LUW 30🔐

Chapter 30

When Cecilia asked as if joking, Leo’s crimson eyes momentarily seemed to fix on something beyond her shoulder. But perhaps it was her imagination, because Leo soon looked her straight in the eye and answered.

“Of course.”

His sincere response, like a knight’s oath, made Cecilia shake her head with a sigh.

“I can’t even joke with you. You’re too scary.”

Cecilia looked back and forth at the two people she’d soon have to part from, then spread her arms.

“Thank you for coming. Take care on your way back.”

She then hugged Olga. His broad frame felt like a father’s, and a natural smile spread across Cecilia’s face.

After a moment, she turned her head and found Leo quietly watching her. He stood upright, like a dog waiting patiently for its turn.

Cecilia’s lips curved upward.

“You’re still the same as before in moments like this.”

“…It’s only fair.”

“Who said otherwise?”

With a teasing reply, Cecilia hugged Leo. Technically, since he was much taller and broader than her, it ended up more like she was the one being embraced.

Leo gently held Cecilia so she could breathe easily. His gaze, however, turned to one of the windows of the main building behind her.

It looked as though a silhouette stood in the darkened window. Cecilia would only later learn that it was the Grand Duke’s office.

After their tender farewell, the two rode off on horseback. Cecilia waved from her spot until they shrank into distant dots.

---

After they left, time passed quickly until the party at the Zilkirk estate. Cecilia poured herself into etiquette lessons.

Her tutor was so impressed by her suddenly improved dancing skills that she asked what had happened while she was away. But Cecilia just smiled.

Her familiarity with dancing was all thanks to Pierre. She wanted to properly thank him, but ever since their awkward parting, Pierre hadn’t come to their practices.

Of course, he was a Grand Duke, and had many duties aside from her. Cecilia tried to understand that, but it still bothered her. And so, the day of the party arrived.

---

Cecilia sat stiffly inside the carriage.

Though she was more comfortable riding a horse, she was wearing a dress for the party, so it made sense to ride in a carriage to the duke’s estate. What she hadn’t expected was that Pierre would accompany her.

Cecilia glanced at him from across the seat as he crossed his legs and flipped through documents.

He was always good-looking, but dressed to the nines, he had an unmistakable noble aura. The neatly slicked-back hair, the clean forehead, the deep eyes, and the high nose bridge all stood out more than usual.

It might be rude to say this about a man, but honestly, he was beautiful.

Cecilia had been surprised by how well she herself cleaned up, especially compared to the people of the Grand Duke’s household. But for someone who had lived like this all his life, he was in a different league.

What struck her most was that Pierre hadn’t relaxed his posture in hours.

‘He’s a machine,’ she thought.

Cecilia, whose bottom was going numb, shifted uncomfortably. The rustling of her dress and fur-lined cape echoed through the cramped carriage.

Then Pierre spoke.

“Lean back and get some rest. Once we arrive, you’ll get tired quickly from all the unfamiliar things.”

“…!”

After days of silence between them, Cecilia hadn’t expected him to speak first before they even reached the party. She awkwardly touched her neck and replied with a pout.

“…You weren’t mad at me?”

Pierre lifted his head from the documents to look at her.

“Was I mad?”

His expression showed genuine confusion, like he didn’t understand why she’d think that. That only made Cecilia more flustered.

“You were so cold that day, and your eyes looked sharp…”

She mimicked his cold gaze as she said it. Pierre ran a hand through his hair and replied,

“That was… part of your etiquette training. I told you then—there were many eyes watching, so you had to be careful.”

At the end of his words, he averted his gaze. Even he seemed to realize it wasn’t a great excuse. Cecilia squinted suspiciously and asked,

“Then why didn’t you come to the next practice?”

The most honest question slipped out. Pierre blinked in surprise.

“…You’re talking like you were waiting for me.”

“W-who said I was waiting? I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just—you were coming regularly, and then suddenly stopped. So I wondered if I’d upset you… It made me overthink things.”

“Oh? So you weren’t even practicing and just spent the whole time thinking about me?”

“…!”

Cecilia’s face turned bright red. It wasn’t exactly wrong, but the way he said it was just too embarrassing.

Meanwhile, the person who said it smiled calmly, clearly amused.

“Don’t worry. As I said, I’ll give you a signal before the plan starts. It won’t be too difficult, so don’t be nervous. I’ll stay close by the rest of the time.”

He spoke as if soothing a child. Not wanting to be outdone by his calm demeanor, Cecilia responded loudly.

“I’m not worried! Even when Your Grace wasn’t around, I practiced so much I bled from the ears from all the nagging. And I’ve been to parties before, you know.”

“Oh really?”

Sure, it was just the neighborhood bazaar party hosted by Mr. Hoover the innkeeper, but a party’s a party.

Cecilia straightened her shoulders and declared confidently,

“So don’t worry about me. I’m not nervous.”

But those words were quickly contradicted when she arrived at the Zilkirk mansion—where she froze like an ice sculpture. The size and beauty of the estate weren’t overwhelming thanks to her time in the Grand Duke’s castle, but the crowd was.

Anyone invited here had to be a prominent noble or heir, and yet there were so many people. Each and every one of them looked like walking jewels.

And most of all, they all walked with perfect grace. Now Cecilia understood why Pierre had insisted that without proper manners, she couldn’t join the mission.

In a place like this, poor manners would make her stick out painfully and be unable to blend in.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was wearing clothes that didn’t suit her. The confidence she’d had in the carriage had completely vanished.

Cecilia stiffly took one awkward step after another until Pierre called to her.

“Cecilia.”

“Y-yes?”

“You haven’t forgotten how to answer, have you? You said you were a party regular, after all.”

Ugh. He was absolutely the best at teasing people. Cecilia’s face flushed.

She felt so small, and even her dress and cape felt heavy. Pierre looked down at the nervous Cecilia and said,

“Take off the cape. Straighten your back.”

“Okay…”

She looked around, then took off the cape. Pierre accepted it and handed it to a servant, then extended an arm to her like an escort.

“I told you. Walk tall and proud no matter where you are.”

He took a slow look at Cecilia. With the cape off, her dress shimmered like an aurora in hues of blue, flowing elegantly along the line of her body. It was graceful and beautiful, perfectly complementing her fair skin.

“I thought blue would suit you. But you’re more beautiful than I imagined. So hold your head high.”

“……”

“If you can’t trust my words, then trust yourself. You’ve worked hard, whether anyone was watching or not.”

Cecilia thought Pierre had a strange gift. His words weren’t anything special—but hearing them made her feel genuinely more confident.

‘That’s right. I practiced like crazy for two weeks.’

She gave herself a pep talk, then her expression shifted with determination. Accepting Pierre’s escort, she walked forward with newfound pride.