68 – Her Her (1)
“…!!!”
Illya, who was very excited next to me, slapped my thigh. She had no choice but to turn her head and Illya pointed her finger wildly at the outside of her window.
“…!”
“What is it?”
“…!!!”
In response to my question, Ilya represented a large animal with her hands. The snout is elongated. A monster that drags its heavy body with its large wings spread out. I looked out the car window, wondering what he was talking about. And then Ilya made eye contact with the beast she was talking about.
It was a dragon.
Of course, it wasn’t a real dragon. Now, there are no animals larger than birds flying in the human sky. But in some ways, it was much grander and even more beautiful than a real dragon. A body made of gold and beautiful sapphires for both eyes. And even numerous horns made of white ivory. It was a beast of capital combining luxury and authority.
It was the perfect symbol to decorate the capital of a great empire.
“…!!!”
When I looked away from the statue, Illya looked at me again with bright eyes. It has been like this ever since I entered the capital. Like a child who came to the zoo for the first time, Illya scolded me when she saw something that she thought was a bit strange, and kept pulling my clothes and hitting my thighs.
“Wow…”
And Guero was no exception, so every time he saw an amazing sight, he got excited like Illya. The problem was that the carriage kept shaking due to its large size. In fact, it was almost a miracle that even Yuna was able to maintain her composure in this situation.
“Whoa…”
Is it because of tension? Or perhaps it was because of the unsightly appearance of the group she brought with her, Yuna sighed again. It felt vaguely sad to see her suffering alone in a group that was noisier than a circus troupe.
In the end, even in this situation, I was the only one who could be her support. Therefore, I turned her head towards Yuna, ignoring Illya who was still hitting her thigh. And, as she had done up until now, she opened her mouth in a very resolute manner.
In other words, I wanted to open my mouth in a resolute manner.
“Yu…Yu…Yuna look at that! That one!!!”
“…”
“Did you see that dragon statue? Wow. It’s no joke. Let’s go take a closer look at that later. Will you do that?”
“…Ugh.”
Yuna eventually lowered her head as if she was breaking down. But I couldn’t help but find it fascinating. As even the last one could not hide her excitement and her eyes continued to shine, Yuna said while pinching her thigh.
“Stay still.”
“Huh? But…”
“Once you’re done with all your work, you’ll have plenty of time to look around. So, please just stay still.”
“Ah…Um…Sorry. We were too noisy, weren’t we?”
“Yes. Enough.”
I looked at my two friends, feeling somewhat embarrassed. It sure looked like it until I put the clothes on. It seems that no matter how expensive their clothes were, they couldn’t hide their nature.
“Anyway, Yuna. Why did you ask to bring these people? Actually, only you and I were allowed to come. What part of the plan are these people included in?”
“Plan?”
“Yes, the plan. The plan you made. What role do they play in it?”
“Ah. Yes. That…Plan.”
At that moment, whatever calm remained on Yuna’s face disappeared. When I met her eyes, feeling a little cold somehow, Yuna turned away from her gaze and answered timidly.
“…I brought you here because I thought I would be able to survive if I was with people I knew.”
“What? That’s all?”
“Oh…No! Of course, there is a specific role.”
When I asked, Yuna hurriedly waved her hand away. Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Is that so? So what is Illya’s role?”
“Um…That’s…”
“Yes. Yes.”
“…If you bring an elf friend. But I don’t think the Duchess will be openly angry.”
“…”
I was speechless without even realizing it because of the somewhat childishly naive story. The chill he felt earlier tightened his chest again.
“Then what about Guero?”
“If something goes wrong, ask us all to jump up and run away.”
From Noble mtl dot com
“…”
“…”
“Is that…That’s it?”
“Yes…”
We looked at each other for a while. Meanwhile, Illya and Guero were touring the capital and making a fuss. Like innocent children playing in the dirt, unaware of the coming tragedy.
“Hey then, Yuna. Doesn’t that mean you actually don’t have any plans…?”
“Ugh…”
When I asked, Yuna closed her mouth as if her throat was blocked. She then threw off her calm appearance as the duke’s daughter and returned to her usual appearance as Yuna, screaming.
“Well…Then…What should I do then? Did you think there was some kind of grand plan? Where is there? I’m just going to face it!”
“Yuna. Calm down.”
“There was so little time in the first place! The Duchess keeps nagging me, and I don’t even know what will happen to Elyse and the Crown Prince! But I wonder if a magical plan will come out of nowhere in such a short period of time!”
“Yuna. I understand…”
“Yes. Actually, there is no plan. Is it okay? Is it okay? I’ll just go and try to fight it, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll run away. Of course, I won’t be able to run away. If something goes wrong, we’ll all be imprisoned in the Duke’s house and wait for the end. Yes. Yes, I will.”
“Okay, calm down…”
“hahahaha…Yes. It’s ruined. Everything is ruined. It’s over now. They thought I was crazy to just wait at the academy. I’m sorry Ellen. At least prepare a will in advance. It might be better that way. Aha… Under…”
“Yuna.”
I felt like my makeup would come off if I cupped her cheeks, so I grabbed both of Yuna’s ears and forced her to make eye contact. And spoke in as calm a voice as possible.
“It’ll be okay. So calm down.”
“Ah…Uh…”
“But you’ve prepared something to say to the Duchess, right?”
“That’s…But…”
“Yes. That will be enough. In fact, we’ve been like this all this time, right? Even if we don’t have a specific plan, we’ve bumped into each other. It’ll work out somehow this time too. So don’t worry.”
“Elean…”
Yuna called my name warmly. But she soon pursed her lips and regained her duke’s calm face. Then she nodded her head at me with determination.
“…Yes, that’s right. We can’t despair now. It’s already happened.”
“Good. That’s the position, Yuna. First, take a deep breath and calm your mind. There’s still some time.”
“Okay. There’s still time. Hey, Ms. Guero? How much longer do we have until the mansion…”
“Wow! Look, Miss Yuna! Is that Miss Yuna’s house? It’s really big!”
“Ugh…”
Guero waved her hand without notice, and Yuna smiled as if she had been liberated and leaned her body against the wall. Even I clenched her fists at her nervousness. Soon, the huge ducal mansion began to approach beyond the window.
It was more of a fortress than a mansion. A huge wall made of colorless bricks. Even the steep roof and well-armed guards. It was as if the evil demon king had imprisoned the princess in a huge castle and was yelling at me to take him to me.
Well, it wasn’t wrong. Inside, the evil Duchess will be waiting arrogantly, clutching Yuna’s neck. Unfortunately for her, her legendary sword and reliable companions were not in the arms of her warrior who would come to save her. There are only her empty hands and her good friends.
But negative thoughts don’t help anything. So instead of despairing, I held onto Yuna’s hand tightly. She was still repeating the words she had prepared with her head down. She even fiddled with the glasses in her arms as she recited her lines. Meanwhile, Illya was looking at the two of us with a bright expression.
“We have arrived, lady.”
At that time, the carriage stopped moving with a word from the coachman. I gently shook Yuna’s hand that I was holding.
“Yuna. You have to get down.”
“Ugh…”
“Would you like to sit a little longer?”
“No. There’s nothing good about hesitating.”
Yuna calmed her heaving heart with her hands and then put on a serious expression. She then calmly gave instructions as if she had never been nervous.
“Okay, let’s get off. Miss Guero, please go ahead, Illya, please follow behind me. And Ellen, you stay next to me.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes. There’s nothing more to hide now.”
“I like that.”
I got off the carriage first and held out my hand to Yuna. Soon, a pure white leg slipped through the gap in the door and finally set foot on the duchy’s land. After exchanging glances, we started moving forward without hesitation.
“…!!!”
As soon as we started walking, shocked looks came from all around us from servants. Maybe it’s because of the appearance of the duke’s daughter, who hasn’t appeared in a long time. Or maybe it was the appearance of the unfamiliar man standing next to him, I couldn’t tell.
Maybe, it’s both.
“…You’re staring at me so much.”
“That’s right. Eren, don’t look away for no reason.”
“I understand.”
Yuna was regaining her composure surprisingly quickly. The woman who entered the Duke’s mansion was, by all accounts, the only daughter of the Duke of Richmond. Because that was awkward, I made a joke for no reason.
“Aren’t your steps too stiff?”
“Take care of yourself. Don’t keep fiddling with your collar.”
“Actually, it’s because the clothes don’t fit well. Ah, Yuna. You have hair on your cheek.”
“I’ll take it off. You also have eyebrows in your eyes.”
“Can’t you take it off?”
“No, you idiot.”
Only then did Yuna sigh and laugh. But as the huge doors of her mansion approached her, she quickly let out a nervous sigh. But now there was no time to hesitate any longer.
“Should I run away now?”
“Seriously, if something goes wrong, you have to run away, so watch carefully.”
“I’m amazingly good at jumping over walls and running away.”
“That’s really reassuring.”
We looked at each other one last time and smiled. Before we knew it, the door was right in front of us.
“Are you ready, Yuna?”
“I was never prepared.”
“That’s the attitude.”
Yuna smiled lightly as I playfully twisted her fingers. Then, she lifted her chin and confidently shouted.
“Miss Guero. Please open the door.”
“Yes, lady.”
Finally, the tightly closed door of the mansion opened, and a blinding white light poured down. As if to hint that the final chapter of the story was about to unfold, dozens of footsteps began to run from inside. In an instant, the shadows of the extras covering my body disappeared and the name Ellen was revealed.
Now, I am no longer a nameless extra.
I could no longer hide behind the stage in the name of anonymity. Now, audiences were rushing to see my story, not that of the crown prince or Elyse. That’s why I raised my head. And then I stepped onto my stage with Yuna.
“Ah… Lady!”
An old servant came out urgently from inside the mansion. He came running, drenched in sweat, quickly stood in front of Yuna and bowed deeply.
“How could it be so sudden without even telling me you were coming…?”
“Was it so sudden for me to come to your house?”
“No! That’s absolutely not true. I just…”
“Then step back. I didn’t come here to play with you. Where is your mother?”
“Yes…?”
The servant opened his mouth in vain at the question without delay. Then he bowed his head even more deeply and answered.
“That…That…”
“Why are you doing that? Are you going to tell me that I need permission to see my mother this time?”
“That’s not true, but the Duchess said she won’t be receiving visits from anyone for the time being. I think it’ll be a little difficult.”
“Even if it’s your only daughter?”
“That’s…”
“I’ll go find it myself. Where are you now? Please guide me.”
“Miss!”
The servant screamed and clung to Yuna. But he couldn’t bear to touch his body directly and just stamped his feet restlessly. The sight of him struggling between the duke’s mother and daughter was pitiful.
There was only one person in this world who could save him.
“You are making too much of a fuss after coming home after such a long time. Our cute Yuna.”
“…!”
At the top of the tall stairs, a person’s shadow appeared in the huge glass window through which sunlight shined through the duke’s mansion. Everyone held their breath at the appearance truly worthy of the final villain. Only Yuna faced her with her fists clenched.
“Mother.”
“My cute daughter.”
The Duchess also looked at Yuna. Then she opened her mouth in a voice that did not convey even an ounce of affection.
“You’ve lost a lot of weight while I haven’t seen you. I guess you’ve been having a hard time because of all the accidents and running around.”
“Your mother looks very tired, too. I guess she had trouble sleeping because she was worried about me.”
“It seems like your confidence has grown a lot during your time at the academy. You know how to say sassy things. You even bring friends with you as you please.”
The Duchess came down the stairs, snorting her laughter. She walked as if her ghost were walking, her white robes sweeping the dustless marble.
“Well, it’s nice to meet people after a long time. Thanks to Yuna, I also got to meet elves. I made some pretty good friends, right?”
“…”
“But she’s not as happy as seeing the face she wanted to see. She wanted to meet you so badly, Yuna. So, so, so much.”
The Duchess, who had already come down the stairs, looked at her Yuna with a cold smile. Although she was shorter than me, she still felt intimidating because of her tall height and her beauty that could be said to be breathtaking. Yuna courageously approached her.
“Yes. I missed you too, Mom. Then…”
“No. It wasn’t you I wanted to see, Yuna.”
“Yes?”
But she shook off her daughter, whom she had not seen in a long time. She then smiled so that her teeth were visible.
“What I really wanted to see was you.”
“…!!!”
At that moment, her ice-cold hand brushed his cheek. The chill down her spine paralyzed her entire body and she trembled without realizing it.
And then, I made eye contact with the Duchess.
She stared at me with eyes sharper than Yuna’s. Then she continued her words, tracing her bright red lips with her tongue.
“So you’re Eren? I heard you really f*cked the crown prince. I heard he was so scared of you that he even peed himself. Well, that may be an exaggerated rumor, but I really wanted to meet you.”
“I…”
“I heard that even that slut got scolded? That b*tch who is called Elise or something. It was so refreshing to hear that. I literally laughed all day.”
There was a clear madness in the eyes as he talked about the misfortune of others as nourishment. She smiled brightly like an innocent child and gave a greeting full of malice.
“Nice to meet you, Ellen.”
“…”
“If an adult says hello, you should say hello too, right?”
I didn’t answer. I was so suffocated that I felt like my voice wouldn’t come out.
Instead, he slowly knelt in front of her.
“Ellen…!”
Yuna called my name under her breath. Nevertheless, I lowered my head towards her and opened her mouth.
“A lowly commoner meets a duchess.”
“You’re a pretty polite kid.”
“Thank you.”
“Okay. Let me accept the greeting. Lift her head up.”
As I raised my gaze, the Duchess held out her hand haughtily towards me. My face was reflected in the large ring on her pale hand.
“…”
From Noble mtl dot com
I carefully held her hand. Then a satisfied smile appeared on the Duchess’ face.
But I didn’t kiss her hand.
Instead, he jumped up from his seat while holding her hand.
“Huh…?”
The Duchess raised her gaze, a little embarrassed, as a shadow larger than her own fell over her head. I looked at her and slowly tilted her head.
And then he kissed her deeply on her pale cheek.
“…!!!”
“…!!!”
I heard two people startled at the same time. The Duchess was frozen in her startled position and offered no resistance. I kissed her lips on the other cheek and then slowly raised her head.
“Ah…Ah…Huh…?”
For the first time, the Duchess looked at me blankly with a surprised expression on her face. A harsh sound flowed from her parted lips, and her cheeks turned red.
“Uh…Huh?”
“…hahahaha.”
For the first time, I noticed something similar to Yuna and burst into laughter. Then, looking at her still frozen face, he playfully opened his mouth.
“Hello, Duchess. My name is Ellen.”