Chapter 84

“Since it’s a tea party in the garden, wouldn’t red stand out in the green background?”

“Hmm, red…..” Selena scratched her head with her finger, staring at the dress Juna had chosen. When she learned that it was related to the Hice family, she couldn’t make a simple mistake while choosing the dress.

Mrs. Janet’s tips were very helpful. It was fortunate that Renbird’s honor was greater than her hatred of Selena. Just as Mrs. Janet advised, Selena could connect every dot on the invitation to find the hidden clues. For this tea party of the Hice family, the dress code was white, and the accessories would have to be in the shape of white flowers.

“Won’t it be a little hot in the middle of the day….?”

“But wouldn’t it make a strong first impression? Since it’s a garden, you’d be like a big flower.” It would have been plausible if Selena didn’t know about the dress code. Even if she wore this red dress and returned with a lot of ridicule, she couldn’t have blamed Juna. The invitation was addressed to Selena, so it would have been her fault not to recognize the dress code, not the maid’s.

However, from the beginning, Juna wouldn’t even talk to Selena about the dress code. If she hadn’t served Irelle, Selena wouldn’t have known about her intention.

“I don’t feel like wearing red today for some reason.” Selena chose a dress herself, “what about this?” She didn’t bring up the topic of dress code on purpose. It was because she was curious to see what Juna would say to stop her. She could see Juna thinking hard.

The dress that Selena chose was not white. It was a dress made of silver threads running down the skirt with sparkling silver drops connected to them. Silver was eye-catching when it came to white, and white when it came to any other color.

“Uh…. Er…. This is for banquets, so it would be hard to sit in it.” But seeing that she was trying to stop her, it seemed she wanted to somehow humiliate Selena.

“It’s okay, I’m good at being patient.”

“Yes….. ultimately, you will wear whatever you want.” When Selena insisted, Juna could no longer press it down. “I will help you prepare. Oh, but this looks a bit complicated. Hold on a second.”

After a lot of trouble, Juna was finally able to prepare Selena. Not all her dresses were the same, but each time she wore one, the order and method were different.

“Phew, it’s done.”

Selena looked at herself in the mirror, wiping sweat from her forehead and taking a step back, telling Juna that she had worked hard. It felt a bit clumsy, but she couldn’t pinpoint where exactly the problem was.

‘I’ll find it when I wear it.’ It must have been some fabric, so Selena went back to Kalcion’s room, not thinking much of it.

“I’m ready. I’ll be leaving soon.”

“You said the dress code was white.” The development from white to silver was a remarkable one.

“Well, that’s it. Come to think of it, the dress code for Royle’s party is ‘Starlight’.” She would be attending the tea party at Hice Mansion for the daytime, and at sunset, she was supposed to go to the House of Royle for their evening tea party. “I don’t have to return to change my dress again, so I’ll be going to leave for Royle as soon as the tea party is over.”

Only Selena was invited to both parties. The uninvited Kalcion was scheduled to stay home all day long. “It’s the first time I will be out alone for a long time.”

“There’s nothing to worry about since you will have an escort. You will also have secret escorts everywhere.”

“I’m not worried,” even though she said it, she trembled a little and clenched her fists. She was going to a place where she could have Kalcion’s help even if she screamed. Just thinking about it made her nervous.

However, as Kalcion said, her safety was guaranteed. Even in the house, escorts hiding in the shadows popped out and blocked Selena’s front. Most of them were trivial, but you could feel how attentive Kalcion and his guards were.

As much as she was nervous, she was able to put her mind at ease. However, today, Selena was responsible for the task as Kalcion was unable to stick by her side. “I’ll do my best to get information.”

“Don’t overdo it,” Kalcion’s reply was so straightforward that her shoulders rose for a moment.

“Thank you.” Her reply was equally simple, but it felt awkward. Unlike her, Kalcion creaked like a broken machine. This was because both of them were in a hurry to adapt after their first meeting and do something they would not normally do. The swamp of awkwardness was terrible. There was no way to get out of it.

“Ah, then…. I’ll see you.”

“Let me escort you to the front door.” It was unknown how many steps it took from the room to the front door, but this kindness was also part of the awkwardness.

Clasping Kalcion’s arm, Selena grinned as she walked. “Doesn’t it seem strange that the Duke is suddenly not by my side? Is this the reason why we’re so awkward?”

Kalcion’s was quiet, staring only at the bottom of the stairs. Yes, it was because of their straightforward behavior. “They say that relationships get better when couples spend time away from each other. Are you going to do some of your hobbies that you haven’t been able to do while I’m away?”

“No, we actually planned on conducting a weekly evening training session in addition to the day.”

“What? Well, I hope you have a good day today,” she poked Kalcion’s side with her elbow. But it wasn’t his side she poked. “By the way, are you wearing a cape for training?”

Usually, Kalcion wore neat shirts and outerwear. During training, he changed into a comfortable shirt or military top. Today, he was dressed up enough to hold a parade as it was. Although it looked like a combat outfit, it was much more flashy than what he wore in training.

“Sometimes you have to wear this for morale and fight. It’s more cumbersome than the usual training clothes, but it’s necessary to train like this sometimes.”

Selena shook her head, looking at the scalloped decorations on his shoulders and chest, and the long fluttering cloak. She nodded. If she had to fight wearing a cloak that looped around her body and made her stumble repeatedly, the practice would be essential.

“Oh, must it be that cloak?” Selena came up with an idea.

“No, it doesn’t matter if it’s this cloak, why?” The cloak around Kalcion’s shoulders was white. The lower hem was embroidered with silver thread and the upper part was decorated with light fur, giving it a feel of the north.

“Well, could you lend it to me for one day?”

“I have no reason to deny,” said Kalcion, standing in front of the door, unbuttoning his cloak. He was going to fold it up and hand it to Selena, but he paused. He then outstretched his long arms and wrapped the cloak around her shoulders. The space between them narrowed as she was trapped in his arms.

It was as if he felt breathless. He raised his chin to breathe as he took a step forward with the cape. He was able to breathe again.

His long, hard fingers, which tied the ribbon of the cloak, moved back and forth in front of her nose. Even though it was nothing, Selena watched them work until the end.

“Then, I will be back.” She looked up at Kalcion and greeted him naturally like his spouse on her way to work.

“Have a safe journey.”

Selena, who was about to leave, suddenly turned around and took a step closer to him. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re separating like when we fall asleep, so we have to say goodbye.” At Selena’s touch, hugging his neck, now Kalcion was natural at leaning down by himself. Her soft lips made contact with his cheek as she kissed him.

Then, she took a step back, looked into his eyes, and smiled brightly before she left him standing alone. The waiting escort opened the carriage door. She greeted lightly with a nod and stepped into the carriage. It was also her first time sitting alone in a carriage.

“Haa…..,” she opened her eyes after a deep breath. She opened the window. Her eyes met Kalcion’s, who was still standing on the porch and looking this way. Selena smiled and shook her head pretending to be relaxed.

Soon after Kalcion replied with a nod, the carriage departed from the mansion. Selena tightened her grip on the cape with her cold fingers. His warm cape calmed down her tremors.

The carriage that left the main gate was no longer visible. However, Kalcion watched from the front door for a long time as if he could see beyond that.

“Get me a new cape for the training.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Just before turning around, he took a last glance at the gate.

There was nothing to worry about.

The guards he sent for Selena’s aide were those with the best skills among the guards, and half of the guards were planted in the shadows. There was no way in which they could not protect Selena unless the invasion of military units.

But for some reason, he kept looking back. What would happen if she didn’t return in the carriage like this? His anxious imagination only continued to grow.

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