(SATVC) Chapter 24

By the time I realized I made a mistake, it was already too late. Grandwin grabbed my hand and started running his mouth even more.

“Her dazzling blonde hair is as beautiful as a craftsman’s carefully spun gold thread…”

Erial, who was next to him, tried to stop Grandwin, but it was in vain.

I was just staring blankly, wondering if I was tired of Grandwin talking non-stop like a runaway locomotive.

‘He wasn’t like this in the original novel.’

In the original, Grandwin doesn’t care about women except for his younger sister. However, when he meets Daisy and develops a crush on her, he becomes conflicted between Daisy and his sister. Bella was always the most precious to him.  But like all romance novels, Daisy is actually more precious, and she honestly confesses her feelings while showing off the charm of hitting straight without brakes!

‘Before he met Daisy, he was just a big brother.’

It was completely different from the image I had imagined, but somehow this image felt more familiar. An upgraded version of the twins! Even if I don’t respond, the specimen itself is the relentless example of Bella’s unwavering praise.

“And her blue eyes that are clearer than the blue sky feel like there are crystals embedded in them. It’s like….”

“It looks like aquamarine, carefully crafted by artisans.”

I cut Grendwin off and intercepted the compliment he might have made.

Grandwin looked at me with his eyes wide open, as he didn’t expect me to speak out like that.

“That’s right. You were thinking the same thing as me.”

It wasn’t the reaction I wanted. I was trying to say a joke, but Grandwin took it seriously. This time, I was really speechless and couldn’t say anything. Fortunately, Bella, who was listening next to me, stopped him.

“Ugh!”

“Brother. You have to drink the tea before it gets cold. It is disrespectful to Lady Sernia to talk nonstop like that.”

Perhaps because of Grandwin’s shameful behavior, Bella’s face turned red, and she pinched his side from under the table. When I saw Grandwin’s low scream and his upper body tilting to the left, it was the same as when Ariel pinches Erial.

“It’s okay. I was thinking the same thing when I saw Lady Bella.”

Well, I thought she was like an angel because they are similar.

In this situation, I responded appropriately so that Bella wouldn’t be embarrassed.

‘No, but why are you moved?’

Grandwin nodded with a sincere expression.

“I didn’t know there was someone I could relate with so well.”

Those eyes were the ones I had when I found out that my college classmate, whom I wasn’t close with in my previous life, was a fan of the same genre as me!

‘I think I’m building an inner friendship by myself.’

I glanced at Erial, who was sipping tea next to me, trying to ignore Grandwin’s gaze. Meanwhile, Grandwin was building an inner friendship. Erial seemed to have given up on the runaway Grandwin, so he stopped paying attention to the conversation, savoring the desserts that I couldn’t even touch. 

I can’t believe you’re eating by yourself.

“Erial, you should greet Young Master Grandwin.”

I brought in Erial, who didn’t want to join. Erial tried to put the cake in his mouth, but, startled by my call, slowly put down the fork, and greeted Grendwin.

“It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

“…….”

That’s it?

In the ensuing silence, Erial picked up the fork awkwardly, and Grandwin also looked away and looked at me again. 

What? Why are you looking at me? Do I have to start a conversation again?

I was contemplating what to talk about in a difficult situation, but fortunately again, Bella spoke up and broke the awkward silence.

“Lady Sernia, did you have any inconvenience when coming?”

“Yes. Today, I learned how close Marquis Kailen was.”

“That’s right. Whenever I visit the Imperial Palace with my brother, I always pass through Duke Ardentine, and I think of Lady Sernia every time.”

“Me?”

Why did you think of me? 

I tilted my head and looked at her, but when I made eye contact with her, I lowered my head. While hesitating, she murmured quietly.

“Yes, I just wanted to say thank you, and… because I want to get close to you.”

Aha. You wanted to be friends.

Bella has been going to the Imperial Palace with her older brother from an early age and became close with the Crown Prince. Many of her peers were jealous of her, so she rarely made friends except for Grandwin and the Crown Prince.

‘Daisy was her first friend.’

I said as I put Bella’s hair, which had flowed down just like it did before on that day, behind her ear.

“I also wanted to be close to Lady Bella.”

She looked up at my touch. Bella felt like a close junior, a comparable friend to Kanarin, and Ariel was a younger sister to look after.

“Can I call you Unnie?”

Bella carefully asked if she could call me unnie with a red, ripe face.

“Of course!”

“Unnie, please call me Bell.”

She said with a big smile.

Wow, you’re really an angel. If Ariel is a gorgeous red rose, Bella is a pure lily! 

I was mesmerized by her beautiful smile for a moment, and Grandwin, who was next to me, intervened.

“Noonim, please feel free to call me Ren as well.”

“Eh?”

When Grandwin suddenly called me noonim, goosebumps welled up on my arm. No, he’s the same age as Erial, so it’s not an incorrect name. It was okay for Erial to call me sister, but it was strange that Grandwin called me noonim.

‘It’s a cut in the face. I’m not cursing!’

Although he was not as good as Helios or Sirius, Grandwin was also handsome. However, it was because of his large size and strong image that made me feel like he wasn’t younger than me.

“I’m the only one who can call you sister!”

When Grandwin called me noonim, Erial put down his fork and shouted angrily. Eyes collided in the air. I thought I just saw sparks. After a silent staring contest, Grandwin spoke first.

“Come to think of it, Sir Erial is the same age as me, so I’ll speak comfortably.”

Ignoring Erial’s words lightly and eating his words in an instant. Grandwin was a stronger enemy than I thought. Erial couldn’t keep up with Grandwin’s craziness. If it was too ridiculous, he would be speechless, and that’s exactly what the situation looked like right now.

“Let’s talk about friendship between you two next time, but for now, shall we introduce ourselves?”

I started to organize the situation on behalf of Erial, who couldn’t answer the question. It was a tea party, but I didn’t even have a bite of dessert, and it was burdensome for the other young girls to just stare at us and not talk at all.

In particular, the girl I saw for the first time clearly had trembling eyes. Because she didn’t know whether this space was uncomfortable, or even where to look if that was the case, I asked her to introduce herself first so that she could adapt comfortably.

‘I can eat cake while she introduces herself.’

Some of the girls with familiar faces nodded their heads in agreement, happy that the arrows of conversation returned. They, too, would have come to greet the Kailen siblings or us, but they must have been anxious because we kept talking to each other.

“That’s right. We, the hosts, should have done it, so I’m sorry.”

The light tea party continued to proceed.

Bella led the tea party skillfully, despite her young age. Since it was a family that had exchanges with Marquis Kailen, they already knew each other.

‘I was the only one who saw it for the first time.’

I finally held up a fork!

It was hard work just looking at the cake in front of me. When each of them started talking, no one showed any interest in me anymore. I smiled happily and consumed sugar. Black tea is the best for cakes.

“What kind of dress will Lady Sernia wear for the founding festival?”

I was tasting the sweet whipped cream to the fullest, but the girl I had seen for the first time spoke to me.

Was it Siren of the Persus family?

“I have a cherry blossom petal-colored dress, but I can’t remember the details because Ariel chose it. What kind of dress will Lady Siren wear?”

It’s real. Obviously, we went to the dressing room together, but I don’t have a good sense of fashion, so I only chose the color of the dress, while Ariel and the designer discussed the rest seriously.  The results are always pretty, so I just followed their opinions quietly.

“I see. I think Lady Sernia will look good in any dress.”

Siren, who spoke with her hands clasped and eyes twinkling, explained in detail the dress she was going to wear. I responded by shaking my head lightly and skillfully moved the fork.

“Noonim, you have something here.”

I was eagerly eating the cake while listening to the Siren’s chatter, but Grandwin, who whispered in a low voice in my ear, ran his finger across my lips.  I once again got goosebumps and flinched at the sound of ‘noonim’ rather than his touch.

‘I’m really not getting used to being called noonim.’

I trembled once, but I hid my expression so Erial didn’t notice. I didn’t want to make a fuss here.

“Thank you, but next time, can you just tell me?”

I said it so quietly that only Grandwin could hear it, but Grandwin had a puzzled expression on his face. Why are you surprised when you did it yourself? Like a person who said he didn’t know, he didn’t answer me and just looked down at his fingers.

“Well, I’m sorry. What I do to Bell has become a habit.”

Aha. It’s amazing that you usually do such creepy things like a habit because of a sister complex. My twins aren’t this extreme. 

I accepted Grandwin’s excuse and looked away. This was because Bella, who was sitting next to Grandwin, looked curious about what we were talking about.

‘I’m glad Erial didn’t see me.’

The girl sitting across from Erial kept talking to him to see if he was interested. Erial was annoyed but answered out of courtesy, so he didn’t notice Grandwin’s actions.

“Oh my, this side is still in the middle of a conversation. Unfortunately, the sun is already setting.”

There was a friendly atmosphere in the midst of it, but the Marquis’ soft voice announced the end of the tea party. The ladies got up one by one as if they had already prepared, and the nobles who came with their children approached the Marquis.

​​The young girls who were sitting also greeted the Kailen siblings and stood up. We had to go now.

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