That day. The day Velkirei tried to take Eliana’s power and failed.
Their eyes had met unexpectedly.
Yet even when she faced the crimson eyes that appeared whenever he used the power of the demon, Eliana had looked completely unfazed.
"No, rather…."
"I thought our eyes met! Sometimes it feels like Your Majesty can actually see, you know? Haha."
Velkirei was not someone who would be deceived by such an obvious lie.
It seemed she already knew that Velkirei had made a Demonic Contract.
Her reaction had been different from that of someone seeing those crimson eyes for the first time.
The Empire was a place that harbored deep hostility toward outsiders.
If someone in such an empire were to see that the emperor’s eyes were no longer the blue eyes that symbolized the Owen imperial family but red instead, most people would be horrified.
But Eliana’s reaction had been completely different.
It was the reaction of someone confirming something she already knew.
She had been surprised, certainly, but she showed no sign of rejecting the fact that his eyes were not blue.
It was clear that Eliana was hiding something, yet he could not even guess what it might be.
At that moment, Velkirei opened his eyes at the sound of approaching footsteps.
The crimson hue in his eyes vanished as if it had never existed, returning to their usual blue.
At the same time, Eliana entered the bedroom.
"I’m here."
"Welcome."
A gentle smile formed on Velkirei’s lips.
When he extended his hand, Eliana naturally brought the back of it to her forehead.
The moment he held her hand, the slight headache he had been feeling eased temporarily.
Guided by that sensation, Velkirei wrapped an arm around Eliana’s waist. It was a somewhat impulsive act.
"Y Your Majesty?"
Eliana called to him stiffly, sounding startled.
He only tightened his embrace.
When he took a deep breath, he could smell Eliana’s pleasant body scent.
"You’ve been going out often lately."
"There’s a lot to prepare for the ceremony. Were you lonely?"
"I just felt a little empty."
Velkirei let out a long breath and then released Eliana.
She naturally sat down at eye level with him.
There was no need to do so with someone who was supposedly blind, yet she always met his gaze every time.
Velkirei looked at her with a relaxed gaze. In his pupils, Eliana’s brightly smiling face was reflected.
"Just endure it a little longer."
"What if I don’t want to endure it?"
"Hmm… then should I just not do it?"
Eliana spoke as if coaxing him, but soon her expression became slightly troubled. It seemed she hoped he would tell her not to say that.
Velkirei quietly shook his head.
"Then when you come to me, focus only on me."
"How should I focus?"
With a lively expression, Eliana took both of Velkirei’s hands.
Velkirei spoke to her coldly.
"You only need to stay beside me."
"Is that really enough?"
Eliana asked as if it sounded too simple.
Velkirei clasped her hand and brought it to his lips.
He answered while pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.
"Stay beside me. Don’t let your attention wander anywhere. Only stay at my side."
‘Otherwise, I don’t know what I might end up doing to you.’
Velkirei felt an unquenched thirst.
Instinctively, he wanted the power Eliana possessed.
Yet at the same time he felt as though he should not take it.
Amid that strange whirl of contradictory emotions, Velkirei forcibly suppressed his feelings.
Preparations for the debutante ceremony were proceeding smoothly.
Eliana watched Mary as she spun in a circle around her while wearing the ceremonial dress.
The dress, made of blue fabric embroidered with silver thread, suited Mary well.
Seeing how excited she looked made Eliana feel oddly proud.
‘At first she even struggled to choose according to her own taste….’
Perhaps because she had personally picked out the clothes and jewelry while sweating nervously over the choices, she seemed even more delighted.
Mary still did not fully understand her own preferences.
That ceremonial dress had ultimately been chosen only after Eliana coaxed and persuaded her several times whenever Mary said she could not decide.
"Do you like it?"
"Hmm… it still feels a little empty."
Mary spoke hesitantly.
Eliana stood beside her and examined the dress carefully, wondering what seemed awkward.
"Ah, is it because your hair looks too plain? It might look better with a hair ornament."
Eliana took out several accessories from the jewelry box and held them near Mary’s hair.
While she considered which ornament would match the luxurious ceremonial dress, Mary shook her head.
"Hmm, rather than that… how should I say it. It feels a little plain, but I want it to feel more splendid."
It was a vague rejection that suggested she did not like the accessories.
Unlike before, when she could not reject anything outright, Mary could now gently express her own opinion.
"Plain but splendid?"
Eliana looked at Mary with an even more confused expression.
As if unaware of Eliana’s confusion, Mary added another explanation.
"Yes! Something light but heavy."
Mary’s face was bright, and her eyes sparkled.
Only then did Eliana realize that Mary’s words were contradictory.
Come to think of it, was something that was heavy and light at the same time even possible?
"Your Highness, do you realize you’re saying something very contradictory right now?"
Eliana replied with a small laugh.
Plain yet splendid, light yet heavy jewelry.
What kind of wordplay was that?
If it was light, it was light. If it was splendid, it was splendid.
It sounded exactly like the way a superior rejected a report and asked for revisions.
They would use all kinds of flowery expressions to explain, yet the person listening would not understand a single thing.
That was exactly how this felt.
"Um, well…."
At Eliana’s words, Mary rolled her eyes around as if trying to find a better expression.
Eliana also began thinking about what kind of jewelry could be plain yet splendid, light yet heavy.
At that moment, someone suddenly presented the answer.
"If you are looking for jewelry that is plain yet splendid and light yet heavy, I believe you mean this."
Startled, Eliana quickly turned around.
A tall man stood there wearing a neatly tailored uniform, his dark blue hair elegantly tied up.
His gaze was directed precisely toward Mary.
The moment Mary saw him, her face brightened.
At that instant, warmth appeared in his violet eyes that had seemed cold.
It seemed her smile had softened his expression.
The "this" he mentioned was a veil.
He held the veil in his hand. Unlike ordinary veils, it glittered as though sprinkled with powdered jewels.
The moment Eliana saw it, she realized that was exactly what Mary had wanted.
A veil that looked light yet carried the solemn weight suitable for a sacred ceremony.
It seemed plain like a simple cloth, yet the powdered jewels and delicate lace made it dazzling.
It was exactly what Mary had described.
While Eliana stared at him blankly, Mary ran toward him and shouted.
"Kal!"
Kal?
The moment Eliana heard his name, her eyes widened.
No wonder he had seemed strangely familiar.
His dark blue hair and violet eyes resembled the appearance of the male protagonist.
When Mary ran toward him, he immediately pulled her into his arms.
He looked at her with affectionate eyes as if the two of them were the only people in the room.
He looked at her with such tenderness that Eliana felt as if she had become invisible.
If he loved her that much, why had he not realized his own feelings sooner?
Eliana watched the two of them openly displaying their affection.
Kalius Hafons.
Originally the second son of Duke Hafons, he had possessed such extraordinary talent that after the duke and duchess died in an accident, he had been elevated to the position of head of the house.
He was also the male protagonist who had received a great deal of criticism from readers.
After all, he had been so obsessed with his own ambitions that he failed to notice Mary slowly losing her sanity and simply neglected her.
Eliana straightened her posture and introduced herself properly.
"Hello. I am Eliana Mushe."
"So you are the daughter of Count Mushe."
Kalius replied indifferently. He did not even bother looking at her, and his tone sounded irritated.
What was this?
Why did it feel strangely like she was being ignored?
As Kalius treated her with the same indifference one might show to a stone lying on the road, Eliana’s expression stiffened.
It was a moment that made her keenly aware of the male protagonist’s personality.
Seeing his lukewarm reaction, Mary hurriedly introduced Kalius herself in embarrassment.
"Ah, Eliana. This is the Duke of Hafons. Kal, this is your first time meeting her. Isn’t that a bit too stiff?"
"I simply have no interest in women other than Mary."
‘Ah, yes. Of course you wouldn’t.’
Eliana mocked inwardly.
In the original story, Kalius was the typical bad man.
Cold to everyone else, but warm to his woman.
It was one of the character types that readers loved.
After all, it did not matter how terribly he treated others as long as he treated the heroine well.
Of course, in the later part of the story he even began showing that same terrible side to the heroine, which earned him considerable criticism.
‘When Velkirei, the true mastermind, completely seized power, he began treating the heroine coldly as well….’
Mary held onto Kalius’s still rigid arm and spoke gently.
"You remember? I told you before. She’s the one helping me with the ceremony."
"Mary, there is no need to use honorific speech with someone beneath you."
Kalius spoke firmly. It seemed he was displeased that Mary had referred to Eliana with such respect.
He was a man with a strong sense of pride in being a noble.
He knew exactly what his title meant and how to make use of it.
Of course, Kalius’s words were not entirely unreasonable.
Mary was the third highest ranking person in the empire.
Therefore there was no real reason for her to speak so respectfully to Eliana, who was merely the daughter of a count.
‘Yes, that’s true, but still. Did he really need to say that in front of me?’
Eliana kept smiling outwardly while inwardly making a sour expression.
Kalius’s personality was even more unpleasant than she had expected.
When she had read the novel, she had cheered whenever he coldly shut people out.
Men who were nice to everyone had never seemed attractive to her.
But being ignored and shut down when she had not done anything felt strangely unpleasant.
It felt as though she had been struck for no reason while simply standing still.
Moreover, there was a contradiction in Kalius’s words.
He himself was also lower in rank than Mary, yet he accepted her respectful speech without objection.
‘He’s a subordinate too!’
Eliana forced herself to hide her dissatisfied expression.