episode_0100

There were various stories circulating in society about the reasons behind the name Baekhap Palace.

Some said it was named so to emphasize the greatest virtue that a royal woman should possess, purity.

Others claimed that the Emperor named it after the Empress who loved lilies early in her life, in honor of her.

Or perhaps it was simply because it was the first star palace of the Galatea Imperial Family, so they added the lily, the family emblem, to the name.

Of course, the exact origin was unknown.

By the time Baekhap Palace was built, many years had passed, and there were no proper records left about the construction of the star palace.

However, one thing was certain.

The vast garden behind Baekhap Palace was filled with lilies that suited its name, blooming abundantly.

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Despite the scorching heat, the peaks in the garden still bowed their heads, not yet fully unfurling their moist leaves.

In the center of the garden, a small space was set up to welcome the delicate flower buds that came gently.

A sky-blue parasol was opened on the table to shield from the warm sunlight. Underneath it, Eleanor and Dominique sat facing each other, with sweet cakes, cookies, and bitter black tea laid out in front of them.

“So, you’re heading down to the west next week?” Dominique asked, setting down her teacup on the table with grace.

Dressed in navy blue pants under a white shirt, she had a somewhat unconventional appearance for a lady.

As always, she sat before Eleanor in a masculine manner, but today, with the tight navy pants and the white shirt tucked in, her feminine curves were more pronounced than usual.

In fact, one could say she looked even more feminine than Eleanor, who wore a pink long skirt under a light blouse.

“Yes… that’s the plan. I know you’re worried. My parents…” Eleanor replied, calmly meeting Dominique’s gaze with her golden eyes.

“Well, Lady Changbaek and Lady Bianca both adore you, so…” Dominique’s voice carried a hint of regret. It was evident in Eleanor’s golden eyes that the emotion was genuine.

“So when do you plan to return to the capital?” Dominique asked.

“Well… I’m not sure, Dom. Honestly, I don’t know,” Eleanor replied with the same tone and gaze.

Despite receiving such a voice and gaze full of emotion, Eleanor calmly informed that today might be the last time they could meet like this.

In fact, Albris had not told Eleanor anything about the future. He only arranged for her to take the train to the west, without mentioning that her parents would not let her go.

Yet Eleanor could sense it.

When she returned to the west this time, she didn’t know when she would return to the capital.

The events that had unfolded around her were too serious to be treated as mere dramas.

She had almost lost her life when she was stabbed by Shilov, and there were casualties in the kidnapping incident.

Moreover, she was no longer just a noble lady of a noble family.

Still feeling awkward with the alien feeling, Eleanor gently bowed her head while caressing the blue diamond ring on her finger.

No matter what anyone said, she was now truly the Duchess’s, Dimitri’s lady.

“Yeah… I see. Yeah, that makes sense,” Dominique skillfully masked her feelings of regret in response to Eleanor’s voice filled with sorrow.

She was adept at handling such farewells, having seen many disappear from her side, whether by choice or by others, once they tried to get close to her.

Of course, among those who disappeared, there was no one who opened their heart as much as Eleanor does now.

Furthermore, it felt somewhat fortunate that Ellie was returning to the west.

Having walked on the sticky wet ground until now, it was now time to truly step into a dirty mud puddle.

The intelligence that her mother, the red-haired empress, who had been hunched over due to the recent incident, was quietly moving around during the founding celebration, came through her informant.

Furthermore, the movements of her father, Emperor Eduard, were also quite suspicious in various ways.

Even though he had handed over the Viscountcy of Valatie to the half-breed bastard Yulian, he was still living at the Viscountcy of Valatie with a dirty prostitute in his arms.

Rumors had it that he only sent a congratulatory message containing his declaration to the founding celebration banquet held at the Imperial Palace, and did not even show his face.

Thanks to this, even amidst the splendid atmosphere of the founding celebration, the Viscountcy of Valatie was filled with even denser shadows than before.

So, if Ellie were to return to the west.

She wouldn’t have to show her own ugly side directly to her eyes.

She wouldn’t have to reveal her despicable original self to the woman who had taken her heart for the first time.

“Well, it’s not like we’re parting ways forever.”

With a grin, Dominic looked at Eleanor in front of him. Suppressing his regret deep in his heart, he showed her the most beautiful smile he could muster.

“W-well, I guess so.”

However, the emotions Eleanor sent were slightly different from Dominic’s.

Eleanor, who was stuttering slightly, looked at Dominic’s sky-blue eyes that were starting to shake, and Dominic thought to himself.

She really was a delicate woman in front of him.

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Eleanor. No, Seoju was not familiar with the feeling of parting.

It was natural since she had never experienced a proper parting in Korea in the 21st century where she had lived. To feel such a profound emotion, technically and geographically, the land she had lived on was very narrow.

So, the parting she had experienced was just graduating from school and parting ways with friends. Even if it was called parting, it was something that could be easily resolved with time.

So, Eleanor had no resistance to the feeling of parting compared to other emotions.

Moreover, Dominic was the first friend Eleanor had made as Seoju.

At first, Eleanor, who took a step back from Dominic’s glamorous and beautiful appearance and her somewhat proactive attitude, gradually began to open her heart to her as she felt that she was truly cherished in her words and actions, despite her position as a princess.

To be honest, Eleanor felt closer to Dominic now than to the foreigner waiting for her at Baekhap Palace.

Meanwhile, the hormones that had taken control of her body anew had scattered the emotions of a man that she had accumulated for 21 years.

“Ah… wait a minute.”

Suddenly, tears flowed.

Surprised by the warm and ticklish sensation flowing down her cheeks, Eleanor quickly turned her head to the side.

“W-wait, why am I… why am I like this?”

She tried to suppress her emotions by turning her head.

But once the emotions started to burst out, it was not an easy task for Eleanor, who had now become a woman, both physically and mentally.

Watching Eleanor sobbing for a while, Dominic gently stood up from his seat and approached her. Then, he carefully sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her fragile waist.

“S-sob… Domi?”

“Thank you, Ellie.”

In his soft hands wrapped around her waist.

In the warm body temperature felt on her back.

In Dominic’s voice close to her ear.

Eleanor widened her eyes, now reddened hastily, and turned her head. However, due to her posture, she couldn’t see what expression Dominic, who was behind her, was making or what he was thinking.

“You’re the first one to cry for me like this.”

Dominic, who gently placed his head on her shoulder, said.

He had always viewed Eleanor, nestled in his arms, as nothing more than a chess piece to wield the power of the West for his own throne.

Grateful, sorry, thankful, and tender, she wept for him, her emotions overflowing. Dominique, moved by her tears, gently pulled her hand that rested on his waist closer to him, bringing his lips to her platinum hair.

“Um, Dominique? D-Dominique?”

Eleanor, feeling the sudden softness above her head, even stopped her tears. Dominique, near her right ear, whispered softly as he brought his lips closer.

“My dear Mon Chéri. Wherever you go, wherever you are, I will always be by your side.”

Even if you were to betray me.

Dominique, blending his surging emotions into a tender kiss and his voice, was truly a man of his words.