NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 266
Upon hearing Serpina’s story, Iren remained speechless for a moment…
Then, she managed to pull herself together and looked at Serpina’s face.
There was a smile on her lips, but it wasn’t the expression of someone playing around.
Her golden eyes sparkled, clearly conveying that her words were 100% sincere.
“Tha…t me…”
“I apologize if my sudden words startled you. But this is my true intention. And naturally—”
Serpina pointed at Iren as she spoke.
“Iren, I consider you my rival.”
“Huh? My… rival, you say… what does that even mean…?”
Rival?
Confused by the entire situation, Iren could only stammer incoherently. Serpina stared at her for a while before…
“Hahahaha!”
She burst into laughter, clearly amused.
This was the first time anyone had seen Serpina, who had always been so serious, let everything go and laugh like this.
“It’s a joke. How could I possibly see you as a rival? There’s no way I could ever defeat you, Iren, right?”
“It… It was a joke, huh? Well, I…”
“Of course, everything I said except for considering you a rival was completely sincere.”
“…”
So…
Does my lord truly… have feelings for Sir Swoen?
As Iren still couldn’t bring herself to say anything, Serpina slowly moved somewhere and continued speaking.
“Iren. If you have no special business, could you spare some time for me?”
“Huh? Ah… yes, that’s fine.”
“Follow me.”
Though she didn’t understand what was happening, Iren decided to follow along.
Iren slowly rose from her seat and trailed behind Serpina.
* * *
As they walked toward a secluded spot watching the evening sunset, an old building came into view.
“What is this place?”
“It’s something like a side wing. No one uses it now. You’re actually the second visitor here.”
Though no one used it, the garden was well-maintained, giving off a slightly lonely but endearing vibe.
Iren, who had always felt lonely herself, found herself drawn to such lonely places.
Inside the building, they entered a spacious and elegant room. Though older than where Iren currently lived, the furniture exuded a timeless sophistication despite its age.
“Please sit.”
They arrived at a small room. As instructed, Iren sat down while Serpina skillfully lit a fire. She rummaged through a box and returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses.
“Is drinking alright with you, Iren?”
“I don’t indulge much, but I can drink.”
“Come to think of it, you mentioned being knowledgeable about tea, didn’t you?”
“You know about that?”
“Swoen told me.”
Hearing Swoen’s name made her body instinctively flinch, but she refrained from commenting further.
“Tea would be nice, but I’d appreciate your company for a glass or two now.”
“Who am I to refuse, my lord?”
With a gurgle, the empty glass was filled with red wine. They lightly clinked their glasses together and drank.
When the bitter taste mixed with sweetness hit Iren’s tongue, Serpina’s voice reached her ears.
“What do you think?”
“About what exactly?”
“Regarding Swoen.”
“…”
Perhaps it was the alcohol, or maybe coming here helped her sort out her thoughts. Either way, she felt more comfortable answering than earlier.
“Swoen… to me, he is someone more precious than anyone else, someone I’d risk my life to protect.”
“In other words—”
“Yes. As I mentioned earlier, I admire Swoen.”
Realizing her feelings wasn’t new, but voicing them aloud made them sharper.
I love Swoen. To her, he was the most important person in the world.
“Do you plan to marry him?”
“If I could, I’d like to.”
“Isn’t marriage already arranged?”
“But we never know what the future holds…”
“Being cautious isn’t bad, but if you saw how Swoen talks about you, you’d understand.”
“Talks about me?”
“He smiles his brightest when he speaks of you, Iren.”
“Ahhh…”
Iren bowed her head, her face turning bright red. Alongside embarrassment, an overwhelming desire to see Swoen welled up inside her.
Serpina quietly observed her, took another sip of wine, and said with a slightly flushed face:
“You’re truly adorable.”
“Eh…?”
“I get why Swoen fell for you so deeply.”
And with that, she chuckled softly.
Adorable? That’s absurd.
Iren thought it might be hard to find someone more charming than the woman before her.
Just as she thought about Serpina’s overwhelming beauty and felt momentarily captivated despite being a woman herself…
“Strange, isn’t it?”
“Eh…?”
“For someone I’ve known for such a short time, I feel an incredible bond with you. Do you know why?”
Even without an answer, Serpina continued undeterred.
“To be honest… for over a decade, even those serving the imperial family, I haven’t trusted—or rather, couldn’t trust. No matter how long or how many achievements they made, there was always the possibility they’d betray me.”
At what point did it start?
Serpina had become unable to trust others. Her governess betrayed her, a trusted commander cursed her, and even her own bodyguard almost killed her. Beyond that, the spirits of her brothers haunted her, making it feel like the whole world wanted her dead.
Iren vaguely understood her situation. After all, she too witnessed firsthand when a bodyguard raised a blade against her.
“…So. I trust no one. Not even Jena, the nation’s strategist, who should be closest to me.”
“My lord…”
“But Iren, for some reason, I feel I can trust you.”
Serpina stared deeply into her incredibly loyal violet eyes.
“Maybe it’s just because I want to trust someone. But looking into your eyes makes me feel… even if abandoned, you would never abandon others. There’s a sense of stability there.”
“…”
Iren didn’t carelessly respond with “Thank you for trusting me.”
Though she had no intention of betraying Serpina, her primary duty was to stay by Swoen’s side. When Swoen eventually joined the Lunarien Army, she would naturally follow him.
Thus, she couldn’t easily reply to such earnest sincerity.
Serpina seemed to notice Iren’s complex emotions and nodded with a smile.
“Of course, I don’t intend to burden you. Just hear me out and forget it if you wish. After all, you already saved my life once. In my heart, I truly believe you’ve done enough.”
“No, my lord. If anything, I owe my life to you. Truly.”
“Then let’s call it even on our debts to each other. Let’s move on.”
Saying that, Serpina took another sip of wine. Iren followed suit, once again realizing why she didn’t drink often.
‘My head feels hot…’
Iren was quite sensitive to alcohol. It became clear to her that her body simply didn’t handle it well.
Serpina noticed this and said seriously:
“You’re already blushing. We can stop for today. Don’t push yourself.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Not really. If I keep troubling you, Swoen will surely be upset with me. If you care about me, please stop sincerely.”
“…”
Swoen… really.
Does my lord genuinely like me, or is she just testing me?
“Me… my lord.”
“My feelings are genuine, Iren.”
Before Iren could ask, Serpina answered as if reading her mind, surprising her.
“So, I want to get along well with you. I don’t know what our relationship will be in the future, but… if possible, I want to be Swoen’s wife. Whether first or second doesn’t matter to me. In a way, you’re the person most likely to become family to me.”
“…”
“So, today… just think of it as two women bonding over our shared husband-to-be instead of a formal lord-subordinate relationship. It’s quite shameless of me to say, but I’d appreciate it.”
Iren silently looked at Serpina’s face.
Iren knew men could have up to four wives.
Even when Reika casually mentioned she’d obviously be the second wife, Iren didn’t question it. She simply thought if it happened, they’d get along.
Serpina was currently her lord, and though there was a huge status gap, if Lord Swoen chose to make Lady Serpina his wife, Iren wouldn’t object.
What mattered most to Iren was being able to stay with Swoen in any form.
Therefore, there was no need for Iren to oppose Serpina sharing such deep personal thoughts.
Besides, she didn’t want to.
After all, Serpina was not only her savior but also the first person to recognize her worth.
“…”
“My lord.”
Iren smiled gently and spoke as if addressing a friend rather than her superior.
“When we have the chance next time, I’d like to offer you some tea.”
“That sounds delightful. I’ll look forward to that day.”
Neither Serpina nor Iren could define their current conversation and shared drinks in one word—but…
They both knew for certain.
At this very moment—they were connected.
* * *
Meanwhile, in their respective places…
Time flowed equally for everyone at this very moment…