Chapter 117
After returning home, Kirine kept touching her ring until she finished washing up and got into bed.
She had sworn she would never marry, so it was both fascinating and amusing how that resolve had crumbled. She kept chuckling while looking at the ring.
And of all people, it was Ares—the one she had fought so desperately against.
She wondered if Ares felt equally strange about it all.
‘A spring wedding next year…’
Though nothing specific had been decided yet, just having a rough timeline felt surreal and unfamiliar.
‘But first I need to finish these festival preparations.’
She couldn’t help but sigh thinking about facing Vincent again tomorrow.
All she could do was hope time would pass quickly.
***
Finally, as the festival preparations entered their final stages, Kirine felt somewhat relieved. Just thinking that she only had to endure this difficult time a little longer gave her energy.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t gotten a dress yet.’
Though there would be a party at the Imperial Palace on the day of the spring festival, she had forgotten about her own dress while preparing for the festival.
‘I actually want to go to this party.’
Usually, she had little interest in banquets, festivals, or parties, finding them merely troublesome. Kirine rarely attended because she found preparing dresses and putting on makeup bothersome.
But having overheard that Ares would be attending this party, she found herself wanting to go too.
“What should I do about a dress…”
“What do you mean? You have me.”
As she was sighing deeply in thought, a familiar voice spoke right beside her.
She jumped in surprise, shoulders hunching as she stepped back, only to see Reilly tilting her head.
“When did you get here?”
“Just now.”
“Make some noise when you walk.”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“…”
Finding Kirine’s startled reaction amusing, Reilly kept grinning. Kirine glared at her before clicking her tongue and turning forward.
“Are you happy now?”
“Yeah, it’s really funny when you’re surprised.”
“How nice for you.”
As Kirine glared at the still-playful Reilly, she said “enough” and tried to return to her work.
But Reilly kept following her around persistently.
“What were you saying earlier? Something about a dress?”
Having heard the muttering despite trying to surprise her, Reilly asked curiously, and Kirine reluctantly answered.
“There’s going to be a party at the Imperial Palace during the spring festival.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t have a dress to wear.”
She mostly wore casual clothes and didn’t own many dresses. Though she had two or three dresses ready for such occasions, she wanted to wear something prettier than usual since Ares would be there.
“Of course you do.”
“Where?”
“I prepared it in advance.”
“?”
At this matter-of-fact response, Kirine gaped at Reilly in bewilderment.
“When?”
“When? I’m always prepared.”
“My dress?”
“Of course. I’ll be preparing your wedding dress too.”
“Who decided that?”
“I did.”
“…?”
Kirine couldn’t hide her astonishment as Reilly just blinked innocently as if there was nothing wrong with this.
“Why are you preparing my wedding dress?”
“Because it’s my dream.”
“…”
Reilly was so brazen that Kirine didn’t know what to say.
Meanwhile, Reilly continued:
“You just need to show up.”
“That sounds like something someone else should be saying.”
More specifically, she thought it was something Ares should say.
But Reilly just shrugged her shoulders without any hesitation.
“Does it matter who says it?”
“Wait, so you’ve already chosen my dress for this party?”
“Yes.”
“Without even asking my opinion?”
“Yep!”
“…”
Seeing Reilly nod so calmly, Kirine couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
In many ways, she was even more exasperating than Ares.
“What if I don’t like what you chose? Why didn’t you ask for my opinion?”
“It’s your dress—do you really think I’d pick something you wouldn’t like?”
As much as she hated to admit it, everything Reilly had chosen for her—not just dresses, but food, tea, desserts, and more—had always suited her taste. Not once had she disliked anything.
It seemed Reilly had perfectly understood her preferences through long observation.
“That’s true.”
“See? So just trust me and follow along.”
Seeing Reilly stand there so confidently with her shoulders squared, Kirine hesitated to agree.
“By the way, where is it?”
“What?”
When Kirine tilted her head at the sudden question, Reilly looked her up and down before whispering in her ear.
“The ring.”
“Ah.”
Finally understanding, Kirine nodded slightly before turning forward again.
“I’m wearing it as a necklace.”
“Why?”
“If I wear it on my finger, people will obviously ask who it’s from.”
It would be tiring to answer each time. Plus, people would inevitably ask who gave it to her, so she deliberately wore it as a necklace.
“But Ares wears his just fine.”
“On his ring finger?”
“Yes. He only takes it off during training, I think?”
The implication was that Kirine should also wear hers comfortably on her ring finger.
But Kirine firmly refused and said she had work to do in the laboratory, leaving with a quick goodbye.
However…
“Kirine! Big news!”
Before she could even enter the laboratory, her colleague rushed over making a commotion.
“What is it?”
Her tension at the possibility of something serious happening proved unnecessary—it was nothing of the sort.
“Lord Arensis has a lover!”
“No, I definitely saw it. He always wore gloves, but this time his hands were bare, and guess what? There was a ring on his ring finger!”
“Oh my goodness. When did he get a lover?”
“Don’t know. Recently, maybe?”
“No, I think he’s been wearing the ring under his gloves all this time.”
“Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable, wearing gloves over a ring?”
“Maybe his lover told him to keep it hidden.”
“Anyway, isn’t it amazing? I never thought Lord Arensis would get a lover.”
“Right? He used to recoil just from clothes touching him.”
“But I heard he was smiling during training this morning.”
“Who could she be to make him smile?”
“Seriously. He always had such a stern face before.”
“…”
Just because Ares was wearing a ring, her colleagues had gathered together and started gossiping enthusiastically.
Naturally, they were most curious about who Ares’s partner might be.
Kirine, who knew very well who Ares’s lover was, craftily joined the conversation saying, “I wonder who it could be too.”
Her colleagues began speculating—could it be this person? No, maybe that person?—without ever suspecting Kirine herself.
