Somehow, there was a subtle atmosphere between the three. Bella seemed to care about Ariel.
“I was impressed by Ariel’s dance skills. She matched with Helios really well.”
Bella murmured, still leaning on my shoulder. Is it because of her mood that her voice sounds so sad? As I looked at Bella who had a faint expression on her face, I realized an important fact belatedly.
‘Hold on! Helios and Ariel danced together?’
I was so startled that I shook my head. Bella, who was leaning on me, and Ariel and Erial, who were next to me, were surprised by my gesture. I grabbed Ariel over and asked hastily.
“Did you dance with the Prince, Ariel?”
“Yes. I didn’t really want to dance, but I had no choice because His Majesty ordered it.”
Oh. That’s a relief. I was relieved to see Ariel’s crumpled face.
Unlike the original, she didn’t seem to fall for Helios. But at the same time, I was worried. The curse incident, the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet, and similiar incidents from the original must have occurred.
‘Is it fate?’
Does the content written in the original always happen? There was not enough cases to make such a conclusion. Only two incidents. It was not possible to make hasty judgments because it was all was briefly explained in the side story and there was no mention of dancing in the side stories.
“Bell!”
I frowned and was weaving the relationship between the original and fate, when I heard a voice calling out Bella’s nickname from afar. It was Grandwin who was running with his blonde hair scattered.
“Brother.”
“Did you get hurt a lot?”
Grandwin looked at Bella’s condition first, without even taking a moment to catch his breath. I removed the dirt and leaves and provided simple first aid, but when I saw her scarred palm that couldn’t be covered by a handkerchief, I frowned.
“I’ll carry you on my back.”
Oh, he’s full of energy. It was an act that revealed Grandwin’s personality, and that cared about Bella. I helped Bella and moved her onto Grandwin’s back. Grandwin lifted her without any hesitation and expressed his gratitude to us.
“Thank you for helping Bella.”
“I thank you too. Bella is like my little sister.”
Then another voice came from behind. A cheerful voice. I could tell without looking. That Helios came with him.
“I greet Helios, the descendant of the sun, the glory of the empire.”
“Long time no see. I’m glad Lady Sernia looks healthy.”
When the twins and I greeted Helios, he pointed at me and asked how I was doing. Does this guy want to make fun of my dark history? I skillfully put on a pretentious smile.
“Yes. Thanks to Sir Sirius, nothing happened.”
“Is that so.”
Helios’ golden eyes scanned me up and down. He looked like he had something to say. Should I say something to Ariel so he doesn’t start flirting? However, Ariel made a move first.
“Don’t look at her like that. My sister’s face is going to wear out.”
Ariel stood in front of me and said. No, don’t say it like that!
Of course, I was about to tell Ariel not to approach him, but her words were strange. I don’t have a worn-out face! It’s thicker than an iron plate!
However, Ariel had a staring contest with Helios and hid me, as if my silent cries could not reach her. The shame was all mine. I knew that Ariel’s love was severe, but I didn’t know it would be revealed like this. I looked at Erial, not knowing how to react. Do something! I was desperate and Erial nodded as if he understood my gaze.
“Sister says she doesn’t want to see Helios’ face.”
No! That’s not it! The meaning of my gaze was not conveyed. What am I supposed to do about this atmosphere? Helios’ expression crumpled. Are you angry? I was sweating profusely and laughed to lighten the mood.
“No, it’s not that. Lady Bella is injured, so shouldn’t she go back and get treatment? I’m worried she might get a scar. These children follow me often and sometimes make strange comments, so I hope the Crown Prince will understand with a magnanimous heart.”
Please! Just let it slide. I spoke with all my sincerity.
“Pfft.”
It was Bella who burst into laughter in the chilly atmosphere. She buried her face in Grandwin’s back and shook her shoulders. I envy her for being able to laugh comfortably. I couldn’t even smile or frown.
“I’m sorry. Lady Sernia was so cute that I couldn’t help but laugh.
Wait. Are you trying to embarrass me? I ended up crying. This was a total mess.
“Hmm, hmm, yes. Lady Sernia is cute.”
Helios said with a mischievous smile. Wow. That’s 100% a joke. I gave up on rectifying the situation and laughed in disappointment. Am I fun to tease? I guess it’s because my reaction is funny. Phew. I sighed deeply.
“I don’t know what to do because everyone is complimenting me like this. Anyway, we have to go see Sir Sirius, so please excuse us first.”
I wanted to leave quickly. I said goodbye as if running away.
‘This combination is not good.’
The combination of the twins that surrounded me and Helios trying to make fun of me was the worst. It wasn’t like Bella or Grandwin was going to stop either of them. In this case, it’s best to retreat!
“That’s too bad. I look forward to seeing you again.”
‘I don’t want to.’
Everyone bowed their heads to Helios’ greeting but did not respond. Helios did not give in to our silence and left with a smirk. I really wish we hadn’t met. We resumed the pace we had before we stopped. The maid, who had gone to call Grandwin and Helios, also came back and started to guide us naturally.
“We’ve arrived.”
It was a long, long journey. It felt like it took an hour to get here from the central palace. Though I met Bella in the middle, it was a valuable experience to feel the extent of the Imperial Palace.
‘I’m never coming again.’
I took a deep breath and looked at Sirius’ palace. It was shaped like a palace, but it was not well maintained. The garden, which had been cleaned up in a hurry, looked as if the freshly planted greenery had not taken root, and it had not been planted properly, so some sparse soil could be seen. The palace was untouched, revealing the traces of the time that had gone by. Even calling this a palace is embarrassing!
“Let’s go in.”
Ariel and Erial were also shocked by the appearance of the palace, so they barely took a step despite the maid’s urging. I knew that the Empress didn’t like Sirius, so he wasn’t treated well, but seeing it in person made it even more worrisome.
“I’ve been waiting.”
As we entered, a woman who looked like a maid greeted us. The inside was better than the exterior because it was clean.
‘It seems that they gave up on the outside and decorated only the inside.’
Before coming to meet Sirius, I thoroughly read the notebook. No matter how much I thought about it, he was so different from Sirius in the novel, so I looked him up because I wondered if there were any events or relationships related to him.
‘It was written that Sirius’ palace had originally been inhabited by a caretaker sent by Helios.’
The people here must have been temporarily dispatched for our visit. Maybe it was the Empress’s people, I didn’t know. I decided that it would be better to take care of myself if possible, so I quietly followed the maid and looked around the palace.
The hallway was empty. There were no basic ornaments, let alone any luxury goods to boast his power or wealth. Only the sound of our footsteps echoed in the cold hallway. The temperature felt colder here.
Squeak.
We finally arrived at the drawing-room. When the door opened, Sirius was reading a book without any expression like a doll. He closed the thick book and stood up and smiled at us.
“Thank you for coming. My name is Sirius Aslande.”
Yeah! That’s right. The Sirius I know was like this.
He’s a guy who doesn’t have emotions but pretends to be a normal person and the only person who speaks formally! Although he has the temperament of a sociopath, he was the kindest male lead to Daisy.
“I greet Sirius, the descendant of the sun, the glory of the empire. My name is Ariel Ardentine.”
“I’m Erial Ardentine”.
Ariel and Erial, who couldn’t even say hello last time due to the circumstances, greeted him in turn. I followed the twins and greeted Sirius.
“I greet Sirius, descendant of the sun, the glory of the empire. I apologize for not being able to introduce myself because I was in a bad situation last time. My name is Sernia Ardentine.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Although they are half brothers, his smile is the same as Helios’. No, Sirius must be imitating Helios. He has no emotions, so he doesn’t know what situations to laugh or cry in. He only imitates his expression by applying the repertoire Helios taught him.
“Please understand that we are not well prepared because we received a call for your visit quite suddenly.”
He smiled, but there was an edge to his words. Due to the nature of the duke, he must have contacted Sirius yesterday when I brought it up. It was an old palace that was likely to collapse in one day, so it would have taken a huge amount of manpower to refurbish it as a place worth living in. The palace maids had to be separated.
“I’m sorry. I begged my uncle so I could thank you as soon as possible.”
Ariel and Erial looked at me for the nonsense I was saying, but I smiled brazenly and blamed it on myself. It was easier to make excuses like this.
“It’s okay. I also wanted to see Lady Sernia.”
“!”
When Sirius smiled shyly, Ariel and Erial stepped in front of me like a barrier. Guys, calm down. It was just word of mouth. I knew Sirius said it without any meaning, but the twins didn’t. The twins, who had assumed a vigilant posture, glared at Sirius. Sirius didn’t even look at the twins.
“Shall we sit down and talk?”
Sirius leisurely suggested taking a seat. It was quite different from the Sirius I saw a few days ago. It must have been the real him back then before he put on this fake pretense.
‘Let’s not think about it. I have nothing to do with him now.’