Chapter : 34. A Gift I Like
The sight of him trembling was quite amusing, yet unfortunately, Iris quickly regained her composure.
With a small smirk, Iris brushed her hair back.
“Looks like Elise is treating you well?”
The moment her name, Elise, was mentioned, Karan lost his composure this time.
“That’s how she is. She gets bored easily, tempted by new things. Whether it’s an object or a person, she discards things often. Elise laughs at you, doesn’t she? When she’s alone, she seems cold as ice. But if someone says something bad to you, she gets anxious. She did the same to His Highness Chase.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
Karan asked in a dry tone.
“Information exchange? Your Highness gave me information, so I gave you something interesting in return. Elise, I’ll be counting on you.”
Iris brushed past Karan as if there was nothing more to say.
The calm she maintained vanished the moment Karan’s presence disappeared.
Iris bit her lower lip.
“Chase… you’re leaving me for Elise?”
Her pride cracked sharply. Iris wanted to kill Elise, Chase, and Karan all at once.
But knowing the reality was too risky to act rashly, she swallowed her anger.
She had to wait for the right opportunity—to show them who was truly on top.
The final banquet of the New Year’s gathering began with the king’s congratulatory address.
Rangji entered the banquet hall to give his speech.
His red cape swept across the floor as he walked.
The line of people bowed deeply to him.
Rangji occasionally stopped and extended his hand to those bowing.
Overwhelmed with emotion, they kissed the back of his hand.
Those who received a hand-kiss from Rangji were the ones who would dominate the political and financial circles that year.
A hand-kiss from Rangji was a public declaration of loyalty to his chosen people.
Those allowed the gesture changed year by year.
Until last year, Elise had the honor of kissing Rangji’s hand, but this year she only received his cold gaze.
Elise was unfazed. She had expected his indifference and had no particular feelings for him.
But when Rangji stopped in front of Karan and extended his thick hand, her heart stirred.
To demand a submissive kiss from a prince of another country was a clear slight.
Refusing the hand-kiss outright could cause a diplomatic incident between Bedroka and Titriss.
“You’ve given me a very good gift. How could I not be pleased?”
The “good gift” must have been referring to Iris.
Elise clenched the hem of her dress while bowing.
Her eyes trembled.
She lamented her own helplessness at having to watch Karan endure this humiliation for her sake.
Rangji was such a petty man. And he hadn’t lost anything at all.
Elise bit her lower lip.
At that moment, she felt Karan straighten his posture beside her.
“Since His Majesty is pleased, I too am immeasurably happy. I am honored to greet His Majesty, but…”
Karan paused and then took Elise’s hand, helping her rise.
Looking at her, he continued,
“I have already received more than enough gifts. If I take more, I would only gain the reputation of a greedy person. Therefore, I will let others receive His Majesty’s gift. Others seem more deserving than I do.”
Karan scanned the crowd.
Those desperate to kiss Rangji’s hand fidgeted eagerly.
The eyes of Karan and Rangji met. Elise held her breath at the silent standoff.
Karan’s reply was flawless, yet it was still a refusal.
If Rangji took offense at this, it could spark war between Titriss and Bedroka.
“No, Titriss isn’t strong enough to handle Bedroka yet. The King of Titriss will abandon Karan.”
Elise’s heart thumped ominously.
“Hahaha!”
At that moment, Rangji laughed heartily.
“You are very humble. That’s how a young man should be! Keep it up.”
Rangji suddenly hid his laughter and patted Karan on the shoulder.
“Be humble. Don’t be greedy.”
Karan responded with a downward glance, and Rangji finally moved on.
Elise exhaled in relief as the long congratulatory speech began.
Rangji publicly announced Iris and Chase’s engagement.
Two months later, much sooner than expected, the date was set.
“What a fine day. Neither spring nor summer.”
When had it arrived? Ilaria handed Elise a drink.
“Looks like you liked the gift.”
Elise took a sip.
“How could I not? It was a revolutionary method.”
“Then why are you still speaking informally?”
“You haven’t received the full gift yet. Once you do, I’ll speak formally. By the way, how did you know? The method written on the note.”
Two nights ago, Ilaria almost threw away Elise’s note. The words about “beast” and “master” had annoyed her no matter how she thought about them.
“If you’re going to throw it away, give it to me. I’ll handle it.”
But the moment her hand touched the note the maid had placed on the table, she changed her mind.
‘Let’s see how confident she was about this amazing gift.’
Recalling Elise’s audacious attitude, Ilaria stopped the maid. When the maid looked back, Ilaria snatched the note from her hand.
“Take this outside.”
The maid took Ilaria’s laundry and went out. Alone, Ilaria turned the note over in her hands.
It was just a simple piece of paper, yet her heart raced.
‘I hope I’m not setting myself up for disappointment.’
Still, Ilaria had nothing to lose. Resolutely, she opened the note.
Her face crumpled.
She stared into the air, then back at the note, repeating the action through the night.
By dawn, she had urgently contacted Magnus’ scholars.
She asked if Elise’s plan on the note was feasible and received an answer that morning: it was possible.
“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be going.”
Elise’s words snapped Ilaria out of her reverie.
“I’d like us to move to another place. It’s a quiet matter to discuss.”
Ilaria lowered her voice.
From her tone, Elise could tell she was taking the gift very seriously.
“Very well.”
Had Ilaria acted like she did two nights ago, Elise wouldn’t have followed.
Back then, she would have hit Elise for a slip of the tongue.
Ilaria was different from the young ladies of Bedroka.
She had openly declared to her father, who fretted over whether she might falter,
“Treat me like my brothers. Give me the same chance as well. The chance to be a successor.”
King Magnus had said no, but Ilaria’s will could not be broken.
She brought in a master to learn the sword, discussed scholarship with academy scholars, and led the fight against pirates.
She was a doer, and capable enough to back it up.
‘I really am human. If only the country were slightly stronger…’
Elise had thought the same when seeing her in the past.
‘If only she could temper her hot temper a little.’
That thought hadn’t changed.
How many times had Ilaria overturned negotiations with Chase? Twice, at least.
‘Chase made unreasonable demands. She had every right.’
Therefore, she would be safe.
Elise wouldn’t make absurd demands like Chase, nor exploit Magnus unilaterally.
“This should suffice.”
Elise brought Ilaria to a quiet part of the garden and stopped.
Ilaria surveyed the surroundings.
Tall cedar trees shielded them from prying eyes.
The crimson lighting kept it from being too dark, and the music was loud enough to mask their voices.
“Excellent choice of location.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Princess.”
Ilaria stared intently at Elise.
“The atmosphere feels different.”
“You mean this?”
“Yes. Last year’s New Year’s party wasn’t like this.”
It had to be different. She had returned from death.
Elise smiled, knowing no response was expected.
“It’s a good change. It’s lively now.”
“I didn’t think it was a bad comment.”
“Thanks for not misinterpreting me.”
Their conversation flowed naturally.
“The method you provided was revolutionary. I never thought of using a dam like that. And to secure farmland with it… how did you come up with the idea?”
“When there was a drought in the past, some marshlands dried up. Not realizing they were marshlands, I wondered why the barren land was unused. Magnus has similar land—coasts with little tidal difference and very low water levels. I realized if I drained them, it could become farmland.”
“Alright, say you built the dam and drained the water. But that land has salt, so you can’t farm it. Your note is only a partial solution.”
“That’s right. I only revealed half.”
“So you’re saying there’s a solution.”
“It depends on the heavens, but yes. What do you do with clothes soaked in seawater?”
“You wash them.”
“Exactly. You can do the same. Pour water onto the land drained of seawater. But it’s too much to do by hand. You wait for rain. Fortunately, Magnus gets heavy rains every summer. When the dam fills, drain it again.”
“Like rinsing laundry in water!”
Ilaria’s eyes sparkled.
“That’s it! Yes! That’ll work!”
She looked as happy as someone who had had a long-standing problem resolved.
“You!”
Suddenly, Ilaria grabbed Elise’s shoulder as if bouncing with excitement.
