“Why are you bringing up the family heads in front of Eunice?”
A sharp voice cut through the air. Despite Johannes’s cold interrogation, Glenton remained composed.
“She’ll find out soon enough anyway.”
“Who would dare run their mouth in front of Eunice while I’m watching with my own two eyes?”
Glenton pressed his lips together with a disagreeing expression. Though he couldn’t openly act insolent, whispers had a way of getting out.
But there was no use arguing further with that stubborn man. It would be better to talk to a wall.
With a quiet sigh, Glenton asked as if changing the subject, “Didn’t Rowell come with you?”
“Land of Death investigation.”
Johannes’s expression remained cold, perhaps still affected by their previous conversation. Still, he was answering questions properly.
“Did you really need to leave Rowell behind? He’s busy enough as it is.”
“There was more vegetation than expected. Enough to form a prairie. It seemed to require a proper investigation.”
“…”
This was unexpected.
Glenton fell into deep thought like someone assigned a new task. Before long, another growl was heard.
“Anyway, don’t talk nonsense to Eunice.”
One of Glenton’s eyebrows quirked upward, his expression suggesting that silencing just his mouth wouldn’t be enough.
“It is a marriage opposed by all twelve family heads… but I’ll keep quiet for now.”
“And that destiny nonsense too.”
“…?”
Confusion flickered in Glenton’s eyes.
He had immediately noticed that Eunice didn’t remember Johannes. And after testing the waters, he realized she had completely forgotten him as well. Given the circumstances, Rowell would be no different.
Eunice was special to all three men. More precisely, she was a small light that approached them when they were in their darkest pit.
The three orphaned boys, who had long lost their smiles, found laughter again when they met her.
It was hard to believe such a small girl had such power. She had brought refreshing rain to their hearts that had cracked from drought.
“Why not just be honest with Eunice? Tell her we’re from the St. Laurent orphanage. Just ask if she remembers us—it’s simple.”
“…”
A shadow fell across Johannes’s face. Looking at those blue eyes wavering with the light of a gloomy past, Glenton asked with a heavy heart.
“Johan, what’s the problem?”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it be good if Eunice remembered us? That’s what you want too.”
“Not particularly. It doesn’t matter.”
His voice was cold as ice. The fiery emotions that had surged earlier vanished without a trace.
His expressionless face was chilling. For a moment, it seemed to overlap with the image of a boy who had experienced separation without even knowing it was goodbye.
It was the face Glenton had last seen in their teens before it disappeared. Recognizing that it had resurfaced, Glenton swallowed a heavy sigh.
Tsk, stubborn fool.
The image of young Johannes flashed in his mind—all pride and pretense while actually refusing to eat or drink.
Further persuasion would be useless.
Clicking his tongue inwardly, Glenton turned his bitter gaze to the darkness settling outside the window.
* * *
“Shall I prepare your bath water?”
At maid Hannah’s question, Eunice nodded and asked for her help. Having made do with wet towels until now, she desperately wanted warm bath water.
Thanks to the efficient maid, Eunice soon got what she wanted. The comfortable temperature of the water enveloping her body made her feel pleasantly relaxed.
“Your skin is so fair and beautiful. How is it so flawless without a single scar?”
Hannah spoke while bringing several transparent glass bottles on a small tray.
“These are bath oils. Would you like to smell them?”
The sound of a cork popping echoed in the humid bathroom air. As Eunice brought each bottle to her nose, delicate scents tickled her senses.
Tree bark, fruit, flowers, honey. Various ingredients blended mysteriously to create diverse results.
In truth, she was too tired to make a clear judgment. Any choice would probably be fine.
As if to ease her dilemma, Hannah offered a suggestion.
“This is Schneé’s Cosinette fragrance. Since you must be tired from your journey, how about something to help you sleep?”
“That sounds nice. I’ll take that one.”
Drip, drip.
The bath oil mixed into the water. A subtle fragrance passed through her nostrils and gradually filled her lungs.
Hannah massaged her arms and shoulders gently with soapy bubbles. Eunice’s eyelids grew heavy as if weights were attached to them.
It was comfortable. Such coziness in the middle of a foreign country.
Though finding it strange, Eunice was pulled into the world of deep sleep against her will, like sinking into a swamp.
“Where is Eunice?”
“Well… she fell asleep…”
She thought she heard Johannes’s voice in her dream.
* * *
Clear morning sunlight flickered over her eyelids.
It was the temperature of light Eunice loved most—the one that brightened the day. Yet was it her imagination that this light carried a strangely different texture?
As she slowly lifted her eyelids, her mood sank. The bedroom scene she hadn’t properly observed yesterday due to fatigue gradually embedded itself in her vision.
Eunice sat up and carefully took in the new space where she would be living.
A bed decorated with thick canopy fabric, a long couch in dark green fabric embroidered with gold, a low table in antique style placed in front, a dressing table and drawers in dark oak, an ornate patterned carpet…
Everything necessary was there, yet a strangely empty atmosphere lingered.
It felt like furniture hastily placed in an empty room that hadn’t felt human warmth for a long time.
‘When did I fall asleep anyway?’
Her naturally flowing thoughts were abruptly cut off by a tingling sensation that struck the back of her head like lightning. Eunice’s green eyes fell to the negligee she was wearing.
“…When did I change clothes?”
It was an unfamiliar garment.
With a pale face, she jumped up and went to the mirror. A loosely tied ribbon at her chest caught her eye. It certainly wasn’t her handiwork. It was also difficult to attribute it to the deft-handed Hannah.
“…Did I fall asleep while bathing?”
Furrowing her brow seriously as she tried to recall, Eunice soon let out a small groan.
Had she ruined her first impression?
Thinking that she had given her personal maid difficult work right after meeting her, she sighed involuntarily. She had no idea how Hannah had managed to move her to the bed.
Knock, knock. That’s when she heard a knock at the door.
“It’s Hannah.”
How did she always arrive at such perfect timing?
Eunice, telling herself not to overthink, said to come in. Soon Hannah appeared with her hands full.
“You’re up early. Did you sleep well?”
“Very well.”
Too well, in fact—that was the problem.
Eunice’s green eyes followed Hannah’s deftly moving hands and arms. She wondered how those delicate arms could have moved her.
It seemed impossible to carry her, and if she had been dragged across the floor, Eunice would surely have woken up. Perhaps several people helped?
“You should speak less formally to me, Your Highness.”
Hannah turned her head as she displayed jewelry neatly.
“You’ll soon be our Queen. I should be the one showing deference.”
“…”
Eunice still knew nothing about the Kingdom of Nordish. She knew no one there. As such, she was being cautious about her behavior.
There was no one Eunice needed to win over more than her personal maid. Without doing so, she couldn’t know when her every move might be leaked.
She was already in the position of being sold off like a hostage…
“Alright, I will then.”
Seeing Hannah’s bright smile, this much seemed acceptable. Eunice approached her to look at the new jewelry. They appeared to be gifts prepared by the Kingdom of Nordish.
“What about the luggage I brought from Tranche?”
“This is just your temporary room until the wedding, so everything was moved to the bedroom you’ll use starting next week.”
“I see.”
So it was temporary.
The empty atmosphere finally made sense. It was then that Hannah brought up the very topic that had been bothering Eunice.
“You must have been very tired yesterday. Falling asleep during your bath and all.”
Eunice’s lips curled up awkwardly. She felt very sorry toward Hannah.
“You must have had a hard time moving me to the bed.”
“Pardon?”
“Hmm?”
Their questioning voices revealed a disconnect, and their eyes met.
“…”
“…”
A strange silence descended. Eunice’s green eyes shook violently like a small boat in a storm.
‘Then who moved me to the bed? Who dressed me in these clothes?’
As she intensely questioned with her eyes, Hannah clapped her hands together once and smiled with a blush.
“Oh my! His Majesty must have dressed you.”
“…!”
“You fell asleep in the bathtub yesterday, and I was at a loss, but then he happened to come in. I withdrew after that, so I don’t know what happened. Hehe.”
“…”
Oh no…
Please, anything but that…
Her head spun.
Eunice closed her eyes tightly, feeling like she might cry. She had no idea how she could face Johannes now.
