episode_0038

The man with black hair, and the blonde woman quietly following a step behind him, even after they had disappeared from view.

Eleanor sat alone on a dark bench for quite some time, still feeling the lingering impression in her heart.

Her face, still flushed, seemed to glow as if drawn closer to the blazing fireplace.

Her pounding heart beat so strongly against her ribs that it almost hurt.

Indescribable.

A whirlwind of unnamed emotions enveloped Eleanor’s slender body beneath the airy dress.

Beneath long, curved lashes of yellow, Eleanor tightly shut her large eyes.

Above the broad chest of her finely tailored dress, she placed her gloved hands and took a deep breath.

Though she would never admit it, Eleanor now resembled a shy girl in love.

They say there is no woman as beautiful as one in love, and her beauty was enough to capture the gazes of those passing by.

As she received the openly admiring gazes directed at her, a cycle of emotional turmoil continued to boil within her.

While Eleanor was caught in this whirlwind of unnamed emotions and solitary inner conflict,

Suddenly, in the distance, Eleanor spotted a familiar ivory figure.

“Ozgenii! You waited!”

Grabbing the tail of her words cutely, Eleanor shouted loudly as she started running towards Ozgenii.

Under normal circumstances, she might not have shown such behavior.

She would have simply waited for Ozgenii to approach chicly.

Once he arrived by her side, she might have casually asked why he was late.

Or, until Ozgenii initiated conversation, she would have kept her pink, moist lips tightly sealed.

But Eleanor was not herself at the moment.

From afar, Ozgenii watched Eleanor approaching while calling his name.

With her flushed face and the hem of her dress slightly lifted, rushing towards him in a flustered manner.

It was a sight reminiscent of the times when she was not Lady Eleanor, but Ellie, as they affectionately called each other.

Naturally, a soft smile appeared on Ozgenii’s lips as he witnessed his old friend’s embarrassed encounter with Dimitri.

The one who benefitted from Dimitri and Eleanor’s awkward meeting was Ozgenii, who could finally see his old friend after a long time.

“Really! Why are you so late!”

Whenever she rushed towards him like this.

It seemed that his dear lady was only now starting to feel embarrassed, unable to cling to him and just standing by, looking around cautiously.

Finding her actions incredibly endearing, Ozgenii smiled broadly as he replied.

“Oh, I haven’t been here that long.”

To protect Ellie’s precious moments like these.

He had dedicated not only his past life but everything in this current life as well.

Approaching Eleanor with a wine glass delicately tucked away, Ozgenii, smiling with his eyes but pursing his lips, first embraced the arms of the contradictory lady.

“You see, my lady. Even though we look the same age. Besides, how often do balls happen in the West!”

In case someone thought she was a lady of leisure.

Despite getting worked up about age-related comments, Ozgenii carefully offered Eleanor a wine glass filled with refreshing water.

“It’s cold water. Are you feeling too hot?”

“Thank you, Foreigner.”

With a charming smile, Eleanor took the wine glass offered by the foreigner and brought it to her pink lips.

“But miss, what’s the matter?”

“Cough, cough.”

At the foreigner’s words, Eleanor sprayed out the cold water she had in her mouth and said, “Oh my, Miss! Wait, don’t wipe with your hand; here, I have a handkerchief.”

“Cough, cough. What do you mean?”

“No, your face looks unusually red. I was worried someone might have taken advantage of our innocent miss while I wasn’t around.”

“What do you mean by ‘taken advantage’!”

“Wait, miss! Your makeup will smear! The ball is far from over yet, really!”

#.

In the sticky waltz melody, men and women clung to each other, swirling around the large hall in rhythm.

Under the low ceiling of the balcony, shadows cast heavily down as crimson eyes swept through the splendid hall.

Though the night had grown late, the annex was still filled with people.

Faces flushed with a drink or two exchanged among the arriving guests.

Approaching such flushed faces were sycophants, like leeches ready to pounce when his judgment faltered.

A nonchalant nobleman with a slightly tipsy air, not bothering to hide his annoyance at the chatter of the sycophants.

A beautiful lady with platinum hair quietly standing behind him, maintaining her composure.

And contrary to such an atmosphere.

On one side, beasts, male and female, busily roamed the hall in search of their partners.

Among the throng of beasts was his long-time friend Christian.

Watching Christian rebuffed once again by the approaching woman, Yulian chuckled.

Despite Ernst’s insistence on accompanying him as a bodyguard.

What bodyguard?

Yulian found himself drifting away from them towards the ladies, carefully carrying a chilled champagne glass to his lips.

“Sigh… I really don’t understand.”

A deep sigh, incongruous with his chuckle, escaped beneath his crimson eyes.

Try as he might to avert his gaze, it inevitably settled on the same destination: Eleanor Yeonga, with platinum hair bowed behind Changebaek.

And his gaze kept returning to the violet-eyed lady politely clasping her hands beside her.

Why did his attention keep drifting to those two ladies?

Yulian absentmindedly placed the champagne glass showing the bottom on the table next to the sofa.

The answer was obvious.

It must be because of the conversation he had with a lady named Foreigner just a while ago.

Beyond the garden’s thickets, where he briefly left Christian alone, in that spot where they faced each other.

Even as Yulian tried to inject life into those crimson eyes, she showed no sign of flinching.

“I know well that you hold great intentions, sir. However, if you intend to take our lady for your grand revenge. No, if you intend to use her. I will do whatever it takes to stop you.”

“A noblewoman from an obscure province like Roelselar thinks she can stop me with some trickery.”

Despite Yulian’s mocking laughter, she only let her violet eyes sparkle.

“Although the Marquis of Roelselar may be from an obscure province, our family has faithfully served the Beauren Viscounts for centuries. So, rather than the words spoken by a foreigner unrelated to the West, you might pay more attention to the noblewoman of a loyal lineage, albeit from an obscure province.”

Her sparkling purple eyes seemed to see beyond the mask she was wearing.

Her steady voice, devoid of any tremor, sounded as if she already knew everything Yulian had planned.

Her appearance was that of a young lady who had just come of age, almost unbelievable.

What exactly was this woman?

Was it her uniqueness, or were the people of the West a bit different?

The curiosity that began like that was now directed towards Eleonore, whom she was supposed to meet soon.

Before the Duke arrived and engaged in conversation with her father, she blushed behind her father, her face reddening.

Though it was red, her face was so fair that one could say the blush added a pleasant color to it.

Yulian stared blankly at Eleonore.

He was well aware of her exceptional beauty.

Rumors of the youngest daughter of the Changbaek family being so beautiful had spread through high society even before Eleonore came to the capital.

She had captivated a man with just her face, being the niece of the Empress.

However, what mattered to Yulian was not the woman’s appearance. What mattered to him was the power she could bring him.

Even if Eleonore looked grotesque to the point of being unbearable.

Yulian would eventually approach her and have her in his hands.

What currently irked Yulian was her changed attitude.

Surely, before falling ill, she had followed him like other women, praising him.

But now, after rising from the sickbed, she ignored him so blatantly.

And yet, in front of that unaffected Duke, she blushed.

Yulian stood up abruptly.

Without giving up, he approached his friend who was looking for other women and placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Let’s go, Christian.”

“Huh? Wait, Yulian. Where are we going?”

“Whatever happens, we’re going to see it through.”