Chapter 39
Harshly, Ael called them back again. The servants, shoulders slumped, turned toward him with fearful eyes.
But Ael, expressionless as ever, ignored them and now spoke to Kiara.
“Kiara, when someone greets you, you have to greet them back.”
It was a fair point, but upon hearing it, the servants’ faces turned pale. Greeting them? They hadn’t expected that at all. In fact, they hoped she’d just pretend not to notice. What if they upset the witch’s mood and ended up cursed in return?
Kiara felt the same way as the servants since earlier.
Still, clinging to the hope that if she behaved obediently, she might be allowed to leave, she awkwardly bowed her head and reluctantly spoke.
“Ah, g-goodbye…”
“Wait, Kiara.”
Ael clicked his tongue and scolded her again.
“When you greet someone, it’s proper etiquette to keep your eyes open.”
Etiquette. Kiara stared at Ael with a pale, stunned expression. Honestly, she couldn’t say she was a well-mannered person, even as a lie. Just recently, she hadn’t even been able to speak properly. When would she have had time to learn etiquette or proper manners?
But the image of Ael in her mind wasn’t exactly one who valued good manners.
“Etiquette…”
Kiara muttered softly, utterly dumbfounded.
To exaggerate just a little, the image she had of Ael was practically that of a rogue. And why wouldn’t it be? He had barged into the wedding hall with soldiers and basically kidnapped the bride.
Well, maybe there were circumstances to explain that. It’s hard to talk about manners on a battlefield, after all. But even just from the way Ael usually treated Kiara, it was clear he was far from refined or proper.
Still, ignoring all that, Ael urged her on.
“Come on.”
Pressed by his tone, Kiara reluctantly opened her eyes. As her long lashes fluttered aside, her deep red eyes were revealed, and a few of the watching servants gasped softly, half in awe, half in surprise.
Then, she looked the servants squarely in the eye, bowed her head, and spoke.
“Thank you all for carrying those heavy things all this way. I hope to see you again next time.”
Though far from formal etiquette or proper protocol, it was elegant enough to override those concerns. Even the servants, accustomed to palace affairs, couldn’t help but let out admiring murmurs — this time not just a few, but from nearly all of them.
Feeling quietly proud of herself, Kiara slowly lifted her head, her deep red eyes sparkling triumphantly. Watching her, Ael curled the corners of his mouth in approval. Yet the words that came from his mouth were unexpected by everyone.
“No, there’s no need to see them again.”
What? Kiara stared at Ale in surprise.
Bringing people along and then forcing them to greet me, only to say I don’t need to see them again? That’s annoying.
Her lips pouted in displeasure, Ignoring her, Ael raised his hand and pointed toward the ceiling.
“Next time, there’s no need to carry things like bathwater all the way up. Use that to pull it up instead.”
Following his gesture, the servants turned their eyes to the ceiling, and another round of awe escaped their lips.
“Oh… a pulley… right? It looks a bit different though…”
“Yeah. That way, there’s no need for a whole crowd next time. Just one or two people will be enough.”
“Ah… to think you made something like this in the meantime…”
The servants couldn’t take their eyes off the pulley, nodding repeatedly. Hearing their praise, Ael shook his head and pointed at Kiara.
“I didn’t make it. That witch… I mean, Kiara did.”
Though Ael himself had told them not to call her “witch,” the word still slipped from his mouth like a habit. But the servants seemed unfazed, as if it didn’t matter whether they called her witch or Kiara.
“Oh, what’s that pulley? It looks amazing. I always thought she stayed quietly in the northern tower, but to think she could make something like that.”
“It’s magic, of course. Magic.”
“Madam Raelin said it too. Once the witch’s curse was lifted, she would protect Altnebra with her powerful magic.”
As if completely forgetting their previous fear, the servants excitedly chattered among themselves. Though the murmuring in the small room was a bit bothersome to Ael, he remained silent and let them be. Kiara watched them curiously.
She wasn’t avoiding their eyes nor hiding under the sheet. With her red eyes quietly sparkling, she looked… genuinely pleased.
Meanwhile, the servants’ chatter had started to veer off in a strange direction.
“Have you ever seen such a beautiful eye color? Someone with eyes that pretty couldn’t possibly have a wicked heart.”
Even Kiara, who had been enjoying the compliments at first, was beginning to feel that something was off. Since when did looking pretty have anything to do with being good?
‘…But Ael’s eyes are red too…’
Was he supposed to be a good person, then?
Kiara looked at him suspiciously and nodded reluctantly.
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