The ballroom was much brighter and more dazzling than she had imagined.
Clive took notice of Eirene’s condition. He stopped and waited for her.
The murmur grew louder and louder. It was impossible to guess how many people had come.
Eirene thought that this situation would not be difficult, but suddenly her heart was beating rapidly and breathing became difficult.
“Are you all right?”
Clive asked worriedly.
“I must be nervous.”
“Hold my arm tight. Nothing will happen.”
When Eirene grabbed his arm, Clive tapped her hand.
She thought it was funny that he’s the only one she can rely on, but it’s reassuring to have him.
Eirene who died once had nothing to fear, but the world she first encountered was far from easy.
Eirene took a light, deep breath, signaling that she was ready.
The eyes of the guests who had been anxiously awaiting the appearance of the two were focused.
The guests craned their necks to see the Grand Duke’s fiancée, forgetting their manners and gossiping.
Each person who had imagined the face of the person who would become the Grand Duchess began to gossip with each other.
“Apparently the rumor that she was ugly was not true.”
“Who do you think the Grand Duke is? I didn’t believe that at all.”
“There were rumors that she was sick, but is that true? Look at her face, she’s so pale as if she has never seen the sun.”
“She is not pale, she is white. Even from a distance, anyone can see that her skin is flawless and beautiful. I am so envious.”
“It must be true that Count Phineos or the Grand Duke deliberately did not allow her to appear in society.”
There was a story that the two had been dating for a long time before getting engaged.
Those who observed Eirene’s appearance and questioned the truth of the rumor soon turned their attention to the dress and necklace she was wearing.
Did you see that? How much does it cost? Only the Royal Family could get those gems, etc.
Eirene didn’t know if her heartbeat would slow, but she was sweating and having trouble breathing.
“Would you like to go out if you’re having a hard time?”
She shook her head at Clive’s question, who was still worried.
What are you going to do if I can’t overcome this? It’s something I have to deal with in the future.
“I will get better.”
Wherever Clive and Eirene went, they attracted attention, and the guests gathered one by one waiting to greet them.
Due to the people waiting in line, it ended with a normal greeting, but as more people came to greet them, the less nervous Eirene became.
Time flew by just giving formal greetings and smiling.
As the greetings ended, it was finally time to enjoy, and at the same time, their interest in Eirene faded.
Eirene, who can’t dance, sneaked out of the noisy ballroom.
She wanted to escape to the terrace, but it was to avoid the tiring situation caused by everyone approaching and talking to her.
The cold night wind scratched the exposed skin.
But it was better being outside than inside.
Eirene blew hot breath on her hands, but it didn’t do much good, so she gave up and found a bench and sat down.
She saw the Countess and Aishe in the distance.
They looked at Eirene and Clive but didn’t come closer.
She was going to go say greet first, but she was trying to figure out how to do it.
Aishe looked at Eirene with blood in her eyes, but when someone came over to speak, she quickly smiled brightly.
You’re amazing, Aishe.
To defeat her clever little sister, Eirene had no choice but to become the same.
I guess it’s the same for Clive.
She didn’t like it, but she wasn’t in a position to question it.
“Will you go inside now?”
Someone approached Eirene.
Step step
It was Kylo, Aishe’s twin brother.
* * * * * * * * * *
“It’s been a while.”
Kylo, who was some distance away, greeted her first.
Eirene couldn’t even remember how long it had been since she last saw him.
After frequenting the basement, he stopped visiting long before Aishe.
At the time, she asked the Countess and the maids why her younger brother was not coming, but they did not answer.
Aishe once told her, ‘He just doesn’t want to come.’
Eirene struggled and pondered for a long time if she had done something wrong to Kylo.
He was a friend and family to her.
Unlike Aishe’s cheerful and lively personality, Kylo was a quiet person.
He didn’t laugh or speak out loud. He was like a calm lake.
Kylo had the opposite personality of Aishe, but their appearances were very similar.
At that time, she was the only one who didn’t know anything else.
The only result of trusting too much to the point of not having any doubt was death.
It was a very stupid result.
If Eirene had confronted Kylo in the past when she killed everyone in the Phineos mansion, she might not have been able to carry out the task.
Because she didn’t have any bad feelings toward him.
Of course, the fact that they were in cahoots remains unchanged.
“You’re alive, Kylo. I thought you were dead.”
Kylo hasn’t changed.
The gentle look in his eyes showed that his personality was still the same.
“As you can see, I’m alive and healthy.”
“You didn’t show up like you were never going to see me, so you had to come here?”
“Yes. How can I decline the Grand Duke’s invitation?”
“Then you know why I’m here.”
A brief smile appeared on Kylo’s lips and then it disappeared.
“I think it’s good. Eirene.”
At Kylo’s voice, who always called her name in a friendly way, Eirene felt like she had stepped back in time. A time when she knew nothing.
In those silly times, her memory of Kylo wasn’t too bad.
However, when she found out that he was in cahoots with the Phineos family, a sense of evil began to take over her.
“Good? Is this all right?”
“I want you to marry the Grand Duke.”
“What about Aishe?”
“Aishe will be fine. Don’t worry.”
She wasn’t worried, but she didn’t know why Kylo had said that.
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Kylo was not related by blood to Eirene. And he was Aishe’s real brother.
“How can I take Aishe’s place?”
“You deserve it. Because Aishe has stolen something from you.”
“I don’t know why you care about me, and not Aishe.”
“I…..”
Kylo tried to say something, but he ended up saying something else.
He scratched his forehead with a troubled expression, but a familiar smile appeared.
“I want you to be happy.”
He wished me happiness.
Eirene burst out laughing.
“Kylo, you were such a good kid. You look good when you wish for the happiness of others. But Aishe was nice too. Your parents were nice too. You know what these nice people have done to me, right? I was abandoned after being used by your family for a long time. That’s why I’m afraid of what you think on the inside, wishing for my happiness.”
“I mean it.”
“Do you have remorse on your conscience now?”
“………”
“Tell Aishe and your parents that I will stick to my role. Also, tell them not to worry, I’ll give her this seat back.”
Eirene was about to turn around, trying to suppress her rising anger when suddenly Kylo grabbed her wrist.
“Eirene. It’s not like that.”
“Let go.”
“I will let you go. So don’t go and listen to me.”
“She told you to let go.”
Suddenly, another voice intervened.
A voice that lets you know who that person is without checking.
A large shadow stepped out of the darkness.
As soon as Kylo saw Clive, he let go of Eirene’s wrist.
Not knowing if Clive had heard their conversation, Kylo’s complexion suddenly turned pale.
His sharp gray eyes were about to blow out Kylo’s neck at any moment.
He looked like a huge, elegant white snake.
Many people called Clive the Imperial maniac. But those were the words of those who had never been struck with the sword wielded by a bastard before knowing him properly.
The moonlight shining on his gray hair made him even more radiant, making Kylo cringe.
When Kylo heard that Eirene was replacing Aishe, he thought it was really good.
He wished Eirene to become the Grand Duchess.
Even if the Grand Duke was full of bad rumors, he is better than Count Phineos.
She would at least be better off living in the basement without a single ray of sunshine.
However, he doesn’t want his family to get into trouble because of Eirene.
He didn’t want to believe that Clive could have overheard the conversation. He couldn’t even imagine.
Clive asked Eirene.
“What’s the problem?”
He spoke softly to her compared to when he spoke to Kylo.
“It’s nothing, Clive. It’s just a little fight between siblings.”
Eirene stepped up.
“Go ahead, Kylo. I’ll talk to you later.”
She pushed Kylo in the back.
Reluctantly pushed by her weak hand, Kylo managed to say goodbye to Clive and left.
His quick pace slowed down, then he stopped, and stood there with a puzzled look on his face.
Once again, knowing the sins of his parents and sister, he condoned them.
He wanted to ask Eirene for forgiveness and help on behalf of her family, but he didn’t have the courage.
If what Eirene went through leaked out, he feared criticism and punishment for the House of Phineos.
Therefore, he stopped visiting the basement where Eirene lived.
He was ashamed of not being different from his family.
Now that he’s an adult, he couldn’t shake the guilt he felt toward Eirene.
He thought he dared to live a life full of regrets, but it was not different from back then.
The moment he saw Clive, he was ashamed of himself to the point of getting scared. So he ran away.
He was relieved that Clive couldn’t hear his conversation with Eirene.
“I won’t be able to avoid the crime either. I will take the punishment, Eirene.”
Kylo sobbed in agony as he wrapped his arms around his head.
For a long time, he couldn’t leave the place.
* * * * * * * * * *
Clive took off the fur cloak he was wearing and put it on Eirene’s shoulder.
“I think you are crazy.”
At the unexpected words, Eirene looked at him.
Even though there were no people around, she had a conversation with Kylo in a public place.
Although they spoke quietly, there were plenty of places to hide.
Because she was embarrassed and angry at Kylo’s sudden appearance, she was not wary of her surroundings.
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“I know I have to be vigilant, but when I saw Kylo, I got angry and couldn’t control it.”
“I am not talking about him. It’s warm now, but if you come out dressed like this, you will freeze to death.”
Eirene then realized that her body was frozen.
She didn’t know it, but she was shivering.
She closed the cloak around her shoulders, blocking out the cold wind as much as possible.
“I wouldn’t have stayed here until I froze to death. I was so focused on the conversation that I just couldn’t feel the cold.”
“Are you sick? Does it make sense to not feel the cold?”
“I feel the cold now.”
Clive, giving her a disapproving look, urged her to go inside.
The warmth melted her as soon as she followed him inside.
“It’s cold, so why did you go out? Did you promise to meet Kylo Phineos?”
“I met Kylo by chance. It’s my first time at a ball, I felt awkward and I can’t even dance. That’s why I went out.”
“You can’t dance at all?”
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“Unfortunately, yes.”
“What should I do? There’s a lot of people waiting for the Grand Duke to dance with his fiancée.”
The guests who were enjoying the ball stopped dancing at the appearance of Clive and Eirene.
She thought they had lost interest, but they were really looking forward to it.
Clive took Eirene’s hand and led her to the center of the ballroom. In this situation, he seems to have had no choice. Strangely, Eirene was not worried at all when he asked her to trust him.