Supporting Characters Also Need Some Love

CHAPTER 2: SPRING COMES TO EVERYONE (XIX)

Part 036

The night before the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet. A black shadow appeared in front of Damian’s visit as she went to bed early to attend the ball the next day. A large black shadow, carefully examining its surroundings, stood with its back to Damian’s door in an empty hallway.

“I should have told you not to stand here at this hour?”

It was late at night when all of Ethard, including Damian, fell asleep. Franz, who was standing guard in front of Damian’s room on the 3rd floor with overflowing loyalty, was stung by the eerie voice coming from the other side of the dark hallway.

“J-Jenny.”

Standing in front of Franz, Jenny lifted her eyes and said in a low voice, in case she woke Damian.

“Didn’t I tell you that the third floor is only for ladies and ladies-in-waiting? Even the Count and young master don’t come up often, so what will you do if the lady suddenly comes out dressed lightly? Did you say you’re curious? Do you keep coming up here just to give him a report?”

A fearsome Jenny in front of his eyes and an even more fearsome Adrian in his head. Franz, a four-sided thatched house, shook his head desperately.

“It’s not like that!”

“It’s noisy, lower your voice.”

“Yes.”

Looking at Franz, who was scolded and lowering his head sullenly, Jenny clicked her tongue. She didn’t know how many times this young knight who was full of enthusiasm and carelessness had already been scolded by herself. Every time he got scolded, it seemed that his missing tail was drooping. Why did she keep insulting him while being so sullen?

“Please follow me.”

As Jenny turned and walked out, Franz hesitantly followed, looking back at Damian’s door several times.

“I have to protect the lad…”

“Hurry!”

“Yes.”

The two sat facing each other in an empty kitchen. Jenny, determined to scold him harshly this time, crossed her arms and glared at Franz.

“Knight.”

“It’s Franz!”

“Whatever, knight. I’m grateful for escorting my lady. But the Ethard family has their own family customs. It’s difficult to act arbitrarily like this.”

“I just want to protect the young lady…”

“It’s all good, but it’s problematic at night. Doesn’t the knight sleep?”

“She is more important than me!”

Jenny’s heart softened when she saw Franz answering vigorously. When she saw it, she was quite satisfied with his thoughts of Damian.

“I don’t know what Duke Bigor said, but I know that you follow Lady Damian well.”

“That’s right. I like my lady!”

‘It’s our lady.’

She was their young lady, wearing a knight’s uniform with a black wolf engraved on his chest, the symbol of the Duke of Bigor. Jenny couldn’t hold back and smiled softly. Franz was surprised to see this lady-in-waiting, who was more severe than Count Ethard, smile at him for the first time.

“What do you like about our lady?”

When Jenny asked with a smile, Franz started talking excitedly.

“The lady is kind and beautiful! Also, she is fair and does not tolerate injustice and stands firm against it!”

“Yes, yes.”

Jenny nodded her head broadly.

“She is a beautiful person who thinks of others before herself. And she is very very clever and wise!”

If Anna had heard it, she would have quietly shut her mouth, and if it had been Ruby, she would have tilted her head, but Jenny jumped up and grabbed Franz’s hands.

“You must know something. Knight, would you like to continue with a glass of brandy?”

“I’ll be grateful if you give me a drink!”

Jenny rummaged through the kitchen and brought out the cooking brandy the cook had hidden, and the two continued to sip the brandy while sipping Damian Chan. By the time Jenny, who was originally a horse drinker, and Franz, who had learned to drink alcohol by the bottle, were drinking all kinds of cooking liquors in the kitchen, the two of them were clapping their shoulders and laughing hahaha.

“Hey, Franz, do you know what? Shall I tell you about when my lady was little?”

“Yes, Jenny. I want to hear it!”

“What Jenny, you’re 22 years old, right? Call me miss*. Miss.”

“Yes, miss! This is the first time I’ve called someone that!”

“What, is that so? Your life is really… Anyway, how cute was my young lady when she was young…”

“Really? Miss must have been really nice. The young lady…”

“By the way, the lady’s shoulder said op……”

“Yes, I must tell the Duke.”

The next day, Jenny was hit on the back by the head maid, and Franz secretly vomited twice while escorting Damian with a rotten face.

* * *

On the 77th day of summer, the day of the Crown Prince’s birthday started. This place didn’t consider 7 a lucky number, but he’s born with a lineage that guarantees his status even if he lived like that, so his luck was really strong. Excluding the New Year’s banquet and the king’s birthday, it was the biggest event held in the palace, so all the nobles staying in Midok would attend. Especially, it was an indispensable place for a royal-patrician noble family like her family. So this time she was washed, dried, boiled, and polished, passing through the hands of the maids like baggage.

When she came to her senses, she looked in the mirror and saw a pretty woman with her hair braided up into several braids, looking lively and cute, wearing a pretty dress with her soft colors and long silver threads twinkling.

‘Oh my, was I that pretty?’

Feeling better, she looked around in front of the mirror. The hem of the dress that unfolded and fell was very elegant. She thought she would look pretty when she danced and was about to laugh when Jenny clapped her hands in excitement.

“Perfect, ma’am.”

“Lol.”

When she was hesitant, Jenny smiled kindly and straightened the hem of her clothes. When she went to a party, she always acted like a mom sending a kindergartener on a picnic, but today, for some reason, even her eyes were moist. Was it because it’s the first time she attended a party with a male escort? From the beginning to the end of the complex-looking face, there were only her thoughts, so her heart was soft.

“It’s a style that spreads from the top of the waist, so you look tall, and it doesn’t show much without a corset, but it’s okay if you eat too much.”

“Okay. I ate a hearty lunch today, so it’s okay.”

“Yes. My pretty lady. Enjoy yourself to the fullest.”

“Yes, is Adrian going to arrive soon?”

She didn’t know how much time had passed because she had been busy dressing up.

“He had been waiting for an hour, my lady.”

At her words, Ruby popped out and told her that it was just this time, drawing Jenny’s glare.

“What? An hour?”

“Originally, a lady’s preparation takes a long time.” Jenny calmly said as she arranged her makeup tools.

However, didn’t it take a little longer today? Was it because of Jeny’s mood? 

As she put on her shoes, Ruby ran out of her room. It must be to convey the news to those who were waiting. When she went down the stairs to the first floor, three well-dressed men in the entrance hall of the mansion looked at her at the same time. Then all three of them had the same face.

“Damian. You look so pretty today, my daughter.”

Her father approached with a thrilled face and kissed her on the cheek. Then, with somewhat forlorn eyes, he muttered that her deceased mother would have been happy to see her like that. Rootvan also came over and kissed her on the cheek. He praised her for being the most beautiful he had ever seen, and she laughed. Adrian had a bewildered face from the first time their eyes met. When Rootvan let her go, he came to her with slightly reddened eyes.

She was nervous for a moment, wondering if he could kiss her on the cheek like her father and older brother. Beside him, Rootvan stood watching Adrian with his eyes wide open. Adrian approached her with a bewitched face and held out his hand to her. Thinking he was an escort, she raised her right hand, and he bent down and lowered his lips to the back of her hand. And he was holding his lips for a little longer than his usual manners. Looking down at the crown of Adrian’s head, she felt the heat rise on her face. After kissing the back of her hand for a while, Adrian finally removed his lips and said with a wide smile.

“You are much more beautiful than I imagined, Damien.”

She was at a loss for words and looked at his face, only to come to her senses when she heard Rootvan clearing his throat. Her face was hot, and the hand that touches her lips was also hot. She could almost hear her heart beating.

She looked at Adrian’s smiling flower-like face, and then she thought of buying some flowers. She thought to herself that she should buy an armful of large, attractive flowers suitable for this man and ask for a date. She pushed it well into her heart so that this precious feeling that had suddenly struck her would not be discovered.

On a nice day, she would go ask. Today they would enjoy a great party, and they set off for the palace in three carriages. She climbed into the carriage of the Duke of Vigor, which Adrian and she rode throughout the military education. Even in the carriage, Adrian looked at her with a firm determination to be mesmerized. It made her embarrassed that he reacted like that.

“Thank you, I like the dress Adrian brought.”

“Thank God. It’s very beautiful.”

Adrian laughed softly. He squeezed her hand in his lap and kissed the back of her hand once more, this time briefly, and said with a wide smile on his eyes.

“I missed you, Damian.”

“I saw you only two days ago?”

“It’s a lot.”

She didn’t know what she was lacking, but she replied that she was lacking something, and she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Wow, it was dangerous. She didn’t know what it was, but she was about to promise to give it to him even without knowing what it was.

That flower-like man, her heart wouldn’t listen to her. He was too much for her. Above all when he smiled at her even when she wasn’t smiling at him. She was too conscious of her hand, she couldn’t even breathe when the dangerous wagon trip came to an end. She barely managed to get her mind to go into a stupor and entered the party hall. As soon as she grabbed Adrian’s dripping arm and entered the party hall, all eyes in the banquet hall were on them.

It wasn’t a surprising reaction, as rumors had already spread. The young ladies who had met several times looked at Adrian as they whispered something with eyes full of curiosity. The Duke of Nodovan and the Duke of Galleon, who were standing at a distance, also looked at Adrian. As the two approached Adrian as if competing, she briefly separated from Adrian in search of Laurel.

Adrian, who let go of her hand with a sad face on his face, was quickly surrounded by a crowd of nobles. As she walked away from Adrian, Laurel came over to say hello, as if she had been looking for her.

“Damian.”

“Laurel! Whoa, I missed you. How are you?

“Uh?”

“No matter how well I was doing, would I have been as good as Damian?”

Laurel smiled, keeping her eyes open. She guessed what she was talking about and she laughed too.

“Not all rumors are true. Maybe.”

“What’s not true? That the Duke went to pick you up every morning? That you did deal with the quarrel with Marquis Talus? Or that the Duke sent you one of his knights as an escort? Oh, no. There were rumors that it was dedicated to you? Now that I see it, it wasn’t a false rumor. This dress was made by Madame Rosaline, right?”

‘Wow. Not a single word is wrong. How can it be?’

She nodded to Laurel, who circled around her and looked at the dress. Laurel exaggeratedly surprised and said,

“Didn’t Madame Rosaline cancel all other schedules just because she made this dress?

What had Adrian done? Seeing her laughing awkwardly, Laurel smiled broadly.

“I was worried that it might have spread against your will because it’s such a huge rumor, but it doesn’t seem like that? You’ll be officially dating soon, right?”

As soon as she saw her friend who pointed out her heart, she couldn’t help but smile and nod her head. They moved to their seats, talking about things they hadn’t done before.