Episode 36: It’s Okay Now
“I’m sorry, Lord Vincent. I was rude, I was so busy that day…….”
“I know how hectic a first debut is. Besides, Lady Garnet was really busy that day. Everyone was anxious to ask Lady Garnet for a dance request at least once.”
Lord Vincent laughed out loud at my apology.
“However, Lady can’t remember me, I’m a little disappointed that I’m the only one who remembered it.”
“What should I do? How can I be forgiven for making this mistake?”
“Tonight, help me perfectly fulfill the role of Lady’s partner.”
When I answered that I would definitely do that, he burst into laughter again. While talking with Lord Vincent, it was already time to leave.
It was a short distance to the ballroom, so we decided to walk slowly. It was also a place I’ve been to once before, the New Year’s ball, a long time ago.
I took a short, deep breath and walked inside holding lord Vincent’s hand. Several people who had arrived first glanced at the sound of our arrival.
Originally, Chloe Garnet was not worthy of being invited to the event, but I attended with Grand Duke Ludwig who was my guardian. And Chloe Garnet now, who is the maid of Empress Daria, deserved it.
‘Remember, Chloe. If someone despises you there, it’s the same as insulting me. So, never get discouraged and walk proudly with your back straight.’
I straightened my back, remembering Daria’s strict request. In that state, I walked proudly, letting people’s eyes flow as we walked by.
When we finally got to where Raymond and Daria were sitting next to each other, we stopped and greeted them.
Raymond, whom I had seen from afar, did not look very good. However, when we arrived in front of him, he looked down proudly at us with a dignified face as if he never had a bad complexion.
Raymond’s gaze stayed near my collarbone for a while. The necklace he gave me in the morning was hanging there.
“It looks good on you,” he muttered in a low voice.
I was the only one who could understand what he meant, no wonder my face got hot.
Subsequently, the nobles who came to greet Daria lined up, so we exchanged a few more words briefly and then stepped aside.
“You don’t seem to be nervous at all.”
“It’s all thanks to the Lord. Thank you.”
Lord Vincent asked, carefully examining my condition.
“Will you have champagne?”
“No, juice is fine.”
I thought for a moment, but then shook my head. If Daria finds out that I have been drinking at the ball, she will undoubtedly scold me.
It was when I looked at the glass of champagne in Lord Vincent’s hand with eyes full of regret, “Grand Duke Kailos Ludwig and the Marquis Rosaline are entering.”
As the door to the ballroom where I entered earlier opened, two familiar people appeared. Taking a step inside, he stopped for a moment and turned his head toward me.
The moment his eyes met mine, I stopped breathing and my fingertips trembled finely. Kailos… His black eyes were staring exactly at me.
“Are you okay, Lady?”
Lord Vincent put his hand on my shoulder and asked carefully. I naturally looked back at Lord Vincent, avoiding Kailos’ gaze. I then smiled softly and nodded as if nothing had happened.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“I think you are sweating.”
Lord Vincent took out a handkerchief and patted my forehead. I looked down slowly, I didn’t want him to see both of my hands trembling, so I clenched my fists.
I felt a little nauseous, so I stepped back to the corner and drank the cold water he brought for me.
“Chloe.”
A familiar voice called me.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
My heart pounded hard. I slowly closed my eyelids, opened them again, and looked straight at him.
Thump, thump thump.
Still, my heart was beating fast.
I put my right hand on my chest and pressed down on my loud heartbeat and smiled gracefully, pulling the corners of my lips as he once taught me.
“It’s been a while, Uncle.”
“…….”
He looked at me silently for a while. He looked confused, indeed, he is.
I, who left saying that I was pregnant with the child of the Emperor, had no news, but one day I suddenly became the Empress’s maid and reappeared.
“Why did you…….”
Perhaps the reason he appeared here today was to understand the authenticity.
“Was that all a lie?”
Unlike the tone that sounded calm at first glance, the end was shaking finely.
“Why did you lie to me like that…….”
It was strange, the more I talked with him, the more my heart, which had been pounding, seemed to gradually calm down. Until just before I met him, I couldn’t believe I was so afraid of this moment.
I calmed down and looked at him carefully.
Contrary to Marquis Rosaline’s words that he had been greatly heartbroken since I left, he was still the same as I remembered, except that he lost a little weight. Grand Duke Ludwig had nothing to lose and nothing to throw away.
“I told you, Chloe. I’m going to…!”
Kailos grabbed my wrist and took a step closer.
“Uncle.”
I called him in a calm voice, staring down at my wrist he grabbed.
“I think my wrist hurts.”
“…….”
Then his face strangely distorted. Nevertheless, even when I saw his handsome face, I was not very impressed.
The past in my heart scattered and flew away. I was no longer agitated when I saw him. I was not shaken by his touch. I was just angry, colder, more frigidly angry.
“People are paying attention to you. Are you going to keep holding?”
“…….”
“The Marquis is looking this way.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Is it because he is blinded by anger and his reason is disturbed? Kailos did not move even though the woman who had been working so hard looked at him with embarrassed eyes from afar.
I was a little annoyed.
“Your Highness, Lady Garnet is my partner today.”
“There’s something I have to say to Chloe. How dare you intervene in the affairs of Grand Duke Ludwig?”
Lord Vincent showed up to help me, who looked awkward, but Kailos threatened him with a grim voice. Lord Vincent glanced at me and blinked, I let out a short sigh.
“I’m fine. My Uncle must have something else to say to me.”
Lord Vincent had a very suspicious expression on his face, but he had no choice but to back down because of me, who smiled saying that I was fine.
“……Don’t smile like that.”
As I looked back with a frown at his low growling words, Kailos, who still did not let go of my wrist, was crumpling his face.
“Don’t smile like that in front of another man.”
“It was my uncle who taught me how to smile like this.”
Now my wrist really hurts.
“What else do you want to say to me?”
“Come back to the Duchy.”
“I can’t do that. I’ve already become a maid of the Empress’ Majesty. In order to return to the Duchy, we need the permission of Her Majesty the Empress.”
“Shit.”
Kailos seems to have gone crazy. The place we are in is in a corner, so his sound will not be heard well. Still, someone might have seen his mouth muttering abusive language.
“This is wrong. They tricked me, the owner of the family, to take you away, so if I formally protest to the imperial family, they will definitely return you again…..”
“Are you going to file a complaint against the Imperial Family?”
The weight was extraordinary to say that it was a random remark due to loss of reason. When I asked in a slightly surprised voice, he smiled and closed his lips.
“There’s nothing I can’t do.”
Looking at him smiling madly for a while, I slowly leaned toward him. Then I whispered in his ear in a very small voice.
“Try it.”
As if warning with light anger, each word was small but powerful to convey it straight.
“If you’re not afraid of being discovered, of what you’ve done against His Majesty, or for what purpose you’ve been raising me, try it.”
“Right now, to me… Are you threatening me?”
As if he couldn’t believe it while I smiled with my eyes while looking at him, who was staring blankly at me. The most beautiful eye smile that he taught me— for seducing my opponent.
“Yes, maybe.”
When I glanced down, I saw his trembling fist. As soon as I lifted my eyes again, his face, which was holding back his anger, was gone.
“Don’t say silly things, Chloe. Trusting only the words of an illegitimate child of a collegiate family, people believe in Grand Duke Ludwig…..”
A small voice, like a whisper, pushed me like a threat. It would be a lie if it wasn’t scary at all. I was worried that I had provoked him too much. It was time to think about moving out of the corner and moving towards the center of the hall.
“Your Highness.”
A neat voice suddenly intervened between us.
“I think you need to come outside for a while.”
He approached Kailos and I glanced at the politely whispering knight. Bright platinum blonde hair fluttered in front of my eyes. When the knight said something, Kailos looked back at me, biting his lips.
“A little later…Let’s talk about it again.”
And he left me and went back. I didn’t know what he(France) said, but it seemed quite urgent.
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It wasn’t until he disappeared that the tension surrounding me subsided.
“Lady Garnet.”
A calm voice whispered to me with a careful hand that gently supported my body which was going to collapse.
“It’s okay now.”
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