n

n

nChapter 55: Chapter 55 Part 2 Present II

nThe sunlight coming through the wide open windows was dazzling. The cold air that followed the wave of sparkling light happily hovered in the room. I smiled gently, breathing deep in the unique fresh air of the morning. It was a refreshing morning.

n“Are you awake, my lady? Good morning!” Lina, who was coming in carefully, said with a big smile. After putting a glass of water on the table, she made the bed, humming a tune.

nShe was a cheerful girl by nature, but she felt really good today. Obviously, something good came her way.

n“Lina, is there anything good to you? You feel good today. ”

n“Gosh, my lady. Today is the winter clean day! So, I have to redecorate your room and change this curtain and carpet. ”

n“Winter clean? Already?”

n“Already? Well, it’s too late. This year a lot of things happened, so the butler told me to do it a little late. It looks like you were snowed under with work, my lady, as you didn’t know that the season has changed.”

nAs she looked sympathetic, I counted the dates on the calendar.

nYes, she was right. It would be the last month of the year in a few days. It seemed like I started my new assignments only recently, but time passed so quickly.

n

n

n“You’re right. It’s already winter. ”

n“In that sense, how about decorating your room today?”

n“Well, what is that?”

n“Come on, my lady. You are not interested in decorating at all. As you will soon make a debut in the social circles, it’s time you had to pay attention to it little by little. ”

n“Well, I can’t. I’m going out to get a handle on my new work anyway.

nI shook my head to refuse her offer. I didn’t feel up to it, nor did I have to.

nAnyway, I was supposed to do something else all day long, so I couldn’t afford to pay attention to things like decoration.

nNot caring about what I said, she spread out all kinds of hair bands. The red, yellow, and blue hair bands placed on the dressing table were varying in color and type. While looking at the various colorful colors for a while, I tilted my head. Did I have so many hair bands? I think there were some I hadn’t seen before.

n“What’s wrong, my lady?”

n“Huh? I think there is much more that I think. ”

n“… I don’t think so. You may be confused because you haven’t paid any attention to it.

nNow, which one do you like better? Pink? Red? Or green or yellow? ”

nAfter being silent for a moment, she asked, presenting three or four types of hairbands.

nI sighed, watching Lina who was all smiles.

n“Anything is fine. So, pick one as you wish.”

n“Then I’ll choose pink. By the way, even if you become a female knight, please pay attention to your appearance. As they say, a woman is supposed to pretty up. Look at me, my lady. I do look really different when I put on make-up and get dressed.”

n“Huh? What do you mean? Are you dating somebody?”

nCome to think of it, Lina seemed to have shown lots of interest in her appearance recently.

nWhen I asked curiously, she waved her hand with a slightly embarrassed look.

n“Oh no, my lady. I just…”

n“My guesswork is right. Who is he? Do I know him?”

n“No, I don’t have anyone, my lady. I just said that because I wished you looked more beautiful…”

n“Don’t tell me a lie. I think you are dating somebody. Who is he? A servant? A knight? As your ideal type is a tall, slim man with dark hair, maybe he is a knight, right?”

n“Oh my god! I don’t have anyone. I’m serious!”

nI smiled when she vehemently denied it. While she was busy denying with her face blushing, she pouted, “It’s not fair. I told you everything about me, but you haven’t told me anything. ”

n“Huh? What didn’t I tell you about? ”

n“Look. You know my ideal type, right? But you don’t even tell me what type of guy you like.

nWell, come to think of it, I’m upset.”

n“… ”

n“What type of man do you like in that sense? A reliable person? Or a kind person? Or a friendly person? ” As if she seized the right moment, Lina asked, with her eyes sparkling.

nIdeal type? In the past I would have replied he was the crown prince, but now I don’t have any intention of loving anyone. I loved the crown prince with all my heart and sincerity, but I still feel heartbroken deeply because I was not rewarded for it.

nSo, if I had to choose one, I want a man who can make sure that I will never suffer the pain of being abandoned again. Yes, a man who will kneel in front of me and swear he will never abandon me.

nI smiled bitterly. Anyway, it didn’t matter to me because I was bound to the imperial family through marriage, so I couldn’t do anything with my own will.

nIn that respect, there was only one answer. Regardless of whether he was my ideal type or not, the crown prince was not my type at all.

n“… I’m late. Let me get out.”

n“Oh my god… you won’t tell me about your ideal type?”

n“See you later, Lina. Supervise the cleanup work well.”

nI stood up, leaving her behind as she stared at me. She looked upset, but she nodded when I told her to clean my room.

nMaybe it was because the employees were preparing for the cleanup that the whole mansion was messy, so I headed for the training field. Although I tried not to disturb the knights, some of them already began to look at me. They seemed to expect something from me, I tilted my head. Why are they looking at me like that?

n“Good morning, my lady.”

n“Good morning, Sir League!”

nI smiled at the middle-aged knight who greeted me with a big smile. When I turned to look for a wooden sword for training, I suddenly heard cheers from behind my back.

n“Wow, that dark pink!”

n“Oh my god! How can she…”

nStunned, I looked back and found a young knight smiling at me brightly and several other knights staring at him as if they were frustrated.

n‘What? Dark pink? If it is dark pink, Is he talking about my dark pink hairband? No way, what does my hair band color have to do with them?’

nBut I still felt strange. There wasn’t anything else in the training field other than this in pink, and their gaze at me bothered me.

nI thought I had to go back and question Lina. I walked away when I heard someone calling me from behind.

n“Lady, you are here.”

n‘Huh? Why is the butler here? He should be very busy overseeing the cleanup.’

n“You have a letter from the Imperial Palace. It’s addressed to you, my lady.”

nThe letter he gave me was in a gorgeous envelope studded with golden pearls on a blue background.

n‘Ugh? This is the first time I have seen something like this’. It is clear that the letter was sent by the Imperial Palace since its envelope had the imperial seal.

nI flinched, accepting it. In the blue envelope, there was a signature written in block letters, reflecting the character of the sender: Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina.

nThe signature was written in a beautiful typeface used by the imperial family, but it sounded cold and hard.

n‘Why did he send me a letter?’

n

n

nI was hesitating for a long time in an uneasy mood, but finally, I opened the seal.

nThere were a few lines written in white ink on the colorful letter paper studded with golden pearls on a blue background just like the envelope.

n< I heard that you returned to the capital city. Are you okay now? I’m arriving in the capital early next month. I hope to see you then. Rublis Kamaludin Shana Castina.>

nAs today is four days from the end of this month, he would arrive in a week or so.

nClang!

nMy sword and his clashed with a loud noise. My arm was shaking as I was overpowered by the other party. Cold sweat broke out when I felt the other party’s sword pointing closer to me.

n‘I can’t do this anymore. I can’t win a battle of strength like this.’

nI gently pulled back. At that moment, the guy struck down the sword as if on cue.

nI tried to block it, but his sword approached me first. The blade of the sword he wielded stopped right above my forehead. It was a close call.

n“I lost.”

n