Illione acted brightly, but Elisha read a strange disappointment in her eyes.
‘You must have had some feelings for Lucerne. Well, he is handsome, so it’s easy to see him as a man.….’
In addition, Empress Illione was a woman who would court Lucerne five years later. For political reasons.
Lucerne did not answer the proposal for a long time, and it was said that she worried like a child. Elisha watched them to see if the two were lovers. Lucerne’s reaction was dry as usual.
‘What does it have to do with me? Who cares what their relationship is?’
Elisha decided to turn off her nerves. Then the princess approached Lucerne, whispered a few words, and fell back.
“Got it? If you miss this meeting, my Royal Father will be furious.”
“I’ll be sure to leave early so I won’t be late. Then, I’ll see you at the imperial palace.”
“Ah ah, I see. Yesterday’s lunch—what a waste.”
She lamented and turned away. Elisha looked at her retreating back, took Lucerne’s hand, and climbed into the carriage.
“If it was lunch…. Was the Empress at the hotel for lunch yesterday?”
“Indeed,”
Lucerne replied briefly.
If it was lunch yesterday, it was the day Lucerne requested her attendance for lunch at the hotel. Elisha almost laughed to herself.
‘Ah, that’s why you called me to the hotel.’
It was clear that it was a place to introduce him to the Empress, who was politically and personally close to the princess. But he couldn’t keep the appointment… because of what happened yesterday.
***
Lucerne took Elisha to the carriage and boarded. Elisha studied Lucerne as they swayed in the wagon.
“What?”
Lucerne asked without moving.
“No, I think you and the princess are close.”
“Are you jealous”?
“Never.”
Elisha turned her head away from his gaze, but she could feel Lucerne looking through her.
“You can be jealous. I like wicked women who are talented in wielding their temper.”
“Jealousy is not wicked, and I don’t enjoy wasting my emotions.”
Elisha turned her head away even more. Suddenly, Lucerne’s face was incredibly close to hers. Elisha couldn’t make eye contact with him without feeling like she was being stabbed.
“Our little ghost is cold too.”
Lucerne lightly caressed Elisha’s lower lip.
It wasn’t far from the hotel to the mansion, so the wagon soon stopped.
“Let’s go.”
Lucerne opened the door for her. Elisha stumbled down with him assisting her.
“If you can’t walk, I can pick you up and take you to your room.”
“—it’s okay.”
Lucerne nodded.
The butler was running towards them from afar.
“You’ve arrived! I was surprised that you two didn’t come back last night—”
The butler said, holding his panting his chest. Lucerne told the butler.
“Take my wife and take special care of her. You must have been surprised. Did you hear what happened?”
Elisha’s eyebrow twitched.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to go to the imperial palace. Since the war is over, the National Parliamentary Assembly begins.”
Elisha nodded. In some cases, statecraft meetings lasted for several days. Maybe he won’t come back again for a while.
“When…”
As Lucerne tried to turn around, Elisha asked quietly,
“Are you coming back?”
“After work.
An ambiguous answer was provided. That’s right. Elisha nodded.
“Why, because you’ll miss me?”
“No. When you arrive, I have to get ready to greet you. Now I’m the hostess of this house.”
Elisha replied dryly in a tone of business cooperation. Lucerne nodded.
“Stay still. Don’t go out anywhere.”
After saying that, Lucerne closed the carriage door.
His wagon left. Feeling tired, Elisha entered the mansion with the help of the butler.
***
As soon as Elisha came home, she lay down on her bed. Sophie, her maid, made a fuss when she saw Elisha’s condition.
“Are you in pain, madam?”
“No, I’m a little tired. Please give me clothes to change into.”
Elisha was comfortable with Sophie’s presence, but she was unfamiliar with it too. This is because, in her previous life, she played a role in serving the Jacobs. In the process of changing her clothes, Elisha’s blood-stained underskirt was spotted.
“By any chance…”
Sophie looked at it and realized that it was not blood from her period. Elisha mumbled, embarrassed,
“My back hurts a little. I’m not used to it.”
At Elisha’s words, Sophie quickly discerned the hidden meaning. The fact that Lucerne and Elisha had a belated ‘first night’ last night. Sophie nodded quickly.
“Because he went to war.”
Elisha nodded her head.
“You don’t have to talk about it.”
Sophie knew what to do in this situation from her experience in another mansion. First, she prepared clean new pajamas and hot bathwater.
After Elisha soaked herself in water, she changed her clothes and kneaded her limbs.
“I think I’m being too lazy. It’s the middle of the day, but I’m just lying on my bed.”
At Elisha’s words, Sophie massaged her arms and legs with a light oil with soft fragrance and spoke cheerfully,
“You have to hurry up and get better so that you two can spend time together again, right?”
“…….”
Elisha felt strange.
