~CHAPTER 45~
The moment Elpenlira’s aria had just begun, something tore with a sharp sound.
Along with the ominous noise, Dianu felt an odd chill at her side.
Thankfully, it wasn’t on the side where Sir Valihe sat.
Keeping a calm smile on her face, she subtly touched her left side with her hand.
My goodness.
From her waist to just beneath her arm, the seam of her bodice had split wide open.
While nodding to Sir Valihe who was praising Elpenlira’s voice, Dianu hurriedly assessed how much intact fabric remained.
Barely half a hand’s width.
Her entire bodice was practically being held together by that tiny strip.
If the remaining seam tore, the bodice would come apart in two pieces, and Dianu would end up revealing her upper body wearing only a sheer blouse and undergarments before everyone.
Her vision went dark.
She had to leave right now.
But there was no guarantee she could reach a hidden place without the bodice ripping completely apart while she moved.
“Miss Ortensa, are you alright?”
Sir Valihe had tilted his head, perhaps sensing something strange.
Dianu considered ways to solve the situation without telling him, but she eventually reached only one conclusion.
“There’s… a problem with my clothes.”
“Pardon?”
“My dress tore, and I think it’s quite severe.”
Sir Valihe was a gentleman.
He didn’t ask where it tore or demand that she show him.
He whispered quickly.
“Once the last piece ends, the exit will be packed. It would be better to leave before that.”
“Won’t we draw attention?”
They were seated in a balcony box.
She already knew they were attracting many gazes.
If she were caught fleeing while clutching her ripped dress, it would become an entertaining rumor.
“I’ll block the view with my body. Once we reach the hall, I’ll give you my outer coat. Will that be enough until you reach the carriage?”
Dianu tightly grabbed the torn part of her bodice.
It seemed she could hold it together for a while even while walking.
When she nodded, Sir Valihe stood up first.
Dianu took his hand and carefully rose.
With his back turned to the audience, he wrapped her shoulders with his body and guided her out into the hallway.
After making sure the hallway was empty, he removed his cloak and handed it to her while politely keeping his gaze fixed at the air.
Dianu silently sighed and pulled the cloak over her shoulders.
I’ve been borrowing clothes from men a lot lately.
Elpenlira’s aria leaked through the closed door.
It was disappointing not to hear the end, but there was nothing she could do.
Who could have guessed that a newly tailored dress would fall apart in such a ridiculous way?
Sir Valihe seemed to share the same disbelief.
As they walked quickly toward the carriage, he spoke, baffled.
“I’ve never seen a dress rip like this for no reason. It didn’t even snag on anything sharp.”
“I know. I’m sorry to trouble you in so many ways.”
“I only regret that you’re having such a difficult time, Miss Ortensa.”
The dress had been made at a high-end atelier introduced by the Grand Duchess of Erbinjel.
The tailor was clearly skilled.
There had been no issues when the dress was delivered two days ago, nor when she wore it at Oak Palace today.
It was truly incomprehensible.
While Dianu waited at the entrance, Sir Valihe called the coachman.
She boarded the carriage of the Grand Duchy of Erbinjel with his assistance.
“I ought to escort you to Oak Palace myself, but given the circumstances, I’ll say farewell here.”
Dianu bowed sincerely.
“I’ll have the cloak sent to your residence first thing tomorrow. Thank you so much.”
Through the open carriage door, Sir Valihe extended his hand.
Dianu placed her uncovered hand in his.
He kissed the back of her hand lightly and spoke with a bittersweet smile.
“I had a wonderful time today, Miss Ortensa. May everything you do be blessed by God.”
“…And may you be blessed as well.”
Surprisingly, a small pang of regret rose within her.
She felt nothing romantic toward him, but if things were different, they might have been good friends.
The carriage door closed.
His voice giving instructions to the coachman faded into the distance.
Dianu let out a long breath and sank into the seat.
The tension that had wrapped her all day suddenly melted away.
She tossed aside her hat, gloves, and shoes one by one.
Holiday streets were always crowded.
It would take a while to reach Oak Palace.
She wanted to stay comfortable until then.
The carriage, which had been moving slowly, began to speed up.
Just as she rested her face on her curled knees—
Bang!
Something struck the moving carriage door hard.
Dianu screamed.
Bang! Bang!
This wasn’t accidental.
In panic, she flung open the window toward the driver’s seat.
“Stop the carriage!”
She thought something might have happened to Sir Valihe.
But when the carriage finally stopped in the middle of the road, the person who wrenched the door open was someone she wouldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams.
Rision Catalos looked nothing like an emperor.
His jacket was crumpled and shoved under his arm.
His blond hair was disheveled from running through the night wind.
Small beads of sweat clung to his forehead.
Catching his breath, he leaned against the carriage doorway.
Dianu stared silently, too shocked to speak.
He was the one who spoke first.
His green eyes burned with an emotion she couldn’t name.
“Why are you alone?”
Dianu could only open and close her mouth without sound.
Rision steadied his breathing against the doorframe, then asked again once calmer.
“Where did your companion go, leaving you alone?”
“…We parted ways due to circumstances, Your Majesty. Why are you—”
He didn’t even let her finish.
Stumbling inside the carriage, he grabbed her left hand.
Only then did Dianu realize she had removed her gloves and shoes and flinched in shock.
But Rision didn’t seem to notice anything at all.
He examined her fingers intently, then sighed heavily and lowered his shoulders.
Even then, he didn’t let go of her hand.
This was concerning.
As if facing a stray hunting dog, Dianu spoke carefully.
“Your Majesty, are you alright…?”
Rision rubbed his forehead and glanced at her.
“No, I’m not.”
Dianu parted her lips.
His low voice carried resentment and something else—an emotion that shouldn’t be named.
“I feel like I’m going insane because of you. No, perhaps I already am.”
“…”
“Are you going to marry Ganid Valihe?”
Something deep inside her snapped, like a thread being cut.
Dianu rose quietly and instructed the coachman to resume driving.
She shut the window firmly.
The carriage began moving again.
Rision stared at her in silence.
He finally seemed to notice the cloak around her shoulders and frowned faintly.
He brushed off his jacket and offered it to her.
“Wear this.”
Dianu met his gaze coldly.
“Why should I?”
He looked taken aback.
That made sense.
She had refused him before, but not like this.
But right now, Dianu was angry.
A raw, clear anger she had never felt toward him.
“Why should I wear Your Majesty’s coat instead of Sir Valihe’s?”
“…Miss Ortensa.”
“Why do you keep treating me like this? You’re the one who said we should act like strangers.”
“…”
“I really tried.”
Her voice lost its steadiness, so she bit her lip and stared up at the carriage ceiling.
All the frustrations she had been stacking since that day in the imperial office had finally reached the limit.
She had knocked on the locked gates many times.
When she received the check with his seal.
When she heard he said she and Sir Valihe suited each other.
When she saw him with Adelaissa.
“You said it would be best to stay apart, for my own sake. If so, then why don’t you stay away? Why confuse people…?”
Rision parted his lips, but Dianu didn’t force her tears back.
It wasn’t ladylike.
But she was tired of being ladylike.
“Your Majesty. No… Rision.”
His golden lashes lifted in surprise.
His face blurred through her tears, which only made her feel even more miserable.
“Can we be, just for a moment, not Emperor and tutor, but simply Rision and Dianu?”
“…”
“No gentleman, no lady. Just for a moment…”
Only then did she understand what Sir Valihe wanted.
He asked for a memory that could ease heartbreak.
A memory could turn regrets into something beautiful.
Dianu Ortensa could never dream of a happy ending with Rision Catalos.
But if, just for a moment, she felt connected to him—
“…You’re asking to stop being a gentleman and lady?”
If she could keep even a short memory of being loved by him—
Then perhaps she could live the rest of her life without regret.
A hand reached out and gently wiped her tears.
Like petting a small, fragile creature.
At last she could see his face clearly.
There was an emotion on it she had never seen before.
“You can’t even imagine what I think when I look at you. If you could, you would have slapped me and run away long ago.”
Facing his expression filled with anger and desire, Dianu felt both fear and a dizzying thrill.
“Why do I treat you like this? Because I can’t stand it. I want to lay everything beautiful at your feet. Everything good, everything joyful.”
“…”
“And I’m someone who could actually do that. Yet I’m trying to accept that I shouldn’t. Even at this moment.”
As if using the last of her restraint, she placed her hand over his trembling fingers.
“…Dianu?”
She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, silencing her name as it fell from his mouth.
Their first kiss tasted like tears.
