Chapter 65

“…”

Kalen glanced around thoughtfully.

At first, Serasie seemed to approach, then Eliana, and finally numerous young ladies gathered around.

Among them, he thought he recognized a face from last time.

Sinas was equally flustered.

After submitting her application and waiting, the teashop owner had shown an unwarranted interest in Kalen, which she tried to brush off. However, numerous young ladies followed after one of them had arrived.

“…Kalen!!”

Amidst the awkward silence,

Serasie, whose ruby-like eyes reminded one of a familiar figure, called out to Kalen from the front.

It was a suppressed shout, loaded with emotion—joy, pleasure, and excitement coexisting in her ruby-colored eyes.

The target of her emotions was none other than the young boy who appeared to have grown a little more mature than the last time she saw him, stirring her feelings.

Serasie took a slow breath, then walked forward, lightly touching her bangs.

Once she reached Kalen,

she greeted him with a smile, delivering the highest form of courtesy possible.

She lifted the edge of her long skirt slightly with one hand and, with the other, created a loose fist with her thumb and forefinger to keep her neckline modestly covered.

With her back slightly bent, she lowered her head as she raised the hand holding her skirt, delivering perfectly proper etiquette.

“Long time no see.”

Her flawless courtesy left no room for criticism.

After greeting, Serasie slowly straightened her back and brought her hands together in front of her, another sign of respect as befitting an imperial young lady.

Naturally, the surroundings were filled with astonishment.

Not only the daughters of counts and marquises, but the teashop owner, Eliana, and Sinas were all unable to suppress their surprise.

Hiart — the successor of one of the empire’s prestigious great families — rarely displayed such sincere courtesy.

Thus, there fell another silence.

The onlookers were amazed by Serasie’s actions and now awaited Kalen’s reply, leading to yet another silence.

Simultaneously,

Kalen was in thought, gazing at Serasie.

‘Should I speak formally?’

When they parted, there had been a vague expectation that they might meet again.

When that opportunity arrived through Blamia, he honestly felt glad.

The memories shared with them were far from trivial, and Kalen still genuinely felt good.

But now, meeting them again brought a question to mind.

Should he address them formally?

During the times he served as their protector, he always used polite speech due to their differing statuses.

But should he still use formal speech when they were still high-born and he relatively humble?

On the other hand, neither Eliana nor Serasie ever seemed to prefer such formalities.

‘There are many people watching.’

Taking the teashop owner and surrounding young ladies into account, Kalen made his decision.

At that moment,

a young girl appeared from the gathering of young ladies, looking younger than the rest.

Her eyes reminded one of a cloudless sky—utterly pure.

Eliana Lakatus then walked up to Kalen and executed perfect etiquette just like Serasie had.

“…Hello, Kalen…”

Following Hiart and now Lakatus, the silence had taken on a different meaning.

If the previous silence was born of shock, now it was transformed into curiosity.

Who could this young boy be, associating with noble daughters of the Dranunus, and yet receiving such sincere respect from the young ladies of the Lakatus and Hiart families?

Amidst the swirling curiosity, Kalen’s calm voice rang out.

“Long time no see, ladies.”

His courtesy, though not perfect, was heartfelt.

While it might not match the sincerity shown by the ladies in exactness,

it mattered more because his effort to deliver his sincerity despite his imperfections was endearing to Eliana and Serasie.

Where else would one find such sincerity and earnestness?

“Miss Eliana, it’s good to see you can now walk unaided.”

“…”

“Miss Serasie, it seems you have concluded your tasks in the north. That’s a relief.”

“…Thank you…”

The perpetrator couldn’t possibly avoid kneeling in admiration.

Facing daughters of two of the four great houses that upheld the empire, Kalen offered his greetings calmly.

And the content of his words was very personal—a clear sign of how many cherished memories they had shared.

As the three conversed,

Eliana’s expression gradually softened.

When she first saw Kalen, she had felt incredibly happy.

The loneliness and sorrow she couldn’t shake were gone in an instant.

Just seeing his face made her heart race, made her feel alive again.

But when Kalen addressed her formally, it felt as though her heart stopped.

She had expected that their relationship would grow closer when they met again, but Kalen still kept a polite distance.

Why?

Eliana soon found the answer.

It was because of her father.

Because her father had broken his promise, focusing only on self-interests, Kalen’s disillusionment with her was understandable.

Even though she had given her life to save him, in return, there was nothing.

On the contrary, Kalen had again relied solely on his own abilities to handle Hiart’s affairs.

In the end, wasn’t he helping the Dranunus family too?

All he received after completing two tasks was but a small reward.

Certainly, she should have never sent him off but instead repaid his favor quietly for a lifetime…

Suddenly, Eliana shivered as she felt warmth on her forehead.

Looking up, she saw Kalen had approached and was touching her forehead.

“Is anything hurting?”

Kalen lowered his head to meet her eye level. His dark eyes were filled with concern.

“Uh… No, I’m fine…”

As her cheeks flushed, her clear eyes regained their light.

Kalen’s worry meant he wasn’t disappointed with her.

Eliana basked in the warmth of his touch and unconsciously stretched out her arms toward him.

An impulse engraved in her subconscious—something beyond her conscious control.

“Miss Eliana.”

Kalen, aware of this fact, quickly stopped her before the others noticed anything unusual about her condition.

When he saw Eliana’s gaze return to normal, he sighed in relief just as Serasie’s voice reached him.

“Kalen, did you come with the Dranunus young lady?”

“Yes… Is Sina able to enter Eclecia?”

“Hmm?”

At Kalen’s words, Serasie’s eyebrows twitched.

“Sinat…?”

“Sinat Dranunus. Her name should be on the application.”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

When Kalen had just called her name earlier,

Serasie, who was always addressed as “young lady,” had felt extremely pleased.

It was a source of indescribable happiness to hear her name in his voice.

However, that happiness was short-lived.

When Kalen addressed the young lady from Dranunus, he left out the honorific “-nim,” indicating a much closer relationship.

Serasie idly fidgeted with her clutched application form, beginning to dislike formalities even more.

“…Sister.”

“Yes?”

“Call me… Sister.”

Serasie approached Kalen closely enough that no one else could hear, clutching his garment tightly.

Although embarrassment rose to her throat and prevented her from looking at him,

her intention was clear.

“Sister?”

“You called me that before…”

What came to mind was the festival,

a traditional event they enjoyed in the north.

Whether it could officially be called a festival or not, it remained a cherished memory.

And at that time, Kalen…

Kalen hesitated slightly before nodding.

It was not a difficult request, thus no need to overthink.

“Sister.”

“…”

“Does it please you?”

“One more… please.”

“Sister.”

“Hmm…”

Tightly gripping the end of Kalen’s garment,

Serasie was lost in the sweetness of that sound, completely enraptured.

Meanwhile, Eliana observed the scene attentively.

Just as Serasie had noticed Eliana’s moment,

Eliana had witnessed Serasie’s.

While unnoticed by the surrounding young ladies,

the two ladies standing beside Kalen could clearly see each other’s actions.

Even though she didn’t lower her head,

Eliana’s eyes began to lose their vitality once more.

At this moment,

“Hello?”

A small hand placed itself on Kalen’s shoulder.

Sinas popped her cheerful face in from the side and greeted them.

It was then that Eliana and Serasie became aware of Sinas’ presence.

It was Sinas who had submitted the application. They had the obligation to give her a positive response and inform her of what to do next.

But their hearts had got away from them the moment they saw Kalen.

Sinas’ existence was entirely forgotten until she greeted them.

Eliana and Serasie quickly nodded and apologized as they returned the greeting.

“I’m sorry. I got caught up seeing an old friend.”

“Not at all. Kalen’s face is worth it.”

“…In any case, you’re welcome to enter Eclecia. It is better to work together if you wish to assist the Dranunus family.”

“Did the other young ladies agree?”

“Yes.”

Sinas smiled brightly and glanced back at Kalen.

“Thankfully. Right?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm.”

For some reason, while Sinas only smiled with her eyes, her mouth didn’t follow suit.

Nonetheless, the relief at the outcome remained unchanged.

Kalen nodded.

And thus,

the name of Dranunus entered Eclecia Salon.