Chapter 18
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#18.
"Oh no! I almost had it!"
"This round is mine."
"My lady! You just touched the stone!"
The sound of jacks rolling across the floor mingled with bright, cheerful laughter that filled the space.
Those who had been hesitantly watching Max's instigation were now fully absorbed in the game of Petra.
Max had already made a hasty retreat, so there were no more troublemakers left. The atmosphere had transformed into something warm and convivial in an instant.
I too was swept up in the moment, proudly displaying the skills I'd once possessed with jacks, steadily racking up points.
Arkid seemed fascinated by my performance and murmured softly.
"You're quite skilled at this."
"Ah, well, I've always been quick to pick things up."
I awkwardly made an excuse, realizing I'd gotten far too enthusiastic without thinking.
Deliberately dropping a stone to pass my turn, Arkid spoke.
"Did the handmaidens teach you?"
"Yes. They were keeping this fun game all to themselves."
As I glanced at Hannah, she wore an aggrieved expression, her lips moving silently in protest.
Arkid chuckled at the sight.
"It's pleasant to see you getting along so naturally with the handmaidens."
"I'd like to get along just as naturally with you, Arkid."
By which I meant, for instance, sharing a bed.
I smiled sweetly while concealing my ulterior motives.
Since we each slept in our own bedrooms now, I had no way of knowing what Arkid did when he returned to his room.
How wonderful it would be to start each morning by seeing Arkid's freshly awakened face.
Just seeing that expression would make any tonic unnecessary.
Arkid's eyes widened as though he'd heard something unexpected.
As if he hadn't anticipated the conversation turning toward himself, I smiled mischievously and continued.
"I'd like to grow even closer to you than I am now, Arkid."
After all, at this distance, we're less like spouses and more like childhood friends, aren't we?
Truth be told, I was quite dissatisfied with our separate living arrangements.
We'd been married for over a year now—how could we have never shared a bed?
Of course, it was considerate of them to account for the young Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, but this was terribly inconvenient.
"I see...."
Arkid lowered his head deeply, his expression unreadable. For a moment, it seemed his ears were flushing red.
The fact that I felt a sadistic urge to tease him further when he made such an adorably innocent expression was absolutely not a sign that anything was wrong with me.
It was then, while we were thoroughly absorbed in the game of Petra.
As conversations rippled outward across the room, the topic naturally turned frequently to the festival events.
"I heard they're also holding a seed-planting ceremony this time. Have you been?"
"I went right when it opened. The sight of lanterns filled with seeds floating gently into the sky was truly beautiful."
"My! They release seeds into the sky?"
"Isn't it fascinating? I'd never realized you could plant seeds in such an entertaining way until now."
Just as the conversation turned to seed-carrying lanterns, I barely managed to restrain my shoulders from rising in excitement.
'Mother has chosen my idea.'
I had thought she might not pursue it given her lukewarm initial response, but it seemed she had brought it to life.
Even though I couldn't be there in person, I felt oddly proud, and my lips kept curving upward.
"I heard they used mana stones to set the direction of the seeds? There are apparently lanterns that allow seeds to settle perfectly into cultivated soil."
"With so many mana stone mines in Delus, this event certainly has an impressive scale."
"That's not all. Creating such magical artifacts requires considerable manpower, and it seems the Artificers in Hadelus are quite talented."
Good heavens—they actually crafted it as an artifact?
I found myself newly impressed by Elena's resourcefulness in transforming my idea into such an impressive event attraction.
Since I had only provided the concept, the actual realization was entirely the result of Elena's and her retainers' efforts.
'Since controlling wind direction would be difficult, she must have created it as a magical artifact that moves freely even in the sky.'
Given how tight the timeline must have been, the fact that they designed and crafted such an artifact suggests Hadelus Castle harbors not a money-grinding slave, but rather a truly devoted servant.
'It seems to have helped more than I expected. I'd like to see it myself.'
I felt a mixture of joy and regret as I nibbled on a pastry.
Given the scale of the event, magically bloomed Delus flowers would surely be scattered everywhere.
Before I knew it, I was excitedly swinging my feet beneath the table and eavesdropping on the young ladies' chatter.
Arkid must have overheard the conversation at the next table, for he leaned over and whispered to me.
"Would you like to go, Rhoena?"
He seemed to have misunderstood, seeing my excited expression. While I appreciated the date invitation, I had no desire to throw myself into danger.
My life's goal was to spend my remaining time gazing at Arkid's face to my heart's content before meeting my end.
"No. There will surely be Delus flowers everywhere, and going would be exhausting."
"You don't need to go that far."
Arkid smiled knowingly, as if he understood what I was worried about.
When I looked at him with confusion, he added gently.
"I know a place where you can watch the Delus flower seeds being released from a safe distance."
"Oh."
"If we're just watching from afar, wouldn't that be alright?"
Arkid's eyes held an anxious gleam, as if he feared I might refuse.
Though our relationship had improved somewhat, his eyes still betrayed fear of my rejection.
Of course, that was merely needless worry on Arkid's part—he simply didn't know me well enough.
I was prepared to cast aside all shame and gleefully roll across the floor even if he asked me to do a forward somersault and return to my room.
"If you'd rather not...."
"No, I'd love to!"
I quickly grasped his hand before he could take back his offer, nodding repeatedly.
"I'll go. With you, Arkid."
* * *
"I heard he suddenly bought up a large quantity of jewels, so I thought perhaps he was taking up beadwork, but instead he sent back some strange souvenir from the Party Venue."
At the luncheon, Grand Duke Hadelus regarded me with a peculiar expression and spoke. I swallowed the lemon sherbet served as dessert and replied.
"It's not a strange souvenir—it's a game called Petra."
"Petra?"
"It's a game that's popular among commoners. It's quite fun."
"How strange. Commoners shouldn't have money to buy jewels."
Demian tilted his head with a bewildered expression.
Well, he'd never lived as a commoner, so how would he know? I glanced at him and spoke.
"Usually it's not jewels but cut wood pieces or small stones that people collect to play with."
"One can play with stones, you say. Impressive."
As Demian spoke with a lukewarm tone, Elena chimed in.
"The reception was quite good. I think it would be popular as a gift if made with jewels."
"Is that so? Hmm, you've made quite a thoughtful gift."
Demian looked at me with surprise at Elena's words.
It felt odd—as if he thought it must be good simply because Elena said so.
"I didn't know you'd put such effort into a gift for someone else."
"What do you mean? You think I only care about what goes in my own mouth?"
"Isn't that the case?"
Listen here, Father. If you react like that, what does that make me?
I stared at Grand Duke Hadelus with clouded eyes as he casually struck a nerve.
It was true—Rhoena had only indulged in luxury and had never given gifts to anyone before.
So when I mentioned buying jewels, he naturally assumed it was extravagance. As I pouted without responding, Demian spoke.
"If you're going to do it, make them larger. It's not as though jewels are scarce in the Castle. Your ambition seems smaller than expected."
It seemed Father thought I'd made them small because I was reluctant to use the jewels.
I pulled out the Petra I'd kept in my pocket and scattered it on the table, then began picking them up.
"What are you doing?"
"Look carefully. This size is easy for children like me to grasp."
Who does he take me for, a miser?
As I gave him a meaningful look as if to say, "Now do you understand my deeper intention?", Demian's eyes blinked before he burst into laughter.
"True, with hands that small, it would be difficult to hold all five jewels at once."
Then, with interest, he rolled the Petra in his palm.
As he listened quietly to the clinking sound, he looked at Elena. Elena then spoke flatly and decisively.
"I won't."
"Is that so?"
The Grand Duke clicked his tongue regretfully and asked me.
"How do you play?"
"Well..."
Just as I was about to eagerly explain the rules, my gaze suddenly shifted to Arkid beside me.
Arkid was simply listening quietly to the conversation between me and the Grand Duke. I quickly grabbed Arkid's arm.
"Arkid will explain it."
"Me?"
As Arkid looked surprised, the Grand Duke's lips twitched in response. Like an awkward father and son, they merely exchanged glances.
'Right. This father-son pair really doesn't talk much.'
I quickly pulled Arkid toward the Grand Duke and grinned widely.
"What if the four of us made a wager? You, me, and your parents—each pair forming a team?"
"You and us?"
Grand Duke Hadelus wore an expression of amusement, while Elena tried to back away, saying, "I'm not doing this."
'Ah, so that's how they want to play it, is it?'
But I knew exactly how to draw those two into the wager. I muttered with a deliberately annoying smile.
"Oh? Are you two afraid of losing right now?"
"...."
"I suppose avoiding a match is better than losing to a child. Hehehehe."
It was Grand Duke Hadelus who reacted first to my subtly provocative words.
"Fine. I'll take the wager."
Elena followed, gripping Petra in her hand.
"Don't come crying to me later."
"Wonderful, how thrilling!"
As I giggled and explained the rules, the eyes of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess gleamed with unmistakable fervor.
'Surprisingly easy to provoke, these two.'
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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