As Long As You Are Happy

“It’s a shame but at least we’ve made a promise and I’ll be sending you a letter soon. I hope to see you next time, Lady Leonid.”

“Me, too.”

Managing to recover from her stutter, Irina nodded. 

It was only after saying a few more regretful goodbyes that Irina was able to leave them with Rogan. 

“If you do not feel comfortable, you do not need to reply to her letter.”

Once they were of sufficient distance away, the duke immediately spoke. 

But Irina shook her head.

“I’m not sure about anyone else but Lady Weiler is a really nice person.”

Her voice was soft as though she really was tired. Winfried casually leaned his body towards Irina. 

“You had taken great care of me earlier because I couldn’t speak very well.”

“Hey. Rogan Winfried.”

A voice interjected the pleasantries. 

“You, how?”

As Rogan wondered whether he had overheard their conversation, Kaal’s expression twisted.

“How could you send me off on a ship again?”

“So you heard?”

Rogan looked back at Kaal with gravitas. 

“The navy must be blessed. To have a man with great hearing such as yourself in their ranks.”

“You…!”

Urgh! Kaal, who was just about to rant, stopped himself as if he was wary of people’s gazes pointed towards them.

“… are speaking the obvious. Of course, they are. But I’ve had such an arduous life on a boat for the past two years and you want me to board a ship for another two years when I have only been back for only four weeks?”

Kaal gritted his teeth.

“It’d be better if you just curse me out instead. Curse, I say!”

“4 weeks is a long enough break from sailing. If you stay on land for too long, you’ll get land sickness.”

“No!… way.”

The two continued to bicker before turning their heads when they felt a gaze on them. 

Irina had merely been staring blankly at the two of them.

“I, I mean.”

Kaal immediately corrected himself. He swept his hair back and smiled, flashing his white teeth.

“Forgive my late introduction, Lady Leonid. I am the Duke of Winfried’s only friend, Marquis Fredericks’ third child, Admiral Kaal Frederick.”

He planted a light peck on the back of Irina’s hand before throwing a wink at her. 

“Please just call me Admiral Kaal.”

“…..”

Irina had no reply. She just stared at Kaal. 

‘… What’s going on?’

Kaal stiffened, leaving himself frozen in a strange position where he did not look like he was greeting her or standing straight. 

Usually, when he flirted with ladies, their reactions could be divided into two. Ones who would smoothly accept his greetings or ones who would react shyly. 

Most of the women Kaal had met would react like the former but he had been certain that Irina would fall in the latter. 

Not only was it because she had chosen Viscount Percy’s charity auction as her first social event, but he had also assumed so based on how she had been mingling with the others earlier. 

He did not know how he could tell but it was clear to him that she had been living isolated from aristocratic society her whole life. 

But contrary to his expectations, Irina did not respond with embarrassment. 

She just stared at him. Rather, by the time Kaal was feeling embarrassed under her unabashed gaze, Rogan intervened. 

“Kaal, what are you doing?”

Pulling Irina’s hand away, Rogan shook his head lightly. 

“That’s enough of your playboy antics.”

Hearing Rogan, it looked as though, from her expression, Irina was thinking, ‘No wonder.’

“A playboy…!”

“Yes, a playboy and a lecher.”

Rogan took it up a notch. 

Irina widened her already huge eyes before sneakily retreating backwards until she was behind Rogan. 

“No, I’m not!”

To hell with other people. Kaal, who had turned into a playboy and a lecher almost instantly, exclaimed. 

“In no way I am one!”

“Really? Can you swear that you have never done anything embarrassing?”

“… That, I cannot but.”

The playboy’s tail seemed to droop.

“Aren’t we in a time of free love? What’s wrong with dating around a little…”

“A little is an understatement.”

“But I have never cheated on anybody. I never approached any woman who already had a partner!”

“Isn’t that what’s expected of you?”

He could feel the gazes turning towards them because of their squabble. 

Turning his head, Kaal looked at Irina who was still hiding behind Rogan. 

“What do you want me to do now?”

Kaal whispered before nudging Rogan’s side with his elbow. 

“She seriously believed you and is wary of me now.”

Rogan then turned his head to glance at Irina. 

“No worries, my friend.”

He thought Rogan was going to correct the misunderstanding but he merely emphasised the fact that they were friends. 

Urgh, Kaal nearly growled. 

As though finally finding it amusing, Irina let out a small laugh before finally dropping her guard and stepping forward. 

“I am Irina Leonid. You two must be very close.”

“We’ve been friends since we were young.”

Kaal shrugged his shoulders.

“Still, it is sad to know that we were only each other’s playmates because both our fathers fought in the war.”

“Did you mention the war?”

“Yes, I did. Right by the side of the Winfried Duchy is our Frederick March.”

Not only was it situated right beside the Winfried Duchy, the Frederick March also housed a fairly large port. 

It was the perfect place to attack to loot wheat. 

It was because of its location that the Frederick March was attacked as much as the Winfried Duchy. 

“Our fathers worked together so often we would visit each other frequently.”

“You could say we were each other’s sole companions there.”

Rogan added, sounding disappointed. 

“I see.”

Looking at Irina, Kaal nodded. 

‘Hm.’

Certainly, just as he had thought, Irina Leonid was an unparalleled beauty. 

Her pale skin, clear eyes, button nose and crimson lips. 

She was not so glamorous that she would catch people’s attention upon first glance but would it be better to say that she made people want to continue staring at her?

‘Seriously, why hasn’t she been more active in society?’

Even though the Count and Countess of Leonid had gone off to fight in the war, there was no way they wouldn’t have designated a godmother or guardian to look after her. 

So, there should not have been any issue with her social debut. 

‘If she is to hold her debutante now, the flower of society would certainly change.’

Hadn’t she changed the flow of conversation with her mere appearance moments ago? 

As soon as the two arrived, the chatter would cease one after the other. 

Covering their faces with fans, their gazes would secretly chase the two as they acted as if they were not watching. 

If the duke had not accompanied her, it was evident that everyone here would not have hesitated to beeline to her for a chat. 

Hm.

“Lady Leonid.”

His curiosity was slightly piqued. 

“Pardon me, but may I ask who your godmother or guardian is?”

“… Guardian?”

“Yes, or perhaps where you had been living before this…”

“You have no need to know.”

Rogan stopped Kaal before he could continue questioning her. 

“I think we should get going now.”

“Already? It hasn’t been long since you’ve got here.”

They had spent a long time admiring the paintings and the various art pieces but they hadn’t properly mingled with attendees. 

Even though it was a charity auction, the point of any social gathering was to make connections. 

“You’ve only talked to me.”

“And that is enough.”

As he wondered what could possibly be enough, Rogan had already turned around. After standing next to him, Irina casually followed after Rogan. 

“Are you going already?”

“Please send my well wishes to Viscount Percy for me, Kaal.”

After finishing his say, Rogan headed outside with Irina. But before she left out the door, Irina glanced back at Kaal before saying her goodbyes with a slight nod. 

“He’s  gone…”

Why did he come here in the first place? 

If he came to admire the paintings, he had spent too little time doing so. He could not have come to make connections as he only talked to Kaal. And he could not have come to show Irina off…

‘He spent too little time doing that too.’

It was almost as though he was returning after only showing people a glimpse of his face. 

“What’s going on?”

Kaal rubbed the nape of his neck. 

Turning his head around slightly, he noticed the people around him quickly averting their gazes. 

Everyone seemed busy chatting. It must have been because of the one-of-the-kind beauty they just saw being accompanied by the duke. 

And the ones who were diligently moving their lips were those who were friendly with Seine Florence. 

‘Well, I have no idea why he had come here but.’

He knew one thing. 

That interesting things were going to happen in the future.

***

‘I smiled?’

As they returned to the townhouse, Rogan mused over Kaal’s words to him.

He had smiled in spite of himself, unbelievable. 

That might have been the case.

But he still thought it was worth doing. 

‘Anyone would smile when they see her.’

Tensing, his eyes darkened and his lips pressed tightly together to suppress a sigh. 

“Wow.”

The moment they see the way she lit up like a child seeing the sea for the first time. 

‘… Anyone would have smiled like I had.’

No, they would have smiled even more.

Thinking about how much Irina had changed from a few months ago, he could not help but to smile with pride. 

She looked the same as she had in the slums but she also looked the same as she had after she had arrived at the estate. 

‘Is it because she’s as wary as ever?’

Rogan pressed his under eyes. 

Even under the care of the most lively and sociable knight in the Order of Winfried, Delphi, Irina had drawn blood on the first day she awoke there. 

After she barely calmed down, she immediately put her guard up the moment she saw him. 

Perhaps it was because she had heard of the rumours circulating him but fear seeped through the gaps of the wall she had put up. 

Though Irina seemed to be doing well afterward, she still had her reservations. 

She tried to get along with the others in her own way but traces of her past could be seen in her every movement. 

The moment she heard a loud noise, she would shrink her body smaller first before her eyes spun and when she was asked to rest, she would lower her head as though she had sinned. 

But she had been smiling. 

She still lacked confidence in her movements but now she was able to smile broadly unabashedly.

She would scurry throughout the estate for the whole day before struggling to read her books in the garden. 

How nice was it to hear her quietly whisper about all she learned today.

‘She also didn’t react much when she heard my name.’

That was why he had no choice but to smile. 

“…..”

Immersed in thoughts about Irina, Rogan spread his lips.

But he was not smiling.

‘… It’s alright to smile.’

But he did not go any further. 

He shouldn’t. 

Placing the documents he had been briefly perusing down, Rogan headed towards the window in his study. 

The Winfried townhouse was structured such that its eastern and western wings would face each other with the central garden in between. 

Rogan’s study was situated in the western wing and Irina’s room was situated in the eastern wing. 

‘Only that room is lit again today.’

Sitting on the window sill, Rogan folded his arms and stared at the only window that was lit. 

It was Irina’s study. 

He wondered what she was doing. 

According to Dame Delphia and Viscountess Alphington’s reports, she had been diligently learning characters and doing her homework every single day.

Was she doing that now then?

‘She should take a break today.’

Or was she up, thinking about the paintings she had seen today?

For some reason, it seemed like that light had bored into his eyes.