Chapter 07
Again?’
Odelite momentarily sensed something strange in Cherdian’s words and narrowed her brow. But before she could grasp the implication of those words, Cherdian suddenly stood up.
“I’ll take back the betrothal gifts as you wish. I apologize for the discourtesy I’ve shown you.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Odelite felt strangely unsettled somehow. An anxious feeling kept rising, and she couldn’t immediately respond to Cherdian’s words.
But when Cherdian slowly began walking, she came back to her senses.
Either way, it was proper etiquette to see a guest out, so she hastily stood up. In that moment, her vision suddenly blurred and her head spun.
“Ah—”
With a light scream, Odelite habitually staggered and grimaced.
Suddenly, a firm strength caught her arm. And in that moment, at the familiar strength and touch transmitted through her skin, Odelite felt like every hair on her body stood on end. She instinctively struck the hand away.
Smack!
“Don’t touch…!”
But after crying out loudly, the moment her vision cleared, she realized what she’d done and her face went deathly pale.
She’d struck away Cherdian’s hand. She’d roughly hit him like he was some kind of pervert. The moment she recognized this, she hastily raised her head.
Cherdian had no memories of her previous life. Even in her previous life, Odelite had never shaken off Cherdian’s hand this forcefully.
She hurriedly examined Cherdian’s hand. She must not offend him. At least not like this.
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
“…”
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I was mistaken and committed a discourtesy. I’m sorry. Are you hurt anywhere? I’m sorry. I was ignorant of proper etiquette… Are you all right?”
Odelite blamed her own carelessness and asked him with the intensity of someone about to kneel.
A mere provincial viscount’s daughter had dared to lay hands on a duke’s body. If her pointed responses could be dismissed as a young lady’s spirit, this was a different matter entirely.
But Odelite, who’d been continuously apologizing, swallowed hard as she observed Cherdian’s reaction. His hand was frozen in midair.
His gaze looking straight at Odelite, who kept apologizing, was trembling. He looked between her desperately apologizing and his own hand, then closed his mouth.
Soon, he slowly spoke in a somewhat subdued voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m sorry. I touched your body without permission.”
The Odelite reflected in Cherdian’s eyes had a terrified face, trembling like a leaf. Whether it was because he’d touched her, or because she feared the punishment he’d deliver for striking his hand away, was unclear.
But one thing was certain—she couldn’t show even the slightest displeasure before him.
Had he noticed this? Cherdian closed his mouth. After a brief silence, he clenched his fist tightly.
Odelite was still restlessly watching his mood. Watching her, he swallowed like he was suffocating and spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
His voice sounded wet. At least that’s how Odelite perceived it.
Odelite looked somewhat surprised at Cherdian’s behavior, acting like a criminal when forgiving her rudeness should have been more than enough. But she spoke without forgetting her place until the end.
“I committed a breach of etiquette.”
“No. It was my breach of etiquette.”
After finishing his words, Cherdian began walking. Odelite stared blankly at his back as he left the room with his head bowed, looking bewildered. But she took a long breath in and then exhaled.
‘Still, I’m glad he didn’t punish me.’
She didn’t know if she’d have occasion to meet Cherdian in the future, but if she did, she thought she must definitely be careful. And soon, deliberately shaking off her thoughts, she returned to her room.
* * *
Inside the carriage crossing through Seidwin’s territory, Cherdian, who’d been looking outside, closed his eyes at the sunset gently illuminating him.
After leaving Seidwin’s estate, he’d boarded the carriage with a calm face and, as always, given orders to return to the capital without a trace of agitation.
The carriage interior, which soon began moving, was colored with silence and darkness, and a few strands of sunset light that barely squeezed through the curtains draped indifferently over his face.
And after some time passed, he, who’d been looking ahead with a terribly hardened face, slowly looked down at his hand.
In that moment, he recalled the woman who’d struck away his hand fiercely while screaming, like dealing with an insect.
His face instantly stiffened once more. He didn’t know what expression to wear while recalling that past. No, more precisely, he didn’t know how far back to recall.
Five minutes ago? Ten minutes ago? Or an hour ago when he’d been before her, or—
— Are you finished?
The much more distant past when she’d looked at him with a deathly pale face.
A past he wanted to erase but ultimately had to bear completely.
A distant past he’d thoroughly crushed with his own hands.
He thought that far and closed his eyes. When he completely closed the curtain, what descended over his face was only darkness. And this darkness swallowed him whole and, like mocking his past, cackled and plunged him into anxiety.
He looked at his hand once more in the darkness. Then finally clenched his fist tightly.
The carriage that had been rattling and racing from Seidwin toward the capital finally stopped in front of Adelgart’s estate.
During that time, he who’d kept drawing Odelite’s face again and again got out of the carriage at the coachman’s voice. William, who’d come out to greet him, took his coat and hurriedly followed him to the study, speaking.
“Your Grace, the portrait of Princess Mariana Dienson has arrived.”
At the name that flowed from William’s mouth, Cherdian, who’d been sitting in his chair with a tired face, hesitated.
The Dienson ducal family was one of only three ducal families in the kingdom and enjoyed honor that even Adelgart couldn’t ignore.
But what made Cherdian freeze wasn’t just the name of the Dienson ducal family. Among them was another circumstance only he knew. For instance, something entangled with memories of his previous life.
William made a somewhat puzzled face upon discovering his hardened expression. But before he could ask why, Cherdian, seated in his chair, gave an order.
“Return the portrait. Not just the Dienson ducal family’s, but all the families’ portraits too.”
At Cherdian’s order, William simply closed his mouth. After noting his instructions in his notebook, he raised his head again.
“What will you do about the betrothal gifts sent to Viscount Seidwin’s family?”
“They’ll be returned now. The viscount’s daughter refused them all.”
William was shocked that there existed a young lady in this world who could refuse Cherdian’s wishes. Despite Cherdian going personally, that young lady had stubbornly refused to accept Adelgart’s sincerity.
It was already surprising that his master had gone to a viscounty just to get her to accept some betrothal gifts, but the attempt had even failed.
William, who couldn’t help his inner shock, looked at Cherdian’s face with a somewhat puzzled expression. The shadow cast on his face was terribly unsuited to him.
That’s when William was tilting his head. Suddenly, Cherdian, who’d been keeping silent, spoke.
“Tell Spencer not to even come near the theater district.”
“Ah, you mean Lilia Spencer.”
Cherdian affirmed his question with silence. William nodded, then bowed and left.
Cherdian, sitting alone in the room filled with silence, opened a drawer.
Inside the completely empty drawer was only one box. Inside the box lay a gorgeous diamond ring.
He quietly gazed at the ring. Odelite’s fingers suddenly came to mind. White, long, and pretty.
The fingers that had roamed over piano keys while wearing this ring, and that figure smiling elegantly while bathed in sunlight. There was a time when he’d unconsciously been captivated by that sight.
But in the end, with a cold face, he’d told her not to waste time and turned away from her. He couldn’t quite remember what expression Odelite had made then. But after that, she never touched the piano again.
He unconsciously gripped the box.
Everything had been turned back. So this time, such things wouldn’t happen.
‘Right, this time absolutely.’
It had to be that way.
* * *
A few days later, Odelite received a letter of recommendation sent from Adelgart and departed for the capital.
The viscount and viscountess, sending their daughter far away for the first time, had their faces full of worry, but Odelite waved to them with a reassuring smile.
But actually, her feelings were subtle too.
For several days after Cherdian’s visit, she’d been gripped by a strange feeling and wondered if entering the theater company like this was truly the right choice.
But it was also true that she needed to earn money, and she’d grown somewhat ambitious, so she decided to head to the capital for now.
Eventually, after several days of traveling from the viscounty in a rattling carriage, she arrived at the capital.
Not long after, she found the most gorgeous and splendid building on Central Street, which could be called the center of the capital’s arts, and grew tense seeing the Adelgart seal and the name “Dilot Theater Company” written in front.
The Dilot Theater Company was practically a quasi-royal theater company, large enough in scale and renowned enough to accommodate audiences from commoners to royalty in the capital.
Proving this, those coming and going from the building were mostly dressed in gorgeous and respectable clothing. Naturally, she in her plain suit skirt couldn’t help but stand out.
Sure enough, the moment she entered the building, a young woman in charge of reception showed a slightly puzzled expression before smiling again and asking.
“How may I help you?”
“My name is Odelite Seidwin. Duke Adelgart wrote me a letter of recommendation.”
Odelite handed the woman the letter of recommendation she’d treasured—actually closer to a letter of appointment than a recommendation.
The woman, who’d hesitated at her name, examined the letter of recommendation carefully and jumped up from her seat like she’d been waiting.
“Welcome. The director has been waiting for you.”
Since Adelgart had recommended her, she hadn’t thought they’d have her do menial work. But she hadn’t expected to meet the director first thing, so Odelite looked somewhat surprised.
‘If it’s the director, that would be Count Hudson.’
Odelite had actually met him several times in her previous life.
He was not only extremely demanding of his company members but also notorious among nobles for his foul temper. In her previous life, since she’d been a duchess, Count Hudson had shown her decent courtesy, but she knew how he treated his subordinates.
Sure enough, the moment she opened the door and entered, he glanced at Odelite from behind his glasses and greeted her with a fastidious gaze.
“Seidwin, you say?”
