Chapter 41
“Eliana.”
The moment Michalis suddenly dropped to one knee, Eliana’s heart plummeted with a loud thump.
‘W-what?!’
His sudden change in posture—bringing him down to eye level—sent her heart into a wild frenzy.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
‘Lower your position below the woman’s, tilt your gaze upward at a 45-degree angle. Look at her deeply, and lift the corners of your mouth just a little.’
True to his diligent nature, Michalis was following Joel’s instructions to the letter.
“Would you… close your eyes for a moment?”
After three long seconds of intense, silent eye contact, he gently took Eliana’s hand.
‘Now… slip the ring on and confess your love.’
Just one step remained.
As Eliana’s eyes gently shut, Michalis swallowed his nerves and reached into his pocket.
‘The ring… the ring…’
But as he fumbled inside his coat, cold sweat trickled down his spine.
‘The ring… Damn it! I left the ring in the study!’
So eager to carry out his plan, he had completely forgotten the most important part.
‘You idiot!’
Swearing at himself internally, Michalis realized he was in deep trouble.
Eliana still had her eyes closed, waiting—completely unaware.
“……”
The first rule of strategy: knowing when to charge forward, and when to retreat.
This mission had failed. Now, it was time for a graceful retreat, not a clumsy one.
Smack.
Quickly assessing the situation, Michalis leaned in and pressed a kiss to the back of Eliana’s hand—as if everything was going exactly as planned.
To make it seem even more natural, he then gently pulled her hand toward his cheek and brushed against it.
“Michal?”
Startled by the sudden affectionate gesture, Eliana opened her eyes wide.
Their eyes met—just as Michalis, still kneeling, slipped an arm around her waist and lightly sucked on her lower lip.
“Haa… haa…”
What began as soft, fluttering contact deepened into a full, passionate kiss.
Eliana’s breathing grew uneven as he devoured her, hungry and intense. When Michalis kissed her like this, it always left her feeling helpless—entranced by a frightening yet sweet pull. All she could do was cling to him.
Eventually, Michalis released her lips, trailing soft kisses—one on the tip of her nose, one on her philtrum—like sealing a promise.
“Then I’ll see you this evening when we leave for the Imperial Palace.”
Reluctantly ending the moment, he pressed his cheek against hers once more, nuzzling gently before finally standing up.
“…Okay.”
‘Ah… that was too short.’
Her dazed eyes followed him with longing.
‘Wait—what? I’m… disappointed?’
Eliana snapped out of it just as she caught the sight of his retreating back.
The powder room door quietly clicked shut behind him.
‘Get it together, Kim Eunchae. This isn’t real life… How are you even going to log out at this rate?’
At the thought of logging out, a sharp pain pierced her chest like a needle.
“……”
She pressed a hand against her heart, staring blankly at the closed door.
‘Good. The retreat was smooth. I’ll aim for the next opportunity.’
Michalis exhaled deeply once he stepped out of the powder room, relieved.
Now it was time to prepare for the ennoblement ceremony.
“Oh my goodness, the hairstyle is absolutely perfect!”
The maid clasped her hands together, eyes misty with pride.
Eliana’s silver hair had been styled into a voluminous braid, elegant and flowing. Small cornflower-shaped pins made from amethyst and opal were woven throughout.
“I think the makeup is just right, too.”
The dress gifted by the Emperor was already luxurious—so heavy makeup would have been overwhelming.
Instead, her look was refined: eyeliner to define the eyes, coral lipstick for a healthy flush, and a soft blush for a youthful, radiant finish.
“Madam, everything is ready. You can stand now.”
Eliana rose slowly from the vanity chair. As she moved, dozens of embroidered cornflowers on the navy gown rustled softly.
“Kyaah! Madam, you look absolutely stunning!”
“You’ll shine brighter than anyone else at today’s ceremony.”
“Oh my—Wespa’s noblewomen won’t know what hit them!”
After five hours of effort from five maids, Eliana now looked like the fairy of the cornflowers herself.
“Really?”
Eliana tried to return their enthusiastic smiles by forcing her lips upward, though they felt stiff.
‘Ugh… this is suffocating.’
She did like the hairstyle—it reminded her of a character from Winterland, Yelsha.
But her modern spirit was at odds with this world. She couldn’t understand how corsets were still a thing in Wespa. She’d just barely managed to hit 42kg today—what waist did they think she even had to cinch?
‘Please… let this day pass quickly.’
Despite a miracle achieved with corsets and a bit of strategic taping, which barely managed to produce a hint of cleavage by gathering every ounce of flesh on her body, Eliana couldn’t help but wonder what the point was.
What truly concerned her was standing in this gaudy, heavy, suffocating dress for an entire night at the ballroom.
Knock. Knock.
“I’ve come to escort you.”
Right on cue, at the time previously mentioned, came Michalis’s voice.
“Ah, just a moment. I’ll come out.”
The maids quickly opened the door—and there he stood.
Wearing a navy blue formal uniform embroidered with gold thread, draped in a pristine white cloak.
Eliana’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Why does he look so… absurdly handsome today?’
She froze. The man who usually stuck to plain white shirts and black trousers—completely indifferent to fashion—had dressed in full regalia and looked like a hero straight out of a painting.
Haa…
Michalis, on the other hand, stood across from her, letting out a quiet, hidden sigh.
‘Why did she have to be this beautiful?!’
He almost resented the maids for doing such a meticulous job. Eliana was already stunning without any effort—and now they had turned her into a literal flower fairy.
‘And tonight, of all nights, I won’t be able to stay by her side…’
He could already imagine the swarm of flies (nobles) that would hover around her all evening.
“It’s time to depart.”
“Yes.”
Both of them, momentarily spellbound by each other, finally snapped out of their daze.
The Duke of Ascher’s carriage arrived in front of the imperial palace’s grand ballroom.
“There’s no need to be nervous.”
Michalis stepped down and offered his hand to escort her, noticing Eliana’s stiffened expression.
“…Okay.”
Eliana took his hand and cautiously stepped down, trying her best to stay composed—but her expression remained tense.
This was her debut in Wespa’s high society, and she was entering the ballroom as the Duchess of Ascher.
Of course she was nervous.
“You’ll do just fine, Eliana.”
“Thank you.”
His gentle voice at her side helped her barely hold onto her fraying nerves. She straightened her back and looked forward.
The grand entrance of the palace ballroom shimmered under lavish lights, wide open to welcome them.
“Now entering: the Shield of the Empire and Southern Warden, the Duke and Duchess of Ascher!”
The herald’s voice boomed across the ballroom’s threshold.
Step. Step.
The once-lively room quieted to the point where their footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
The stars of tonight’s ennoblement ball had arrived.
“……”
The couple appeared, perfectly matched in coordinating navy ensembles.
Trailing behind them in perfect formation were ten knights—not in armor, but in formal attire—escorting them like an elite honor guard.
Though unarmed, their presence radiated unspoken power and authority.
Ahem.
A single cough finally broke the silence and returned the room to its normal buzz.
Whispers. Whispers.
As if nothing had happened, the hushed conversations resumed, though just barely above a whisper—soft enough to tickle one’s ears, yet sharp enough to cut.
“…She’s a woman.”
“She doesn’t look as wicked as the rumors say, but I can’t believe she did such a thing.”
“Well, she really is as beautiful as a fairy…”
“Pretty face or not, what does it matter when her heart is so vile?”
“Exactly.”
“For someone with such a venomous heart, she sure looks fragile—like a breeze could carry her away.”
“Probably side effects from the poison. I heard she barely survived.”
It wasn’t just the women—men too were casting unfriendly glances Eliana’s way.
The source? Rumors that had spread quietly but thoroughly before the ball even began.
“The Duchess of Ascher attempted suicide by poison on her way to the South, just before the wedding.”
A shocking betrayal of a sacred noble engagement—an unforgivable scandal.
“That poor Duke of Ascher… having to marry a woman like that.”
“He’s probably so enraged, he lashes her with a whip every night.”
“Shhh! Mind your words—one wrong whisper and you could end up silenced by the palace.”
“Oh, please. It’s just between us.”
Unfortunately, by the time Eliana had even set foot in Wespa’s society, public opinion had already been shaped.
A foolish woman who didn’t know her place and tried to kill herself rather than marry the Duke of Ascher.
A traitor who betrayed the sacred pact between noble houses.
A godless woman who dared to discard a life granted by the heavens.
Before the banquet, before Eliana had ever met them, the board had already been set.
All thanks to Freya.
Through the information guild, she’d seeded the narrative far in advance.
Laying the groundwork not just for gossip—but for the possibility of Eliana’s “assassination” to be written off as a “suicide.”
The first step in an elaborate public manipulation scheme.
