Dreams of the Holy Knight - Chapter 7

Dreams of the Holy Knight - Chapter 7

Time flew by quickly, and the day of Freesia's engagement ceremony arrived.  

Liliana, with Betty's help, changed into her dress, which Ian had sent her, and finished dressing up.  The dark navy blue dress gave off a very different vibe from the bright dresses she usually wore.  Feeling awkward, she fidgeted the nape of her neck and walked down the stairs, where Ian, who was supposed to go with her as her partner, had arrived to escort Liliana.  

In the meantime, the two met three or four more times, and the awkwardness disappeared and they started having friendly conversations.  

“I tried on the dress you sent me, how is it?  It’s awkward because I don’t usually wear this kind of design.”  

“You are so beautiful, Liliana.  As expected, I have a good eye.”  

“Thank you, Ian.”  

“I think you would be a little more beautiful if you braided all of your hair up, but you are still beautiful enough.”  

“Um, I’ll try braiding my hair up next time.”  

Liliana answered him by fiddling with her hair, which was only half braided.  The look he wanted seemed a bit far from her taste, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to try changing her style.  

She thought it would be okay to think of it as a process to find a style that suited her better.  

“Then shall we leave now, Liliana?”  

"Okay."  

They chatted and headed to Marquis Bertol’s, where the engagement ceremony was held.  

At the first meeting, she couldn’t focus on him because she had been thinking of Noel. Due to guilt and the Viscount Armand’s pestering to not let him go, she met him a couple more times and she found that he seemed to be a better person than she initially thought. 

He was aggressive in courting her, and whenever he saw her face, he blushed which was pleasant.  What was a bit unusual, was that at their third meeting, he asked for a couple favors. 

One of them was an offer to choose Liliana's dress himself, but it wasn't a difficult request, so she gladly accepted it.  

Liliana, who got on the Count Alphonse’s carriage, fiddled with the hem of her dress for no reason because she felt awkward that she was going to a friend's engagement party in a dress chosen by her prospective fiancé for the first time. 

“When would be a good time for our engagement, Liliana?”  

"Ah.  I haven't thought about it yet, but when does Sir Ian think it's a good time?"  

“The sooner the better for me.  How about taking it in early summer?  The days are cool then, so it would be nice to hold a banquet in the garden.”  

“An engagement in the garden?”  

In the Empire, engagement ceremonies of aristocratic families were mostly held in the banquet halls of mansions.  The higher the rank, the more so.  Wasn’t a garden more used for small parties after ceremonies or for receptions?  

Seeing a puzzled Liliana, he continued his speech with an awkward smile on his face.  

“Actually, it is my long-time dream to make a covenant with my lover in a beautiful garden.  Count Alphonse's garden is one of the most beautiful gardens of any aristocratic family, so Liliana is sure to like it.  Or, if you really don’t like it.”  

“Um, no.  Having an engagement ceremony in a garden was unexpected, so I was just a little surprised.”  

“I want to give you special memories rather than an ordinary engagement ceremony, so please allow it.  Hm?"  

Liliana let out a shallow sigh as Ian's face looked at her with eager eyes.  He seemed to be more sincere in romance than she had expected.  The moment she opened her mouth to say something she would think about, Ian's navy blue eyes shone brightly in the light seeping through the window of the moving carriage.  

His bright eyes reminded her of Noel's blue eyes.  That day in her dream, the look in his eyes was so desperate...….  Ian's face brightened as Liliana moved her head as if possessed, not knowing she was nodding her head.

“Thank you, Liliana.  I will prepare so that you can become the happiest fiancée in the world.”  

"Yes?  Yes…….”  

With the carriage stopped, Liliana was escorted by Ian and headed to the Marquis.  

The banquet hall was lavishly decorated to match the majesty of Marquis Bertol.  Freesia and Joshua were being congratulated by people as they walked around the banquet hall with the happiest faces of anyone else.  Their eyes met, and Freesia walked over to them, leaving Joshua behind with a big smile.  

“Lily!”  

“Congratulations, Freesia.”  

“But who is this?”  

“Oh, this is Count Alphonse, whom I about in the last letter.”  

“Nice to meet you, Lady Damien.  I’m Ian Alphonse.  Congratulations on your engagement.”  

"Ah!  Thank you for coming.  May the blessings of the Goddess abound upon Count Alphonse.”  

Freesia looked at Ian's and Liliana's faces alternately and smiled slyly.  Afraid of what her tomboy friend would say, Liliana took her aside for a moment on the pretext that she was thirsty.  As Ian disappeared, Freesia clasped her arms with Liliana’s and shook her head.  

"What, what?  He’s so handsome?  That Count of Alphonse, he’s also famous for not socializing!  So I'm seeing his face for the first time.  Did that person court you first?”  

"Yes……  That's how it happened.  By the way, today is your engagement ceremony, is it okay to stay away from Sir Bertol like this?”  

“We will be together every day from now on.  We were also together last night?  Hehe."  

“There's nothing you can't say in a crowded place, Free.”  

Not long ago, Freesia, who had been worrying that Joshua was having an affair, sent a letter to her friends after she went to the villa to tell them the whole story.  Joshua Bertol was preparing a separate marriage proposal for his beloved lover, apart from the arranged engagement which had occurred while they were still in the womb.  

He took the time to prepare for the event by going back and forth to the villa to materialize the dream proposal that Freesia said she wanted since she was a child.

The eyewitness account of seeing him on the seashore was because he was busy looking for pretty seashells for her because of the memories of picking up seashells there together as a child.  

Upon receiving Freesia’s letter, Liliana sighed in relief as her own predictions had come true.  

By the time her correspondence arrived, she had met Count Alphonse, and Liliana replied by including her story about him in the letter.  

Liliana and Freesia were huddled together while chatting away, and Diana approached them before they knew it.  

“Diana!”  

"I'm sorry I'm late, Freesia.  Congratulations on your engagement.  But what about Sir Bertol?”  

“Thank you, Diana.  Joshua must be there somewhere?”  

“You'd better hurry up and go.  Your parents are coming over there.”  

“Oh, I have to go.  Thanks for coming, I’ll invite you as a marchioness next time!”  

There was warmth in Liliana's eyes as she looked at the bright Freesia ahead of a major milestone in her life.  She magically fell in love with a childhood friend she was engaged to when she was still in the womb, and was envious of her friend who brought her romance to fruition.  There was a time when she herself dreamed of a tickled love like this.  

She knew Ian was definitely a good person, but he wasn't the one who made her heart pound, so there was always a bitter regret in the corner of her heart.  

"Did you wait long? I was suddenly caught...… Here's some champagne."

Liliana turned her head at the sound of Ian's voice next to her.  Receiving the champagne from Ian, Liliana introduced Diana to him.  

“Ah, thank you, Sir Ian.  This is Diana, my best friend.”  

“All of Liliana’s close friends are beautiful.” 

“I’m Diana Ethel.  I knew the fame of Count Alphonse, but its my first time seeing your face.”  

"Is that so?  I guess it’s because I rarely socialize.”

Diana's face trembled slightly when she saw Ian's face.  She was exceptionally tolerant of handsome men, so this was the first time she had ever seen her be wary. Because of that, Liliana’s face became flustered. However, she soon returned to her usual ferocious face. However, Diana, who soon returned with her usual big face, smiled slyly and left Ian with a message saying, "Take care of Lily," and disappeared to drink wine. 

Ian and Liliana went back in their carriage after greeting other nobles in the banquet hall.  The hectic day came to an end.  

* * * (read on pink-grapes.blogspot.com) 

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