episode_0132

As the carriage door opened, a small, soft white hand reached out to escort him, Dimitri thought that perhaps today, at this moment, could be the moment to break the cold relationship between them.

However, as soon as the white sandals wrapped around her petite feet touched the ground, his lover turned coldly and walked away.

The lady in the sky-blue dress fluttered the hem of her dress as she headed towards the lake house in Verbier, her platinum blonde hair shimmering in the summer sunlight.

“Ah…”

Dimitri could only sigh softly as he watched her retreating figure.

In truth, this cold atmosphere between them was not new. They had already experienced a similar standoff on a train heading west.

While the previous standoff with Eleonore had been mixed with her antics, this current one was solely his fault, making him feel dizzy with regret.

The hem of her slightly short dress swayed in the breeze from the lake, and as the platinum strands of her hair danced, Dimitri couldn’t help but be captivated by her feminine and lovely appearance.

And then, a sharp voice pierced his ears.

“Hand!”

Dimitri quickly turned around. His younger sister, Hildegarde, was looking at him with a chubby expression. Just as he had done with Eleonore earlier, he reached out his hand to help his sister down from the carriage.

“Hilda… How is Ellie?”

Hildegarde, escorted by Dimitri, stepped down from the carriage and stared at her brother. Her response was like scolding a misbehaving child.

“Anyway. Making our angelic sister cry, really, brother.”

“Well, you see… I was a bit irritable due to lack of sleep, and also… ”

He tried to make excuses, but nothing came to mind. Faced with his sister’s sharp gaze, his black pupils trembled.

Nevertheless, Dimitri didn’t back down and faced his sister, who was clicking her tongue.

“It’s the engagement ceremony in a week… Shouldn’t we resolve the issue by then, Ellie?”

“That’s up to you, brother.”

Hildegarde replied fresh and confidently.

Then, like she was following a script, she walked briskly under her white dress towards Eleonore, who was moving away.

“I’m on the side of my sister now! You handle it yourself, brother!”

As if on cue, Hildegarde approached Eleonore, revealing her arm under the dress and pulled her towards the annex behind the mansion instead of the main house.

And Dimitri, left alone in that spot, could only dazedly watch the backs of the two women he loved so much.

#

“Sister. This is the annex. Actually, to me, this feels more like the main house than the main house itself.”

Under her mysterious hair, a mix of purple and black, Hildegarde looked embarrassed in many ways. Pulling Eleonore’s bare arm into her embrace, she continued the conversation.

“I always find this place more comfortable than the main house when I come to the mansion. So, I always stay here when I visit.”

Hildegarde, who had caught the new sister who got off the carriage, led her to a small two-story annex behind the main building of the villa, not the main building.

Unlike the main building built a little away from the vast lake, this annex was built close to the lake. The balcony behind the living room was right next to the lake, allowing one to dip their feet in the lake while sitting on the balcony.

“It’s beautiful.”

Eleanor, who was looking around the annex, soon expressed a short admiration beyond her pink lips.

It seemed that Hildegarde’s statement about staying here was not false, as the inside of the annex seemed sufficient for a noble lady to stay. Except for being a bit narrow.

The arranged furniture and decorations were spotlessly clean, and there was even a small room for the servants to stay next to the kitchen.

As Eleanor looked around the annex, one question popped into her mind.

The finances in the north wouldn’t be good enough to manage a villa like this separately. And neither Dimitri nor Hilda are the type to indulge in such luxury.

Was it an attempt to read the new sister’s inner thoughts?

Hildegarde, who had settled on the sofa in the living room, suddenly grabbed Eleanor next to her and spoke.

“In fact, this villa is jointly owned by the royal family and the Verbrüts.”

“Jointly owned by the royal family?”

“Yes. It’s evidence that the two families were once one bloodline.”

As she tidied the hem of her feminine dress, Hildegarde continued to speak while looking at Eleanor sitting next to her.

“Thanks to that, even now, the villa is being maintained diligently by the royal family. Despite cutting off support to the north. It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it?”

Eleanor nodded her head.

Having spent nearly two months in the ducal castle, Eleanor, who had become a person of the north, couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful towards the royal family, even though she hadn’t experienced any hardships.

Hildegarde looked at Eleanor with a teasing smile.

“That’s why Princess Dominique also visits here often. Of course, she stays in the main building, not the annex.”

That name she hadn’t heard in a long time.

Eleanor decided to take a step further towards the northern hostess by mentioning the name of her cousin that came from her sister.

If she becomes the duchess, she will be the one to welcome Dominique, not Hildegarde.

“Does Dominique also come here often?”

“Oh, Dominique!”

However, the reaction was different from what she had expected. Hildegarde, with violet eyebrows raised, looked at Eleanor in surprise as the two-syllable nickname flowed from Eleanor’s lips.

“Did our new sister also manage to win over Dominique?”

“No, Hilda! You’re saying it like that…”

An unintentionally long tail of the sentence.

At the same time, the sky-blue irises shook in the large eyes in confusion.

Looking at the bewildered new sister, Hildegarde suppressed a laugh.

She thought about teasing that lovely and cute woman a bit more, but she changed her mind when she saw the figure of a man passing by the window with a stiff expression.

“Anyway. New sister, when do you think you’ll reconcile with our brother?”

At the sudden change in topic, Eleanor blinked her eyes slightly. However, due to the lingering warmth on her face, her serious gaze only appeared cute to Hildegarde.

“In the carriage, Hilda said not to forgive easily, right?”

“She did say that. Sigh…”

Hildegarde let out a small sigh.

Although her brother’s wife had won her heart, her brother was still a precious presence to her.

Her brother, who had always sacrificed everything for her, was now in such a state. The joy she had felt just moments ago, thanks to the lovely woman by his side, had now disappeared, sinking as if it were being pulled down by that dark figure.

“But you know, Unni.”

That’s why she had to act in this precious relationship.

Hildegarde pointed to the window next to the entrance door on the other side of the sofa with her chin.

Dmitri, in his black uniform, was talking to the knights standing in front of the main building beyond the walnut-framed window.

Judging by his expression, they were probably discussing something related to the nearby guards.

“Seeing him like that… But still, I can’t help but feel sorry for my brother.”

However, Dmitri, who stood in front of the knights, looked completely different from his usual confident self. His expression, cast over his shoulders that were now slumped, was as dark as his fluttering hair.

“Are you still upset about something?”

“That… No.”

Looking intently at Dmitri through the window, Eleanor replied.

“I know well that Dmitri is making an effort for me. From his daily routine to starting to eat salads that are not burdensome for me in the morning. And even the hot tea and cookies that he didn’t like, he started to drink when I brought them.”

Hildegarde nodded slightly at Eleanor’s words.

Honestly, her brother, who used to have a late waking lifestyle and didn’t like the smell of tea, was now getting up early to have breakfast with her and even drinking the tea that he had never touched before, all because of his new wife’s words.

“So you have to let it go. Right, Hilda. In fact, it’s really hard for me to be so cold to Dmitri like this. That’s why I scolded Hilda earlier.”

Scolded? Hildegarde’s lips lifted slightly at her new sister’s cute expression.

“Someone would like to hear that.”

“Oh, well…”

Blushing, Eleanor gently took Hildegarde’s hand as she sat beside her.

“Hilda, can I ask you something?”

“Yes?”

Hildegarde’s eyes widened at the touch of her hand. Eleanor continued with a shy face.

“I… I don’t really know much about the North. I heard that autumn officially starts after the day Dmitri and I get engaged.”

Hildegarde nodded at Eleanor’s words.

“That’s why I deliberately postponed the engagement to the very end.”

“So, um… Why?”

Eleanor’s hand, which they were holding, was trembling slightly. After swallowing the words she was about to say, Eleanor blushed and lowered her gaze.

“Why are you like this, Unni?”

Eleanor took a deep breath.

Then her hand tightened slightly, and eventually Eleanor raised her eyes again to meet Hildegarde’s gaze.

“So, um… Can I borrow Dmitri for about a week after the engagement?”

“My brother?”

“Yes. I heard that autumn is short. If it really is approaching that season, I’m afraid it might be a burden.”

“This summer, I’ve prepared thoroughly, so there shouldn’t be any issues… But, unnie. What do you mean by borrowing him for a week?”

Her black hair swayed gently as Hildegarde tilted her head, looking into the wavering sky-blue eyes.

Borrowing oppa? For a week? What does that mean?

“Well… It’s just that… D-Dmitri…”

“Oh! Are you planning to spend time alone with oppa?”

“Yes, nyehe…”

Blushing deeply, Eleonore lowered her head and answered with a stutter.

It was true.

Since coming up north, Eleonore and Dmitri hadn’t had much time alone together. They had been busy greeting the people in the north, and Hildegarde had often forced herself between the two.

Moreover, with the cold war that had started last week, the atmosphere between the two had become chilly.

“Of course! I’ll lend him to you! Don’t worry too much about the short autumn in the north. A week should be enough time. It’ll be fine.”

Hildegarde continued, raising Eleonore’s small, white hand in hers.

“No. I’ll make sure everything goes smoothly!”

“Th-thank you, Hilda.”

“Oh, don’t mention it. I’m more grateful for you being with our dull oppa.”

Looking at Eleonore’s blushing face and the moist eyes filled with embarrassment, Hildegarde gently released her hand, a sudden thought crossing her mind.

“But, new unnie.”

“Yes?”

“You’re not suggesting spending a week with oppa as a condition to resolve the conflict, are you?”

Once again, there was no immediate answer.

But as she raised her hands towards her blushing cheeks, an awkward smile on her face, it seemed like that might be the case.

With her appearance and actions, one would think she was a pure lady. But this woman turned out to be more cunning than expected.