# 39
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Episode 39
“She said it wasn't an invitation, is she lying?”
“No, she was rude to me the other day. I sent this to apologize.”
The letter, which I read quickly, actually contained words of apology.
"truly?"
While Senior did not show interest in the other nobles' gifts, he seemed interested in Countess Bellona's gift. He couldn't take his eyes off her box.
Ruelia, who usually liked Senior, opened the box to satisfy his curiosity.
The box was filled with various things.
An expensive champagne that Ruelia loves, and a luxurious writing quill with ink.
“A gift given by a master when appointing a new vassal.”
Senior's cold voice reminded of Cales.
Ruelia felt the same way. Her heart trembled and her eyes trembled. Maybe it was disappointment or resentment.
“I arrived too late.”
Ruelia said bitterly, and Senior raised his eyebrows fiercely.
“Didn’t you receive a gift when you were in the Bellona Guild? It has been an imperial tradition since the First Emperor.”
“I received one. A used quill and ink from my predecessor.”
Did they think that the vernacular did not deserve such a tradition? Or was spending money on helping a beginner with no support or wealth a waste?
She had no time to be upset then. It was a hard job to get, and she was busy proving her worth.
“Countess Bellona seems to be stingy, contrary to her reputation.”
"actually."
Ruelia pretended to be calm as she put the Countess's gift and letter aside. I decided to ignore her words.
'The temple is full of impostors, isn't it?'
Senior looked at the quill on Ruelia's desk.
“The auxiliary feather is of the same fine type used by the Duke.”
“It means that the Duke considers me a rare talent, right?”
Ruelia smiled sweetly as she played with the ink bottle. The ink was a premium type that dries quickly and does not stain hands.
"I've received a lot from the Duke. I don't know how to return the favor."
“The Duke’s birthday is in a month and a half. What about then?”
Ruelia's eyes widened at Senior's suggestion.
“Great, I will prepare well this time.”
Ruelia clenched her fist tightly, showing her resolve.
But she sighed when she saw the pile of letters.
“Mr. Senior, may I return all the invitations, except those from Miss Emil?”
"Sure. Shall I handle it?"
“Yes, please. I am not an idle noble, and I do not want to waste time on such matters.”
Social events belong to another world.
It would have been better to refuse it as a dessert served on the plate of nobles.
“Sounds familiar.”
“The Duke also finds social occasions annoying.”
“It seems that those who respect the Duke think the same way. That boy said the same thing...”
Senior smiled gently, but his eyes were a little sad.
Ruelia noticed the longing in his eyes.
He was still waiting for his missing son.
'Maybe I had real parents too?'
Due to the trauma with Melissa, Ruelia remembered her previous life but lost other memories.
Her adoptive father tried to find her birth parents, but no one knew her. There was no one around who had lost a daughter her age.
'Maybe I wasn't lost, but rather abandoned?'
Ruelia's eyes turned as sad as Senior's. But she said brightly
“Before I leave, let's have tea together, Mr. Senior.”
“Do you have time for an old man like me?”
“Of course. Time with you is not a waste. You tell a lot of stories.”
Senior smiled happily, and the corner of his sad eyes rose, making Ruelia's heart soften.
* * *
On the way back to the Duke's house, Caelce remembered his conversation with the Crown Prince.
– Countess Bellona’s husband was a close friend of the detained second prince’s uncle. For some reason, they got into a fight, killed him and made it look like an accident.
-That family is full of problems. And the Countess's relationship with the temple?
- They performed a ritual to summon the spirit of the husband. Maybe she planned to hear the details of that night as revenge. It's clearly a hoax.
Caelus and Galleon disagreed here.
Caelce thought that the Countess was planning something because of her grudge against the Imperial Family because of the Second Prince.
-We didn't kill him!
- Don't you think it holds us responsible for our action against the forces of the Second Prince?
Galleon was very weak when talking about the Second Prince.
There were other inconsistencies, but this was what bothered Caelce the most. He found Galleon's weakness frustrating.
There were other things that bothered him more.
-If a handsome man showed up who understood her situation and her job as an assistant, she might change her mind, right?
Such nonsense.
Kyles sat sullenly, tapping his thigh regularly with his finger.
He had not thought about marrying Ruelia.
But her strong will made him stop thinking about it.
For the same reason, there was no need to compete with Viscount Levenel.
‘Rulia will even avoid communicating with the Crown Prince’s people…’
He trusted her completely. But something was bothering him.
The rhythm of his fingers slowed, then stopped. He ordered the car to be stopped.
“Belén.”
“Yes, Sir Duke.”
"Looks like we should tell them to get ready. I'm not going to take any more of this."
“But, if we do that...”
“I will convince His Highness the Crown Prince myf.”
Belen's face became serious.
* * *
The next day, Ruelia and Melissa rode in a carriage from the duke's residence to a public cemetery on the outskirts of the capital.
It was a resting place for mercenaries created by their adoptive father's guild.
The sisters moved easily through the cemetery until they reached their goal.
“Dad, we are here.”
Melissa placed a bouquet of mist flowers, their father's favorite.
They lit an expensive scented candle and began talking excitedly.
They talked about who eats ectively, who is disobedient, who is the prettiest, etc.
Ruelia shared her first concert experience.
Melissa listened, leaning on her sister's shoulder, laughing proudly.
After discussions and jokes, the candle almost went out.
“I got some expensive champagne, but there's no one to drink it, Dad.”
“Why? You can drink it.”
Ruelia’s eyes wandered for a moment at Melissa’s question.
《I will never touch alcohol again.》
I wrote this in my apology letter yesterday.
If she breaks the Duke's promise, she might actually be expelled.
"I'll stop drinking. If I make that mistake again, I'll want to die."
“Haha, but you were really cute that night. Carried in the Duke’s arms.”
“Melissa!”
“So, what are you going to do with the champagne?”
“I would give it to uncle if he were here.”
Ruelia pointed to a building at the end of the cemetery, carrying a basket.
The building was still being used as a mercenary guild.
Sometimes, they would meet their father's colleagues there and listen to stories of his heroism. It was their way of remembering him.
“Good idea.”
The sisters cleaned the fallen wax and cleaned the grave. They also cleaned the nearby graves, most of which were those of their father's colleagues.
“Ellie, look over there.”
Melissa tapped Ruelia on the shoulder while cleaning.
“Isn’t that a knight from the Aber family?”
Ruelia's face turned pale as she looked in the direction Melissa pointed.
“Sir Belin?”
Despite the distance, the man emerging from the guild building looked very similar to Belin.
“Impossible…”
"What? Is there a problem?"
Ruelia did not answer Melissa's question.
This was a future only she knew, a sign of rebellion.
《After a big quarrel with Miss Emil, Duke Abert will start recruiting mercenaries as a private army. He will make the mercenaries at the forefront of the rebellion sacrifice them, so the enforcer must be prevented from accepting this mission at all costs.》