Chapter 151: Decision
The tired Sigren had returned. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
I pulled him away from everyone’s sight. “Your sister is very cute.”
Sigren gave me a puzzled look. “You met her?”
“Yeah, her eyes lit up when she saw me.”
“Good, she wasn’t mean to you, then.”
“Not at all.” Though, I still couldn’t quite figure out her intentions during our conversation.
“I really hope she doesn’t become our enemy. It would be nice if she didn’t.”
“As long as she didn’t bother you, I’m fine with her.”
“If you don’t dislike her either, maybe you could try taking care of her. We can disregard the crown prince, but for now, Princess Aria is still your sister.”
“Sure, if that’s what you want.”
He didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic, so I dropped the subject. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“How’s Abel?”
“The Duke? Celine is keeping him busy at the mansion. Thanks to her, I’m free from work for a bit.”
It wasn’t exactly a vacation, but it did give me more free time.
Sigren took my hand. “Then, shall we go somewhere?”
I chuckled. “We just went to Heilon not too long ago.”
He frowned slightly. “That doesn’t count. There were too many idiots hovering around you in Heilon.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Sigren, you’re starting to sound like the Duke.”
“….”
He immediately shut his mouth, clearly disliking the comparison to Abel.
“Alright, since we have time now, should we go and subdue one of the remaining dragons?”
“Are you kidding me?”
I laughed at his reaction.
“Of course, it’s a joke. Let’s just enjoy ourselves, the two of us. I really don’t want to think about work right now—it’s giving me a headache.”
Only then did Sigren smile, satisfied. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“There are too many people in this world who like you.”
“No way.”
I squinted at him. His view of the world was definitely clouded by affection.
Suddenly, the hall became noisy.
“What’s going on?”
Since Sigren was taller than me, he was able to see what was happening.
“The empress has arrived.”
“Oh.”
Right, it was an imperial ball, so it made sense for her to appear.
“Is her period of self-restraint over?”
“Looks like it.”
The good news was that the crown prince was still in his own period of self-reflection. I just hoped the empress wouldn’t turn her attention to me.
I kind of wished Abel were here. I missed the way he would sarcastically say to the empress, “Getting old, aren’t we?” With him gone, there was no one left to handle her.
Sigren glanced at my face. “Shall we leave?”
“No, it’s fine. Leaving right after the empress arrives wouldn’t look very good.”
Still, I should drag Abel out next time.
Thankfully, the empress didn’t seem interested in me for now.
“It’s been a while since we’ve gathered like this, so I’ve brought some entertainment.”
Street performers?
I stood on my tiptoes to get a better look. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Sigren explained while gently supporting my back.
“It’s a woman, with dark hair.”
“Why would she bring an entertainer to the ball?”
“Well…” Sigren seemed to be speculating about something.
Shortly after, the dance music stopped. The dancers on the floor gradually dispersed. The new melody that filled the room wasn’t a dance tune.
I recognized it—it was a traditional song from the capital, something I had once overheard on the streets. As the melody played, a beautiful voice joined in.
“The candle you let burn has finally made a fire…”
I listened for a moment, surprised.
“She sings really well.”
So the woman was a singer. She must have been incredibly talented for the empress to bring her here.
I glanced at Sigren, noticing that he was frozen, caught in the song’s beauty. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Sigren? Are you okay?”
He shook his head slowly. “I’m fine.”
“….” I watched him, still concerned, as the song came to an end.
A round of applause erupted throughout the hall.
***
A letter arrived.
A love letter.
“…?!”
My first instinct was to burn it, thanks to that awful Bill Curtis.
“Is this another strange solicitation from a pseudo-religion?”
Once was more than enough for that nonsense.
“No, no… there can’t be two lunatics like that in this world.”
Fortunately, the contents were normal this time. So I could just treat it as a regular letter sent to me, right? Was I really this popular? Well, having a boyfriend made that popularity pointless anyway. Ignoring Bill Curtis’ letter last time hadn’t ended well, so I decided to send a polite refusal this time. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
After that, I went to see Abel, who looked unusually upset.
“Is something wrong?”
“Yeah.”
What on earth was going on?
“Fiona, you’ve received a marriage proposal.”
Wait, what?
“From who?”
“Some count’s second son.”
“Just tell him I’m not interested.”
This was the proper procedure, though. Proposals were usually submitted through a guardian.
“Why now, of all times?”
“As Heilon’s influence grows, more people will want to establish ties with us.”
I suppose that made sense. I was Abel’s only daughter, after all, so I was the easiest way for people to connect with the Heilon family. It wasn’t about me being popular—it was about politics.
“So, I’m a real noble lady after all…”
“You seem to have forgotten, living your life so militantly. But yes, you are. This sort of thing will happen a lot more in the future. This is just the beginning.”
Abel laughed confidently. “But I’m your father.”
Why did he sound so smug about that?
“So, let’s put an end to these suitors.”
“Wait, you said this is just the beginning! How can you plan to shut it all down already?”
Did he really want to get rid of every potential suitor? I let out a long sigh. “Well, I’m dating Sigren, so I can just give a simple refusal.”
“Ah, just so you know, Sigren’s probably dealing with the same thing.”
“What?”
Abel flicked a piece of paper that seemed to be another letter of courtship. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Is he getting a lot of proposals?” If I was receiving them, what about Sigren?
“I heard that the emperor is interested in Sigren’s marriage.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Well, since his son has become famous, I suppose the emperor suddenly wants to play the role of a father.”
Oh right, some parents have that unfortunate tendency to meddle when they’ve barely been involved before.
It only then occurred to me that Sigren and I were just dating. In society, unless a relationship is officially documented, it isn’t recognized.
“If anyone gets too obsessive or bothers you, let me know. I’ll make sure they won’t be able to use their body again.”
Those words sounded disturbingly sincere. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Wouldn’t it be better if Sigren and I just got engaged?”
Abel deflected, “If you do that now, it would definitely bring troublesome attention…”
“What do you mean?”
“It means you’re going to attract too much attention.”
He wasn’t wrong. There would definitely be a number of people who wouldn’t like the idea of Sigren and me getting engaged and strengthening our power.
“And…” Abel crossed his arms and looked solemn. “He hasn’t even made a formal request to me yet.”
Did he even have the heart to allow it if Sigren made a request?
I asked, “So, can I get engaged?”
Abel lifted his chin and laughed indignantly, straightening his neck. “Not until dirt gets in my eyes.”
Sooner or later, I would need to dig up the solid from the garden. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
***
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