Supporting Characters Also Need Some Love

CHAPTER 2: SPRING COMES TO EVERYONE (XXI)

Part 038

After talking with the princess, Damian covered her flushed face. She was very happy to hear the unexpected compliment. Come to think of it, no one has ever praised Damian for her efforts in two lives. Her family was surprised, delighted, and congratulated, but in the midst of difficulty adjusting to unfamiliar memories, they did not fully understand Damian’s situation, where she had to learn things she had never seen before.

She worked hard and did well, and the recognition she received for the first time was a welcome compliment from the princess whom she had talked to for the first time today. She’s a countess and the princess knew that she had passed the administrative exam. Damian’s liking for Princess Remina, who had been curious since she heard from Adol, rose rapidly.

“I think Princess Remina is a wonderful person!”

At the excited voice, Adrian laughed and agreed.

“She is a great person.”

Damian nodded and smiled at him.

After Remina quietly left, Adrian and Damian held hands and stepped into the middle of the hall. Many people were shocked to see Duke Bigor wearing a smile that bloomed as much as the fluttering skirt of his skirt. Until now, Damian, who hadn’t shown her face well in social circles and only had rumors about it, wore her lovely smile and turned around at the banquet hall, and there were many eyes looking at her with surprise. Those who saw Duke Bigor, who was extremely cold, followed Damian with a face that had everything in the world, quickly flocked to Colin Ethard and Lootvan Ethard.

They weren’t even dating officially yet, but since the ice Duke had been melted like that, there was no doubt about the daughter of Count Ethard entering the duchy of Bigor. Those who thought that it would be easier to target the easygoing Count rather than approaching the Duke with the iron door closed, started talking to the Count. It was not that they had great greed in the political arena, and above all else, Colin and Rootvan, whose Damian’s happiness was the most important, sweated for a while rejecting the invitations that came pouring in.

* * *

At the time Adrian and Damian were enjoying a party without owners, Tirellius, who should have been the star of the stage, finally collapsed and was carried onto the bed. The Queen, who had finished cleaning up the messy palace’s mood, called the head of the palace with a tired face.

“What about that woman?”

“She sent the doctor out of the palace. She was hiding.”

“Hasn’t she been wearing it for a while? Why is it like that all of a sudden?”

“That’s what we did well… He started drinking more around lunchtime, but at first he didn’t take his anger out too much.”

“Isn’t there a reason for that? To hit the face of a woman who was circling around with a bottle of alcohol. Haven’t you ever done anything to that point?”

The head chamberlain lowered his head but did not say anything for a long time. After watching the Queen sigh as she wrapped her hair, he cautiously opened his mouth.

“Recently, the number of days when he drinks excessively has increased. The number of times when he drinks in a good mood and suddenly expresses his anger is also increasing.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to give the Crown Prince alcohol?”

“It’s not easy for us to refuse the Crown Prince’s orders, the Queen Mother.” 

“That bastard’s alcohol. But he wasn’t a kid who harmed people.”

“Since summer, one of the maids and one of the butlers have already… The servant’s child has been seriously injured, so I don’t even know if he survived, the Queen Mother.”

“What? How did you not tell me about that!”

“Because Captain Homer cleaned up and told us to shut up…”

The Queen touched her forehead again and thought. There’s no way she would have let it go if His Majesty had known. Then it meant that the leader covered it up well, but since the mysterious ‘King’s dog’ did it, she couldn’t put her mind at ease or bring up the past. Dozern was looking for his place, but what could that kid say? What should he do if he had to deal with an accident outside, but in the palace where the Queen’s eyes were wide open, what if he made a super-corpse of a woman holding a title with his own hands, not inferior things?

“As soon as the captain returns, tell him I’ll see you.”

The Queen once again ordered him to be restrained and appointed the chief chamberlain. She again issued an order to ban alcohol, but as she was a Queen who knew her son’s character better than anyone else, she knew that it would not be followed.

* * *

Again the boring days at the Home Office began. Was it because they had so much fun yesterday? Maybe because she met Adrian after a long time yesterday, she missed him more.

‘What are you talking about? Calm down, Damian. What ‘long time’? I saw him two days ago.’

After knowing her heart, it’s hard to sit still. Her heart was beating, and she was the torch to do something. After spending the day peeking her watch, she went to a flower shop as soon as she got home from work. While looking around the various flowers, there was a flower that moved her heart, and she stood in front of it. It was such a flower with large lumps spread profusely, and the petals that were close to each other seemed to be soft to the touch. When she asked for its name, they said ‘peony’. She asked for a bouquet of white peonies, light pink, and light yellow, and she made a beautiful bouquet of the right size. But there were not enough flowers to equalize Adrian’s brightness. After adding more flowers while shouting more, more, more, as she left the store, she was greeted with a huge bouquet that covered her face.

Arriving at headquarters after a long time, she ordered Franz to spy on Adrian to see if he was still in the office. Since he was working hard, she quietly walked up to the front of the office.

Shake. 

She was so nervous. Even though she was sure Adrian wouldn’t say no, he’s one in a thousand, so what if he asked her what she’s talking about now? He wouldn’t do that, right? He would smile prettily as always, wouldn’t he?

She reached the door, but she couldn’t move any further. What if he didn’t smile? What if he didn’t like this flower? Did her hair look pretty today? Shall she go down and look in the mirror? No. Adrian would smile brightly like a flower today. He would… Ugh, right? Ugh, was everyone confessing and loving while falling like this? She forcibly swallowed the tension and knocked, saying that these heroes were like them. But the hand holding the bouquet sweated. After wiping her hands on her skirt and carefully opening the door, Cale was sitting at her desk. Well, it was originally Cale’s seat. Cale made a happy face when he saw her, then tilted his head when he saw the huge bouquet in her arms. After that, without saying a word, he got up and went out through the door that had not yet been closed, closing it. He’s like a good-looking old man. Adrian smiled broadly and came towards her. He held out her hand to receive the flowers, but she did not give them. She made a slightly puzzled face, but he soon smiled broadly and guided her to the sofa.

“It’s nice to have such a sudden visit. I’m very happy.”

It was the bright smile that she wanted to see, but she couldn’t think of anything to say in return. He asked, sitting across from her, as if he had been hit by a bomb in his head.

“What do you have to say to me?”

She hugged the bouquet tightly and took a deep breath. She couldn’t. No, she could… She couldn’t calm down… As she was about to catch her breath, Adrian asked with a puzzled face. 

“Damian?”

She took a deep breath and held out the bouquet. Adrian was puzzled but handed over the bouquet.

“Are you giving it to me?”

“Adrian.”

“Yes, Damian.”

“Please go out with me.”

She finally said it. In the joy of having done it, she exhaled and caught her breath, but this time Adrian didn’t breathe. His eyes didn’t even blink. She looked at him for a while, but he still didn’t move, so she called him carefully.

“Adrian?”

He blinked at her call, closed his eyes, and very, very carefully set the bouquet he was holding on the table. Then he jumped up and went over to the dress coat hanging on the hanger. He took something out of his coat pocket and sat down in front of her on one knee.

“Adrian?”

“Damian to me… How am I…?”

“Yes?”

“I do this like this.”

It seemed that he wanted to say something, but Adrian, who had bitten his lips once, opened the thing he was holding in his hand with a serious and desperate face. He opened the lid of the small black velvet case.

“Please, go out with me, Damian.”

She lowered her gaze after looking at his red-yellow eyes full of earnestness, which trembled slightly. Inside the case, there was a necklace with a ruby in a unique color that she had never seen before, with an intense golden color in the center. It was a beautiful jewel resembling Adrian’s eyes. Had he been preparing for this all along? Did he want to court her again? 

With a bursting smile on her face, She nodded broadly.

“Okay, Adrian.”

Adrian laughed at her answer. After smiling at him, she took the case from Adrian’s hand, who was still on his knees. Looking at it again, it was a gem of a mysterious color that resembles Adrian’s eyes. She undid the necklace she was wearing and went to stand in front of the mirror. Therefore, when she asked Adrian who came to the mirror to hang it, he put the necklace on her with very, very careful hands.

She liked the red jewel that was placed in her collarbones as if it was in its original place, and she turned around to say thanks when Adrian cautiously opened his mouth.

“Damian, can you give me a hug?”

His tone was very careful and gentle, but his eyes were determined. She smiled and hugged Adrian’s large torso with a firm desperation as if something would happen if she didn’t hug him. Her face touched his chest due to the large difference in his height, which was embarrassingly hard. Adrian also wrapped his arms around her back and hugged her. His shoulders were bent and he wrapped her in his arms as if his upper body was about to spill. This was not a hug, was it?

“You asked me to hug you, so I think I gave you a hug?”

“It’s my mood, Damian.”

Adrian replied and laughed ‘haha’.

* * *

Love was good. The sky didn’t suddenly turn pink, but everyday life tickles enough. Perhaps because there were many stories that had already been spread, the fact of their relationship quickly spread throughout the social world. Suddenly, there were a lot of young ladies pretending to be friendly. The number of tea party invitations tripled, and the attitude of the young ladies who were working at the Ministry of Home Affairs became friendly.

Lootvan’s eyes warmed when he saw Adrian, who came to Ethard mansion for dinner once every three days. His father must have put his mind at ease now, and he hastened to prepare to return to the Ethard Territory. It must have been put off because of his magistrate exam and his relationship with Adrian. Until last year, after the New Year’s banquet, she left Lootvan at the mansion and went back to Ethard territory with her father, but this time her father had to go alone. While preparing, he was apologetic for looking somehow sullen.

If the householder returns to Ethard territory, most servants must follow. For Rootvan and Damian, a larger number of servants than usual decided to stay at the Count, but Anna was included in the returning party. The maid-in-waiting loved her so much that she said she would raise her as the next chief maid, so it was right to be with her father, but it is regrettable. In particular, Ruby almost cried and grabbed Anna, saying, ‘How can I stop it by myself if Jenny runs out of control’. But Anna didn’t answer and avoided her gaze.

And Adrian, his laughter got thicker enough that sometimes she wondered if he was okay. He used to smile softly whenever their eyes met, but she couldn’t remember seeing a face that wasn’t smiling these days.