There was a brief silence at the unimportant revelation. After a while, a series of exclamations erupted from the mouths of the nobles who understood the meaning of the words.
It was the same for Elusiana. She was very embarrassed because it happened so quickly that she had no time to react. Elusiana quickly retrieved her hand and glared at Noel with a red face. The same was true for Aster, who had been holding Noel’s wrist.
Noel smiled and said to Elusiana as if he had never done that before. “That’s all for today, Lusi. It seems that His Excellency is also at his limit.”
At that time, the nobles’ voice clearly came to her ears.
“Why Lord Klaus?”
“This can’t happen.”
“How can he leave Lady Camilla—”
…Words like that kept pouring out without stopping.
Excuse me, that’s not it. Everyone has misunderstood. I’m friends with Noel. We’re purely just friends. I also refused to confess. Noel, don’t just sit still, say something. Please, at least make an excuse.
However, Noel just looked at her as if he couldn’t hear her at all. No, he was rather pleased at this moment, wearing a light smile.
It was a moment, an eerie sensation like the stabbing knife, wrapped around her entire body.
W-what is it? Shocked, Elusiana quickly looked around. Even though she hadn’t been directly harmed, her breathing felt tight, and she got goosebumps.
“What’s wrong, Lusi?”
“Wouldn’t it be faster to find someone who isn’t staring at you?”
Noel was right. Not only the nobles but also the servants and maids were concentrating their whole attention on her and this man.
“That. I know it too.”
Elusiana smiled nervously and touched her depressed chest. After taking a breath a few times, it was time to lift her gaze. At a moment that seemed to be too surprising to be a coincidence, her eyes met with Camilla.
Gasp. Elusiana inhaled without realizing it. The venom in Camilla’s cold gaze was so vivid that it felt like it was going to strangle her at any moment.
“El-Elusiana, don’t go. You can’t go. To the imperial palace… N-no. If you go there… di…”
Even as she shook her head, cold sweat rolled down her back. She wanted to believe it wasn’t the case, but somehow, it seemed like it was true. This was a hunch. That venom was real, not just a threat. At that moment, her body, which barely held out, faltered.
“Elusiana!”
“Lusi!”
Aster quickly reached out and held her first. Noel, who had missed Elusiana in the blink of an eye, looked at the two in despair.
“…Grand Duke Sestein.”
However, all of Aster’s attention was directed towards Elusiana. He smiled brightly as he held her in his arms. “I caught you, Elusiana.”
As Aster, who had supported Elusiana, disappeared onto the terrace, the nobles’ attention naturally turned to Noel and Camilla.
Camilla had been courting him for a long time but was rejected. Nevertheless, their relationship still had a strange connection. No, no one here thought that the two wouldn’t end up together.
But the Noel they saw today was different. The smile and kind words he said to the other person were the same as those he had used before with other women. Still, the affectionate look in his eyes was different. He approached first, talked, and followed with light skinship.
What was most shocking was the dancing that went all around the hall. Not one, two or three times. The dance continued one after another. Even in his prime, Noel often attended balls but never danced, even with Camilla, who referred to herself as Noel’s future fiancée.
“You must be upset, Lord Noel.”
As if those uncomfortable gazes were nothing, Camilla approached Noel’s side.
“Do you understand my feelings a little bit now?”
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Camilla raised her red lips elegantly and let out a small laugh. “You’re stubborn to the end. Even after having what you had in your hands taken away, you still had that kind of composure. Anyway, it doesn’t feel too bad.”
“…”
“Maybe it’s because I saw a good view, but I also want to let you off the hook a little bit.”
Noel frowned as if wondering what she was talking about.
“Hehe, I’m just talking to myself. But are you going to keep looking there?”
“…”
Looking at the terrace where Elusiana and the Grand Duke were, Camilla slightly raised the corner of one mouth. “I don’t think they’ll come out soon.”
“…”
“Don’t do that, just take it.”
Camilla handed over a glass of red wine. Her red eyes curled seductively. It was as she was repairing the relationship that had already been cut off.
“Enough, Lady Eragost. I have some unfinished business, so I have to go. Then.”
Before she knew it, Noel had turned his back and quickly walked away. The place he headed was the terrace in question that she had been looking at just a moment ago.
Camilla’s lips trembled as if she was holding back her laughter. How come you haven’t deviated an inch away from my expectations? Her veins popped out over the back of her hand that was holding the wine glass.
Camilla’s red eyes were shining with venom as she stared at the terrace. “Do whatever you want, Noel. Because this might be your last chance. Didn’t I tell you? You will definitely regret it. Look forward to it. There will be no mercy.”
Camilla quickly turned around and left the Sapphire Hall.
* * *
A cool breeze blew as she stepped out of the terrace. It was early spring, but the wind was quite warm.
Aster said, placing Elusiana on the long sofa on the side. “Take a break.”
“Is Your Excellency going to leave?”
“I’ll be right back.”
“…Yes.”
As Aster left the terrace, Elusiana breathed a sigh of relief. Through the slightly lifted hem of her dress, she could see her feet, which were bright red and swollen.
“Sigh, it’s swollen a lot. That’s why I couldn’t walk properly.”
Was it because she was wearing high heel shoes that she didn’t even usually wear, or was it because she was dancing too hard? Her feet were definitely in bad condition.
Elusiana bent down and took off her shoes. They were so tightly fastened that it took some effort to remove them, but once she did, it didn’t feel as refreshing as she had expected.
Plop, plop. Elusiana, who had pushed her shoes aside, let out a sigh. “Phew. I feel like I’m finally living a life.”
The hall inside was definitely as bloody as walking on the edge of a knife, and her breath caught in her throat.
“It was terrible. I never want to be in that atmosphere again.”
But today was the last time. She would never attend an event like this again in the future.
Elusiana leaned her back against the back of the chair and tilted her head. In the pitch-black night sky, the stars twinkled as if they sang.
“It’s pretty. It’s comfortable too. It’s also refreshing. Maybe because I’m relaxed. My sleepiness… is coming… and…”
Elusiana’s eyes, which were smiling faintly, slowly closed.
I shouldn’t sleep. His Excellency will be arriving soon. Even though she had to open her eyes, her eyelids became increasingly heavy. She couldn’t bear it and fell asleep.
And after a while, Aster came in with a glass of drinks.
“Hmm.”
Aster, looking down at the drink glass in his hand, and smirked. He knew she was nervous the whole time, so he brought her some cold cherry juice, but he guessed she couldn’t stand to fall asleep.
“You still have no sense of danger, Lusi.”
Aster sat down next to her, putting the glass in his hand down on the table. It was at that moment that her fair bare feet came into view. His brows wrinkled heavily.
“Sigh. Lusi, what the hell are you? Why don’t you tell me it hurts before you end up like this?”
The sight of her blistered little toe made him angry. He could tell without looking. The skin on her heels would have peeled off long ago.
At that moment, the image of Noel, who snatched Elusiana with a sly smile, came to his mind. “I should have cut off one of his legs sooner.”
Because of her relationship with him, he only ended up warning him, which later became his regret.
She, who had wanted to live quietly like the gentle spring rain, had no desire for trouble. Ever since her family barely survived, she considered it virtuous to avoid drawing attention from nobles. But look at this. Just because of one man, Noel, she’s receiving such terrible treatment.
“You still don’t think he’s the main culprit. What a fool.”
Aster got up from his seat and bent one knee in front of her. When he saw her swollen feet, he became angry again.
“Really, there’s not even a single bit of consideration.”
Aster, who managed to calm his anger, took a handkerchief out of his pocket. He lifted her fair feet from the cold floor and wrapped them in a handkerchief.
“It’s too hot.”
Even though it was on the floor, the temperature delivered to his hands was quite hot.
“If you just leave it like this, you’ll be in pain all night long.”
She might not know because she was tired now, but he knew she’d be tossing and turning all night because of her foot pain.
Aster glanced at Elusiana’s face and then cast a cold spell on the handkerchief wrapping her feet.
“This should be enough for first aid.”
Aster, who lowered her slightly raised hem dress to her toes, quietly raised his head. Although he thought, ‘Wow, that’s very Lusi-like’ for her to fall asleep in a place like this without taking any precautions, he felt sick to his stomach at her defenseless attitude.
There was a brief silence at the unimportant revelation. After a while, a series of exclamations erupted from the mouths of the nobles who understood the meaning of the words.
It was the same for Elusiana. She was very embarrassed because it happened so quickly that she had no time to react. Elusiana quickly retrieved her hand and glared at Noel with a red face. The same was true for Aster, who had been holding Noel’s wrist.
Noel smiled and said to Elusiana as if he had never done that before. “That’s all for today, Lusi. It seems that His Excellency is also at his limit.”
At that time, the nobles’ voice clearly came to her ears.
“Why Lord Klaus?”
“This can’t happen.”
“How can he leave Lady Camilla—”
…Words like that kept pouring out without stopping.
Excuse me, that’s not it. Everyone has misunderstood. I’m friends with Noel. We’re purely just friends. I also refused to confess. Noel, don’t just sit still, say something. Please, at least make an excuse.
However, Noel just looked at her as if he couldn’t hear her at all. No, he was rather pleased at this moment, wearing a light smile.
It was a moment, an eerie sensation like the stabbing knife, wrapped around her entire body.
W-what is it? Shocked, Elusiana quickly looked around. Even though she hadn’t been directly harmed, her breathing felt tight, and she got goosebumps.
“What’s wrong, Lusi?”
“Wouldn’t it be faster to find someone who isn’t staring at you?”
Noel was right. Not only the nobles but also the servants and maids were concentrating their whole attention on her and this man.
“That. I know it too.”
Elusiana smiled nervously and touched her depressed chest. After taking a breath a few times, it was time to lift her gaze. At a moment that seemed to be too surprising to be a coincidence, her eyes met with Camilla.
Gasp. Elusiana inhaled without realizing it. The venom in Camilla’s cold gaze was so vivid that it felt like it was going to strangle her at any moment.
“El-Elusiana, don’t go. You can’t go. To the imperial palace… N-no. If you go there… di…”
Even as she shook her head, cold sweat rolled down her back. She wanted to believe it wasn’t the case, but somehow, it seemed like it was true. This was a hunch. That venom was real, not just a threat. At that moment, her body, which barely held out, faltered.
“Elusiana!”
“Lusi!”
Aster quickly reached out and held her first. Noel, who had missed Elusiana in the blink of an eye, looked at the two in despair.
“…Grand Duke Sestein.”
However, all of Aster’s attention was directed towards Elusiana. He smiled brightly as he held her in his arms. “I caught you, Elusiana.”
As Aster, who had supported Elusiana, disappeared onto the terrace, the nobles’ attention naturally turned to Noel and Camilla.
Camilla had been courting him for a long time but was rejected. Nevertheless, their relationship still had a strange connection. No, no one here thought that the two wouldn’t end up together.
But the Noel they saw today was different. The smile and kind words he said to the other person were the same as those he had used before with other women. Still, the affectionate look in his eyes was different. He approached first, talked, and followed with light skinship.
What was most shocking was the dancing that went all around the hall. Not one, two or three times. The dance continued one after another. Even in his prime, Noel often attended balls but never danced, even with Camilla, who referred to herself as Noel’s future fiancée.
“You must be upset, Lord Noel.”
As if those uncomfortable gazes were nothing, Camilla approached Noel’s side.
“Do you understand my feelings a little bit now?”
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Camilla raised her red lips elegantly and let out a small laugh. “You’re stubborn to the end. Even after having what you had in your hands taken away, you still had that kind of composure. Anyway, it doesn’t feel too bad.”
“…”
“Maybe it’s because I saw a good view, but I also want to let you off the hook a little bit.”
Noel frowned as if wondering what she was talking about.
“Hehe, I’m just talking to myself. But are you going to keep looking there?”
“…”
Looking at the terrace where Elusiana and the Grand Duke were, Camilla slightly raised the corner of one mouth. “I don’t think they’ll come out soon.”
“…”
“Don’t do that, just take it.”
Camilla handed over a glass of red wine. Her red eyes curled seductively. It was as she was repairing the relationship that had already been cut off.
“Enough, Lady Eragost. I have some unfinished business, so I have to go. Then.”
Before she knew it, Noel had turned his back and quickly walked away. The place he headed was the terrace in question that she had been looking at just a moment ago.
Camilla’s lips trembled as if she was holding back her laughter. How come you haven’t deviated an inch away from my expectations? Her veins popped out over the back of her hand that was holding the wine glass.
Camilla’s red eyes were shining with venom as she stared at the terrace. “Do whatever you want, Noel. Because this might be your last chance. Didn’t I tell you? You will definitely regret it. Look forward to it. There will be no mercy.”
Camilla quickly turned around and left the Sapphire Hall.
* * *
A cool breeze blew as she stepped out of the terrace. It was early spring, but the wind was quite warm.
Aster said, placing Elusiana on the long sofa on the side. “Take a break.”
“Is Your Excellency going to leave?”
“I’ll be right back.”
“…Yes.”
As Aster left the terrace, Elusiana breathed a sigh of relief. Through the slightly lifted hem of her dress, she could see her feet, which were bright red and swollen.
“Sigh, it’s swollen a lot. That’s why I couldn’t walk properly.”
Was it because she was wearing high heel shoes that she didn’t even usually wear, or was it because she was dancing too hard? Her feet were definitely in bad condition.
Elusiana bent down and took off her shoes. They were so tightly fastened that it took some effort to remove them, but once she did, it didn’t feel as refreshing as she had expected.
Plop, plop. Elusiana, who had pushed her shoes aside, let out a sigh. “Phew. I feel like I’m finally living a life.”
The hall inside was definitely as bloody as walking on the edge of a knife, and her breath caught in her throat.
“It was terrible. I never want to be in that atmosphere again.”
But today was the last time. She would never attend an event like this again in the future.
Elusiana leaned her back against the back of the chair and tilted her head. In the pitch-black night sky, the stars twinkled as if they sang.
“It’s pretty. It’s comfortable too. It’s also refreshing. Maybe because I’m relaxed. My sleepiness… is coming… and…”
Elusiana’s eyes, which were smiling faintly, slowly closed.
I shouldn’t sleep. His Excellency will be arriving soon. Even though she had to open her eyes, her eyelids became increasingly heavy. She couldn’t bear it and fell asleep.
And after a while, Aster came in with a glass of drinks.
“Hmm.”
Aster, looking down at the drink glass in his hand, and smirked. He knew she was nervous the whole time, so he brought her some cold cherry juice, but he guessed she couldn’t stand to fall asleep.
“You still have no sense of danger, Lusi.”
Aster sat down next to her, putting the glass in his hand down on the table. It was at that moment that her fair bare feet came into view. His brows wrinkled heavily.
“Sigh. Lusi, what the hell are you? Why don’t you tell me it hurts before you end up like this?”
The sight of her blistered little toe made him angry. He could tell without looking. The skin on her heels would have peeled off long ago.
At that moment, the image of Noel, who snatched Elusiana with a sly smile, came to his mind. “I should have cut off one of his legs sooner.”
Because of her relationship with him, he only ended up warning him, which later became his regret.
She, who had wanted to live quietly like the gentle spring rain, had no desire for trouble. Ever since her family barely survived, she considered it virtuous to avoid drawing attention from nobles. But look at this. Just because of one man, Noel, she’s receiving such terrible treatment.
“You still don’t think he’s the main culprit. What a fool.”
Aster got up from his seat and bent one knee in front of her. When he saw her swollen feet, he became angry again.
“Really, there’s not even a single bit of consideration.”
Aster, who managed to calm his anger, took a handkerchief out of his pocket. He lifted her fair feet from the cold floor and wrapped them in a handkerchief.
“It’s too hot.”
Even though it was on the floor, the temperature delivered to his hands was quite hot.
“If you just leave it like this, you’ll be in pain all night long.”
She might not know because she was tired now, but he knew she’d be tossing and turning all night because of her foot pain.
Aster glanced at Elusiana’s face and then cast a cold spell on the handkerchief wrapping her feet.
“This should be enough for first aid.”
Aster, who lowered her slightly raised hem dress to her toes, quietly raised his head. Although he thought, ‘Wow, that’s very Lusi-like’ for her to fall asleep in a place like this without taking any precautions, he felt sick to his stomach at her defenseless attitude.
