Chapter 26

 “Come here.”

 Anna gestured to Ella, who was touching her hair. She stood in front of Anna again. The woman held earrings in her hand. When Ella flinched at the sight of them, Anna whispered softly.

 “Today, the Consort’s Small Star Pavilion will hang on your ears.”

 The Consort’s Small Star Pavilion. Ella stared at the earrings and then closed her eyes. The small earrings sparkling in Anna’s hand approached as pain. The tweezers piercing the skin were a brief pain. After the experienced hands passed by, Ella opened her eyes. The woman led her to the mirror again. The earrings, said to be worth as much as the Consort’s Small Star Pavilion, were indeed brilliant even below the earlobes of a girl raised in a brothel.

 The small ruby inside the diamond was a vivid blood-red. Ella looked at it somewhat indifferently. The plump puff sleeves made her collarbones stand out more. The sleeves, the hem of the skirt, and the Elizabethan collar wrapped around her neck were all white.

 “His Highness the Duke is coming.”

 Lila, who had been talking with a servant outside the door, shouted. At the mention of the Duke, Ella turned to look at her with a tense face. Anna patted her back, telling her to relax, but it was useless. As Lila had said, the Duke came striding in with his long legs not long after. Ella examined the faces of the three or four knight attendants escorting him before looking at him.

 “Leave us.”

 At his words, the maids and knight attendants vacated the place. Ella looked up at the man with a very tense face. He was in formal attire, just like yesterday. Well, when had he ever not been perfect? Ella fidgeted with both hands like a cowed puppy, waiting for him to say something.

 “Come here.”

 The man stretched out his arm. Ella cautiously approached. He grabbed one of her arms and pulled her. Due to her height that barely reached his solar plexus, she looked tucked into his side when they stood together. Without saying anything, he took Ella to the glass greenhouse. The glass greenhouse of San Parvale, said to be as spacious and splendid as a royal annexe, was connected to the small greenhouse attached to Larien’s room. The late Duke was said to have occasionally gone down the stairs to see his daughter after drinking tea here.

 “I have something to give you today.”

 Gray eyes looked down at her. Ella raised her head and met his gaze. When they reached the glass greenhouse, he paused for a moment. His cold hand wrapped around her forearm. Ella stopped, swaying slightly. At first, she thought he was going to say something, but that didn’t seem to be the case. His gaze, scanning her from head to toe, was persistent.

 Ella stood still, looking at his dark blue cape and the silver pin decorating his collar. The dragon symbolizing Durac was a black dragon, but the dragon decorating his collar was silver, close to gray.

 “You’ve already given me so much……”

 Ella whispered softly. Larque just looked down at her without any distinct expression. Suddenly, he extended his hand. Ella hesitantly placed her hand on his.

 “Ruby suits you well. You’re all white, you see.”

 All white, and even the dress she was made to wear was white. After some consideration, Ella spoke.

 “But you also gave me a white dress, master.”

 “So I did.”

 The man burst into laughter. However, no proper answer came back. If she just wore a veil now, she would have looked exactly like a woman walking down for an engagement ceremony. The man led Ella to the center of the glass greenhouse. In the center, a fountain was flowing, splashing droplets. Amid the brilliantly lush greenery, twilight slowly seeped through the glass-finished walls.

 Ella turned her gaze to look at the round table. The food on the silver tray looked delicious. Not only meat but also a variety of seafood. From crustacean dishes like lobster, shrimp, and crab, to fish uncommon in Kylaq like bluefin tuna and sea bream. Ella took a deep breath. She also knew that because the royal capital was located inland, even fairly noble people couldn’t enjoy seafood unless it was a special day.

 But as Anna had said, wasn’t he Durac? The man released her hand. He handed Ella a wreath that had been placed on one side of the table. Looking closely, it wasn’t roses but peonies intertwined into a wreath. The thought occurred to her that while it’s roses in the central royal capital, in the North, it’s peonies.

 “Come closer.”

 Ella stared at him. She thought her heated face must have turned comically red, which made her feel like crying, but she didn’t cry. As he said, she carefully moved closer to him. Her heart pounded wildly. Sweat began to form on the back of her neck. She couldn’t tell whether it was good or bad. The master’s kindness was excessive to the point of being unnecessary. Ella wasn’t completely moved by that kindness because she didn’t want to expect anything. She would be abandoned someday. And when it all ended, it would be so empty she would want to die…… It seemed unbearable. When Ella came close, the man placed the wreath on her head. Ella blinked. The feel of the peonies was refreshing. A transparent fragrance brushed her nose. She looked at the red peony petals remaining in the man’s hand.

 “I……”

 “Don’t run away.”

 “Pardon?”

 “You ran away when you saw me.”

 It felt like her breath was caught in her throat like a fishhook. Ella pressed her lips tightly. He seemed to be talking about the first time. Before going down to the kitchen. Twelve-year-old Ella did that. When he held her and first kissed her cheek, her cheeks burned. She was embarrassed. She didn’t want to be caught feeling embarrassed. It wasn’t that she hated being kissed, but whenever he tried to touch her, she felt so embarrassed she could die.

 “That, that…… Now, now I won’t.”

 Ella hung her head low. Larque lifted her chin. The girl with her chin in his hand was like a white daffodil. She lacked the richness to be a rose, and she didn’t have the seductive aspect to be a peony. A daffodil blooming not in a flower bed but in a field. She was like a small flower fluttering by the water.

 He remembered the girl who had rippled in the morning light. Before sending her down to the east wing kitchen, Ella had served by his side. In the morning, her job was to hold a towel beside the maids carrying the washbasin. The job of carrying the basin was heavy, so her task was simply to hold the towel, come to his side, and hand it to him, but the child cried loudly. When their eyes met, she shrank back, and when he beckoned her to come closer, she welled up with tears.

 Thinking that he would have to sleep with such a child in a few years made his chest feel tight. Once she had her period and her br*asts began to swell, would she no longer fear him? He wanted to threaten her not to cry, but when he faced her, he couldn’t think of anything. He suddenly remembered bringing the child who was trying to hide in a corner and kissing her, which made her cry even more hysterically. After that, Ella was sent to the kitchen. Except for occasionally bringing her back for errands, she always stayed in the hovel and the kitchen.

 “Promise me.”

 “……”

 “That you won’t run away.”

 Ella nodded her head vigorously. He shook his head. He held out his finger. Ella hooked her finger with his. She looked at him with a serious expression. I won’t run away. I won’t run away anymore. She repeated that to herself.

 *** 

 Silver tableware was prepared on the round table. He seated Ella on his left and sat down on the opposite side. Ella looked at the neatly arranged tableware. Unfortunately, she didn’t know what to pick up. Larque showed the girl who was watching him by picking up the utensils with slow movements. Ella followed and picked up the utensils.

 From somewhere, a servant appeared and cut roasted turkey and venison with a knife, serving them onto plates. A delicious smell emanated from the greasy cross-section of the meat. However, since she had never eaten noble food, she just looked at Larque. Larque cut the food served on the front plate into small pieces and pushed the plate toward the servant. The servant exchanged that plate with Ella’s empty one.

 “Th-thank you.”

Ella carefully picked up her fork. This wasn’t proper etiquette. Though she knew nothing, nobles certainly didn’t eat like this. However, Larque showed no discomfort as he cut all the food that came his way into pieces that Ella could easily eat and placed them before her.

 Scallops. Shrimp. Sea bream. Venison and turkey. Risotto with well-roasted suckling pig.

 Dishes generously seasoned with southern spices piled up before Ella. Dishes whose names she didn’t even know created a feast. The various ingredients from sea and land would likely be difficult to find even in the royal palace. A servant approached Ella, who was eating small portions of the food, and poured a red beverage. This too was considerate. It seemed Larque had given her something to substitute for wine, which Ella couldn’t drink.

 “Try it.”

 Larque gestured with his eyes. Ella picked up the glass and brought it to her lips. A sweet fragrance spread to the tip of her nose. Ella took a small sip of the red drink.

 “What does it taste like?”

 It was sweet. It seemed like a fruit drink, but Ella had only tried a few fruits. Apples and pears produced in large quantities in Kylaq, and some unidentified fruits that Sarah had given her as leftover food were all she knew.

 “Have you never eaten strawberries?”