The Emperor Is My Brother’s Best Friend

ot allow it.

Ilya sneezed lightly as the sharp wind swept across her cheek, and stood up.

“It's so cold, I should ask for some hot tea when I go in.”

With the shawl draped over her shoulders, Ilya quickly walked out of the garden.

As she walked out of the garden and into the manor, the large front gate of the Honeywell Manor opened.

“Ah? Isn't that the Duke of Proud?”

Ilya turned her head towards the sound of a carriage.
With the distance, she could not clearly distinguish that it was not Honeywell's carriage until it got closer to the manor.

“It's not the Honeywell family crest, but where is the family crest meant to be? His Grace went to work, how come a guest came?”

Ilya walked quickly; her frequent strides soon turned to running, and she ran towards the carriage with her long, light brown hair flying in the winter breeze.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the manor just as Ilya arrived.

Taking a small, calming breath, she watched the coachman get out of his seat and open the door for the tall man inside to step out.

Ilya, recognizing him, exclaimed with wide eyes.

“Ah!”

Having sensed Ilya's presence, or maybe having heard her exclamation, the man turned in her direction.

Upon meeting his blue eyes, Ilya hurriedly bowed and greeted him.

“Greetings to the Duke of Proud.”

Elliott Proud visited Honeywell Manor.

Ilya, nervously staring at the ground with her back bent, felt her heartbeat rise.

I never thought we would meet like this again.

Listening to the footsteps approaching, she slowly lifted her waist. 

Without her knowledge, Elliot Proud had stopped before her. 

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“Ilya…
Did you say you are Miss Titonsser?”

Elliot remembered my name. 

Ilya nodded, strictly controlling the corner of her lips to stop it from rising. 

“Yes.
It's an honor to be remembered by Your Grace.”

“Yes.
By the way, are you coming from the garden side?.”

His gaze briefly flickered to the path behind Ilya, which was the road leading to the garden.

“Yes.
I'm taking a walk after breakfast.
Are you here to see Rose?”

When Rose's name was mentioned, Elliot's gaze moved to Ilya before quickly falling away.

“Yes, I don't know if you've heard that Rose is serving Marquess Alison at the Imperial Palace starting today.
I came because I was thinking of going to the Imperial Palace with her.
Is Rose ready yet?”

The baron's daughter, listening to the man confess his request for Rose, drooped her shoulders and lowered her eyes; she was overcome with inexplicable sadness.

“Rose has already departed with Duke Honeywell.
Originally, she should have left around lunchtime, but today, as an exception, she had to leave early.”

“Is that so, I must have been late.”

Having confirmed that Rose was not at the manor, Elliot wanted to leave without delay.

He was also on his way to work at the imperial castle for business, and he was not a very leisurely person who would stay behind for no reason.

Ilya waited for Elliot to leave with a farewell, but Elliot didn't move; instead, she felt his gaze center on her. 

“Is something wrong, Your Grace?”

Ilya's voice trembled as her heart beat like crazy.

Elliot, who had not answered her question, made a rather different suggestion after a momentary lag of silence.

“If it's acceptable to the lady, would you like to talk for a while?”

“With me?”

“Yes, would it be possible to take a walk through the garden? If you feel uncomfortable, go to the manor and rest.”

Elliott turned around without waiting for Ilya's answer.

When will I ever get the chance to talk to him, if not now.

That reality of her life made Ilya urgent; she reached out and grabbed Elliot's sleeve.

She thought it was rude and waited to be shaken off, but surprisingly, he just glanced back and ignored her hand on his sleeve.

“Kyaa— So, do you have something to tell me?”

“What? Ah, it's not that important, but if you do not mind, Miss Titonsser, can we walk for a while?”

Ilya noticed that the corners of Elliot's mouth rose slightly.

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But it was just a little bit, and it was so brief that I might have misunderstood.

Ilya  walked through the garden with Elliot.

Eliot's unhesitant steps made the baron's daughter curious. 

Has he walked this garden before?

Silently following Elliott, Ilya stealthily peeked at his back.

…I want to see your face, Your Grace.

Pursing her lips in regret, she heard Elliot, who was walking ahead, calling her name.

“How is life at Honeywell Manor?”

“It is so good.
Both the His Grace and Rose, and actually everyone in the manor, treat me so well.”

“Right, it's because Duke Honeywell prioritized character when hiring servants.”

She wondered if it was due to him being Rose's fiance that Elliott continued to ask if there were any inconveniences in the manor.

Ilya replied seriously, without understanding his intentions, and before she knew it, the two of them sat down in the garden.

“Honeywell Manor is quite large, so there must be places you haven't been able to visit much.”

“Yes.
Rose guided me mainly to places I would often visit.
It is true that the manor is spacious, but in fact, I'm not going to stay here forever so I don't even have to go all the way inside.”

“Hmm, that's right.
In the Proud Mansion, I only go to the places I frequent.”

All human lives were the same, I guess.

Ilya laughed lightly, thinking up nonsense.

Then, when she noticed Elliot staring at her, she quickly smiled sweetly. 

“Are there any ghost stories in the Barony of Titonsser?”

“A ghost story?”

“Yes, at Proud Mansion, there is a ghost story where strange noises can be heard from all the mirrors in the manor at midnight when the full moon rises.”

“Uh, in our barony—“

Ilya, speechless, wondered if there were ghost stories in her hometown.

She herself was not the type to believe in ghosts, so it is unknown whether there were ghost stories that she did not know about.

Ilya shook her head lightly.

“I don't know.
I'm not the type to believe in ghost stories.”

“Is that so? But be careful in this manor, do you know that the Honeywell Manor has horror stories like the Proud Manor?”

…Ghost stories at Honeywell Manor?

Ilya waited for him to tell her more, but Elliot didn't say anything further.