Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: A Request for Advice
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Creak...
Thud.
Once the servants who had escorted Yelena left, only Cassius and Yelena remained in the dining hall.
The two sat in silence, with the north's fierce winds and the crackling fireplace filling the void between them.
Yelena slowly lifted her lowered head and stole a glance at Cassius.
...He was still staring at her in a daze.
What could this mean?
The servants had done their utmost to dress her up, but was it because it had been so long?
Yelena lacked confidence.
She truly had no feelings for him. But regardless, she couldn't help caring about others' gazes.
And in this moment, the only one looking at her was Cassius, so naturally, his gaze and thoughts weighed on her mind.
The silence dragged on, until finally, Yelena was the one to break it.
"......Is something off?"
"Ah."
At her voice, soft as if slipping away, Cassius snapped out of his trance and pulled his gaze from her.
"...No. It suits you well."
He praised her in his usual stiff tone.
It was merely a perfunctory compliment devoid of emotion, yet for some reason, Yelena felt a wave of relief wash over her.
'...Good.'
Even so, her tension remained unchanged.
"Sit."
Cassius spoke curtly to Yelena.
At his words, Yelena felt confusion once more.
'......Where should I sit?'
The dining table, designed to accommodate many guests, had numerous seats.
The head seat, naturally, was occupied by the mansion's master, Cassius.
So where was she to sit?
The opposite head? Right next to him? Or somewhere in the middle?
After a brief moment of thought, Yelena chose the center of the table.
Just as she moved toward it.
"Where are you going?"
"P-Pardon?"
Cassius called her back.
Like a cat bristling at an unexpected foe behind it, Yelena slowly turned to face him.
Cassius regarded her with a puzzled expression.
"Here. This is your seat."
Where he pointed was a personal plate the chef had prepared in advance.
But there was one small issue...
It was positioned directly to his right, from his perspective.
'That's... typically the hostess's seat.'
Yelena, well-versed in imperial etiquette, knew the significance of that position.
It was offered to someone trusted, a cherished wife or child, or a loyal subordinate.
In other words...
"......"
Yelena sat gracefully in the seat he indicated without a word.
Several dishes were already portioned modestly before her.
With no butler or maids waiting, it didn't seem to be a course meal.
'The portions are generous.'
She had noticed it many times, but meals at the Winterguard mansion were remarkably abundant.
Even excluding the extras due to the misunderstanding about Ulpi.
Likely a cultural emphasis on hearty eating over etiquette, given the harsh, cold environment.
Compared to her life in her family, where she had eaten sparingly, these days were filling indeed.
"Eat."
"Yes."
With the mansion's master, Cassius, giving the word, dinner began.
Clink. Clink.
For a while, the two ate in silence.
Cassius, clumsy with etiquette, occasionally clinked his utensils, but no real conversation passed.
'......Why did he summon me?'
Of course, she might have looked focused on her meal, but inwardly, she pondered his intentions nonstop.
'Perhaps because of what happened this morning...?'
The minor incident during etiquette lessons.
Precisely, when she had nearly tripped due to her own mistake, and Cassius had caught her.
Was that why he invited her to dinner—to discuss it?
'......Or did he hear the rumors about that room?'
The gossip that she and Cassius had kis...sed in that room.
If so, what would he say about it?
As her thoughts wandered, Yelena suddenly confronted one topic.
'......What do I think of His Highness Cassius?'
To start from the beginning, she had despised him intensely.
Far beyond mere dislike.
He had bought her to settle her family's debts, then—intentionally or not—left her in a cold room without even a lit fireplace.
And whenever he spoke of her father and family's debts, his gaze toward her was unsettling.
She had even feared his rumored mania might extend to her.
But when had it changed?
Her fear and wariness of him had faded considerably.
Probably due to his declaration in the corridor.
That he would absolutely never marry her.
His cold gaze and blunt words convinced her it was his true intent.
But if so, why had he brought her here?
Even forgiving all her family's debts.
In truth, not just Yelena—everyone who knew felt the same.
That he cleared the debts to force a marriage or keep her as a plaything.
But with the man himself denying it outright... she truly couldn't fathom his reasons.
Then, as her hostility gradually waned.
He gave her a gift.
The pelt of a massive bear monster.
And the maids explained the northern tradition of proposals.
Hunters presenting the hide of their hardest-won prey to a woman before marriage.
A custom no northerner could ignore, and though she had no feelings for him, her cheeks flushed.
From that incident, Yelena began paying attention to Cassius.
Her fear vanished entirely before long, and even her wariness nearly dissolved.
And now, today.
'What am I doing here...?'
And what feelings prompted him to invite her to this dinner...?
Infuriatingly, he said nothing. He merely kept his eyes down, eating clumsily but according to the etiquette she had taught him.
As she hesitated once more—should she speak first, like when entering?—Cassius spoke.
"Yelena Astria."
"...Yes, Your Highness."
Just hearing her name sent an inexplicable feeling through her.
"The reason I invited you here today..."
Cassius's lowered black eyes met hers squarely.
And as time seemed to slow...
Thump.
Yelena felt her heart begin to race.
What would he say? What reason brought her here?
If she heard it... perhaps she could sort out her tangled feelings.
Just as the brief yet endless moment shattered.
He gave his answer.
"...Before Count Kreuz arrives, it was to ask if you could advise on fixing up and decorating this dreary mansion."
"......Pardon?"
Mansion maintenance? Decorating?
For an instant, Yelena thought she'd misheard.
But seeing his steadfast eyes and earnest expression, she realized it was no joke or mistake.
"Ah......"
A small sigh escaped her unwittingly.
She hadn't expected anything, held no emotions... yet somehow, her heart felt abruptly hollow.
"I tried finding someone through Alf, but no luck. And assigning it to you, on top of etiquette lessons, felt like too much."
"......"
"So, just consultations—advice for Alf and the servants when needed... What do you think?"
What do I think?
For a moment—rude as it was—Yelena found Cassius exasperating.
Perhaps backlash from all her dinner thoughts evaporating into emptiness.
'......Sigh.'
Of course, she didn't know why she felt that way toward him...
But she needed to respond.
"...Understood."
"Thank you."
At her acceptance, Cassius visibly brightened.
No major change in expression, but somehow, Yelena was certain.
'What was I hoping for.'
As expected, to him... she held no feelings, no place in his heart.
That was the entirety of his business. Afterward, he asked a few casual questions about mansion life, and dinner ended.
As she left the dining hall... Lucia approached and comforted her, for some reason.
"Our master lacks any sense of nuance. We'd be grateful if the young lady forgives him."
"Huh? No...... yeah."
Fortunately, Yelena accepted my request.
The other servants seemed to believe the rumors wholesale and misunderstood our relationship, but Yelena agreed without a flicker in her expression.
'She must have sensed it herself.'
In any case, as an expert in etiquette and mansion management, she likely knew beforehand that preparing for Count Kreuz required more than just manners.
So she probably anticipated it amid the servants' fuss.
'......That said, she really is stunningly beautiful.'
Not for nothing the heroine.
In the original or illustrations, she wore the flashy dresses typical of romance fantasies, but in this simple, elegant northern-style gown, I found myself staring blankly.
It even gave a preview of her becoming the empire's empress by the end.
'...Her expression seemed a bit off, but she'll be fine.'
After dinner, the servants' and Yelena's gazes toward me felt chillier... but probably just my imagination.
In any event, a few days passed, and finally, the day arrived.
"Greetings to Grand Duke Cassius, Your Highness. I am Count Oscar Kreuz."
Oscar Kreuz, who could become my greatest ally—or worst enemy.
I finally met him.