That Summer
“Wow, it’s a really enormous mansion.”
The next morning after Shaylin visited the Belpharos baron's residence, Olivier arrived with her by carriage at Poenneu Street in Eliyum and gazed up at the massive three-story stone building in awe.
“Mm-hmm. It’s not like we’re buying it anyway—just renting for a short while to lift my gloomy spirits—so I went ahead and borrowed the Duval family’s ultra-luxurious mansion.”
“Duval...”
“Yes. It’s the Eliyum residence of the Duval ducal family from Templeton, famous for Lady Duval. It was empty all summer.”
As Olivier’s eyes widened in admiration while taking in the mansion, Shaylin smiled. The Eliyum villa of the Duval ducal family, which ran the highest-class accommodations in Lyon City, was staggeringly luxurious and vast—fit even for the imperial family. Even Shaylin had been left slack-jawed upon arriving in Eliyum and seeing this behemoth planted right in the heart of Poenneu Street.
When she met the agent and heard it was vacant, along with the steep rental price, she’d nearly given up on the spot. But she couldn’t—not when this was the only place around without any Ashton nobles nearby. The area around the Duval family’s Poenneu villa was lined with Templeton nobles’ estates, so if she kept a low profile, she wouldn’t have to deal with social invitations from Ashton nobles or hear the latest buzz from Leysha about the Kingston ducal family’s wedding, the biggest issue on everyone’s lips.
Besides, the agent’s mutterings as he peered at his ledger through his monocle perched on his nose tip had pushed her straight into signing the contract.
“Let’s see... conveniently, all the ladies eyeing this place have backed off. One came by this morning expressing interest in renting but said she’d return this afternoon. If you like the building, you’d better decide right now. Come afternoon, it’ll be gone.”
Spurred by the agent’s words, Shaylin hurriedly signed the contract and handed over the check. Curiosity getting the better of her, she casually asked who the morning visitor had been. The old agent set down his monocle and answered kindly.
“Lady Valois. She toured the place early this morning but asked for time to think it over and said she’d come back this afternoon. Luckily, she hadn’t put down a deposit, so the villa goes to whoever pays first. If it were in Templeton, we’d naturally prioritize the Valois ducal family she belongs to, but as you know, this is Eliyum. Here, it’s not family prestige or noble pacts that decide things—only the amount stamped in the Exciton Bank account.”
Lady Valois—the fiancée of Templeton’s crown prince and future crown princess. Shaylin felt a strange thrill of victory wash over her, enough to banish thoughts of gloomy Leysha news for that moment. It was exhilarating.
How often did one get the chance to snatch up something coveted by the pinnacle of noble society, a woman who had everything? No, it wouldn’t happen again. Sure, she was from another country, but a crown princess was a crown princess. And from the notoriously greedy Valois family, no less. Of course, the rental for the month’s stay would be enormous, but her generous father had allocated plenty to her Exciton account for the second half of the year, seeing how downcast she’d been since spring. If she cut back on her allowance, it’d be fine.
The joy of claiming the mansion before the neighboring empire’s future crown princess filled her head with fresh clarity.
“Staying alone in such a huge, glamorous place feels kinda weird.”
Clack, clack—the sound of heels echoed as the polished marble floor of the mansion’s entrance lobby gleamed like a mirror, reflecting the opulent chandelier dangling from the ceiling. Olivier couldn’t stop gaping as she looked around the interior.
“That’s why I absolutely needed you, Olivier. As you can see, the building’s splendor crushes you with silence—no way I could handle it alone.”
“It’d be less so if Evril were here too.”
Olivier murmured while staring up at the ceiling, where a lavish chandelier hung heavy with crystals shaped like delicate snowflakes. Shaylin’s lips curved slightly.
“Yes. So after renting this place, I sent her a letter right away, asking her to make time amid her busy wedding preparations and come rest here. Of course, she has the Loren mansion on Poenneu Street, but since I’d rented the famously extravagant Duval villa from Lady Duval, I thought it’d be nice if we stayed together. It feels wrong to hog such a glamorous space all by myself. Plus, the rental includes all sixty-odd resident staff, so I don’t have to worry about a thing.”
Olivier smiled brightly at Shaylin, grateful for the kindness. Judging by her family’s finances and social standing, chances to stay in such a high-end mansion didn’t come often. A ducal residence, no less.
“Let’s enjoy every bit of it while we’re here.”
Shaylin smiled at Olivier as they ascended the arch-shaped staircase adorned with lavish golden spherical ornaments, like piles of whipped cream.
*
“Now there are two ladies staying in the main villa. Your favorite number, isn’t it?”
Bjorn murmured while gazing out the window. From the second-floor window, beyond the distant wall, he could see two ladies with long brown hair draped down their backs, dressed in splendid gowns as if heading out by carriage. Servants helped them aboard, followed by two maids.
“I do like it very much. But the lady who rented the main villa this time is from Ashton. Sigh, I’ve had my fill of Ashton ladies these past three years. They expect princess treatment—prim, picky, haughty. Not my type at all.”
“And yet the rumors say you enjoyed yourself thoroughly in Leysha these past three years. Always with two ladies. Is there a reason?”
“Well, when I meet two at once, neither gets too clingy with me. And watching them get all friendly and touchy with each other? Heartwarming—and gets the blood flowing down below.”
Karl, lounging against the sofa, straightened up and lifted a glass of green liquid from the table to wet his throat. He grimaced immediately. The intense bitterness stung his tongue sharply.
Absinthe, nicknamed the green fairy for its seductive emerald hue and mind-bending taste, was all the rage in Eliyum these days. It had trended in Templeton once but faded due to its bitterness and ill effects on mental health. Yet Eliyum, the city of decadence and revelry, ignored the infamous side effects of this green devil’s brew and indulged in its addictive hallucinogenic allure. Karl was joining the trend.
On the table before him sat a bottle of pure absinthe, a glass filled with it, a dish piled with sugar cubes, water, a teaspoon, and a wide, shovel-like metal holder.
“Ladies just love me even when I do nothing. How could any man turn down women offering to share me nicely?”
Bjorn turned from the window to look at Karl—and promptly frowned.
“You don’t drink that straight. Absinthe’s meant to be mixed—light the sugar cube on fire first.”
“So I heard. I tried it plain before lighting up. Bitter, but drinkable.”
Karl picked up a sugar cube and placed it on the wide, shovel-shaped metal holder straddling the absinthe glass. He drizzled the pure absinthe over the sugar to soak it.
“...Found anything?”
At Bjorn’s question, Karl pondered briefly before shrugging. Honesty was his only option.
“No progress yet. There are thirty ladies named Olivier in Templeton. Only one in the western continent matches the age you mentioned. I asked around her circle—she’s not platinum blonde, eyes are orange, and shorter than you described. Paralroma staff said the lady you met that day was a first-time customer.”
“...I see.”
Bjorn furrowed his brow. Karl watched him silently. The crown prince’s eyes, still searching for the lady he’d glimpsed by chance last winter, darkened.
Karl struck a match and lit the faintly green-soaked sugar cube. Whoosh—blue alcohol flames enveloped it, slowly melting the sugar.
The crown prince stood by the window, eyes fixed on the blue flames dancing over the absinthe glass on Karl’s table, lost in his own memories. His golden eyes remained still for a long while.
As the blue flames died down, the white sugar caramelized to brown. Once fully extinguished, Karl lifted the holder eagerly, dropping the melted sugar into the glass and stirring. Bubbles formed as it clouded, turning opaque. The seductive, bewitching deep green liquid grew milky.
He added a splash of water, stirred, and took a sip—grimacing again. Still bitter and odd, but with a lingering, intriguing aftertaste.
Karl set the absinthe down and sighed softly.
“Seeing the green of this absinthe reminds me of how Lady Valois inquired about renting the main house next door a week ago. She must’ve thought Your Highness would be staying in our Duval family’s second house. Her green eyes resemble this green fairy quite a bit—temperament too. Long-term absinthe use leads to absinthism: brain cells die, causing stupidity, weakened will, nervousness, or hallucinations. Explains her obsessive behavior toward you—fits her true-green eyes perfectly.”
“Hmm.”
Bjorn thought of Ignes and frowned.
Karl F. Duval, unlike Jayden who’d joined the family business right after graduating the Academia, was something of an outsider in the ducal house. That’s why, even on this Eliyum stay, he lodged not in the grand main house but the adjacent second house.
Bjorn appreciated Karl’s free-spirited cheerfulness and had kept close to him. All Templeton nobles knew it. Yet, defying expectations of staying with Karl on this western continent visit, Bjorn had chosen the Trache district—home to the Ashton imperial castle on the northern hill of Poenneu Street—to avoid his fiancée, Lady Valois.
She’d tried renting from the Duval family but, learning Bjorn was in Trache, apparently decided to stay at the Valois mansion as originally planned.
“Planning to visit the Tenbel Mine in Astana?”
Karl sipped his absinthe and asked about the mana stone mine Bjorn had acquired last winter. Bjorn nodded.
“Yes. Need to gauge the reserves and plan ahead. Leaving this afternoon, back in a week.”
“Tight schedule. You’ll have to head straight to Lyon after arriving in Eliyum. Got to show off the mana stones from the mine at this summer festival and get an Elkslon appraisal.”
“Indeed.”
Bjorn recalled asking Ferris to appraise mana stones at the last Founding Festival. Bringing samples from Tenbel Mine to this summer festival would let him gauge quality precisely. He’d sent an invitation to Elkslon in advance.
“I’ll be off then. As you know, schedule’s packed.”
As Bjorn headed for the door, Karl rose from the sofa and bowed politely.
“Then I’ll keep asking around about that mysterious lady while you’re gone. Don’t expect much, though.”
Bjorn smiled faintly, clapped Karl’s shoulder lightly, and left the room.