Chapter 3.3
Early morning.
Rosena was being thoroughly worn out by a sudden wave of uninvited guests.
“How about lifting your hair higher to reveal more of your jawline, neck, and shoulder line? I think it would highlight the Young Lady’s beauty.”
“Then it would be good to show you a more vibrant dress. Ah, does the Young Lady have any specific style in mind??”
“The bridal makeup needs to match the overall look, so we should choose the dress and jewelry first. Oh my, look at her beautiful skin. She doesn’t even get special treatments, but how can it be so lovely? I used to be like that too.”
Was wedding preparation always this chaotic and exhausting?
‘I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been married.’
She had no friends besides Pernille, and her marriage to Cassian was still a complete secret, so she had no one to turn to for advice.
But one thing she could be sure of.
“Oh my, Young Lady. Are you already tired? Try some of this. The color is a bit strange, but it’s a sour tea packed with nutrients. If you drink this, you’ll feel energized again! We still have a mountain of dresses to try on!”
What reflected in their clear eyes was clearly madness.
Rosena accepted the tea and drank it, thinking she needed to survive.
‘…Just how much did they spend on a one-day wedding?’
Attending the academy, whether she liked it or not, she inevitably learned what was popular in the Agzent Empire.
The madams in front of Rosena now were from famous boutiques that led the trends of the empire, currently receiving love calls from young ladies across the empire. All of them had gathered at Baltinart mansion just for Rosena’s wedding.
‘What is Cassian thinking?’
Rosena glanced sideways at Cassian, who was watching everything from behind.
She had assumed he’d be too busy to show up, so his appearance had been a big surprise. Moreover, he had been sitting there the whole time since the beginning. And…
“Cassian. If you keep staring like that, I’ll be embarrassed.”
“You don’t need to mind me, Rosena.”
…How could she not mind, when he was staring so intently it was embarrassing?
Rosena sighed deeply.
“Are you sure you can stay here? Aren’t you busy?”
“I am busy.”
“Then it must be hard to keep staying here, right?”
“No.”
“…….”
“My competent aides will manage for a day even if I’m not there.”
Oh, this wasn’t right. Seeing him so enthusiastically say it was fine, Rosena bit her lip. It seemed her unspoken meaning hadn’t gotten through, so she had no choice but to be direct.
‘Still, the madams prepared so much, it would be rude to complain openly.’
Rosena, still in her dress, stepped down from the platform and strode towards Cassian.
When she leaned her face close to him, Cassian seemed flustered and leaned his upper body back. As he leaned back, Rosena followed closely and whispered softly.
“Just pick one. Which one was the best?”
“…They all looked good on you.”
“No, Cassian, that’s not it.”
Rosena subtly eyed the madams before complaining.
“At this rate, I might not even be able to walk down the aisle. I want you to pick the one that suits me best.”
“Is it that hard for you?”
“Yes. To the point where I want to run away right now.”
When Rosena made a distressed face, Cassian laughed, perhaps thinking of something.
Considering that Rosena must have been suffering long before he arrived, it was understandable that she was exhausted.
Cassian rose from his seat and said,
“There’s no need to look further. The one you’re wearing now is the prettiest, Rosena.”
“Phew, I can live!”
Thanks to Cassian, Rosena gained her freedom and quickly decided on the dress and all the wedding gifts before returning. Patting her aching body, she flopped onto the bed and threw her arms up in victory.
Helia, who followed her, softly smiled as she drew the curtains by the window.
“Please rest comfortably, my lady. There’s still time until dinner, so I’ll wake you when it’s time. If you wake up in between or need anything, please call me.”
“I will. Thank you, Helia. I’m really glad you’re here.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll step out now.”
Helia left the room so Rosena could rest comfortably alone.
Alone in the dimly lit room, perfect for sleep, Rosena lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her tired eyes wide open.
‘He really acts in a way that confuses people.’
Cassian was the most difficult person Rosena had ever tried to understand.
If she hadn’t had the eyes to see the truth, it was possible she might have fallen for Cassian and even had a one-sided crush.
Rosena blinked slowly again. Pulling the blanket up high and turning onto her side, Rosena frowned with her eyes closed.
“Now that I think about it… aren’t I doing too well here?”
When living in an unfamiliar environment different from one’s usual, a period of adjustment is usually needed. But Rosena had never felt uncomfortable at Baltinart mansion until now.
Usually, no matter how luxurious the living environment, there were always one or two awkward things.
It was almost as if everything was tailored just for her.
…Come to think of it, Cassian mentioned last time that he tried to decorate the garden similar to Baron Leilia’s estate. Surely he didn’t redecorate the entire mansion too, did he?
“No way.”
Rosena slowly shook her head at what she herself thought was an absurd assumption. No matter what, that seemed like taking it too far.
“Sleepy…”
She thought she should think about the rest after taking a nap. Rosena decided to surrender to the overwhelming drowsiness.
* * *
“From today on, report every single thing Rosena Leilia does. Don’t miss a single detail, no matter how small or suspicious. That’s your job now, Helia.”
Helia, who had been standing silently outside the door, opened her red-orange eyes. Soon after leaving the room, Rosena’s presence quieted, and her regular breathing was detected.
The face that always held a gentle smile was now expressionless.
“I don’t know why His Grace gave such an order.”
She had received countless missions until now, but this was the first time she had such an insignificant surveillance target. Even if she monitored every move, there was nothing to report.
She was just a cute young lady of that age. Except for one thing, her excessive honesty.
Click. Click.
Rolling her reddish-brown eyes around, Helia expressed boredom.
“How boring.”
Pouting her lips and standing close to the door, she saw Sion in the distance.
“Helia.”
“Oh, Sion.”
The two had known each other for quite a long time.
Although their roles in the Baltinart family were different. If Sion handled the family’s external affairs, Helia moved in the shadows.
“The Young Lady?”
“She’s sleeping.”
“Was there anything suspicious?”
“Nope. Honestly, why are you and His Grace both watching her like hawks?”
“…Did His Grace also tell you to observe the Young Lady?”
“Yeah.”
Her gentle tone, which she usually used when addressing Rosena, was gone. In fact, Helia could count on one hand the number of times she had experienced such a peaceful daily life.
Her job was to secretly infiltrate somewhere to obtain information and eliminate witnesses. Her sharp, cat-like eyes briefly turned towards the door.
“Sion, but do you know something?”
“What is it?”
“This is a real secret.”
Helia beckoned him closer.
Sion’s expression turned serious.
“Did you find anything strange?”
“Yeah. Seriously amazing.”
As Helia nodded, Sion’s expression hardened and he moved closer. Helia’s red lips parted.
“I think His Grace might be crazy.”
What?
Sion’s gray eyes flickered with bewilderment.
He never dreamed he would hear such insubordinate words.
“He’s seriously a bit off.”
Helia was now openly tapping her temple with her index finger and spinning it.
“…What kind of rude remark is that?”
“Listen. His Grace came this morning and watched the Young Lady prepare for her wedding the whole time!”
“…….”
“You know how impatient he is, right? Don’t you remember? Back then, on the day His Grace had his coming-of-age ceremony. How many years ago was that? Anyway, at that time, he said he was too lazy to go over everything one by one, and that if any designer made another young lord’s uniform more extravagant than his own, he’d cut off their head.”
Helia exaggerated dramatically, her eyes rolling around for effect.
“But today, he came and sat there the whole time, not taking his eyes off her, and watched everything before leaving, you know? Are you listening, Sion? Sion?”
Helia shook Sion’s shoulder with her slender hand. With a powerful force unsuited to her delicate hand, Sion swayed like a reed, and the focus returned to his eyes.
“Are you saying His Grace canceled his schedule just to watch the Young Lady?”
“He was just here a moment ago?”
Sion’s expression froze.
Cassian Baltinart, who would scold his subordinates, saying that failing to carry out a schedule was unacceptable unless it was death, actually canceled his entire schedule?
“Helia. Does His Grace seem interested in the Young Lady?”
“Well, I guess so, since they’re getting married. I heard he told the madams to reject any design requests that were even similar to what the Young Lady would wear this time. And if they did accept one by mistake, the family would cover all the losses or something.”
“…….”
“He wants the Young Lady to be the most special on the wedding day.”
Helia, unaware of the will’s existence, innocently recounted everything that happened today.
The more Sion listened, the more he couldn’t close his mouth. TThe financial crisis had been dealt with. But there was no single reason for Cassian to do all this. Sion was convinced.
Even aside from the will, Cassian seemed to have developed a genuine interest in Rosena Leilia.
Was it His Grace’s new twisted hobby? Using money to torment people?
At that moment, one word came to Sion’s mind. Heir.
‘Could it be that this is what he wants?’
And one more thing he learned was that his master seemed to be the type to basically throw money around to win someone’s heart. And in a very novel way, just scattering it into thin air.
In that case…
“What about the Young Lady? Does she seem interested in His Grace?”
“Hmm.”
Helia tilted her head and then smiled brightly.
“I’m not sure. As you know, I’m not very good at sensing other people’s emotions.”
