At her strong reaction, all the hands of the women in the group stopped for a moment. Only Selena was continuing her work at the same speed as before.
She answered with her soft smile. Her hands were still moving diligently.
"Yes, right. Eleanor doesn't really like being the spotlight."
Eun-woo smiled at Selena awkwardly, nodding her head. Perhaps, she had overreacted too much without realizing it. However, it's not good to go outside when she doesn't know when or where she will meet someone who knows the real Eleanor.
Aside from that thought, Eun-woo's head was spinning rapidly.
If Selena went to the Flora festival and won, her worth will increase.
(TN: Considering Selena's low status, maybe this sentence meant that her status will naturally be in a higher position since she is the winner, if ever.)
Eun-woo glanced at Selena's side face, who had lightly reminded her that she had been getting a lot of party invitations lately. As rumors spread that Selena was living with her in the duke's house and serving as her companion, there were more invitations than usual.
'If Selena wins… she'll get more invitations than she does now. Thus a formal application for marriage might come in too.'
Anyway, her goal was to delay the marriage between Selena and Ikshid as much as possible.
Eun-woo thought deeply with a face that seemed to have decided on something.
'Helping Selena win being Flora might have a positive impact in the future…!'
As she was determined, Eun-woo looked at Selena's side face resolutely then to her sewing hands.
Selena, who had been concentrating on accurately embroidering each stitch by moving her hands like her machine, seemed to feel a burning gaze at her sense of duty and raised her head.
"… "
"… "
"… Eleanor?"
"Yes, Selena?"
After a silent exchange of glances for about 10 seconds, Selena called her name with a soft smile as usual.
"If you need help with embroidering, feel free to ask."
It was an innocent expression with no trace of her suspicions towards her.
Eun-woo shook her head and smiled awkwardly. She truly felt fortunate that Selena had no such kind of sense in this situation.
At that moment, Selena's maid, Hannah, who had been concentrating on sewing without her words, opened her mouth.
"There is going to be a birthday party for Countess Rifeido soon. Miss Selena was also invited. Are the two of you going to attend?"
"Of course!"
Anit was the one who answered, who was diligently sewing with her hands and opened her eyes excitedly.
"She has three unmarried, grown-up sons! And since it's the Countess's birthday, her three sons will attend!"
Eun-woo annoyedly rolled her eyes secretly at Ani't invisible purpose for saying that, who seemed to be out of focus.
"Come to think of it, I heard that a lot of promising knights are participating in the knights' competition this time."
"All the children of the Rifeido family will also participate."
"Would His Grace, the Duke, participate too?"
Hannah asked, as her eyes shone in eagerness.
"As if! His grace, is he free to participate in such a miscellaneous event?"
"Nonsense! It's a contest called a preliminary interview to be in the Imperial Knights!"
"Preliminary interview?"
When Eun-woo curiously asked, Janet spoke and explained to her.
"It was said that there are two ways to become a member of Imperial Knights. First, it is to be recommended by one of the knights, who has an outstanding achievement, and second is to win in this kind of tournament before a knight competition."
"As the Knights Competition is an annual event, it is famous for producing many knights every year."
"I also know that which is why my cousin took part in it too with that in mind."
Selena slowly opened her mouth.
"If you achieve high results in the knight competition, there will be many high-profile people to pay attention to."
"His grace, the Duke, will also be watching, right?"
"Sure. Because he is the commander of the knights."
"Lady, if you go to the competition, please take us too with you! Please?"
"As if! You're so clumsy!"
When Hanna clings to Eun-woo's side and asks her to take her along with her, Yuria stops Hanna. But Hannah didn't stop, giggled and chattered.
"What's wrong? Do you happen to know? That the winner of the knights competition will go to Flora's room?"
"Hey, Hannah!"
Anit hurriedly warned Hannah, but Selena and Eun-woo had already exchanged glances. Eun-woo looked at Anit and opened her mouth carefully.
"He will come to your room at night….? Who will?"
"What do you mean who, Miss? Of course, the winner of the Knights competition."
Hannah, who had a playful smile on her face, and the maids who seemed to enjoy the conversation while watching Eun-woo, blinked their eyes and giggled.
"I mean 'Visiting Night,' lady."
Eun-woo, who did not know what those words meant, couldn't help but be puzzled. Anit, who was watching her like that, reprimanded the young maids to see if they could see her and made them quiet.
"Stop! Hannah. What reckless speech and behavior are you spouting in front of Miss?!"
The maids looked at each other and shut their mouths. However, the stillness was broken once more as Selena moved her lips to the side that she had been keeping silent.
"'Visiting Night' is a small custom that can be said to be the junction between the two events, the Flora Festival and the Knights Competition. In short, the knight who won the competition has the privilege of visiting the room of the lady who was chosen as Saint Flora of the year for one night."
At Selena's clear explanation, Eun-woo let out a small gasp like a person who had attained enlightenment. Eun-woo's cheeks naturally turned reddish due to the conversation that turned lewd that everyone expected.
Selena saw it and continued her explanation with a sly smile.
"Of course, the official customary law does not allow any physical contact between the two of them as they are virgin bachelors before marriage. Aside from Flora's presence, there will be a nanny and a maid attending to them, so they can avoid any unexpected accidents at any time."
"But there's really no guarantee that nothing's going to happen between the two, right?"
Yuria smiled meaningfully and added her words to Selena's explanation.
"In fact, Flora and the winner of the Knights Competition often get married before the year changes, miss."
"Usually, don't the winner of the knight marry the Flora of the year quickly?"
"Yeah, it's an act to fully cover the bride's belly…"
"Hannah!"
Anit hurriedly cut off Hannah's words. However, Eun-woo's face was already as bright red than it already was. She painstakingly nodded her head and pretended to focus all her attention on sewing the cloth in front of her. However, the maids did not stop chatting.
Yuria, the smartest and most intelligent of her maids, opened her mouth.
"Lady, don't be too surprised. It's such an old tradition, so there aren't many winners who actually keep the 'visiting night'."
"Yes, ma'am. Don't worry Even if you become Flora, the three of us will sit in front of your door like a hound! If there's any sound, we can jump right inside!"
Laughter erupted again. Eun-woo put her head down as far down as possible to hide her reddened earlobe, and bit her lip to hold back her laughter.
Selena was also enjoying the conversation and was smiling softly. Of course, her hands were moving faster and more accurately than any of them.
Eun-woo opened her mouth as she stood by and watched the works of her hand gestures.
"Oh my God, Selena… Can you possibly sell this?"
In her words, three of her maids gathered to watch Selena sew the embroidery with her proper gestures. Shouts erupted everywhere.
"This sewing is nothing. Eleanor's embroidery is also cute and pretty."
Eun-woo scratched her ear in embarrassment as she looked at her poor embroidery compared to Selena's.
Leaves and walnut patterns embroidered on the dark green fabric with white thread were already filling up one tier. On the other hand, the pattern she engraved was shaped like an acorn on one corner of the fabric.
"Um… I guess I'll have to do mine again."
As Eun-woo muttered in a low voice at her embarrassment, Selena quickly stopped her.
"Don't do that. Eleanor's embroidery skills aren't bad either. And above all… the Duke will love it more."
"Yes, Lady. Don't stop."
"Right. Even if it's small, the important thing is, you did it with your hands."
All of a sudden, her maids joined her one by one to stop her from ripping her new cloth. Before she knew it, Anit had taken away the fabric she had embroidered, preventing her from fixing it any further.
Eun-woo was bewildered at their strange behavior, and on top of that the importance of sewing it with her hands. Hannah giggled and opened her mouth.
"If our maids made the curtains with their fingers crossed for a hundred days, would the duke be more interested in a small, embroidered piece by Miss?"
Eun-woo realized the beauty of their words only then, and her face reddened.
After she entered the Duke's Castle, the strange rumors between the Duke and Lady Miller did not diminish with each passing day, but rather spread with the passage of time.
Now, not only the family members in the Duke, but also when she went to her small group, more and more people asked her about the duke's well-being.
"Wh, what are you talking about? Everyone knows that me and the Duke have nothing to do with each other."
Eun-woo said, avoiding the secret gazes of the maids who were facing her. But she knew them and pretended that she didn't notice them.
In fact, their interests to each other were openly revealed, and a kind that can't be simply ignored.
Eun-woo thought about the gifts he always brought when he came back from a long business trip.
Sweet patisserie that he hands to her every time he comes home late at night, or precious fruits that Johannes occasionally sends her. When she is studying, tea that clears her mind that he always sends through Anit.
His consistency, which always asks if there's anything uncomfortable when inside the castle…
It felt like her body was being twisted. It was the woman who these days desperately realizes what it means to be a true human being. When she thought of such things, she was so happy that even her eyelashes trembled.
However, when she thought about the uncertain future, her expression was shadowed again. Eun-woo sighed when she saw herself playing the role of a hostess who takes care of the house.
"What's with your sigh, miss?"
Janet, with her gentle nature, asked her. As if Eun-Woo was feeling nothing, she shook her head and lowered her gaze again to the sewing street. Then Hannah said.
"Ehh. Don't worry too much, miss. His grace, the duke, is very busy these days. He must be taking care of things in advance so that he can take a break during the festival."
She misunderstood that Eun-woo regretted not spending time with the duke because he was busy.
Eun-woo opened her mouth to quickly deny Hannah's words. But Anit, who was by her side, was one step faster.
"Alright, lady. When he comes back, do suggest that you two should go to the festival together."
Eun-woo was sweating profusely.
"No, why would I bother a busy person like him…"
"Ugh! Our lady is so naïve and it's also a masquerade festival. What kind of festival is the Flora Festival again?"
"Wh, what kind of… festival?"
Janet's eyes lit up and she opened her mouth.
"Of course, it's a festival for lovers."
Yuria said one more drink from her side.
"Perhaps on the first day of the festival, Cremons Square bursts with lovers? Even feelings of love that never existed are welling up."
"Lady, when you go out to the square, you must see the Fountain of Uria! When you turn around there and toss a coin, you can enjoy eternal love if you toss a coin!"
"Hannah, do you believe in such childish stories?"
The maids opened their mouths again and spoke loudly. At that time, the four of the maids suddenly asked in synchronization.
"…Then, is His grace not participating in the competition?"