This kind of courtship is complicated - chapter 12
#012 Give it a try. Anything. Until you're tired.
"Master, should we depart?"
"No, not yet."
Helios cast an indifferent glance at Vellia. The day had quickly turned to dusk, and now it was quite late to walk alone, relying solely on the faintly diffused white moonlight.
But why the insistence?
Unlike earlier, Vellia's shoulders slumped, and she looked weak. Helios turned his gaze away from her and leaned against the seat, closing his eyes with a sigh.
"Even though I'm inexperienced with these emotions, one thing is clear..."
Whatever she was about to say, he didn't need to hear it. If her words continued from where they left off, it would have been a meaningless conversation.
As Vellia's voice, like a lingering wound, faded into obscurity, something touched Helios's hand.
The texture was soft, and the lingering warmth was comforting. Helios opened his eyes after wiping away his weariness. It was the red muffler.
With a tired expression and a slight sigh, he picked it up and stepped out of the carriage.
Had she come back to retrieve the forgotten muffler? Vellia Drevere was already approaching this way.
With determination, Vellia approached Helios, who was holding the muffler. She walked vigorously and stood before him with a resolute expression. Her eyes, sparkling like transparent jewels, were slightly red underneath.
"Did you cry?"
"Your Grace."
Her voice, clear and distinct, called him by his title.
"The time we've spent together doesn't necessarily reflect the depth of our feelings. Just because I fell in love with Your Grace in a short moment doesn't mean my feelings are shallow."
The words that came out suddenly were an analysis of time and the depth of emotions. Helios couldn't help but laugh at this unexpected confession. So, she had come for the muffler?
"Miss Vellia, what are you..."
"You said it earlier. That it was a joke. I didn't intend to ridicule or play pranks on Your Grace. Everything I've said and done until now has been sincere. I can swear on the Bricen path where we stand right now."
This time, the offering for her vow wasn't Evan Arcas but the Bricen path. Without hesitation, Vellia conveyed her true feelings.
"I like Your Grace. Very much."
The air around them grew cold and tense. However, the confession filled with the warmth of first love in the heart of winter was both comforting and radiant.
Vellia's small fist, clutching the muffler, trembled slightly. Her white coat fluttered, revealing her light brown hair.
With unwavering pupils, Vellia looked up at him. Helios, now devoid of a smile, silently gazed back at her.
Her eyes beneath her delicate eyelashes were difficult to interpret. He had never seen someone look at him with such an expression before.
"You might regret it."
Amidst the strange silence, Helios spoke his first words. It was a gentle but earnest warning.
"No, I won't regret it."
"Haven't you heard the rumors about me?"
"But you're not him."
It was unclear what she saw or why she was so sure. What was certain was that she was right, and he was wrong.
In this moment, Helios faced the sincerity of Vellia Drevere.
The stars stitched into the dark sky sparkled differently atop the poplar trees along the path. In the serene silence, where even the faintest breath might be heard, Helios took a step forward.
Then he said what he could right now.
"Whether it's sincere or a jest, my answer won't change. Let's pretend I didn't hear this either."
Without any hesitation, Vellia narrowed the gap between them, taking two steps closer.
"Yes. Then let's pretend you didn't hear this one either."
Now they stood only an arm's length apart.
"But someday, I will continue to get closer until my feelings reach you."
The lady of Drevere, raised with an abundance of love, seemed overly romantic. That might be why she was so sure that her feelings would eventually reach him.
Looking down at the confident young lady of Drevere, who would probably become a troublesome obstacle before the engagement scheduled for this year, Helios handed the muffler he had been holding to Vellia.
As Vellia looked at her red muffler that had come back to her, Helios's voice softened.
"Then give it a try. Anything. Until you're tired."
Vellia slowly raised her head. A bright smile emerged on her face, like the spring sun. Her cheeks, tinged with a rosy hue, showed vitality.
"Yes!"
Her unequivocal answer confirmed her misunderstanding of what he had said. As bright as the sunlight on a shadowless day, her response left no room for doubt.
Helios turned back to the carriage, still in disbelief, and drove away. Vellia frequently glanced back, waving her hand at the retreating Helios.
It took her twice as long as earlier to leave the path. Unlike before, Helios silently uttered a short prayer once her figure had completely disappeared.
"Enough for now."
As he pulled the reins, the carriage started moving. Helios gazed silently out the window and occasionally let out a soft chuckle.
"Why did the rational and naive Duke of Drevere turn into such a romantic when it came to his daughter?"
In Vellia Drevere's mind, thoughts of flowers blooming in the winter and snow falling in the summer swirled. Considering the everyday details in the letters she had sent him, her speculations were likely not far from the truth.
The carriage, now leaving the Bricen path, passed through a small forest surrounded by oak trees and quickly exited Bricen. The road led to Winstlo, following the course of the Pamwil River. The faint moonlight shimmered on the silver surface of the river as it flowed peacefully.
Helios closed his eyes slowly. The eyes of the woman who had tired him out all day—those lively chestnut eyes—briefly crossed his mind.
A postal carriage, carrying a single letter, passed by Arzen Duchy's car.
***
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Yeah."
Vellia replied with a deep sigh at Evan's question.
It was just one letter, and not even from the awaited Duke Arzen but from Clonette Arzen. She was so happy about a letter from such an unexpected sender.
Vellia had been jumping around for a while, but she returned to her usual calm within a few hours. Of course, her calmness was just as unusual as her excitement.
Evan, who had secretly worried when he heard the letter arrived from Winstlo, let out a relieved sigh and nodded.
"By the way, how did she find out about it?"
"I happened to see her when I went to Holt Bookstore."
"No wonder it felt like it took forever! Do you have any idea how tired I was trying to keep the two of them entertained that day? No, never mind that. More importantly, you only met for a day, and you're already exchanging letters?"
"We became close. Our hearts connected."
"She's known for being strict and demanding, and your hearts connected? Vellia, are you sure you're not misunderstanding something about this person?"
Evan looked at the letter with a suspicious gaze.
"She's a very kind lady. You can't even imagine how elegant and charming every word she speaks is. Ah, I want to grow old, keeping precious memories deep in my heart like her."
As Vellia continued with inexplicable words, a servant brought a paper knife. She sat down unusually neatly, as if preparing for a solemn ceremony, and held the paper knife with great determination.
Evan put down the book he had been holding in his right hand and approached.
A while later, as Vellia, who had been reading the letter, suddenly exclaimed and jumped up, the spring-green muslin dress she was wearing swayed gracefully.
"What's wrong, Evan?"
"What on earth does it say?"
Still sprawled on the bed, with the letter clutched to her chest, Vellia turned over. But even so, she smiled brightly. Her hair, gathered with an ivory ribbon, spilled charmingly under the bed.
"What should I do, Evan?"
"What's in the letter that's making you react this way?"
With an impatient look, Evan snatched the letter away.
"Um, I was invited to Winstlo."
"Are you really going?"
"Of course."
"Do you think you can really end up with Duke Arzen?"
"Absolutely."
Evan snatched the letter away and began reading the contents written on it against the wall.
Starting with greetings asking how she had been all along, the letter conveyed the date of the formal luncheon and also expressed the hope that she would come.
"What is this?"
"It means I've been invited to Winstlo."
Evan, who had just finished washing his face with cold water, wrinkled his brows with a troubled expression.
"Are you really going?"
"Of course."
"Do you think you can really end up with Duke Arzen?"
"Absolutely."
Vellia, who had snatched the letter from Evan's hand, hummed a tune as she clutched the letter to her chest. She neatly placed the folded letter into the first compartment of the drawer, where precious memories and items were kept.
Among various memorabilia like small round pearls, a commemorative coin from the Queen's coronation, and a souvenir postcard from the horticultural exhibition, Clonette Arzen's letter took its place.
Soon, Vellia closed the drawer carefully and sat by the window. The winter sky outside was gloomy gray, but in Vellia's eyes filled with anticipation and hope for the coming day, the sky was a rosy pink.
As she gazed out at the world, where everything seemed vague and beautiful in the fading light, the sky in Vellia's eyes was painted with a pale pink hue.
"Did you know that first love often doesn't come true?"
In response to Evan's continuous sarcastic remarks, Vellia casually answered.
"Oh, then I'm relieved. I'm on my second love."