“Rachel, are you alright?”
Mike looked around the noisy banquet hall, and whispered softly to Rachel.
“I’m alright.”
Rachel nodded slightly.
“You don’t have to worry about what that noblewoman said. She’s a person who speaks without thinking, so just forget it.”
“I’m really alright.”
Rachel smiled softly at Mike, who seemed to be worried about her.
In this life, she was a little surprised when Diana approached her first, but didn’t Mike sort things out before Diana could do anything?
As Mike had said earlier, he would always be by her side, so she didn’t need to worry.
Rachel wasn’t so afraid because she had Mike right next to her.
“His Majesty’s is entering.”
As soon as Mike reached out to tidy up Rachel’s hair, a servant loudly announced the Emperor’s entrance.
In an instance, all eyes were on the beginning of the red carpet.
Since Ian didn’t show up at social functions often, several of the noble sons and daughters were seeing the Emperor for the first time today.
Then the door opened, and Ian walked in.
Ian Dakendov’s hair was pulled back, showing off his forehead. Thrown over his shoulder was a red cloak threaded with gold that swayed with each step he took.
Despite his young age, he exuded authority.
“Gasp.”
Rachel took a deep breath, as she stared at Ian as he walked in.
Surprised, Rachel frowned and covered her mouth. She wasn’t the only one, most of the people in the hall were staring at Ian.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten to bow. As the emperor walked past them, they hastily bowed their heads deeply.
There was a shining crown on his head.
“….”
It was a perfect crown for Ian. Rachel knew how hard Ian had worked to get there.
BoomBoom
The orchestra matched Ian’s footsteps.
His shoes attracted Rachel’s gaze as she bowed her head.
BoomBoom
His steps seemed to slow down for a moment, but soon his shining shoes disappeared from Rachel’s gaze.
***
The banquet began in earnest after a few short words from Ian.
The orchestra began to play.
The surrounding young noblewomen began to make a lot of noise.
Those who would normally stand along the wall without a dance partner whispered to each other as if it didn’t matter so much now.
“Did you see His Majesty’s face? I thought he was a fairy.”
“No way. Doesn’t that mean he defeated a dragon with that face?”
“Oh, why did I see His Majesty now?”
That was why the dance floor was more empty than usual.
The situation wasn’t much different among the young ladies who’d chosen to dance after being asked by a young nobleman.
They were more busy glancing at Ian than at the men they were dancing with.
“Rachel.”
Rachel turned her head towards the person that tapped on her shoulder.
“Do you want to rest? Come over here.”
Mike quickly ushered her away before some else came to speak to them.
“Sit comfortably.”
Mike led Rachel to a balcony and sat her down. He then took off his jacket, and put it over her shoulders in case she was cold.
“I knew it. His Majesty is quite popular.”
He smiled playfully at her.
“You must be happy, Rachel.”
“What?”
“His Majesty is yours, no matter how much the other young noblewomen desire him.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Rachel jumped, unusually startled by Mike’s remark.
“His Majesty isn’t mine, that’s ridiculous. What if someone heard you.”
Ian was hers?
Rachel shook her head violently.
“Why? His Majesty likes you…”
But Mike didn’t finish what he was saying, and went silent.
Perhaps Rachel didn’t know His Majesty’s heart yet?
Mike contemplated the relationship between the two, whom he knew and yet didn’t know. He changed the subject because Rachel seemed uncomfortable.
“Rachel, you’re not tired are you?”
“I’m fine, thanks to the Young Master. Thank you very much. It was reassuring having you by my side. Rather than that, will everything be okay with Lady Avery? She seemed pretty upset.”
Mike seemed to have talked more harshly to Diana because of her.
“It’s probably okay, but who can really know.”
“I’m sorry. I’m the reason you said such bad things, and your relationship with Lady Avery has become strained.”
“I’ve always hated Diana and the Averys. It’s not your fault that I said those things, Diana was the one at fault.”
Mike tapped Rachel’s foot with his own as she looked at him in confusion.
“Don’t be discouraged by what Diana said. Also, why are you blaming yourself again? Don’t do that.”
“…Yes.”
“Let’s rest for a bit, then go dance.”
“Dance?”
“Yeah, we’ve come this far, we have to dance at least once. Don’t you think so?”
Rachel looked troubled, and seemed to have difficulty speaking up.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you learn how to dance?”
“I’ve learned some things, but…”
She was still quite inexperienced.
She was sure that she would become a laughingstock.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you. My new leather shoes are strong, so I don’t mind you stepping on them a few times.”
Rachel laughed at Mike’s joke.
“Also, I don’t think you’ll be able to talk much to His Majesty today. He’ll be very busy, and have a lot of eyes on him.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Mike explained in case Rachel was disappointed. However, she just nodded as if she knew without any signs of displeasure.
Mike was going to ask her why she didn’t just go ahead and let people know, when he stopped himself because Rachel seemed to be satisfied with how things were between her and Ian.
“Rachel, would you like a drink?”
“Yes.”
Rachel answered and tried to get up from her seat, but Mike pressed down on her shoulders gently.
“If you rest here, I’ll bring it to you right away.”
“No, I’ll get it.”
“Forget it. If you leave, people will swarm you again. You’re tired, so stay here.”
Rachel nodded in agreement. Dealing with people who wanted to talk to her without a break was even more difficult than she’d anticipated.
After Mike left the balcony, the surroundings became quiet except for the sounds and music that floated in from the banquet hall.
Rachel stared blankly down at the Imperial gardens.
The chilly autumn breeze blew through her hair.
“….”
When she thought about it, everything was strange.
From the day Ian had come to her again, everything was going in an unpredictable direction.
She’d met him again, which she thought would never happen again in her life. She’d eaten as much precious food as she could ever want, meals that she’d never eaten in her life. Then she’d worn priceless fabrics, which she’d never thought she would ever wear, as pajamas.
Her room was as large as her house in Ravenna, and she’d become a Lady of the Oates family.
The strangest thing was the fact that Ian liked her.
“Sigh…”
Rachel bowed her head.
Ian Dakendov.
Did he still feel the same way? Did he still like her as he said he did that day?
She’d made up her mind that she would no longer associate with Ian, but his confession made her feel conflicted. She was so confused by her emotions that she couldn’t figure out what she was feeling.
It was good that she had at least a little bit of influence on Ian.
If Ian had liked her in his previous life, Rachel wondered if he would’ve regretted his choice after she died. She wondered if he’d even thought of her for a moment.
There was a sense of relief at the idea that if he had liked her, that he wouldn’t have forgotten her, at least not overnight. She hoped that just maybe, Ian had missed her, despite knowing that it was pointless.
Rachel didn’t know why she wanted Ian to have suffered. She wasn’t even sure where these thoughts came from.
Why was she so concerned about him these days? It had been a long time since she’d seen him, but she was confused by Ian, who didn’t even look at her.
…She wanted Ian to look at her a little more.
“Sigh…”
Rachel let out a small frustrated sigh. It was a wish that made her feel overwhelmed.
The curtains were pulled back, and bright light poured in briefly.
Rachel quickly stood up to help Mike, who’d gone to get a drink for her, and turned around.
“…Your Majesty?”
However, Mike wasn’t alone when he returned. He was with Ian.
“Rachel.”
Ian approached Rachel, walking past Mike, who was holding a drink in each hand.
“You look really beautiful.”
Ian reached toward Rachel, but his hand stopped midway. He brought his hand back, and smiled.
Rachel’s heart raced helplessly at the sight of his neatly folded eye.
Perhaps it was perfume, but Ian’s hand smelled fresh.
Rachel’s face turned red for some reason, while Ian smiled at her as if he was pleased.
“Did Mike take good care of you?”
“…Yes.”
Rachel sincerely hoped that Ian couldn’t hear the loud beating of her heart.
Looking at Ian’s red lips, which rose up in a fine arc, Rachel finally understood why she had been feeling strange lately.
Yeah, maybe she liked him.
“Wasn’t it difficult because of the crowd?”
“…Yes.”
That seemed to be the reason why she was waiting for him, and why she cared.
“You’re wearing the necklace I gave you?”
He glanced at Rachel’s neck for a moment, then he smiled more brightly than he had a little while ago.
“As expected, it suits you. Thank you.”
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Rachel couldn’t understand why Ian was thanking her. She had no choice, but to deal with the burning blush that spread across her face.
Once more the wind blew, and ruffled her hair. Her heart felt tickled by the rustling that brushed by her neck.
Rachel tried to empty her mind by biting her lip.