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He was wearing not a uniform, but a dark blue frock coat.
Military men, unless there were special reasons, were required to wear uniforms when entering the palace.
This was an order from the commander—Cesare.
The regulation was based on the belief that the army should look attractive to draw talented cadres.
After the parade of troops, the number of volunteers for the imperial army had increased sharply.
Cesare, as a symbol of the imperial army, usually appeared in uniform.
Therefore, his visit to the palace in civilian clothes meant he was here unofficially.
Apparently, today he hadn't planned a visit to the Grand Duke...
Eileen stared at him blankly.
Cesare, not taking his eyes off her, slowly walked inside.
Stopping by the sofa, he stared at Eileen with his scarlet eyes and opened his mouth:
"Not going to do it today?"
Eileen didn't understand the meaning and only blinked.
He smirked and added: "Say that I'm not your husband."
From his shameless mention of the word ‘husband,’ her face flushed.
But only Eileen was embarrassed.
Cesare sat right next to her.
So calmly, as if there had been an agreement from the start for a meeting for three.
He threw an arm over the back of the sofa.
His forearm ended up behind her small shoulders.
From the accidental touch, Eileen shriveled like a mimosa.
This was their first meeting since that night.
Illumined by daylight, he was still beautiful and perfect.
Eileen could hardly believe that this man was the hero of her recent indecent memories.
"Oh, how quickly I was seen through." Leone laughed aloud.
He shook his head as if he couldn't come to terms with it.
Then, tilting his head to one side, he playfully asked: "Is Lord Rotan alive?"
"Hard to say.
That depends on Big Brother's answer." Cesare replied as if it weren't a joke at all.
Leone, murmuring "how tense," handed him a cup of tea.
Only then did Eileen notice that the tea service was set for three.
Leone had expected Cesare's visit from the beginning.
But the latter didn't touch his cup; instead, he took Eileen's cup.
Pouring out the cooled tea, he poured fresh, adding sugar cubes and milk as she usually liked.
Having prepared almost milk tea, he placed it before Eileen, then pierced a small muffin with a fork and held it out to her.
Eileen, automatically taking the fork, looked at him puzzled, but Cesare's gaze was directed at Leone.
He added brandy to his own cup and asked:
"Why did you call for Eileen?"
"Wanted to ask something."
"Something you hide even from me?"
"I was just about to say the same thing." *Clack.* Leone placed his cup loudly.
Deliberately violating etiquette, the Emperor looked calmly at his brother.
"It seems you know nothing."
Eileen, firmly gripping the fork with the muffin, only blinked.
Cesare glanced at her.
Seeing that she hadn't touched either the muffin or the tea, he slightly moved his chin.
Eileen reflexively opened her mouth and bit off a piece of the muffin.
Chewing and swallowing, she looked at him, and Cesare now nodded at the cup.
Eileen immediately raised the cup and took a sip.
Unlike the last time, the taste was sweet and soft, flowing easily down her throat.
The tea from the Imperial Palace was of unsurpassed quality; its sweetness was skillful.
For a moment intoxicated by the delicious taste, Eileen quickly came to her senses and began observing again.
And then Cesare unexpectedly turned to her.
"!..
" Eileen froze.
From the man who had suddenly approached came a cool aroma.
Cold but refreshing, like a forest soaked from morning dew.
A black leather glove touched her lips.
Cesare, with an indifferent movement, brushed muffin crumbs from her lips and straightened up.
Eileen instantly flushed to the tips of her ears.
Looking at Eileen, who had flushed to the tips of her ears, Cesare, as if nothing had happened, took a sip of tea.
"You..." Leone, who had witnessed this scene, snorted as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
Cesare only slightly raised an eyebrow.
"I was wrong, very wrong." Leone murmured with a hint of irritation, then looked at Eileen.
Still red, she received a polite apology from him.
"My apologies if I frightened you, Lady Elrod.
I only wanted to make friends."
"Th-thank you." She thanked him automatically, and Leone laughed again.
Unclear what was so funny.
He turned his gaze to Cesare and asked: "Shall we talk in private?"
In response to Leone's request, Cesare looked at Eileen.
Then Leone immediately added: "I will ask for Miss Eileen to be shown to my private garden."
Hearing that this should be interesting, Eileen nodded quickly.
Anything to get out of here.
Realizing she’d violated etiquette, she hastily added: "Excuse me." Leone laughed again.
"Look around a bit." Cesare escorted Eileen to the doors of the audience hall and added quietly: "This time, don't leave before your husband."
Patting her cheek, he let her out of the hall.
Eileen, finally having escaped from the suffocating space, breathed out the held air.
The attendant footman at the hall bowed respectfully to her.
"I will escort you to the garden."
Eileen followed the servant into the garden.
They passed through the gallery of the inner courtyard, along which she had walked earlier with Rotan, but in the opposite direction.
The courtyard too was full of rare flowers and trees, and she looked around with curiosity, when suddenly she sensed a sharp smell.
The smell of tobacco.
*‘Who smokes in the Imperial Palace?’*
No sooner had she had time to wonder than the servant stopped abruptly and bowed his head.
Eileen, standing behind, looked out from behind his back and saw...
A stunningly beautiful woman.
That very platinum blonde she had only heard of.
Her light green eyes were tender as young shoots.
Snow-white skin, fragile shoulders and arms—everything in her evoked an instinctive desire to protect.
In the capital there was only one beauty famous for her dazzlingly white-platinum hair color.
Looking at this spring-like woman, Eileen remembered a description from a magazine.
*[With her refined appearance, she is the pride of the Empire.
Her nickname ‘The Lily of Traon’ fits her best of all].*
She was the only daughter of Duke Parbelini—Ornella von Parbelini.
Ornella was also the fiancée of Emperor Leone.
She had complex circumstances because of which she, who should have long ago become Empress, remained in this indefinite position.
When Leone was a Prince, not a single noble family wanted to give their daughter for him.
For there was no reason to take a risk with a Prince without influence.
When he became Emperor, Ornella expressed a desire to the Duke to become related to the imperial family of Traon.
Since the Emperor's positions were still shaky, Duke Parbelini had in every way dissuaded his daughter.
He didn't want his only daughter going down a dangerous path.
But at Ornella's insistence, he had to enter into negotiations for marriage.
The imperial family, needing any support, could not refuse.
Initially, Ornella had wanted to marry Cesare.
But he had refused, citing the campaign, and she became engaged to Leone.
However, Leone postponed the wedding.
He couldn't marry while his brother was at war.
Duke Parbelini, realizing that breaking the engagement would be advantageous if Cesare lost, readily agreed to Leone's proposal.
And now, when Cesare had won...
Ornella was preparing for the wedding.
Since it was an imperial marriage, preparations required thoroughness, and the wedding was scheduled for the following spring.
She was to become the most influential woman in the empire, the trendsetter in the capital's high society, the object of admiration for all the aristocracy.
Her position was so much higher than Eileen's that they couldn't even be compared.
*‘Ah, need to say hello.’* Eileen, following the servant, tried to make a clumsy bow.
Tilting her head slightly, she raised it.
Ornella was still not reacting.
She looked at Eileen with an unperturbed face.
Her transparent light green eyes emitted an overt gaze, embarrassing in its directness.
Ornella, only shifting her gaze, addressed the servant:
"Who is this?"
"Eileen Elrod of the baronial house of Elrod."
Hearing this, she gave a short "hm" and slowly approached Eileen.
The latter wanted to hide behind the servant, but he retreated quickly.
Ornella looked fixedly at Eileen and took a drag of a cigarette.
Then she blew the smoke right in her face.
Watching as the latter coughed, she smirked.
"Congratulations on the marriage?"