# 34
“Later… yeah.”
“Later?”
Perhaps out of curiosity to know when that would be, Aachen leaned closer. Their lips were almost touching each other.
He was so close she could hear his breathing.
“...later”
Helen said hesitantly, her heart suddenly beating hard.
"Could you repeat that, please?"
Aachen asked, his voice full of curiosity.
“We can go...see him sometime,” I said.
She answered, feeling her cheeks heat up. To hide her blush, Helen quickly bowed her head.
Aachen noticed her sudden shyness, so he called her gently.
“Ma’am?”
“I think that's enough sightseeing for now. Let's go back.”
She said, avoiding looking at Aachen and turning her back.
“…!”
Suddenly, Helen stumbled as an eagle swooped down and flew around them with a loud cry.
“Ma’am,” Aachen quickly reached out and grabbed her by the waist, supporting her.
"Are you well?" He asked her in a worried voice.
“Yes, thank you. You can leave me now,” she replied, standing upright with his help.
“It is dangerous near the stairs”
“……”
“I will come to take you to the banquet later,” he whispered in her ear, his deep voice sending shivers through her body.
"I'm worried because you seem like you get hurt a lot. Please be careful," he added, referring to an incident that occurred on their trip to the territory.
Helen quickly gathered her composure and turned away from Aachen.
“Aren't you coming?”
“I'll stay for a while”
“So… see you later,” she said, lifting her dress slightly to avoid tripping again.
“You're so cute,” Aachen murmured, watching her walk away.
The image of her rosy ears, just as when he had embraced her in the piano room, remained stuck in his mind.
He could easily guess what was on her mind.
The sight of Helen blushing was too cute to bear.
Aachen wiped his face with a smile.
'It would be nice if you remembered soon.'
He had deliberately played the lullaby she used to sing, hoping it would help her recall their memories.
‘If you remember that day, maybe you won’t avoid me anymore.’
Helen returned to her room, slightly sweaty from the brisk walking.
“How was the tour with the Grand Duke, Your Highness? Oh my God, Your Highness!”
Elisha, who was arranging Helen's luggage with the maids, rushed to her anxiously.
“Your face is very red. Did something happen?”
I asked her worriedly. Helen nodded, then quickly shook her head no.
'It's hard to deny what happened, but…'
“The room is... warm, that's all.”
She said, looking for another excuse to change the subject.
“We should turn the heat down... Oh!”
“Elisha, are you okay?”
Helen screamed when Elisha accidentally burned herself while turning off the heater.
“You should have prepared for the feast...”
Elisha tried to hide her injured hand, worried about Helen.
"Is this important now? We can call other maids. Go and get a cold cloth immediately," Helen ordered, pulling the bell rope to summon help.
Moments later, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.” Elisha opened the door, and three maids entered, each of them introducing herself:
“Lily greets Her Highness, the Grand Duchess!”
“I am Daisy, Your Highness. It is an honor to serve you at Hestor Castle.”
“I...I'm Lucy.”
As Helen watched them, she thought:
'Lily seems active, Daisy is quiet, and Lucy is a bit shy.'
They made a good first impression.
"Lucy, take care of Elisha. Lily and Daisy, help me get ready."
While Elisha and a maid named Dahlia tended to her wound outside, Lily and Daisy discussed how to style Helen's hair.
“Daisy, how about leaving it down?”
“No, we should choose an elegant look since this is her first encounter with the subordinates.”
“Maybe we put it on one side?”
“That's appropriate.”
After they agreed, Daisy skillfully styled Helen's hair to one side, while Lily plucked three blue roses from a vase to decorate it.
“With this, you will look even more beautiful, Your Highness,”
Lily said, humming as she arranged flowers in Helen's hair.
“You will outshine Lady Rosanna!”
“Hmm?”
Helen asked curiously.
“Oh, Countess Lior’s wife has been running the Ladies’ Reading Club since her husband died two years ago.”
Lily explained, sighing.
"She's acting like she's the lady of Hestor Castle. It's very frustrating."
“Didn't you say that the reading club is the Lady of the Castle's specialty?”
Helen asked, puzzled.
“That's right,” Daisy confirmed.
“But Lady Lior is doing the job temporarily, especially since she is a princess from Daphne, a western region known for its business connections with many families here in Belzeit.”
Helen understood the underlying political subtleties.
“So, because angering her might disrupt trade, no one dares to voice his complaint,”
“Exactly”
Daisy agreed, adding that Lady Lior acted as if she were the Grand Duke's mistress, even though she was not. Lily interjected:
“She even spread rumors that she was the Grand Duke’s mistress because she had been rejected by him before her marriage to Count Lior.”
Lily realized she had exaggerated, so she quickly apologized.
“I'm sorry, Your Highness.”
Helen reassured her, "It's okay. You've been a big help."
“It's better to know these things now than to hear about them from someone else later.”
she thought, wondering if there was any truth to the rumors about Lady Lior and Aachen.
While she was thinking this, the door opposite the room opened, and little Sheveline, carrying a doll rabbit, slowly entered and put her face in Helen's lap.
“You can all leave now.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“We will ask permission, Your Highness.”
Helen kissed Sheveline on the cheek, then dismissed Lily and Daisy.
“It's so beautiful.”
“Calm down, Lily.”
The voices of Lily and Daisy, praising Shevelin, could be heard from behind the door.
After feeding Shivalin a snack, the sun began to set.
Aachen arrived at Helen's room just in time for the feast.
“The followers have already arrived at the dining hall.”
"Really? Let's go."
Aachen extended his arm, and Helen took it hesitantly.
They walked together to the dining hall, where the followers had already gathered, chatting animatedly.
“Your Highness, Aachen!”
The attention was caught by a radiant noble lady who entered, exuding a strong scent of perfume.
“Lady Rosanna is here.”
Aachen sighed when he noticed Rosanna's presence, his voice tired.
The followers tensed and held their breath. Some of them even clicked their tongues in dissatisfaction.
“Is it possible for her to be the Grand Duke’s mistress?”
Rosanna met Helen's eyes, but quickly turned her attention, and addressed Aachen in a timid voice.
“I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Your Highness, Aachen. It is a pleasure to meet you again.”
“I thought you wouldn't come.”
Despite the tired look on Aachen's face, Rosanna continued to hover around him indifferently.
“How could I miss a banquet when Your Highness is present?”
“Enough. First, pay your respects to Lady Helen. Lady Rosanna.”
Rosanna frowned, looking annoyed that Aachen did not address her more familiarly.
“Your Highness, you promised to call me by my name last time. Don’t you remember?”
Aachen ignored her request and pointed out her negligence in greeting Helen.
“Today’s banquet celebrates Princess Helen’s arrival at Hestor Castle.”
At the reminder of Aachen, Rosanna reluctantly nodded.
“…Princess Rosanna of Daphne greets Her Highness, Princess of Pitstein.”
Rosanna introduced herself not as Lady Rosanna, but as Princess Daphne.
'Hmm, so what if it's Princess Betstein? In Belzeit, people bow to me for fear of angering Daphne.'