Chapter 56
Duke Halos’ mornings were always busy.
More so today with the approaching Imperial party.
The maids were running frantically everywhere as they dutifully dressed up Lexion and Elena.
Meanwhile, Elena was still fast asleep.
Her sleep was so deep, the maids had to support her body when they held her hair and adorn it. Likewise, they had to keep her head still when they applied makeup on her.
Eventually, all that was left was to change her dress. It was also at this time that Elena started to wake up.
She stared at herself in the full-length mirror in front of her.
Her embellished face was different from her everyday look, completely not like her usual self.
Despite the maids only applying light makeup as she asked, they still highlighted her best features, preserving her irrefutable charm.
On the other hand, Elena’s voluminous hair was sleek and styled in a half-updo.
‘No matter how many years it has been, I’m still in awe at how beautiful I look.’
Elena continued to admire her figure while she examined the dress.
It was an off-shoulder light purple dress that gently wrapped her body.
‘It’s not over the top. Just modest yet elegant.’
The dress wasn’t too eye-catching, and it wasn’t too heavy either.
‘Lexion knows my tastes well.’
While Elena smiled with satisfaction, her makeup was finally done.
“Lady, you look so stunning!”
“Right! We’re the ones who fashioned it that way, but it’s still too outstanding!”
Rossi and the other maids began admiring their work, and couldn’t help but feel sentimental.
“Everyone did well. Thank you.”
The maids continued appreciating her; until finally, they left the room.
Left alone, Elena sat down on the chair.
Despite being asleep throughout the preparation, she still felt exhausted.
‘I want to sleep at the party.’
If it had not been for the Archmage’s order, she wouldn’t have gone to that Imperial party.
Elena yawned and rubbed her shoulder.
Suddenly, the door opened.
“Elena, I heard you were ready—”
Lexion came in.
As soon as he saw Elena, quietly sitting in the chair, he had trouble speaking.
With her head tilted and her action of massaging her shoulder, Elena looked like an angel taking a respite.
“Ah, Lexion. You came?”
Elena smiled softly and got up from her seat.
Lexion was dressed as much as herself.
Unlike his typical self, he had light makeup on and was smartly clad in a tailcoat. He looked especially dashing.
‘Undoubtedly, Lexion should have been the main character.’
Elena smiled broadly at Lexion. Although he was a supporting character, he shone brighter than the male protagonist.
A handsome man had the power to make people happy just by looking at them.
Smiling, she approached Lexion.
Meanwhile, Lexion was still frozen stiff.
Because the smiling angel was walking towards him.
He came to his senses only after a little more time had passed.
“Oh, Elena. Sorry. It’s because you are so beautiful…”
“Haha, is that so?”
Lexion struggled to make eye contact with Elena, causing her to laugh at his helpless state.
How could anyone hate someone whose affection for them was clearly manifested in their actions?
What was concerning though was the seemingly escalating trembling of his body.
With Lexion, it was difficult to push him away.
Now, in about two months, their aforementioned contracted love affair was coming to an end.
This was Elena’s concern.
‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to let go of Lexion.’
Moreover, she feared that she wouldn’t be able to reject if Lexion reached out to her.
She suddenly felt her thoughts become complicated.
But Elena didn’t bother herself with it further.
On a day like today, she didn’t want to ruin Lexion’s mood.
After clearing her mind, she reached out to Lexion.
The slightly dazzled Lexion promptly snapped out and hurriedly escorted her.
The two of them exited the mansion and got into the carriage of the Halos family.
Elena stared intently at Lexion, who was sitting across from her.
From head to toe, he was a man with no flaws.
‘Is this what God-given creatures look like?’
Referring to ancient mythology, she now understood why the gods were so obsessed with beauty.
Besides, Lexion was a friendly fellow.
He was so sweet that it felt like he easily grabbed her heart.
Also, she liked hearing his low, sweet voice; and whenever he uttered such endearing words, her heart would unconsciously pound.
Sometimes her heart would even skip a beat.
Lately, the more time she spent with him, the more immune she was against him.
Nevertheless, he was still a very dangerous man to her heart.
While she pondered over this, she kept staring at him.
Hence, Lexion had trouble controlling the fervent heat that was overwhelming him.
Every time Elena’s gaze touched him, he felt like he was going crazy.
It was even more so today because she simply looked like an angel in disguise.
‘There was not a single day that Elena was not beautiful.’
Today was especially challenging.
Sometimes – each time their eyes met – they would subconsciously smile at each other. And whenever her lips would curve, her dimples would show.
No part of her wasn’t beautiful.
Lexion wanted to stand right away and hold Elena in his arms.
He wished to kiss her cheeks, forehead, lips, everywhere, and tell her his innermost feelings.
In his imagination, he had already desperately confessed to her.
But in reality, that was not possible.
Lexion was worried that she would feel burdened about it.
He clenched his fists so hard that they turned white, miserably suppressing his rising emotions.
*****
Before they knew it, the carriage with the seal of the Duke of Halos had passed through the Imperial Gate.
Elena slightly admired the first sight she saw outside the window.
The surrounding of the Imperial Palace was incredibly vast.
The garden seemed endless, and the Imperial palace was also spacious.
She had always felt that the size of the Halos’ residence was enormous, but the Imperial palace was even more.
‘As expected from the Imperial family.’
While she was preoccupied with scanning her surroundings, the carriage stopped.
With Lexion’s assistance, Elena got off.
The high-rise, pristine white palace filled her gaze.
On the other side, the palace servants stood in waiting in front of the detached palace where the party was going to be held.
“Welcome, Duke Halos.”
One of the servants greeted Lexion.
“The lady next to Duke Halos, may I know where you are from?”
“This is my partner, Elena Respell.”
Lexion replied boldly.
The servant’s eyes widened.
“Apologies for not recognizing you, Lady Elena Respell of the Magic Tower.”
The servant bowed in regret.
Elena waved her hand.
“It’s alright. This is my first time visiting here so you wouldn’t know.”
At her mercy, the servant was relieved and guided the two inside.
As they stood in front of the door, she heard a sound from the banquet hall.
It was the chattering of the aristocrats who had already gathered.
“Are you nervous?”
“Not at all.”
When Elena shrugged, Lexion smiled softly.
“If you are feeling troubled, you can come to me.”
“I know. Don’t worry.”
Once they finished their brief conversation, the servants opened the door to the event hall.
“The entrance of the new Duke of Halos and Lady Elena Respell of the Magic Tower.”
Elena grabbed the hem of her dress a little tighter and went inside.
She assured Lexion that she wasn’t nervous, but in fact, she was a bit anxious.
It was her first time attending an Imperial party, and she didn’t like the attention the people were giving her.
And, as expected, dozens of pairs of eyes turned to her as soon as she entered the event hall.
Elena was able to pretend to be calm because she did a simulation of it in her head beforehand.
She undauntedly walked without looking at the other nobles, only looking straight ahead.
Lexion would often gaze at Elena’s condition. But eventually, he collected himself and proceeded with escorting Elena.
The gaze of the nobles on the newly arrived pair was hot.
Elena felt the gazes but relaxed when she distracted herself with something else.
‘The chandelier is huge.’
Inside the event hall, the chandelier was made out of crystals. It was marvelously designed to form like a large star.
‘I wonder how much is that one.’
Elena, who had been staring at the ceiling for a moment, hurriedly lowered her head.
Since the attention was focused more on her actions, Elena casually looked around the party hall pretending to be unbothered.
High-quality dishes and various refreshments were lined up on the tables set up in different places.
There were some premium liquors that she wanted to drink at least once, but Elena made up her mind.
‘I will never drink today.’
She turned instead to where the fruits were.
It was then.
“Duke Halos.”
A seemingly mediocre nobleman approached the two.
Lexion greeted him with a courteous smile.
And whispered to Elena.
“Elena, I’ll talk with them for a moment.”
“Ah, go ahead. It’s alright even if I’m alone.”
When Elena’s permission fell, Lexion approached the nobles.
From afar, it appeared that those who approached Lexion were friends of the former Duke Halos.
‘Ah!’
And Elena could see that their hair was significantly plentiful.
‘Is the rumor about the Black Grass already circulating in the capital?’
With that thought in mind, Elena headed towards the fruits.
Just looking at them, she could tell that the fruits imported from all over the Empire were delicious.
Elena picked up several slices of various fruits and shoved them into her mouth.
It was at that moment…
“That woman. Who was that one that came in with Duke Halos?”
She heard some of the young noblemen gossiping.
“She’s so beautiful, undeniably gorgeous. Did she seduce the Duke of Halos with her beauty?”
“Did you not hear it when they entered? They said she came from the Magic Tower.”
“What?! That beauty is a wizard? Nonsense. Besides, will the wizards really attend an Imperial party? Were they lying before?”
“Hmm. The new Duke of Halos may have brought in a fake wizard to further solidify his position.”
Elena’s eyes turned sharply toward those obnoxious men.
She didn’t know which family they came from, but they seemed to be quite jealous of Lexion.
Elena smiled and walked over to their location.
When they noticed that she was approaching them, their faces lit up.
“You two seemed to be talking about something interesting.”
Elena said with a smile.
Chapter 56
Duke Halos’ mornings were always busy.
More so today with the approaching Imperial party.
The maids were running frantically everywhere as they dutifully dressed up Lexion and Elena.
Meanwhile, Elena was still fast asleep.
Her sleep was so deep, the maids had to support her body when they held her hair and adorn it. Likewise, they had to keep her head still when they applied makeup on her.
Eventually, all that was left was to change her dress. It was also at this time that Elena started to wake up.
She stared at herself in the full-length mirror in front of her.
Her embellished face was different from her everyday look, completely not like her usual self.
Despite the maids only applying light makeup as she asked, they still highlighted her best features, preserving her irrefutable charm.
On the other hand, Elena’s voluminous hair was sleek and styled in a half-updo.
‘No matter how many years it has been, I’m still in awe at how beautiful I look.’
Elena continued to admire her figure while she examined the dress.
It was an off-shoulder light purple dress that gently wrapped her body.
‘It’s not over the top. Just modest yet elegant.’
The dress wasn’t too eye-catching, and it wasn’t too heavy either.
‘Lexion knows my tastes well.’
While Elena smiled with satisfaction, her makeup was finally done.
“Lady, you look so stunning!”
“Right! We’re the ones who fashioned it that way, but it’s still too outstanding!”
Rossi and the other maids began admiring their work, and couldn’t help but feel sentimental.
“Everyone did well. Thank you.”
The maids continued appreciating her; until finally, they left the room.
Left alone, Elena sat down on the chair.
Despite being asleep throughout the preparation, she still felt exhausted.
‘I want to sleep at the party.’
If it had not been for the Archmage’s order, she wouldn’t have gone to that Imperial party.
Elena yawned and rubbed her shoulder.
Suddenly, the door opened.
“Elena, I heard you were ready—”
Lexion came in.
As soon as he saw Elena, quietly sitting in the chair, he had trouble speaking.
With her head tilted and her action of massaging her shoulder, Elena looked like an angel taking a respite.
“Ah, Lexion. You came?”
Elena smiled softly and got up from her seat.
Lexion was dressed as much as herself.
Unlike his typical self, he had light makeup on and was smartly clad in a tailcoat. He looked especially dashing.
‘Undoubtedly, Lexion should have been the main character.’
Elena smiled broadly at Lexion. Although he was a supporting character, he shone brighter than the male protagonist.
A handsome man had the power to make people happy just by looking at them.
Smiling, she approached Lexion.
Meanwhile, Lexion was still frozen stiff.
Because the smiling angel was walking towards him.
He came to his senses only after a little more time had passed.
“Oh, Elena. Sorry. It’s because you are so beautiful…”
“Haha, is that so?”
Lexion struggled to make eye contact with Elena, causing her to laugh at his helpless state.
How could anyone hate someone whose affection for them was clearly manifested in their actions?
What was concerning though was the seemingly escalating trembling of his body.
With Lexion, it was difficult to push him away.
Now, in about two months, their aforementioned contracted love affair was coming to an end.
This was Elena’s concern.
‘I’m afraid I won’t be able to let go of Lexion.’
Moreover, she feared that she wouldn’t be able to reject if Lexion reached out to her.
She suddenly felt her thoughts become complicated.
But Elena didn’t bother herself with it further.
On a day like today, she didn’t want to ruin Lexion’s mood.
After clearing her mind, she reached out to Lexion.
The slightly dazzled Lexion promptly snapped out and hurriedly escorted her.
The two of them exited the mansion and got into the carriage of the Halos family.
Elena stared intently at Lexion, who was sitting across from her.
From head to toe, he was a man with no flaws.
‘Is this what God-given creatures look like?’
Referring to ancient mythology, she now understood why the gods were so obsessed with beauty.
Besides, Lexion was a friendly fellow.
He was so sweet that it felt like he easily grabbed her heart.
Also, she liked hearing his low, sweet voice; and whenever he uttered such endearing words, her heart would unconsciously pound.
Sometimes her heart would even skip a beat.
Lately, the more time she spent with him, the more immune she was against him.
Nevertheless, he was still a very dangerous man to her heart.
While she pondered over this, she kept staring at him.
Hence, Lexion had trouble controlling the fervent heat that was overwhelming him.
Every time Elena’s gaze touched him, he felt like he was going crazy.
It was even more so today because she simply looked like an angel in disguise.
‘There was not a single day that Elena was not beautiful.’
Today was especially challenging.
Sometimes – each time their eyes met – they would subconsciously smile at each other. And whenever her lips would curve, her dimples would show.
No part of her wasn’t beautiful.
Lexion wanted to stand right away and hold Elena in his arms.
He wished to kiss her cheeks, forehead, lips, everywhere, and tell her his innermost feelings.
In his imagination, he had already desperately confessed to her.
But in reality, that was not possible.
Lexion was worried that she would feel burdened about it.
He clenched his fists so hard that they turned white, miserably suppressing his rising emotions.
*****
Before they knew it, the carriage with the seal of the Duke of Halos had passed through the Imperial Gate.
Elena slightly admired the first sight she saw outside the window.
The surrounding of the Imperial Palace was incredibly vast.
The garden seemed endless, and the Imperial palace was also spacious.
She had always felt that the size of the Halos’ residence was enormous, but the Imperial palace was even more.
‘As expected from the Imperial family.’
While she was preoccupied with scanning her surroundings, the carriage stopped.
With Lexion’s assistance, Elena got off.
The high-rise, pristine white palace filled her gaze.
On the other side, the palace servants stood in waiting in front of the detached palace where the party was going to be held.
“Welcome, Duke Halos.”
One of the servants greeted Lexion.
“The lady next to Duke Halos, may I know where you are from?”
“This is my partner, Elena Respell.”
Lexion replied boldly.
The servant’s eyes widened.
“Apologies for not recognizing you, Lady Elena Respell of the Magic Tower.”
The servant bowed in regret.
Elena waved her hand.
“It’s alright. This is my first time visiting here so you wouldn’t know.”
At her mercy, the servant was relieved and guided the two inside.
As they stood in front of the door, she heard a sound from the banquet hall.
It was the chattering of the aristocrats who had already gathered.
“Are you nervous?”
“Not at all.”
When Elena shrugged, Lexion smiled softly.
“If you are feeling troubled, you can come to me.”
“I know. Don’t worry.”
Once they finished their brief conversation, the servants opened the door to the event hall.
“The entrance of the new Duke of Halos and Lady Elena Respell of the Magic Tower.”
Elena grabbed the hem of her dress a little tighter and went inside.
She assured Lexion that she wasn’t nervous, but in fact, she was a bit anxious.
It was her first time attending an Imperial party, and she didn’t like the attention the people were giving her.
And, as expected, dozens of pairs of eyes turned to her as soon as she entered the event hall.
Elena was able to pretend to be calm because she did a simulation of it in her head beforehand.
She undauntedly walked without looking at the other nobles, only looking straight ahead.
Lexion would often gaze at Elena’s condition. But eventually, he collected himself and proceeded with escorting Elena.
The gaze of the nobles on the newly arrived pair was hot.
Elena felt the gazes but relaxed when she distracted herself with something else.
‘The chandelier is huge.’
Inside the event hall, the chandelier was made out of crystals. It was marvelously designed to form like a large star.
‘I wonder how much is that one.’
Elena, who had been staring at the ceiling for a moment, hurriedly lowered her head.
Since the attention was focused more on her actions, Elena casually looked around the party hall pretending to be unbothered.
High-quality dishes and various refreshments were lined up on the tables set up in different places.
There were some premium liquors that she wanted to drink at least once, but Elena made up her mind.
‘I will never drink today.’
She turned instead to where the fruits were.
It was then.
“Duke Halos.”
A seemingly mediocre nobleman approached the two.
Lexion greeted him with a courteous smile.
And whispered to Elena.
“Elena, I’ll talk with them for a moment.”
“Ah, go ahead. It’s alright even if I’m alone.”
When Elena’s permission fell, Lexion approached the nobles.
From afar, it appeared that those who approached Lexion were friends of the former Duke Halos.
‘Ah!’
And Elena could see that their hair was significantly plentiful.
‘Is the rumor about the Black Grass already circulating in the capital?’
With that thought in mind, Elena headed towards the fruits.
Just looking at them, she could tell that the fruits imported from all over the Empire were delicious.
Elena picked up several slices of various fruits and shoved them into her mouth.
It was at that moment…
“That woman. Who was that one that came in with Duke Halos?”
She heard some of the young noblemen gossiping.
“She’s so beautiful, undeniably gorgeous. Did she seduce the Duke of Halos with her beauty?”
“Did you not hear it when they entered? They said she came from the Magic Tower.”
“What?! That beauty is a wizard? Nonsense. Besides, will the wizards really attend an Imperial party? Were they lying before?”
“Hmm. The new Duke of Halos may have brought in a fake wizard to further solidify his position.”
Elena’s eyes turned sharply toward those obnoxious men.
She didn’t know which family they came from, but they seemed to be quite jealous of Lexion.
Elena smiled and walked over to their location.
When they noticed that she was approaching them, their faces lit up.
“You two seemed to be talking about something interesting.”
Elena said with a smile.
