He looked relieved as if the burden pressing on his shoulders had disappeared.
It was when the two turned to leave the abyss together.
[Gerald]
Gerald turned his head.
[Gerald Logan]
Gerald’s eyes were nailed to the ring. A voice could be heard coming from inside it.
[Come back to me anytime. There will be times when you need me.]
Dragon…?
Gerald shook his head. That can’t be true. It was behind a seal that had never been shaken since the empire was established.
There was no reason for it to falter now. Definitely not.
Gerald walked out of the basement with his father.
* * *
“Haam.”
I had a good night.
I was tired because I slept a little later than usual because I talked to Alexid yesterday.
“Ugh.”
I rubbed my face off and removed the eye boogers that filled my eyelashes. I think my eyes were swollen. I stretched lightly and pulled the rope.
“Sally, my face is very swollen.”
“Miss!”
Sally came running and grabbed me. Then she grabbed my cheek and shook it around with a tearful face.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Gentleman Gerald is on his way! He says he’ll arrive soon. Ugh. You should take a bath and get rid of your swelling face, milady!”
“That has nothing to do with me.”
I let out a long yawn and turned to look around.
Oh, so early in the morning. I thought something else happened.
I didn’t care if he saw me with eye boogers or with a swollen face. Being pretty in front of him, that was already in the past. We were not married anymore. I wasn’t even engaged to him anymore.
“Hurry up! What are you going to do when Gerald comes? Why do you think he is coming to the mansion?”
“Um… To see Alexid?
“Miss… You’re kidding, aren’t you?”
Sally pulled me out of bed with a strong force and pushed me into the bathroom, then she washed and dressed me quickly.
When I came back to myself, I had a cold towel on my face.
“You should put on some light makeup. No, I think it’s better to get rid of the swelling first… How about a light yellow dress?”
“Oh, my lady! It’s your first time seeing him since your debut!”
“What’s wrong with that?” I yawned again. “I don’t care if he’s here to see me after my debut.”
Ugh, I’m sleepy. I should have slept more.
“It was your first time wearing a dress with a fine collarbone!”
Oh… I remembered what Sally said.
Wearing a dress that showed off the collarbone meant a lot to society. It meant that a girl was no longer a child but an adult. A woman.
In the past, Gerald and I had some exciting memories of when he first appeared after I became an adult.
Now. I didn’t even care anymore.
“Come on, Miss. What kind of dress would you like?”
I thought it was quiet for a while, but then Sally seemed to have brought all of my dresses to my bedroom. The dresses were lined up in a row.
“You said I should wear the light yellow dress,” I replied. “Let’s go with that one.”
“Okay, then the shoes… This is good. I’ll use this for the headdress…”
Despite my lack of enthusiasm, Sally was acting with the determination to make me a different person.
‘What’s wrong with her…? She doesn’t have to be that excited at all.’
“Sally? You don’t have to do this.”
“No! Miss, you have to match Gerald’s incredible presence! My pride is at stake! It should be enough for the gentleman to fall in love with you!”
It’s oddly unpleasant for me, but I understood what Sally meant.
Gerald was a unicorn for no reason. As he grew up, he shone beautifully, and it was not strange to say that horns rose on his head and wings were formed.
Why was I saying that?
Because there was a reason why people were mesmerized whenever they saw Gerald. Although, for now, I didn’t want to see that face for the rest of my life…
“Miss, come on! Please!”
“All right, all right.”
If I went out looking like a bum, then our mother would flog Sally.
So, I let Sally do her job.
* * *
Gerald, who came early in the morning, was waiting in the sunroom.
Why didn’t he call me? No, shouldn’t he be at the academy now? I’m sure there was still time left until graduation, and he wasn’t supposed to be allowed to go out until then.
“Gerald?” I called out his name in a soft voice.
“Long time no see, Lulu.” Gerald smiled brightly. “It’s been a while.”
Ugh, it’s so bright this morning. Why is he shining so brightly?
I faltered at his smile and I sat down in front of Gerald, “What’s going on so early in the morning? Come to think of it, what about the academy?
Gerald put a shawl around my shoulders. “You just woke up, right? I came out with my grandfather’s permission because I had an emergency.”