The Mansion Awaits Spring — Chapter 20

THE DAY OF THE BALL

I PICKED OUT ONLY THE HILL SHAPED ONES AND SENT THEM. FROM PEJIN DIEUS.

HILL SHAPED CHOCOLATES...

AH, LET ME TRY ONE OF THE HILL SHAPED ONES TOO!

NO, THE HILLS BELONG TO LUNOS!

The patissier of House Dieus made chocolates in the four symbols of the grand ducal family.

TRAPEZOIDS SYMBOLIZING HILLS.

DIAMONDS SYMBOLIZING SWORDS.

SQUARES DRAWN WITH WAVES, SYMBOLIZING THE SEA.

ROSES THAT FILLED THE GRAND DUCAL FAMILY'S GARDEN.

WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I ALWAYS SAID THE HILLS BELONGED TO LUNOS

AND ATE THEM ALL MYSELF.

YOU REMEMBERED TOO.

A LADY MUST NOT EAT CHOCOLATE WITH HER BARE HANDS.

EVEN IF IT IS CHOCOLATE, PICKING IT UP WITH YOUR HANDS TO EAT IT...

IS A PATH TO LOSING ELEGANCE.

MRS. EVE.

LADY IN WAITING FOR THE PREVIOUS GRAND DUCHESS.

MY MOTHER AND THE PREVIOUS GRAND DUCHESS WERE KNOWN AS RIVALS IN HIGH SOCIETY.

APPARENTLY, EVER SINCE MY MOTHER AND THE PREVIOUS GRAND DUCHESS WERE MAIDENS,

THEY HAD COMPETED OVER MY FATHER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

Somehow, I ended up at the center of a scandal..

BECAUSE OF THAT, I HEARD THAT MRS. EVE DID NOT LIKE MY MOTHER EITHER.

AFTER THE PREVIOUS GRAND DUCHESS PASSED AWAY,

HEIDI, WHO BECAME THE NEW GRAND DUCHESS, ALREADY HAD A LADY IN WAITING,

SO MRS. EVE WAS SAID TO HAVE LIVED A LEISURELY LIFE IN THE GRAND DUCAL FAMILY.

PEJIN SENT MRS. EVE TO HELP ME DRESS UP,

SINCE I HAD NEITHER A LADY IN WAITING NOR A USEFUL MAID.

STILL, EVEN SO,

TO THINK HE WOULD HAVE ME DRESSED BY SOMEONE WHO HAD BEEN A LADY IN WAITING OF HOUSE DIEUS.

Honestly, Pejin...

ARE YOU PLANNING TO ATTEND IN THIS DRESS?

YES. IS THERE SOME PROBLEM WITH IT?

...NO. I ONLY ASKED BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE DRESS LOOKED FAMILIAR.

IT BELONGS TO MRS. LUNOS.

I THOUGHT YOU WOULD RECOGNIZE MY MOTHER'S DRESS, MRS. EVE.

I HEARD YOU ARE ALSO VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT LUNOS JEWELS AND DRESSES.

YES. MRS. LUNOS WAS THE RIVAL OF THE PREVIOUS GRAND DUCHESS WHOM I SERVED,

SO AS HER LADY IN WAITING, I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO KNOW EVERY COLOR OF MRS. LUNOS'S DRESSES

AND EVERY SHAPE OF HER ACCESSORIES IN DETAIL.

THE PREVIOUS GRAND DUCHESS DISLIKED MRS. LUNOS VERY MUCH.

IS THAT SO...? MOTHER NEVER SAID ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

YES, THE PREVIOUS GRAND DUCHESS...

LOVED HER, ADMIRED HER, AND HATED HER TOO.

MRS. LUNOS, ON THE OTHER HAND,

NEITHER HATED NOR ADMIRED HER.

COULD THERE BE ANYTHING WORSE THAN THAT FOR HER?

I DID NOT KNOW. I ONLY KNEW THEY WERE RIVALS.

I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS SO ONE SIDED...

A WOMAN OF HOUSE LUNOS MUST NEVER LOWER HER HEAD ANYWHERE.

EVEN WHEN RECALLING SOMETHING, RAISE YOUR CHIN AND SINK INTO THOUGHT.

WHY HAS SHE BEEN SO ROUGH WITH ME SINCE EARLIER...?

AH...

SHE IS LIKE MOTHER.

I WILL PUT THE NECKLACE ON YOU.

...YOU RESEMBLE MRS. LUNOS TO A GREAT DEAL.

SINCE SHE HAD BEEN THE PREVIOUS GRAND DUCHESS'S LADY IN WAITING,

PERHAPS SHE FELT SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS GRAND DUCHESS'S FEELINGS

TOWARD MY MOTHER.

BECAUSE IN THE WAY SHE LOOKED AT ME,

I READ SOME EMOTION THAT SEEMED TO BE SEEING MY MOTHER.

BECAUSE THE ACCESSORY SHE PUT ON ME

WAS NOT SIMPLY COLD.

I COULD NOT GET ANGRY AT HER FUSSY REMARKS.

THIS VASE... IS QUITE BEAUTIFUL IN TERMS OF FORM.

I THINK IT WOULD LOOK NICE HOLDING POTPOURRI INSTEAD OF FLOWERS TOO.

I AM GLAD YOU LIKE IT.

THE NEXT TIME I VISIT THE EMPIRE, I WILL BUY MORE.

WHAT ARE ALL THESE FLOWERS?

Good heavens..

THE PARLOR IS OVERFLOWING WITH THE SCENT OF FLOWERS.

WHY? THEY ARE BRIGHT AND PRETTY.

I BOUGHT A FEW ON MY WAY BACK FROM THE EMPIRE.

IT IS HARD TO SEE FLOWERS IN THE GRAND DUCHY, IS IT NOT?

THIS IS A "FEW"? YOU COULD OPEN A FLOWER SHOP.

STOP NAGGING.

HERE.

BEND DOWN.

THAT WAS NOT WHAT I MEANT WHEN I HANDED IT TO YOU.

I AM YOUR PARTNER.

THIS IS TROUBLING.

IF I DO THIS, PEOPLE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TELL

WHICH ONE OF US IS THE FLOWER.

ONCE YOU PUT IT ON ME, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE END OF IT.

WHO GIVES SOMETHING AND THEN TAKES IT BACK?

IN THE END, SHE MOVED IT AND PINNED IT TO HIS CHEST.

MILLER DIEUS'S FACE, HEIDI DIEUS'S FACE...

WILL I REALLY BE ABLE TO FACE THEM?

I AM NOT CONFIDENT...

HONESTLY, AFTER THIS PARTY,

I WOULD RATHER MY BROTHER NEVER INVITE ME AGAIN.

THAT IS WHY I CALLED YOU TO THIS PARTY.

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

WANT TO RUIN THE PARTY WITH ME?

ALRIGHT.

LET'S GO RUIN THE PARTY.