Chapter 22
“Leighton is truly a wonderful person.”
That afternoon.
I crouched beside the flowerbeds in the glass greenhouse, absentmindedly talking to Jjakjjak-i.
“How can he be so kind and considerate? He knew things I didn’t even say out loud.”
How did he know that I hadn’t held my debutante ball?
I hadn’t been able to host a debutante ball due to my circumstances. Everyone in the Empire knew why.
My parents’ deaths.
I had thought a debutante ball was insignificant. There were far more pressing matters piled up around me.
Until I realized the original story and met Leighton, my days had been chaotic to the point of despair.
But after meeting him, everything was gradually starting to change.
Ailey, who had been so busy watching me and worrying about me, now laughed more often.
It felt like I had a real older brother.
“He said he would try, and he really is trying. Goodness, how admirable.”
[Kek, kek. Selena! Let go of me!]
Overjoyed, I had gripped Jjakjjak-i a little too tightly.
“Oh! Sorry.”
[Do you intend to kill me? I just saw the dimension of holiness!]
“That’s your home, though. That’s exaggerating.”
[Look at your mouth! I’m letting you off this time!]
Annoyed, Jjakjjak-i flapped up and pecked at the crown of my head with its beak.
It hurt slightly because it kept pecking the same spot, but today, I could let it slide.
‘A debutante ball! How wonderful!’
I knew how precious it was for a young lady of a noble family to hold a debutante ball.
It was the official path to debut in high society.
Not as the temporary head of the Bennett Grand Duchy, but in the name of Selena Bennett, the future head of the family.
Inside the greenhouse, with only Jjakjjak-i and me.
I couldn’t contain my excitement and stomped my feet.
‘That expression at the end… I’ve never seen it before.’
The sound of a child’s happy laughter and the gentle spring breeze.
His light brown hair swaying along with it, and a faint smile that accompanied it.
Though it was a much weaker smile than usual, it was more memorable than ever.
The beautiful garden of the Grand Ducal mansion, combined with his watercolor-like appearance, looked like a painting.
[You look happy.]
“It’s a relief that happiness is nearby.”
[Yes. There’s plenty of happiness if you look around. Most people miss it because they only look far away. As expected of my chosen disciple, wise as ever.]
“I want to protect Leighton.”
I firmly resolved. If Leighton’s best efforts gave me happiness, I wanted to give my best to him in return.
I tapped my stiff legs after crouching for so long and stood up.
The flowerbeds before me were in full bloom with carefully planted Titiano flowers.
There were only a few days left until the full moon.
‘About ten days, maybe.’
I didn’t want Leighton to spend his time in lonely suffering.
But sneaking into his room like last time was far too risky.
As rumored, he clearly possessed remarkably animal-like instincts.
I had to come up with another way to avoid being caught.
Making the Titiano flowers bloom was no longer a problem.
I was still clumsy with divine power, but fortunately, I seemed to have quite a lot of it.
[The Titiano flowers are in full bloom. Even better than last time. This will work well.]
“I want the flowers to bloom a bit faster, but it’s not going well.”
Jjakjjak-i spoke as if it were obvious.
[Of course! You’re still rough and clumsy with divine power. It’s almost a shame that with that enormous potential, you can only make flowers like this.]
“Isn’t that overestimating me?”
[Just try harder before talking!]
Perhaps out of frustration, Jjakjjak-i chattered loudly.
Well, it was true.
I had never properly practiced using divine power because I had been preoccupied with the tutor problem and Leighton’s curse.
I hugged Jjakjjak-i tightly, silently apologizing, but it continued to nag loudly.
[Your divine power is incredible. There’s an aura around you, dazzlingly white and vast.]
“An aura?”
[Yes, an aura. Every human has their own energy. I can see it. And yours… might be the second or maybe even the cleanest power I’ve ever seen!]
Really? Me?
I could make ropes and flowers with divine power, and that was enough.
But Jjakjjak-i seemed to see me as even more extraordinary.
Before realizing the original story, I had lived an ordinary life as a Grand Duchess.
‘So I’m a Grand Duchess with incredible divine power?’ It was like something out of a novel.
“There might be a misunderstanding. As I said last time, originally, Ailey…”
[I don’t know what you’ve seen, but I’m Shinsu. My words are the most accurate. Your divine power is far superior to Ailey’s. I stake my life… no, my Shinsu life on it.]
“This is really strange.”
In the original story, I had been an extra among extras, yet I supposedly had more divine power than Ailey.
Still hard to believe. But since it was Shinsu speaking, I had no choice but to trust it.
Would it have a major impact on the story?
Well, as long as Ailey didn’t need divine power to heal Leighton’s curse, it probably didn’t matter.
Having the most powerful ability wasn’t a bad thing.
I crouched again in front of the Titiano flowers. Their red petals shimmered faintly, infused with divine power.
Looking at the golden dust floating around them, I asked Shinsu,
“Is this golden dust a sign that divine power is manifesting?”
[Yes. You see it around things soaked in divine power. They sparkle like your hair and announce their presence.]
The trace, noble and golden like my hair, was beautiful.
[Only those with supernatural abilities can see this. Be careful. Leighton can probably see it.]
Divine power should not be discovered. If someone used it for their own purposes, or if Leighton noticed, he would immediately realize who had eased the curse.
Originally, it was Ailey’s role to help him, so it was better to stay unnoticed.
I gazed at the golden dust surrounding the flowers, lost in thought.
How could I help Leighton?
After sitting for a long time thinking, no solution came to mind.
I eventually left the greenhouse and returned to the office.
I was slowly walking up the stairs in the main hall.
Just before reaching the third floor, I heard voices near the stairs.
“Marquis. We need to act quickly before victims increase near the Marquisate. Another report just came in. Something seems off.”
Oliver’s usually calm voice trembled thinly with anxiety.
I froze in place. The hallway was empty.
I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, yet I found myself holding my breath.
‘Victims near the Marquisate?’
What could this mean?
I had never seen Leighton mention any problems related to the Zains Marquisate.
It was located far north of the Empire’s capital, Roteria.
The northern region of the Holy Empire was harsh and barren, almost fortress-like, and very few had seen the Zains Marquisate in person.
Likewise, I knew little about it.
Even in the original story, it was barely mentioned.
So the conversation I was hearing naturally caught my attention.
“Explain the situation first.”
Leighton’s voice was low and chilling, sending a shiver down me.
“Uh… it’s a message from Paladin Elisha, who is stationed near the northern border.”
Paper rustled, and the conversation paused for a moment.
“…Damn it.”
A brief curse, and then Leighton sighed deeply.
Then their footsteps faded as they returned to the room.
I finally exhaled and dashed into the office.
I collapsed onto the purple velvet sofa, and my pounding heart began to calm.
I silently replayed Leighton and Oliver’s conversation, repeating the last name I had heard.
“Paladin Elisha?”
I had never heard the name before.
I murmured it softly.
“…A paladin, right?”
Judging by Leighton’s reaction, the message from her was not good news.
I wished he would tell me.
Whatever it was, I wanted to help him, just as he had intervened for me.
“I’m curious!”
I wanted to ask Leighton directly, but I doubted he would answer.
I swung my legs onto the sofa arm, thinking a relaxed posture might help me come up with ideas.
‘I should learn more about the northern lands where the Zains Marquisate is located.’
Even in the original story, the north was barely mentioned.
Before realizing this world was from a novel, it was completely irrelevant to me.
Now, however, it was different. Since Leighton governed the region, I naturally paid attention.
‘First, I should find out about the lands under the Zains Marquisate.’
With that resolution, I jumped up and began rifling through the bookshelf next to the office.
I hoped at least one book about the north would be there, since this was my father’s study.
‘…Ugh, nothing!’
No matter how hard I looked, there was almost no information on the north.
It was strangely lacking.
‘Why is there so little information?’
Though managed by the Zains Marquisate, it was still part of the Holy Empire.
Even though citizens lived there, information about the north was extremely sparse.
“…The harsh northern lands are near the border. Clouds and mist are frequent, and crops are scarce.”
That was it?
Just as I was feeling disappointed, I finally found an old, tattered newspaper.
“Royal Knights Deployed to Northern Border.”
The article was dated about five years ago.
I stared at it, sighing.
Even after reading it, the content was unclear.
Five years ago, I was too young to care about any of this.
I tossed the newspaper onto the desk in frustration.
“Ah, so what exactly is the problem in the north!”
No matter how loudly I shouted, it wouldn’t change anything.
I buried my face in my hands, banging my head on the desk.
Exactly one week after struggling like this, thanks to Leighton’s incredible initiative and execution, the debutante ball was held—and I finally came face to face with Elisha.
