CHAPTER 29: 26: GETTING READY FOR THE DAY, AWAY EDITION.

The first thing Edward saw when he woke was the obnoxious panel of the system.

[ New objective has been set! ]

[ Objective: Form a bond with Selene Verdigris ]

He stared at the words for a moment, dumbfounded.

Form a bond? With her?

"What is this, a dating sim?" he muttered, rubbing his temple.

The panel pulsed innocently, as if proud of itself.

"Yeah, of course. You’d love that, wouldn’t you?"

If the system could smirk, Edward was sure that the damned thing was right now.

It’s almost like this thing’s entire existence revolves around pissing me off...

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he swatted panel away before turning his gaze towards the window.

He could see a small part of the sun peeking out of the horizon. The sky was painted a beautiful shade of lilac by the dawn, and the cool refreshing breeze that flowed in through his window swept past him, helping him shake away the drowsiness.

He had woken up pretty early fortunately, and because of that Edward had a lot of time to get ready. He didn’t have to rush his makeup, and since Emilia wasn’t here to help him, that was really important in order to not look like a clown.

By the time he was ready, the sun had fully come out, filling his room with radiant sunlight.

Edward stood in front of a full length mirror, inspecting his outfit for the day.

He was wearing a soft cream frilled shirt, light and airy, the flowing ruffles at his collar and wrists trimmed in pale silver. Over it, he donned a muted mauve vest, mostly to help cover how the delicate the cloth of the shirt was.

He wore high waisted black trousers, tailored close to his legs, and its ends tucked into short, heeled boots. There was a thin silk ribbon tied at his neck in place of a cravat, its colour a faint blush pink—subtle, but impossible not to notice.

His hair was left partly loose today, a few strands curling along his jaw, while the rest was pulled back with a silver clasp shaped like ivy leaves. On his right wrist was a simple silver cuff, engraved with the Myrvale crest, worn more out of formality than fashion.

His make up was subtle, cheeks slightly tinged with pink blush, lips that glowed in the flowing sunlight, and curled lashes that made his eyes look enchanting.

He stared at himself for a moment.

Edward had to admit,

He didn’t look half bad.

He was a little proud of how cu- good he looked.

He leaned closer to the mirror, studying the faint shimmer of his eyes under the light. They looked nothing like his old ones—brighter, softer, almost fragile.

"You’re not even real," he whispered to his reflection, lips curling in half a smile. But even that looked charming, the kind of expression that belonged on a painting.It made him want to punch something, if he had to be honest. But at the same time, it also made this... warm emotion erupt from his heart.

He twirled in front of the mirror once, giving everything one final look, and walked out of the room, closing the door lightly behind him.

The hallways of the Verdigris estate were no less grand than those of Myrvale, though different in spirit.

Where Myrvale was all marble coolness and disciplined lines, Verdigris felt alive, vines framed the high windows, the sunlight was warmer, and faint traces of wildflowers lingered in the air.

Yet, despite its beauty, Edward couldn’t shake the subtle sense of being watched. Servants bowed as he passed, polite smiles fixed firmly in place, but their eyes lingered a little too long.

He walked for a bit before reaching the main entrance of the estate.

....Somehow, he had been able to get there without getting lost.

Edward quietly thanked whatever gods were watching over him.

When he reached the main entrance, Calen was already there waiting by the stairs. His posture utterly perfect even in the early morning.

"Greetings, Young master." Calen bowed to him.

Edward gave him an awkward nod.

"You are awake early, there is time until we time meet the duke again." He added, straightening.

Edward adjusted the ribbon at his collar.

"I see.."

Edward noticed Calen’s gaze flick briefly over his attire—too quick to be called a stare, but enough to make Edward feel oddly self conscious.

Do I look weird...

He quickly decided to not go down that hole before following Calen to the guest room they were going to spend time in.

It was around half an hour later, a servant came looking for them, informing them that they had been invited for breakfast.

Edward looked at Calen, not sure about what he was supposed to do.

Calen gave him a brief look, then deciding something, turned to the servant.

"We couldn’t possibly intrude on the family’s private time. Young master Edward will have breakfast on his own."

And then he had dismissed the servant.

It was only after he had left that Calen explained to him that inviting him, the guest for breakfast was common courtesy. And that every time, he was to deny the invitation as to not intrude on their hosts.

Edward nodded along, taking in everything that he could.

Breakfast had been delicious, incredibly so. Even after three days, Edward still couldn’t get used to how fresh and luxurious every item in his plate felt. He had barely managed to hold himself back, only eating what was considered polite.

He chewed slowly, savouring the texture. Even the simplest bread here tasted like something out of a royal feast. It almost irritated him — how easy it was to live well in this body.

Somewhere, in another world, the real Joon-ho was probably still struggling to make rent. And here he was, eating fruit he couldn’t even name, pretending to belong in a palace.

Another hour had passed after that for the duke to finally be ready to talk to them.