Eun-woo had a crease on her forehead thinking that the development of Ikshid and Selena's relationship was faster than she expected.
Walking along with Selena, she glanced at her side profile.
She didn't know whether it was because she talked about the Crown Prince, or was it simply because Selena liked to walk, but Selena was certainly more excited than usual. A red color painted her white cheeks and with the breeze, Selena's red hair fluttered and tickled her blushing ears and forehead.
Eun-woo looked at Selena's face for a moment and was mesmerized. Seeing her friend in love was lovely.
"There is, Selena."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
Eun-woo shut her mouth for a while and bit her tongue. She hesitated.
"What if… I'm saying it as what if…"
Selena's eyes glistened whilst waiting for her words. Eun-woo plucked her left courage to say the words she kept swallowing and spit it out.
"The person you really love made the wrong choice… What would you do if many people were harmed by it?"
It was the future of Ikshid. After bringing that up, she glimpsed at Selena.
What she said was taboo. Despite that, she was actually avoiding mentioning the future.
But when she thought that the end was coming near, she got nervous. Ikshid's wrongful evils in the future and Tashian's evil deeds under the pretext of Ikshid's doing. Of course, it was difficult to imagine for a woman, for Eleanor, who knew the two of them.
In the near future, will they really turn this peaceful place full of despair and sighs?
She couldn't believe it herself. Although the two men she knew now were the people who always quarrel over small things, they are still best friends who stand together beside each other, promoting Hellasium together and the future of the country lies in them.
It was ridiculous that such best friends like them would become each other's worst opponents, and each other's reason for death.
She sometimes had the illusion that these were all dreams, that she was the real Eleanor Miller, and all along, living as Lim Eun-woo was just her dream.
Well, everything is still peaceful, isn't it? The future she knew may be just a daydream, and in fact, it might be different.
She consoled herself by saying, 'The future will change.' Every day was peaceful to the extent that she didn't want her closed eyes to open, nor did she want to wake up, immersed in the happiness which felt like her body was floating in the air. Since, it was her first time experiencing this stability in this world.
Furthermore, isn't there still time left? There is still time until the death of the current Emperor takes place and the coronation of Ikshid, and after that, things will go… evil.
That's what encouraged Eun-woo's optimism.
But somehow she could not relax at all. It was probably because she knew the ugly future herself.
She isn't sure yet, but the situation is going to be a planned thing that will occur one after another that she can't control. She was chasing the end of this, taking pictures of the important events she still remembered, as if she was drawing orbits around them.
"Are you asking this question with someone in mind?"
Eun-woo, who was deep in thought with her eyes fixed on her feet, was frightened. Her shoulders flinched and she waved her hands frantically.
"No! Never! That will never happen! It's just… a what if!"
Selena waved her hand and smiled politely at Eun-woo, who denied it. She gently rubbed Eun-woo's shoulder as if saying to calm down. Only then could Eun-woo accurately see Selena's expression.
Selena had the usual calm look on her face. It was like, even if throwing stones into the sea causes few waves of water, and nothing happens, her mind would still remain upright and calm.
"I'm not sure. I'd be in a lot of trouble if that happened to me."
Selena replied. But her eyes had already left Eun-woo's face and looked at the distant garden.
Eun-woo followed Selena's gaze and turned away. What came into her vision was the garden, but Eun-woo, who had spent more time living in Duke's mansion than Selena, knew exactly where Selena was looking at. Selena was looking at the Duke's office where the Crown Prince stayed the most.
"We must rectify the situation."
Her voice came as steady.
Eun-woo looked at Selena with her slightly startled eyes. Selena threw away the serious expression on her face that surprised Eun-woo for a moment, and smiled playfully.
"If it was the person you really love… when you regain your senses, won't you be able to come up with solutions and make up for the mistakes he made, together with him?"
Eun-woo stopped on her tracks, forgetting Selena's polite response. It felt as if someone had cut the Mobius strip, which was constantly spinning and revolving around the same spot, with scissors. The cord with that was broken, but a new path emerged.
That was a very Selena-like answer. Eun-woo realized who she was in front of her.
Why did she even waste her time on useless worries? There was already an odd possibility right in front of her.
Selena was the hero of the Dark times of Hellasium. She corrected her fiance's evil misdeeds, adjusted his mistakes, and rekindled Ikshid's chaotic Empire. And besides, why doesn't she drive this fussy life into a peaceful one? In a moment, she felt the foggy and rocky future, turned into bright.
Of course, that did not mean that the thorny path she had to go through would disappear.
Eun-Woo's mind calmed down again.
"Lady Miller, you're a little strange today. Are you sick or something?"
Selena asked her, feeling that Eun-woo was acting unusually. Eun-woo looked at her with her mixed feelings stirring inside. There was an innocent expression on Selena's face, unaware of any hardship or pain she might go through in the future.
Eun-woo coughed and turned her gaze away to make excuses.
"No, I was thinking about getting married."
"Getting married?"
Eun-woo pretended to be innocent by walking a few steps ahead of her.
"Yes, that is such a thing as any woman at our age would do."
"Ah."
Selena quickly responded. Eun-woo didn't miss the timing and asked quickly.
"Selena. The marriage you had said which we talked about the other day… How did the story go?"
Eun-woo stopped briefly when she saw Selena's expression quickly darkened upon her question.
Even if Eun-woo knew that Selena was somehow connected with Ikshid, it would not change the situation that Selena is currently struggling with an unfortunate proposal marriage.
The dowry was actually the problem. The Wellwood family, where Selena was born as the eldest daughter, couldn't be rich. To be precise, due to the life the former Baron had, or Selena's paternal grandfather, the current Baron is facing a financial crisis to be able to afford giving dowry.
It was because the family had no income from their business at all. They have steady income, including their owned agricultural land and textiles. But the problem was their immaculate debt. The hole for all the suffering Selena was facing. Hadn't for their debt, the Baron couple along with Selena, who were frugal and knew exactly their place, would be able to maintain their livelihoods.
However, the amount of money they had to pay back snowballed so much that no matter how much they tightened their budgets and saved money, they couldn't pay it.
It was the result of the Imperial people's way of thinking that money is power, and the cruel reality that no attention was given to aristocratic families which had fallen to the point that they have to sell the family or one of the family.
Of course, they also had another option. In particular, it was usually chosen when there was a marriageable woman in the house.
Marriage business.
The poor Baron's family, which was falling down every day, was also a stern aristocrat in the past. Selena's proposed partner was actually a wealthy merchant from a commoner who had the luck in his side and succeeded in his business in his late days. In fact, the marriage business was prevalent due to those people who seek higher status in this way.
The problem was that the marriage proposal was to have Selena as his third wife.
A young noblewoman was about to get married. If the first love of the Crown Prince appeared like that to him, the story would become obvious. His relationship with Selena , which had just begun, will fall and was only a flower garden in his mind.
But after the early days of their love, when flowers and butterflies flew, Selena's family affairs would come to light when he came to his senses. So, what will Ikshid choose? Indeed, even with everyone's opposition, it might be even possible to make their marriage a success.
Eun-woo had to do something. Of course, it was hard to predict what would happen if she made actions- whether it would be big or what. The options were narrow to begin with. But when was it this wide?
Eun-woo kept pace with Selena, who started walking slowly again. It took her time to say this question to Selena. It also took more courage than she thought to bring it out.
"Selena, have you had any difficulties lately?"
Eun-woo quickly intercepted Selena's answer before she shook her head.
"Because for me, I have some worries lately."
"Worry about what?"
Selena responded immediately.
"As you know, the renovation of Miller's mansion has been delayed. My brother is busy inside and outside, so he doesn't have time to worry about the housework. The Duke is fairly hectic too, and it happens all the time, so I'm used to it, but…."
"You must be lonely."
"Well, Selena, you always visit me, so I don't have time to be lonely. However… "
Eun-woo swallowed her breath as she watched Selena calmly waiting for something to come out of her mouth. She put bait into the calm pond.
"I certainly wish someone would stay with me at the duke's house to help me with my studies."
Eun-woo added quickly. It was clear what she was trying to say, but her lips opened slowly again.
"As you know, I'm not very knowledgeable… Of course, you, Selena, take the class with me, but it's always only for class…. It's very important to have a companion for studying, right? So what I want to say is…."
"Do you want me to stay with you and help you study?"
It was Selena, indeed. Eun-woo smiled awkwardly at Selena's precise way of speaking.
"Well, so to speak."
"For instance, you want me to be your companion in studies."
Selena spoke seriously. Eun-woo answered hastily before the atmosphere got more awkward.
"It's a long way from the Baron house to here… I always thought it must have been hard for you to come all the way here for me. Please think about it at least once. I'll try to make sure you don't feel uncomfortable while you stay here."
Eun-woo examined Selena's expression closely. Selena's neat face didn't change much. Eun-woo then wondered what she was thinking.
It was very common for a powerful aristocratic family to select and keep their child to have a companion among the lower noble families. Of course, in this case, Eleanor's parents were not present, so she personally invited a companion while studying.
However, having companionship was not just a noble maiden or bachelor staying in a prestigious family and taking care of their studies. Rather, the concept of doing companionship was stronger. Usually, families who were offered to have companions have a good reputation, but they often suffer from insignificant power or financial difficulties.
Of course, cases to have appointed companions because they were simply close to a more powerful family than them weren't the only thing. Mostly, their parents truly wish that the children will make decent and true friends in the circle of nobles.
In doing so, it had the advantage of not only making friends that they wanted for their children, but also being able to perform charity activities that eases the mouth of a needy family at the same time.
But that wasn't the only purpose of Eun-woo. The ultimate reason for having Selena as her companion was because of the dowry Selena needs.
When a woman before her marriage was taken as a companion, it was often the case that the family who asked for her, supported her dowry in the future. This is because the biggest problem of the poor family was the cost of their daughter's wedding. In this case, it provided a reason which allowed her to be deeply involved in the marriage issue of a woman who was offered a companion by the authority of a higher family than them.
It was a little shallow, but it was not easy to find a better way to postpone Selena's marriage. If Selena becomes her study companion of the Marquis family, there is a justification that she does not have to enter the third wife of an old merchant immediately. This is because there was a high possibility of getting a much better position with the support and dowry to be sponsored in the future.
This would have been an excuse to postpone the hasty marriage between Selena and the Crown Prince.
Selena was not unaware of this. Even if she did not expect a marriage with the crown prince, she would have guessed that this proposal would sufficiently prevent an unhappy marriage that took place immediately.
Then, Selena spoke. It was a careful answer as much as Eun-woo's polite request.
"Well, I'm honored."
Selena added hesitantly.
"But I wonder what the Duke thinks…"
Eun-Woo blinked. She thought for a moment why the duke was mentioned.
When Selena saw Eun-woo's vague expression, she was a little silent and then spoke again.
"Well, Eleanor. This job… I suppose the Duke has given you permission."
Eun-woo smiled and stiffened on her spot.