there won't be a single day that irene didn't stare at the button seulgi gave her. inside her bedroom, her window had a small space to sit at for her to overview the surroundings. she had always sat there whenever she wanted to think to herself and she was here, the button reminding her that seulgi's guards would one day pick her up and could be out of nowhere and take her to the ducal kang residence. it had also reminded irene how smaller her home seems to be compared to seulgi but it would be expected since she is the duchess of altaria.

irene looks out the window, the view of the sun setting and its orange-red reminding her of seulgi's eyes. she didn't know why but when she looked into them, she couldn't help but feel empathy. and that somehow pulled her interest more towards seulgi. although she was able to get close to the duchess, there would be that boundary between a mere commoner and a person of high status. irene tells herself to keep that boundary and dwell behind that line. she hugs her knees thinking if seeing the duchess was even true and how seulgi will invite her to tea one day. whether it was true or not, she'll hope.

how bold was she that she had also retorted back to the duchess with the same confidence? that would have gotten her into trouble, disrespecting a noble with such words but seulgi looked amused by it rather than feel offended. perhaps i should keep that up? she thought and then shook her head with a wary smile, thinking it would just be a death sentence for her. after all, she had heard that the duchess, kang seulgi, has quite a reputation for beheading criminals. just imagining it made irene shiver.

oh. irene shouldn't mention this to her overprotective father yet as he would, of course, put on a protective shield for irene since she was his only daughter and why did the dangerous duchess have her daughter beneath her feet anyway. irene's father was the first one to warn her about seulgi too.

she spent the sunset in her mind and as soon as darkness falls, she decides to lay down on her bed and drift off to sleep for the night to pass and the day to come.

it would be another day of waiting for seulgi's invitation. irene stands inside her shop, watering her flowers with a small smile. although others consider her hobby of hers a bit boring, she quite enjoys it, just the fragrant smell of flowers surrounding you as you calmly walk around to shower them with water for them to grow. irene tilts her head as she began hearing hooves of horses getting nearer until a familiar carriage stops by in front of her shop. she takes the button of the kang duchy from her pockets and walks to the door with a bit of excitement. 

she saw how some townspeople crowded the carriage in a circle, curious to who the duchess might want to do with the florist. some began whispering about how irene would be some sort of slave or worker to the duchess, making irene sigh and look at the guards who lend her a hand to get up the carriage if she was ready. irene's eyes lightened up in realization as she almost forgot her small friend, snow who rests on her small bed in the corner of the shop. irene picks up the sleeping bunny gently and nods to the guards that she was ready.

"unnie!" yeri's voice boomed from the crowd, squeezing her body into the circle to run to irene. yeri hugs the older in worry and irene knowing why "don't worry yeri-ah, i'll be perfectly fine, okay? i'll be here as soon as possible." irene pats yeri's head like she usually does to calm the younger. yeri nods multiple times before pulling away, "make sure of that unnie!" yeri frowns and walks back to wendy who also has a worried look. irene mouths the same words she said to yeri to wendy and wendy curves a trusting smile.

irene's ride to the kang residence was full of trying to wake the bunny up. this bunny is quite lazy when it comes to the indoors yet outgoing when it comes to the outdoors. the blonde sighs, the soft white fur on her lap, "i'll try to ask, duchess seulgi if you can stay at the garden for a while, but make sure to not go off anywhere okay?" as expected, the bunny's ears perked up when it heard the word garden, causing irene to giggle, "lazy bun." she shook her head while turning her head to the small window on the door. the mansion has now come into view.

irene gets off of the carriage with the help of the guards. the gates opened and she was greeted by a brunette who might be the same height as seulgi, "you must be irene then? i'm moonbyul, seulgi's secretary or right-hand-woman or—sidekick as they do say..." moonbyul's voice trails off with the last title, thinking it was funny how seulgi titled her like that too. the name made irene laugh a bit causing an embarrassed moonbyul, "n-nevermind that! i was tasked to you to the gazebo inside the garden where the duchess usually rests." moonbyul eyes the bunny on irene's palms, "and maybe she could hang around the garden too. i'd want to be careful with your bunny though, lady irene."

irene looks up at moonbyul in concern since snow's safety is her priority too, "why?"

"oh."

when moonbyul and irene walked up on their way to the garden, they were greeted by two black panthers who looked vicious and could gobble you up and for a small pet like snow, she would be an easy prey but would you look at that snow was cuddling with two black panthers who seulgi owns. the black panthers seem oddly familiar though from irene's perspective since she had seen that black fur while she walks blindly through the forest a couple of days ago.

there was seulgi blankly looking at them from the gazebo, shaking her head, 'it's not like luna and eclise will eat that small creature.' irene sighs in relief knowing her small friend is in good hands and protection from the panthers. irene gladly smiles and turns to seulgi who was staring at her from afar, and seulgi who looks away with a blush to avoid irene's gaze, "i'm guessing duchess seulgi is eager to meet you now with the... blush on her face. " moonbyul snickers, irene oblivious to what moonbyul meant.

"you know lady irene, the duchess has rarely invited someone and a stranger to tea with her personally. it's not that you're the first but you're definitely one of the few." 

irene nods, feeling honoured as she was guided by moonbyul to seulgi's gazebo. she sat on the seat moonbyul pulled up and comfortably gets herself accustomed but she can't help feel slightly nervous by the pair of eyes focused on her. there wasn't much she can do as she would be ordering a higher hierarchy to stop staring and that c