First Love Rumors and Secret Outings

“Why? A Swartton is a fine match. Helena is young now, but she’ll grow up in the blink of an eye.”

“No matter who the suitor is, they won’t satisfy the Marquis’s high standards. That old man would treat me like a scoundrel even if I brought half my family’s fortune as a dowry. I’d rather become a priest than marry into that house as a live-in son-in-law.”

Laughter burst out of me at his drippingly sincere tone. He looked ready to abandon everything and dedicate his life to God if Helena’s affection lasted a few more years and marriage talks surfaced. Elliot Dylan and a priest… just placing those two terms side-by-side was a combination so mismatched it was absurd.

“Would the Count allow that?”

“My house is quite laissez-faire, so it’s fine. Even if I said I was marrying a man, they wouldn’t be shocked—they’d just ask how the dowry is being handled.”

“I suppose one needs that level of boldness to run a business.”

“I do consider it a point worth learning.”

While bantering with Dylan, I scanned the room. Quite a few children had shown up today. Yet, once again, there was no sign of violet hair.

Cici, who had vanished after giving me the necklace, was nowhere to be found—like a Cinderella who had left behind a glass slipper. I attended every gathering religiously, looking around and even subtly asking the groups of girls. Even Lucia, who had the most friends, only tilted her head in confusion. Was it possible she was so socially awkward and dazed that she just drifted around the edges before quietly going home? I even revisited the tree where we first met, but I couldn’t find a shadow of her.

Is this why she said she’d write a letter? It wasn’t that I desperately needed to see her again, but I felt strangely disappointed. Maybe I should have told her she could see me at the palace anytime.

“Are you looking for that girl again today?”

“What?”

“Seeing you look so surprised, it must be true. Helena came and told me. That there’s a girl you’re searching for.”

Elliot smirked. He had the expression of someone who had caught a juicy lead. At this rate, a rumor would soon start that I had fallen head-over-heels for Cici and was chasing her around. It would be a huge problem if Cici was a boy, and a huge problem even if she was a girl. My family would be hunting the person down with fire in their eyes, and the palace was full of people watching me.

Lucia, damn it. I told you to keep it a secret.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Quiet, pretty face, violet hair?”

“Did you plant a surveillance cam—I mean, do you have eyes everywhere?”

My attempt to feign ignorance was blocked. The detailed description gave me a headache. At this rate, a ‘first love’ story was going to be fabricated regardless of my will. No, it was being fabricated.

“It’s not like that. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not it.”

“Sure. No need to be shy. It’s interesting that you like a girl, though. Honestly, I thought you were developing a ‘deep’ relationship with Prince Erkel.”

“What kind of nonsense is that, Elliot…? Did the cookies you ate earlier have some strange drug in them?”

I lowered my voice. Shit—I mean—ugh. Of course, to others, Erkel and I might seem unusually close. But shouldn’t they think of it as friendship? A ‘deep’ what? Is this what an eleven-year-old says? Kids these days are so precocious. He was spouting things that could get someone dragged away for lèse-majesté.

Because I was flustered—no, because it was so absurd—my words came out scrambled.

“Ah… is this that? A rumor made up to hide your true love? Sorry. I should have pretended not to notice. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear it. I’ll act like I didn’t realize anything.”

Only when I realized his voice was full of mirth did I know he was doing this on purpose just to tease me.

It seemed his ‘Just you wait’ wasn’t over yet. He was a guy who really held a grudge. I vowed to never give Elliot any leverage over me again.

The letter arrived ten days before the banquet, exactly one month after the day we first met.

[Hello, Llewellyn.]

Cici, who had struggled to even speak a single sentence, was surprisingly good at writing. Her handwriting wasn’t rounded or clumsy like a child’s. I could guess that she wrote often instead of speaking. Indeed, she suited the image of someone quietly reading and writing rather than mingling with the energetic kids who giggled at the mere sight of a butterfly. This was true even though our first meeting involved her falling out of a tree.

[I don’t know if you remember me. I’m sorry it took so long to write.]

She mentioned there were unavoidable circumstances, but offered no explanation as to what they were. The ink was slightly smudged there, as if she had struggled with that part.

Should I ignore it?

That was my impression after reading all three pages of her heartfelt letter. This… shit. This isn’t just a casual connection. A red light was blaring from a distance. It was an intuition like a warning from my ancestors.

If I ignored the letter now, our previous encounter might just remain a trivial happenstance. But… the last page, ‘If you don’t remember me, you don’t have to reply,’ bothered me. Thinking of her pouting and tearing at her skirt in disappointment made me feel bad.

“I shouldn’t try to be nice… that’s not my style.”

With a sigh, I picked up my pen.

[Hello, Cici. What do you mean, ‘forgetting you’?]

As autumn passed and winter began in earnest, the gatherings loosened up. The accessories, which were initially so flashy I wondered if they were going too far for kids, gradually found a sense of moderation, and sleeves that once seemed buried in frills and lace became simpler.

As the schedule finally allowed for some breathing room, Spellman hinted that he wanted to resume training. I had no reason to refuse, so I agreed immediately. Cale seemed displeased, but what was the point of being kept like a porcelain doll in a room just because it was cold? Left to my brothers, they would surely turn me into a plump, steamed bun. It was obvious, seeing as they hadn’t even told me I was gaining belly fat before I started exercising, claiming it was just ‘cute.’

By now, the hierarchy and friendships among the children had been somewhat established. It meant that if I was hanging out with my usual group, no one else would try to force their way in. The group I hung out with was chosen not by me, but by Elliot. The eleven-year-old ‘old man’ had meticulously set conditions, considering family status, personality, and even sibling relationships. He wouldn’t have been this picky if he were choosing a spouse for his own child.

When asked if he really had to go that far, Elliot answered ‘yes’ as if there was no room for doubt. He then began listing reasons, offering to write a report if I wanted. The point was simple: he had no intention of sharing the friendship he had negotiated so hard for with just any ‘riff-raff.’

So, I was in the middle of a meaningless conversation with a few of the boys Elliot had selected—’those who aren’t too smart but aren’t idiots, from similar families, and not the eldest sons.’

“Liiiin.”

Helena approached, drawing out the nickname. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were flushed. Her long eyelashes fluttered with every blink. Her face was clearly full of expectation.

It was strange, considering Elliot wasn’t by my side. While Helena was certainly lovely, that was because I viewed her as a child; she didn’t usually use that aegyo-filled voice for just anyone.

But motives are motives, and cute is cute. I welcomed Helena with a gentle smile.

“What is it, Ella?”

“Are you free today, by any chance?”

Today was a day with no lessons. I answered readily.

“If it’s after the gathering, I’m fine.”

Her doll-like face brightened instantly.

“I want to go to Widsil Street.”

Widsil was a street lined with shops. It ranged from bookstores dealing in luxury volumes to accessory shops. I had been there a few times holding the hands of my eldest and second brothers.

It was lined with items at prices a typical ten-year-old couldn’t even dream of. Only someone like Helena, the precious daughter of a Marquis, could order things there in bulk without even looking at the price tags. Since the allowance from the Count and my brothers wasn’t small, and I had saved it up because I hadn’t had time to spend it, I didn’t need to act stingy either.

However, that alone didn’t explain why Helena specifically singled me out to go with her.

“Elliot has family business today, so he can’t come out.”

“I really want to go with you.”

Had this young lady’s interest shifted from Elliot to me? But seeing her stomp her feet at the mere mention of Elliot’s name, her unrequited love was definitely still ongoing.

“Um…”

Biting her lip and darting her eyes around, Helena stuck close to my side, pushing away the boys who were nearby. As if that wasn’t enough, she scanned the surroundings before whispering into my ear.

“I want to give El a gift… but I don’t know what he likes.”

Aha.

I had been chosen to play the role of ‘Elliot’s friend.’ A laugh escaped me at the cute, fresh romance of these little ones.

“I’d love to. But if you’re going to look for a gift, wouldn’t it be better to go with Lucia? She has great taste.”

At those words, Helena’s face, which had been flushed with expectation just a moment ago, instantly turned into a pout.

“Lucia has a previous engagement with Sophia.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow it’s Tanya, the day after it’s Lizzie. The day after that, her sister. Her schedule is already packed until next week.”

Pouting, Helena rattled off Lucia’s schedule, which she had memorized without missing a single detail. Lucia was the most popular girl among the children in the salon, and Helena didn’t really have any other close friends besides her. She was cute in my eyes, but to real kids her age, Helena—who had grown up receiving nothing but love—seemed like a bit of a self-centered young lady.