The Return of the Female Knight
CHAPTER 41
"When you look at me with those eyes, I want to give you everything."
"…!"
His gaze was like a net in the air. Elena could not move as if she had been snared. He calmed his voice as much as possible, trying to avoid his sharp gaze.
"Thank you for your attention, but please don't spend that much money on future meetings."
The two did not even meet for a date, and he could not stand this extravagance.
Despite the seriousness of Elena's tone, Carlisle only smiled.
“I just returned what you said. You care so much about useless things. ”
"But-"
Elena was about to deny, when she was distracted by the sound of a tuning instrument on stage. The show will start soon. Not wanting to interrupt Carlisle's first time at the opera, Elena stopped talking. Carlisle recognized the silence.
“We will do the rest of the talk after the show is over. “
"…good."
He pressed his lips. He did not know where to look, so he directed his eyes towards the stage. He was worried Carlisle was sitting next to him, but when he wordlessly watched the show from his perspective, he realized that the box chair was indeed the ideal space.
Although the stage lit up brightly in front of them, there was no way he could be seen from where he was sitting. The chairs were pulled out of the balcony and hidden in the shadows, and the box itself seemed to be at a blind spot for the crowd below. There are several other boxes located in the opera house, but it is also not easy to see them from there. Carlisle actually paid attention to the small details when it came to Elena's request not to be seen together.
He suddenly recalled what Carlisle had said the last time they met.
– On my way, it's true I care about you.
What he said at the time was not true. Carlisle had done more than enough for Elena, and she was so dedicated to him that she even felt a little uncomfortable sitting with him in this dark and cramped space.
Every movement he made, every little breath he breathed, he noticed. His chin was propped up in his hand as he watched the opera apathetically, and he stole a glance at it. For some reason he couldn't concentrate on the show.
*
*
*
The curtain eventually fell on the opera stage. Carlisle had been watching the show with an indifferent expression throughout. Elena spoke to him curiously.
"How's that?"
“It wasn't as good as I expected. And you?"
Actually, it was an appearance he wanted to see, but now he could not remember what it was. He can't concentrate.
"That .. was fun."
She lies. Unaware of her feelings, Carlisle smiled.
"If you like it, then I'm satisfied."
Elena suddenly felt as guilty as a child.
"Then, let's often go to the opera in the future."
"… But you said you didn't like it."
"But you said you liked it."
He answered without hesitation, and he was astonished by his answer. He could not understand why he was trying to entertain his obvious tastes.
Elena was about to say something else when Carlisle stood up first.
"Better we go now to avoid the public eye."
He's correct. Even if they hesitated for a moment, the nobles who finished watching the opera would flood the hall of the building. For now, most of them were still in their seats, lingering in their memories of the show. It was very important to leave now to avoid the invasion of people.
"…Yes."
He has a lot to say, but they can't talk here. He will rise from his chair to follow him when–
Sugs.
Carlisle held his hand in front of Elena. He understood what he meant without speaking. I want to accompany you. There was no reason to reject Carlisle's polite behavior, so Elena hesitated for just a moment before gently putting her fingers on her palm.
In any situation, Elena would take the hand of the man offered regardless of who it was. Not for any particular reason; it's simple politeness.
But now he felt trepidation when Carlisle grabbed his hand. Even Elena could not understand why she felt that way all of a sudden. He got up from his chair, holding onto Carlisle with a watchful expression.
"Let's go, then."
Under Carlisle's graceful guidance, Elena left the box and returned to the carriage guarded by the bannermen. There were already a few nobles wandering at the entrance, but they could not see the faces of Elena and Carlisle. Mutters of conversation floated around them, wondering about the mysterious guests. Elena had no intention of coming here to be captured, so she boarded the train as quickly as possible.
"… Haaa."
He breathed a sigh of relief inside the carriage. Looking at Elena's still nervous expression, Carlisle spoke in a low voice.
“You don't have to worry too much about getting caught with me. And even if we do, we can fix something. ”
"I knew. But if possible .. I want my family to believe that our marriage was done out of love. "
Carlisle looked at her with a curious look, and Elena explained.
"If they knew it was a contractual marriage .. I'm sure they'd be worried."
Mirabelle's sweet face appeared in her mind. Then Derek, who pretends to be blunt but cares more for her than anyone else. She wanted to show them that getting married was because love was possible, and she didn't want to make them worry about her choices.
“You've come this far, so you don't have to worry. The royal ball will soon be. "
Carlisle strangely seemed to be trying to convince her, so he gave her a faint smile.
Elena suddenly realized that the carriage had been heading somewhere ever since they boarded. He looked at Carlisle with a questioning look.
"Where are we going this time?"
"Let's have dinner. Come to think of it, we've never eaten together. ”
He nodded instead of answering. He had no intention of going against Carlisle's schedule, and their previous meetings had always been brief. It's not a bad idea to have dinner with her before they get married.
And there is no better place to talk at length.
Elena had hoped to eat in a comfortable place, but the place where she arrived with Carlisle far exceeded her expectations. They were in a three-story building that had absolutely no other guests. He soon realizes that Carlisle rented the entire restaurant.
He could also see a circle of Carlisle's men through the window, guarding the area from pedestrians. No matter how delicious the food was, he thought he would have trouble swallowing.
"Select whatever you like. ”
Carlisle casually gave her the menu, and she replied in a slightly tired voice.
"Everything is fine . ”
He looked at her before directly calling the waiter.
“We will get chef recommendation. ”
"Yes, understand. ”
Elena watched the maid lower her head and leave, and she wondered if she was one of Carlisle's subordinates. Otherwise, he and Carlisle would not have been able to show their faces like this.
"Do you not like it here?"
At first glance, it seemed like a pretty ordinary question, but Elena knew not to take it lightly. Sometimes Carlisle interpreted their conversation differently from what Elena had done.
In this case, he said he didn't want them to be seen together before the party, but somehow it meant he could still meet the requirements of buying a private box at the opera house or renting an entire restaurant. He just wanted to have a quiet meeting in a secluded place.
After taking a moment to calm his mind, he greeted her with a serious face.
“I'll be honest with you. ”
"Continue . ”
“This is too much. ”
He didn't know exactly what Carlisle was thinking, but his reaction was staggering.
"Which part?"
"Everything. ”
"Everything?"
Carlisle repeated it, and Elena gestured to her men outside.
“I thought I couldn't eat peacefully with the guards standing there like that. And as I said in the opera house, I wonder how expensive this place is. ”
Carlisle laughed amusedly at Elena's seriousness. Not knowing what it meant, Elena became confused, but before she could ask, Carlisle spoke first.
"In other words, you think I'm too extravagant?"
Elena nodded at his conclusion. How does Carlisle pay for box seats and restaurants? Is he really a playboy who spends a lot of money on women? There were fifty thousand thoughts in his head, and he could not relax and eat well.
Carlisle smiled on his face as he pierced through his thoughts.
“I understand that Madam is Curious, so I will briefly explain. Do you know how many battles I won on the field? They are countless. ”
"…"
"The answer is – where did all the spoils of battle go?"
"…!"
As soon as he heard Carlisle's words, his eyes opened wide. It was an area he had never thought of before.
The spoils of war, of course, went to the empire. Normally they would be sent to the Emperor, but no one knew how Carlisle handled the transfer of wealth in the middle. He never thought the crown prince would be the one to intercept him for himself.
“I'm not as clean and innocent. Being born a prince is not always a noble thing.When you are born, you are part of the emperor lineage. And from then on, the kind of family that came from the prince's mother was also important. ”
Elena remained silent. Carlisle's mother was a humble servant. There was a difference between the woman waiting and the servant working in the palace. The waiting women consisted of wives or lovers of the household nobility, while the servants who did household chores were humble commoners, sophie and Mary work for House Blaise. Carlisle's mother was such a servant, and Carlisle became crown prince without outside political support.
He was familiar with the controversy in the Imperial Family over Carlisle's motherly lineage blasphemy. It was known to everyone in the Ruford Empire, and Elena did not need to live a second life to find out.
"I have no support to lean on, and there's no way I'll let them take the spoils of war to the Imperial Palace. Do you disagree? "
Carlisle spoke nonchalantly so Elena felt a hint of sympathy. So far he had only considered how he could use Carlisle to protect his family, and had never thought about how he lived.
What kind of person is Carlisle? He wanted to know for the first time.
After all, Elena now fully understood why she was rich, even if she would not reject her objection. Since Carlisle had no outside power to support him, he secretly amassed his wealth through war.
“... I get your point. ”
Carlisle took a sip of the wine glass he was holding, looking strangely alluring as he did so.
"I heard from Kuhn. Someone smashed your ball gown. ”
"Ah yes . ”
He planned to ask Carlisle about it.
“The spoils are not always money, but jewelry and clothing. Sometimes you need a stealthy way to launder your wealth. ”
Now Elena understood why Carlisle was familiar with the subject of clothing, as Kuhn had said.
He finally seemed convinced, so Carlisle saw no need to explain any further. He glanced at the barely touched plate of food and frowned, then raised his right hand into the air and flicked his fingers. One of the men from outside came in an instant.
"You call me, Your Majesty. ”
"Move your men so they're invisible. You are distracting my guests from eating. ”
"I'm sorry, I'll take care of it soon. ”
Elena's face flushed red, and she looked between Carlisle and the guards. That's not what he meant before. It wasn't that he didn't want to see the guards, it was because he didn't want Carlisle to spoil him.
Sassak–
At Carlisle's orders, the guards disappeared from the window view. Elena was stunned silent, her lips twitching. Carlisle smiled triumphantly at the helpless Elena.
"Then let's eat. ”
A series of appetizing dishes began to flow out from the kitchen. It occurred to Elena that she might be tougher than she thought.
*
*
*
Outside the restaurant.
The man who stalked Elena at House Selby's request couldn't hide his excitement at the unexpected windfall.
"This is a scandal between Lady Blaise and a wealthy noble man!"
He did not know who the man was, but after observing them, the spy knew that the man was very rich. This was the information Helen had been waiting for. He has been persecuted for not having valuable information for the past few days.
The spy rushed over and reported to Helen, smiling at the prospect of being paid gold.
A shushushuk!
Suddenly, he fell from a tree.
"Ack!"
He could not even scream, and he choked with his eyes wide open. Someone had thrust a sharp dagger into his neck. The assailant slowly appeared through the dim moonlight, gazing towards the dying man.
It's Kuhn. He spoke in a low voice.
"The general told me not to let you go any further. ”
Kuhn quickly pulled the dagger from the spy's neck.
Fushuuk–
Blood spurted from his neck and the dead man's body fell to the ground.
Kuhn looked at the man's back before muttering again.
“This is how we live our lives, so go without a grudge. ”
