“Pfft, ah, look at Tanya’s face.”
Someone burst into laughter. Chloe covered her mouth with her fan, but her laughing face was clearly visible. Several ladies finally smiled as well.
“The Countess is quite mischievous.”
Countess Colodova said with a sigh. Sahara calmly looked at the ladies and women who had just sent her glances of contempt. Some were still flustered, but others were laughing even with poison in their eyes.
“I thought some people might enjoy this kind of joke. —Though I didn’t expect the person who brought it up to be so surprised.”
At Sahara’s words, implying she joined in because they seemed to like it, Chloe laughed with satisfaction. She crossed her legs and said.
“That’s right, Miss Tanya. Don’t be scared. Your face has gone completely pale. Overreacting to such a small joke, thanks to you, the atmosphere didn’t cool down, did it? And here you debuted months ahead, yet you’re being outdone by Countess Illoud who just debuted. My, my.”
“She’s just lacking in experience. If Miss Tanya keeps socializing, surely she’ll improve? Unless she lacks natural instincts.”
Viscountess Holt, who had started this in the first place, chimed in.
“It is rather suspicious, isn’t it. Wearing such an excessive dress to an ordinary party like today. Enthusiasm alone won’t get you anywhere.”
“Isn’t the dress pretty though? I think I understand why she wore it knowing it would stand out. It looks similar to that purple dress Countess Illoud wore.”
“Th, That was originally mine. I didn’t copy her—”
Tanya said in fluster. Her face red, she was seen seeking help with her eyes from friends around her.
“Well. If you say she copied it, the quality of the dress isn’t really—.”
Count Winia’s daughter who seems to be Tanya’s friend, laughed with furrowed brows. People laughed, and Tanya tried to laugh it off while hiding her humiliation, but the corners of her mouth were twisted grotesquely. Not bursting into tears right there seemed to be the best she could manage.
She only gave them a taste of their own medicine, and they tore her apart in an instant. Kiekie said the social world was a battlefield, and I think I understand what that means now. It didn’t feel particularly unfamiliar either.
“Countess Illoud is quite… an impressive person. It seems you’d know many fresh stories that people like us haven’t heard. Won’t you come to my tea party the day after tomorrow and share some? Or are you too busy?”
It was Viscountess Holt who stepped forward to ask. It was a look saying let’s have a proper second round in her own territory.
“My, the Countess must be busy—”
“No, if it’s an invitation from Viscountess Holt, I must attend no matter how busy I am. Thank you for the invitation.”
Sahara said, lightly patting Chloe’s shoulder as she tried to protect her. A tea party meant she could definitely enter that mansion. She’d been looking for a party invitation from the Holt Viscount household anyway, so it was a welcome invitation.
At the ready acceptance, Viscountess Holt scanned Sahara up and down as if impressed.
“Not nervous at all. I can’t believe you were a commoner until recently.”
“For someone who wielded a sword on the battlefield, would women’s gossip make her nervous? Yesterday I had occasion to personally confirm the Count’s skill.”
Chloe explained how she almost fell from her horse yesterday, smiling warmly at Sahara.
“Even after saving my life, she apologized for startling me. But far from being startled, she said her heart was all aflutter.”
“My, really?”
“Indeed, what charm. To captivate the Imperial family in just a few days. Her Highness the Princess, and His Highness the Crown Prince as well.”
“Now, isn’t one of them a stretch to say ‘captivated’?”
Dalia, daughter Marquis Bisiya, glanced at Sahara as she spoke. She was a woman whose beauty stood out even among beautiful noblewomen. Her curly blonde hair made her look like a doll.
“Ah, my mistake. His Highness the Crown Prince is kind to everyone, so please don’t misunderstand. You’ve come from far away, so you might not know.”
Count Winia’s daughter who had brought up the Crown Prince, laughed while covering her mouth. Chloe’s brows were seen slightly furrowing.
“It’s something everyone experiences when they debut. He’s so magnificent and kind that people think they’re receiving special treatment. There are so many cases of misunderstanding and getting hurt alone.”
“Everyone worries unnecessarily.”
Chloe waved her hand in irritation. Whether it was worry or jealousy, Sahara lowered her eyes.
“I wouldn’t make such a mistake. I’ve never thought I was receiving special treatment. Of course, he must be that kind to others as well.”
He was kind to Penelope. To Buzz and other subordinates too. Rather, he had some mischievous and harsh aspects toward Sahara. He nagged a lot, and he’d expressed his disapproval more than once or twice. Inflexible Sahara found it hard to keep up with him.
“I’m glad you think that way. The Countess is beautiful too, but there are many people in the world who are merely beautiful as grains of sand.”
“Of course. If you actively socialize, you’ll connect with wonderful men. Come out often and learn from wonderful women like Miss Dalia or Viscountess Holt.”
Sahara smiled without answering. She could tell whose faction was centered around whom. Chloe snorted and fanned herself. Lady Winia who mentioned Dalia and Viscountess Holt with fawning eyes, lectured Sahara.
“If you only pay attention to your dress, you might end up stuck against the wall, unable to dance a single song before going home. Learn well—”
“Excuse me for interrupting.”
A voice cut in before the lecture could finish. Sahara looked at the man who had approached without a sound.
“I intended to wait, but since your conversation seems lengthy, I had to be rude.”
It was the man she met yesterday at dawn. She looked at his shoulder, but as expected, there was no sign of injury.
“Brother?”
Tanya, who had been shrinking to one side, called him. Brother, so he’s Duke Giskar’s son. He greeted Tanya with his eyes and bowed to Chloe.
“You seem impatient.”
“If I waited quietly, I thought I might lose my turn again. It also seemed like you might disappear after dancing just one more song.”
The man looked at Sahara with calm eyes.
“May I ask for a dance?”
“…….”
A dance, what kind of sweet action is that between people who crossed swords just the day before? She was about to say she couldn’t dance well, but he spoke first.
“I also want to speak with you about what happened yesterday dawn.”
It was only natural that Sahara looked back at him with surprised eyes. The people standing around looked at the two of them strangely.
“—Why at dawn, you two?”
“At dawn? My, how quick of you.”
“Just who is advising whom here? Rather, the Count’s daughter should be learning, shouldn’t she?”
No matter what people chattered about, Duke Giskar asked with an indifferent face.
“Shall we talk here?”
Sahara hid her furrowing brows and took the hand he extended.
§ § § § §
“Are you taking medicine again?”
Isaac, who had been flipping through documents, lifted his head at the clicking sound of the medicine box. Chesire was opening his fifth medicine box just today that Isaac had seen.
“My head keeps ringing.”
“It’s because you don’t sleep enough.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
A sharp retort returned to his casual words. Isaac closed his mouth and buried his head back in the documents.
“It would be good if you slept a bit.”
Knowing he’d get scolded, why did he keep babbling? An irritated glance flew his way and Isaac shut his mouth again.
“…….”
Recently, Chesire had been suffering from severe headaches.
He already had deep insomnia and couldn’t sleep well, but recently it had become even worse. In the first place, even if he couldn’t sleep for a week or ten days, it didn’t affect his daily life because he stayed in a light sleep state with his eyes closed, doing nothing. He used to rest for a couple of hours a day even if he couldn’t fall asleep, but he became unable to even enter that light sleep because of a pale face that suddenly surfaced whenever he closed his eyes.
A flawlessly white face with black eyes. Beneath long, thick lashes, those eyes were thoroughly soaked.
It was strange. Sahara wasn’t actually a woman who cried easily. He had spent quite a lot of time with her, but her tears for the Emperor, the single drop she shed when she was forcibly brought to climax for the first time, and the tears she shed when she saw Chesire injured—that was all. He had wanted those tears, so he’d hurt her and teased her, but even as Sahara’s eyes turned red, she never ended up crying.
The last time he hurt her, all Chesire saw was her back. She was trembling slightly and didn’t lift her head. Chesire didn’t even think about looking at her face. He just gnawed on the anger rising within him. If he saw Sahara’s face, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to hold back and would do something harsh.
But the face he hadn’t tried to see back then kept surfacing whenever he closed his eyes to rest, disturbing his mind.
Was she crying back then?
Even thinking she wasn’t, why does her crying face keep coming to mind? Even trying not to think about it, it remained under his eyelids as if imprinted.
Of course, Sahara was beautiful. Her body was supple and healthy. Even though he held her for just one night, he knew she was special. Her flesh and her wetness were sweet enough to make his tongue tingle. Even thinking it couldn’t be sweet, it was sweet as if clinging to his tongue.
Was it because of the sex? These feelings might be arising from simple lust. After all, it was the first time he had ever wanted someone that impulsively.
With her, it ended before he could properly do anything, like a dud bomb with only the fuse burning. For the first time, he thought he wanted to go beyond just sex, but it was a cliff. There was no greater futile effort than that.
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