CHAPTER 51………………………………………………….
“What are you doing? You asked me to dance.”
Millard’s eyes curved softly.
Bending at the waist, he pressed a kiss to Trisha’s hand while still smiling.
“If you’re not going to dance, you’d better step aside. I haven’t had my first dance yet.”
“…You do realize Trisha is my wife, right?”
“Yes, of course. But when have I ever cared about that?”
According to rumors, Millard was a notorious playboy, courting both unmarried young ladies and married noblewomen alike.
Edwin, aware of this, stiffened his expression.
“Hey, let’s start the music over from the beginning.”
“…”
“With a song suitable for the first dance.”
Ignoring him, Millard took Trisha’s hand and pulled her onto the floor.
Trisha glanced once at Edwin, then withdrew her gaze.
“Eddie…”
Regina, who was nearby, called her cautiously, but Edwin didn’t seem to hear her and left the banquet hall entirely.
—
“What exactly are you planning to do?”
At Trisha’s question, Millard smiled gently and drew her close by the waist.
“Do what?”
Trisha asked as she moved naturally with the flow of the dance.
“Provoking Edwin when you had no intention of anything? Not the wisest choice.”
Trisha was genuinely worried.
If their relationship with Millard was doubted already, it could complicate things going forward.
And that likely applied to Millard as well…
‘I have no idea what he’s thinking.’
There was nothing to gain from this situation—only a lot to lose.
Millard remained silent for a moment at Trisha’s words.
Was he regretting this reckless act after all? Just as she was pondering, he spoke.
“Try kissing me, Master.”
“…What?”
“In a world where friends kiss and even do it themselves, kissing a beloved student is nothing. Isn’t that right?”
It was clearly meant to mock Edwin and Regina, but that wasn’t important.
Trisha, twisting her lips as she spoke, asked after spinning once around with Millard holding her hand.
“Is it fun?”
“Hm?”
“Is it fun to shake people like that?”
“You talk a lot for someone who wasn’t shaken at all.”
Millard continued with a faint grin.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Edwin doesn’t misunderstand.”
Then he whispered a solution into Trisha’s ear.
“If it’s like that, it’ll definitely…”
“Have the desired effect.”
In other words, don’t worry and just focus on the dance.
“Honestly, it’s not like we did anything extraordinary with one dance, right?”
True.
Two people with no public connection had simply danced a single song together.
Trisha would still have to dance with many men afterward.
Normally, she would have refused and stayed in the corner, but that would have made her dance with Millard feel more special.
In other words, a few dances with others would make this incident forgotten.
“After dancing a few more times with different partners, no one will even remember that we danced together.”
“Not Edwin, though.”
Edwin was the type who hated, even loathed, anyone touching what he considered his.
“Don’t worry, Master. He won’t suspect anything between us because of this.”
Saying so, Millard smoothly changed the topic.
“By the way, you were right again. Honestly, I was surprised at how accurate you were.”
“Of course.”
Trisha let out a small laugh.
“You wouldn’t make me prepare a peach dessert without that certainty.”
To prevent the Hestia poisoning incident, Trisha had prepared a peach dessert.
And Millard had actively assisted.
He had informed the banquet chef that the emperor recently enjoyed a peach dessert, which the chef remembered and decided to serve at the feast.
“The poor chef suffered, though.”
Millard clicked his tongue, though it didn’t seem serious.
“Reminds me of old times.”
“Old times?”
Millard tilted his head, and Trisha casually continued.
“During the Founding Festival.”
“Ah…”
Millard immediately understood and nodded.
“Yes, I remember.”
Trisha naturally recalled the past.
Back when Millard was confined under the empress’s hand and Trisha was the daughter of foreigners.
The two had once slipped away from watchful eyes to wander the streets.
They had laughed over street food and cheap trinkets while enjoying the festival.
Millard’s mouth curved in a smile, as if recalling the same memory.
“It was quite fun back then.”
After sightseeing, they danced to the wandering musicians’ performance in the square with a fountain.
Neither had formally learned to dance, so it was awkward, but still…
‘It was fun, it was happiness.’
One of the few treasured memories in Trisha’s life.
At that moment, the music ended, and so did their dance.
“Thank you for the dance today.”
Millard bowed politely.
“Madam.”
Hearing that title from him, Trisha was sharply reminded of reality.
There was no going back to that time.
The realization stung painfully.
—
Edwin punched a pillar as soon as he left the banquet hall.
“Damn it! Argh!”
It hurt enough to bring tears, but the sense of betrayal burned more.
Trisha Mason.
‘How dare you betray me?’
He felt he would never forget the moment his wife, Trisha, held Millard’s hand.
Just then.
“Eddie, Eddie!”
Regina chased after him, calling his name as she ran out of the hall.
Edwin ignored her and walked down the dark, empty corridor.
“Eddie!”
“Let go of me!”
Regina finally caught up and grabbed him, but he shoved her roughly.
“E… Eddie…”
Regina fell backward, startled.
“Can’t you see I wanted to be alone? What are you trying to do?”
“I-I just thought you didn’t look happy…”
“Then you shouldn’t have followed me!”
Seeing Edwin vent his anger at her after being slapped by Trisha, Regina felt a surge of anger but held herself back.
Getting angry now would only complicate things further.
“I’m sorry, Eddie. I wasn’t thinking.”
Regina straightened herself and brushed off her dress.
“I’ll return first. Don’t push yourself, come back once you’ve calmed down.”
Edwin didn’t reply, but Regina turned as if satisfied.
Left alone, Edwin let out a deep sigh.
He knew he had unfairly vented at Regina.
‘You might as well have been angry at me directly.’
That would have made him feel better.
He tried to catch his breath from the excitement and stood in the corridor. The cool breeze through the open window seemed to temper his rage slightly.
After a while, a familiar voice called him.
“You’re here, sir.”
Millard Winchester.
Someone Edwin least wanted to face now, causing him to furrow his brows.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
“Y-you…”
The woman beside Millard was not Trisha.
Edwin’s expression hardened as he realized this.
“Where is Trisha, my wife, right now?”
“Well, perhaps she’s still chatting in the banquet hall?”
Millard blinked, tilting his head.
“After the first dance with Madam, I’ve been with this lady the whole time, so I don’t really know.”
“Hah, that figures.”
Seeing Millard skillfully drape his arm around the lady’s shoulders, Edwin scowled.
“Then why did you ask Trisha to dance?”
“Well, if it weren’t for Madam, I’d be in jail as the person who attempted to poison your sister.”
“So?”
“I don’t like leaving debts unpaid. I just asked her to dance as a form of repayment.”
Looking into Edwin’s still-suspicious eyes, Millard continued calmly.
“If you don’t believe me, ask Madam. She would confirm it was a good proposal for you too.”
“A good proposal?”
“Yes. So now, please leave.”
Millard seemed ready to kiss the lady next to him, making Edwin frown.
Edwin may have met many women, but he never acted so openly in a corridor like that.
‘What a reckless bastard.’
A true playboy, thought Edwin, shaking his head, and turned away.
As soon as Edwin disappeared down the corridor, Millard removed his arm from the woman’s shoulder.
“You really try everything while serving your lord, don’t you?”
The woman with Millard was his subordinate Liam, who had disguised himself as a woman with a wig.
