Chapter 83
I let out a soft sigh and met the Duchess Agnes’s gaze once again.
“I’m afraid I don’t deserve such words. I cannot repay such kindness, but could you allow me some time to gather my thoughts?”
“Of course. The salon still has plenty of time. Enjoy it without any pressure.”
Though her words were somewhat bold, they didn’t seem to offend the Duchess.
So, even if I tried to escape right now, I’d still be stuck inside the salon.
“Thank you, then.”
I politely bowed to the Duchess and turned to leave.
“Haah…”
The sound that escaped me was deflated.
Though her grip had released more easily than I expected, I felt my legs weakening as I descended the stairs.
As I walked slowly, someone called my name.
“Edith!”
It was Camilla.
“Camilla.”
Seeing a familiar face in the salon eased my tension instantly.
Camilla seemed thrilled to be here, in stark contrast to my own composure.
“Did you meet the Duchess?”
“Yes. I greeted her.”
“Well done. Oh, and you danced so well!”
“Ethan helped me a lot.”
“I told you it’d be easier if Ethan escorted you. Ah, no, that’s not it. Come on over here! Everyone wants to see you!”
“Eh? Wait…”
Who wants to see me?
Camilla’s pull was stronger than I expected, and I was helplessly guided by her hand.
She had carefully chosen well-born young ladies who were familiar enough with me to recognize my name and face.
‘…I didn’t expect to rely on Camilla this much.’
As I turned to say goodbye to the fifth young lady Camilla introduced, I noticed a girl with a sullen expression staring at me, surrounded by the same group of young ladies from before.
I recognized her now. Greeting her a little warmly, I called her name.
“Giselle.”
She no longer pretended to be formal, and her narrow eyes glared at me. Camilla, standing beside me, tilted her head, slowly realizing the situation.
“Oh, I was going to introduce you to Giselle too. Could it be you two already know each other?”
“Well… you could say we do, or you could say we don’t…”
“Hahaha, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“This is actually our first time meeting at this salon.”
I hadn’t expected Camilla to introduce me to a young lady with a touch of mischief, but thinking of Camilla’s keen judgment of people, perhaps she wanted to personally introduce me to prevent Giselle from dominating the social scene.
The problem was that Giselle had approached me faster than Camilla could introduce us.
For now, pretending not to notice Giselle’s ill intentions, I nodded at Camilla.
“Giselle spoke to me first, didn’t she? By the way, Camilla, did you hear the sound of the chandelier falling?”
Camilla nodded, resting her chin on her hand.
“Oh yes! There was an accident, right? Thankfully, no one was hurt. Why do you ask?”
“Actually, it happened while I was talking to Giselle, right in front of her. I instinctively moved out of the way because I was startled…”
“My goodness. I’m glad no one was hurt.”
I trailed off, staring at Giselle.
When the chandelier fell and I dodged, Giselle had urgently called my name.
Did she want to say something?
“Did you want to say something?”
“…Hmph.”
Giselle avoided my gaze, twisting her hair with one hand. Her tone and attitude were brusque, almost like she was shy.
“This is none of your concern. Forget it! I’m leaving—”
Without greeting Camilla, she turned sharply toward the direction she intended to go.
But in that direction stood a table holding a champagne tower.
“……!”
Giselle tripped over a rope near the table she hadn’t noticed and stretched out her hand to catch the table.
The sudden impact on the table caused the champagne tower, built with thin glass, to sway dangerously toward Giselle.
It all happened too fast for anyone to stop her—except for me, who was right beside her.
“Kyah! Kyaaah!”
The champagne began to pour down rapidly.
“Giselle!”
I grabbed her arm just in time to prevent her from being hit by the falling glasses. The glasses narrowly missed her side.
Crash!
“Ugh…”
The floor was a mess of spilled champagne and broken glass.
Holding Giselle tightly, I looked ahead and saw the hall floor ruined by the debris.
…Luckily, no one was hurt.
This marked the second time I had saved Giselle’s life. Though this time, it wasn’t my doing first.
“Phew…”
This young lady is quite the accident-prone type.
Catching my breath, I calmed my pounding heart and spoke to Giselle, still in my arms.
“…Miss Giselle, you do have a slightly cute side.”
I emphasize: it wasn’t teasing; it was sincere.
“W-What are you saying!”
However, Giselle took my words as an insult, screamed, and broke free from my hold. She stormed out of the hall with her young attendants.
She was so flustered that her ears glowed red as she left.
“Miss Giselle! Wait, come with me!”
“My goodness…”
“….”
Only the servants were left to clean up the shattered champagne tower and chandelier fragments, looking pitiful.
And I was left behind as well.
Camilla, who had observed the situation from a distance, cautiously approached and whispered softly in my ear.
“Seems like Giselle really likes you, Edith.”
“…Do young ladies in high society express their interest like this nowadays?”
“It’s cute.”
“True enough.”
I nodded slowly. Annoying, but undeniably cute.
As always, I got along well with Camilla. Only Ethan, who had rushed over amid the commotion, witnessed our unspoken connection and muttered with a slightly furrowed brow.
“I said it’s lucky I’m not tormenting her.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tonight, you could stay out overnight. You’re really going to leave without having fun?”
“I’m fine. I’m very tired…”
“Even if I provide an oil aroma massage at the Marquess’s residence~?”
“Stop with the sales pitch, Camilla.”
“Hng…”
One by one, the carriages left the salon.
I barely declined Camilla’s invitation to stay the night at the Marquess’s residence and returned to the academy first.
“Haah…”
Smelling my old, worn dorm room at the academy washed away all my fatigue. A little dampness, the scent of old books, mixed with the smell of aged wooden floors…
I decided to call this combination “the scent that brings peace of mind.”
“I’m exhausted…”
I buried my face in the bed and rubbed against it. How could I be so tired from just attending one salon?
Perhaps it’s because my body is young, but my mind feels worn.
Thunk.
At that moment, I sensed movement near the window.
‘…Terion?’
I remembered Terion, whom I had left in the library instead of me.
Had he followed me from the academy when I returned?
But I told him not to enter my room so late at night.
Above all, I was too tired. Murmuring, I spoke.
“Terion… I’m too tired, later…”
I didn’t even lift my head from the pillow. It was obvious who it was anyway.
But a response didn’t come as quickly as expected.
Moreover, the movement from the window slowly approached the bed.
The heavy, deliberate footsteps… they weren’t Terion’s.
They sounded like a predator’s.
“Oh. Visiting a lady’s room at night is quite rude, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“I didn’t expect to hear another man’s name, though.”
“…Haa.”
Grabbing my throbbing head, I lifted it and looked ahead.
“…Sharith.”
I sat up fully and saw the window open.
A breeze slipped through the open window, brushing against my hair.
Between the window and the bed, Sharith was standing there.
