love… I will never give you up.”

After a heartfelt confession of love, the two shared a passionate kiss…  

Cough.

She suddenly choked and let out a small cough.  

In the silent theater, where even the orchestra had paused its performance, a suffocating stillness fell.  

Everyone was deeply immersed in the opera, including Eched, who watched the stage with an indifferent expression.  

‘Am I… the only one feeling weird?’

A strange sense of déjà vu. It was her first time seeing this, yet it felt inexplicably familiar.  

It was clear that this was an adaptation of the events that had occurred during the founding festival.  

As the story on stage reached its climax, sitting still and watching became unbearable. In the end, she couldn’t hold back and left her seat.  

“I need to go to the restroom for a moment.”

At first, it was an excuse, but once she stepped into the hallway, the wine she had drunk made her genuinely need the restroom.  

After hastily taking care of business, she dampened a handkerchief with cold water and cooled her flushed face without ruining her makeup.  

The fact that the Earl of LePell had insisted she attend, only to hide this kind of prank, left her dumbfounded.

At least she could be grateful that the opera wasn’t named after her and Eched.  

She sighed as she stepped outside, the tense music from the opera echoing through the hallway.

“Your Majesty! I cannot give up the princess!”

“Duke!”

The voice of the actor playing the knight was followed by a soft, familiar voice. She stopped in her tracks, recognizing a familiar back.  

When she had left earlier, the hallway had been empty, but now there were people. A young woman with neatly braided brown hair was standing with Eched.  

Behind the grand music, their conversation could be heard.

“Duke, your match isn’t Lady Shaterian.”

A confession? Before she could fully grasp the meaning of the sudden words, the young lady raised her voice.  

“Lady Shaterian doesn’t suit you, Duke!”

‘Excuse me, what’s wrong with me?’

I’m human, unlike him!  

Hiding behind the corner, Shaterian glared at the young lady passionately delivering her argument with displeasure.

Was it the alcohol? Normally, she would have brushed off such a situation, but now, for some reason, it made her angry.

As the opera’s music built toward its climax, her anger rose with it.  

Barely holding back her temper, she continued to watch them.  

The next moment, the young lady declared, 

“Lady Shaterian should marry someone even better than you, Duke!”

Silence.  

A sharp echo lingered, leaving a cold stillness in the hallway.  

The young lady, still fuming, glared at Eched, whose expression she couldn’t see as his back was turned.  

‘What kind of situation is this…’

So, the young lady hadn’t confessed to Eched but had instead warned him that she disapproved of his marriage to me…

Blinking, the anger Shaterian had felt earlier dissipated like melting snow.  

The young lady, having said her piece, fled the scene as if running away.

Shaterian glanced around cautiously before approaching Eched, who stood frozen like a statue.

“Kids these days are… bold, aren’t they?”

“……”

For some reason, Eched’s arms were now full of unfamiliar books.

The books had no titles, adorned only with gold embossing, making it impossible to guess their contents.

“What’s all this?”

“They told me to give them to you as gifts. They’re by an author named Rune.”

“What?!”

When she tried to take a look, Eched turned his body slightly to block her.

“Read them at home.”

Though she was dying to read them immediately, his firm demeanor made it clear he wouldn’t let her. Left with no choice, she pestered him to hurry home.

***

Shaterian herself thought she hadn’t been gone long, but in reality, it was quite the opposite.

She had been away longer than expected, prompting Eched to rise from his seat to go look for her.

The moonlit, quiet hallway of the theater. As soon as he stepped into it, Eched wasn’t the only one looking for her.

“Oh my, Duke. I was just about to seek you out…”

The first person he encountered was the Earl of LePell, who had been heading toward their box.

Though he addressed Eched, the Earl’s eyes darted about nervously, clearly searching for Shaterian.

“Shaterian stepped out for a moment.”

It was evident that Eched was on his way to find her, though he didn’t explicitly say so.

“Is that so? Then please pass this along to her.”

The Earl suddenly handed over a book.

“I heard Lady Shaterian enjoys Rune’s novels. It’s a gift. But… I think you might enjoy it even more than Lady Shaterian, Duke.”

With that, the Earl handed over the book and left. Soon after, other ladies arrived one by one, each presenting a book as a gift.

What kind of books were these?

Curious, Eched opened one slightly and let out a dry laugh.

The novels, supposedly gifts for Shaterian, turned out to be none other than romance novels—of the risqué variety.

Closing the book, whose text seemed to cling to itself like sticky ink on paper, Eched resumed his search for Shaterian, only to overhear yet another odd conversation in the hallway. It made his head throb.

Eventually, he managed to retrieve a slightly tipsy Shaterian, along with the books, and they returned to the ducal residence.

He entrusted Kirin with preparing Shaterian’s bath and took another look at the books. Their contents held neither interest nor appeal for him.

He tossed them aside casually and went to wash up. By the time he returned, the books were already in Shaterian’s hands.

Lying sprawled on the bed, Shaterian was so engrossed in the books that she didn’t even notice Eched entering.

Eched stood by the doorway, observing her.

There she was, lying on someone else’s bed, her bare legs exposed, giggling to herself as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Earl of LePell said that it would be better for Eched to read it rather than Shaterian.

Perhaps it was because of the joke circulating among the empire—that Eched was the only monk-like figure in the realm, more pious than the priests of the Holy Temple.

That, of course, was nonsense. Anyone who knew better would find it laughable.

Even now, it was clear that the one obliviously giggling away was Shaterian.

Shaterian truly… lacked any sense of danger.

Eched approached the bed and pulled the blanket over her exposed legs. Then he took the book from her hands.

“Hey!” 

Shaterian protested, rolling over, causing the blanket to slip off and her legs to be exposed again.

“It’s time to sleep.”

“Why? Let me just finish this part.”

She puffed her cheeks in a pout.

Perhaps it was the alcohol or the hot bath, but her flushed cheeks and reddened eyes made her look younger than her age.

Back when she attended the academy, her baby fat had given her cheeks a slight roundness. Now, her face had slimmed into a perfectly sharp jawline.

Eched traced the line of her agile jawline with his fingertips, making Shaterian giggle and rub her chin against his shoulder, saying it tickled.

In the process, the loose opening of her clothes revealed a smooth, white shoulder that peeked out.

“No sense of fear…”

“Huh?”

It happened in an instant. The bed sank, and before she knew it, Eched was above her.

Their faces were now mere inches apart, close enough for their warm breaths to tickle the fine hairs on their skin.

His silver-gray eyes stared intently into her startled green ones.

“What are you doing?”

“You seemed to want this.”

Passing the blame wasn’t a privilege reserved solely for Shaterian.