NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27
Stepping out of Shione’s room, I immediately sought out Diolia.
I knocked on her door.
Knock, knock.
“Lady Diolia, I’ve come to deliver a message.”
“…Come in.”
I cautiously opened the door and walked in. There she was, Diolia, with her hair that was usually tied in a ponytail now flowing freely.
She held a fountain pen and wore a frown as she stared intently at a piece of paper before turning her gaze toward me.
As she moved her head, her brown hair, which reached her chest, cascaded beautifully.
Unlike her usual sharp knightly demeanor, Diolia, now relaxed, exuded an aura more akin to a modest noble young lady.
“What brings you here?”
Despite the softer atmosphere, Diolia’s tone remained as rigid as ever.
Well, she was always like that.
I relayed what I had heard in Shione’s room.
“Princess Shione intends to visit the Feiosha Marquis Family tomorrow. I’ll need your escort as well.”
“Tomorrow, you say? I shall keep that in mind.”
“Then, I shall take my leave now.”
After briefly bowing my head to Diolia, I turned to leave. At that moment, I heard her let out a sigh and call after me.
“Wait a moment.”
Looking back at Diolia, I noticed her resting her chin on her hand, giving me a stern look.
Seeing her brow slightly furrowed made me wonder what was bothering her…
What on earth could cause her to make such a face at me?
At this point, I was more intimidated by the knight Diolia than by my now-close friend Shione.
“Now that I think about it, shouldn’t we talk about what to do regarding Princess Shione’s broken engagement?”
“Ah…”
“I’d like to discuss this matter briefly. Do we have enough time?”
I nodded.
“Of course.”
Shione was sprawled out, sleeping in her room, so it was my free time now.
I had a room assigned to me as her attendant, and I was planning to take a short break but…
It wouldn’t hurt to align with Diolia on the troublesome matters Shione had created.
I gave up on my nap and turned back to face Diolia.
“Ha, I suppose there’s no stopping the broken engagement, is there?”
Considering everything that had drifted from the baby giraffe flower to the balsam flower, there was no way to prevent the engagement from falling apart.
I quietly shook my head.
“Not only Princess Shione but even Evan Feiosha has received permission for the annulment from Lady Yulia…”
At my words, Diolia’s expression twisted in displeasure.
“It seems we can’t prevent the broken engagement after all.”
“Ugh…”
Diolia, seeming to feel a headache coming on, pressed her temples.
“The Feiosha Marquis Family will send a letter to Shianella as well, but shouldn’t we inform the head of the family about the situation?”
Diolia tapped her fountain pen against the paper.
Perhaps struggling to write her thoughts down, uneven dots filled one corner of the paper.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
For a while, Diolia continued staring at the paper, repeatedly placing and lifting her fountain pen.
She let out another deep sigh.
“Well, it seems I don’t have much to write in the letter.”
Indeed, how would I phrase the cheerful baby giraffe flower story that had turned into a balsam flower one?
I couldn’t help but approach her as she pondered over her words regarding Shione and Evan.
“I can help with that.”
I stepped closer, not hesitating for a moment, until I was right in front of Diolia.
I leaned down to see the stationary on the table.
Once again, she hadn’t written anything substantial, only the formal address of ‘To my lord Ainel Shianella.’
If left like this, she would spend the whole day just making dots on the page without writing anything meaningful.
I figured it would be better if I wrote it for her.
While I needed to borrow Diolia’s fountain pen, it wouldn’t be polite to ask while still looking at the letter.
I quickly turned my head to face Diolia.
“Lady Diolia.”
“Eh!”
Startled by my sudden call, Diolia appeared quite taken aback by my unexpected action.
How is it that someone who wouldn’t flinch in the face of an assassin was so surprised by this?
Was it the close distance?
Scrape.
Diolia pushed her chair back, creating some space between us.
She seemed a bit embarrassed by her previous posture, casually sweeping her hair behind her ear.
“…What do you want?”
“Could I borrow your fountain pen?”
“My fountain pen?”
“Yes, I’d like to try writing the letter myself.”
Diolia handed me her fountain pen and inquired.
“Can you write?”
“I’ve had some training, but it won’t be flawless, so if there are mistakes, you’ll need to correct them, Lady Diolia.”
“Very well.”
Receiving the fountain pen, I began to write.
As the pen tip glided across the paper, I strained to write in the continent’s common language instead of my familiar Korean.
While I struggled, Diolia watched me alternating between glancing at me and the letter.
“Sit down while writing.”
“…Thank you.”
I bowed my head to Diolia and continued writing while seated.
I left out the more frivolous details of Shione’s balsam flower and broken engagement tale, instead stating that Evan Feiosha had long considered breaking his engagement with Shione and that both parties had amicably agreed to the annulment.
“Give it a read.”
“…Not bad. Just needs a little more polishing.”
“I’m glad you found it satisfactory.”
With the rough draft done, revising it shouldn’t be too difficult.
As long as I avoided the pointless details regarding Shione’s antics, Ainel would likely understand it as well.
I set the fountain pen down on the desk.
“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“You’ve done well.”
“See you tomorrow.”
After leaving Diolia’s room, I finally felt a wave of relief wash over me.
—
Today, as Shione had mentioned, I stepped outside to explore the Feiosha Marquis estate.
This time, with Diolia alongside, I figured I could stroll about in my attendant attire that had ‘Shianella’ embroidered on it without any heavy armor.
The quest hadn’t appeared, and I’d be moving around in crowded areas, so I had no worries.
I watched Shione, who seemed eager to wander outside the day after her broken engagement.
She was wearing that hairpin I gave her before.
I thought it might break quickly since it looked cheap, but contrary to my expectations, Shione was using it quite enjoyably.
As she turned her head side to side, perhaps noticing my gaze, Shione tilted her head toward me.
“Is there something on my face?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Don’t leave me curious, just say it.”
“I was thinking it’s nice that you seem to be using the hairpin frequently.”
“Oh, the hairpin?”
Upon hearing my words, Shione gently patted her hairpin.
“Thanks to you, I can wear it comfortably. I appreciate it.”
I nodded with a faint smile.
I didn’t expect her to be grateful for something so trivial.
After all, it was bought with her money, and she had no need to thank me.
If she was going to wear it so often, wouldn’t it be better to get something prettier than an ordinary hairpin?
Though, she is a Count’s daughter.
It would be better if she got something a little more expensive to adorn herself.
“How about buying a new hairpin while we’re at it?”
At my suggestion, Shione shook her head with a light smile.
“No need. This one is enough for me.”
With that, she grabbed my sleeve and began to lead me away.
“By the way, it seems like there’s some food over there. Let’s go check it out.”
Following Shione, we enjoyed street food while exploring the city.
Fortunately, unlike the cookies I carelessly shoved into my mouth last time, this time Shione made sure to also get something for Diolia.
Thanks to that, Diolia didn’t feel neglected by Shione as she had the day before.
As we wandered through the city for quite some time, just as the sun began to lower in the sky…
While I sat briefly on a bench in front of the fountain to rest my tired legs, I saw Shione and Diolia having a conversation from a distance.
“Lady Diolia, could you step aside for a moment?”
“What is it?”
“I have something to discuss with Ray. Once I’m finished, I’ll signal you, so please wait.”
“Very well, I’ll do as you say.”
I watched as Diolia stepped away from Shione, creating some distance before walking off.
As I quietly observed them, Shione slowly approached me.
Her expression bore an odd tension, making her appear somewhat rigid.
What could be causing her to act like that so suddenly?
Just like when she abruptly confessed her intent to break the engagement yesterday.
Seeing Shione, who had been cheerful all day, like this made me somewhat nervous.
As a slave and attendant, I couldn’t just sit idly while my master came to see me.
I stood up from the bench to greet Shione.
“Ray.”
“…What is it?”
…Why was she suddenly creating such an atmosphere?
In this imposing situation, all I could do was listen to Shione’s words.
“Umm…”
After stammering for a moment, Shione finally locked eyes with me and spoke firmly.
“I was glad you gave me faith when everything was crumbling down… and thank you for giving me renewed hope when I had given up.”
—
“And, um… also for protecting me that day…”
It seemed she felt embarrassed about saying it as Shione’s face turned bright red.
She averted her gaze, muttering something softly.
I couldn’t help but relax and chuckle at her adorable demeanor.
In that instant, Shione stepped closer and…
“Uh?”
She suddenly tugged at my sleeve with a firm grip.
Caught off guard by Shione’s unexpected action, I found myself in an embrace.
With a flushed face, Shione held me for a moment and said,
“…Ray, I hope you’ll continue to take care of me.”
With that, she hurriedly released me and called out for Diolia.
I watched Shione in silence, and soon a smile crept across my face.
The day after the broken engagement with the Feiosha’s heir, here I was, embraced by the princess in front of the fountain at the Feiosha estate.
What would the members of the Feiosha family think if they heard about this?
I couldn’t help but feel that if word got out, I might end up losing my head for prompting Shione into this annulment business.
I absentmindedly rubbed my neck as those thoughts swirled in my mind.