Chapter 9
The Appearance of a Black Panther Hunting Its Prey
Sophia caught Lorienne as she collapsed.
I didn’t even have time to think about manners or etiquette. I turned and ran up the stairs the butler and servants had just climbed.
Fortunately, they hadn’t gone far, so I caught up quickly. Arthur looked at me in confusion.
“Miss Adeline? What—”
“Lorienne… huff… Lorienne… collapsed… hurry…!”
The duke’s mansion was thrown into chaos.
The head butler quickly carried Lorienne to her room, and soon after, the resident physician and the Duchess of Andrian rushed in.
While the physician examined Lorienne and gave her an injection, the duchess stood beside them, pressing a handkerchief to her eyes for a long time.
Lorienne’s maid, also unable to lower her handkerchief, explained the situation to the physician.
“My lady hasn’t been able to sleep properly for days because she was so excited about her friends coming. I think the fatigue built up and caused her to collapse…”
Sophia and I looked at each other and let out deep sighs.
Perhaps the injection worked—after a little time passed, Lorienne’s eyelids fluttered, and she slowly woke up with a faint sound.
“Lorienne! Are you conscious?”
The Duchess of Andrian, who had been holding Lorienne’s hand tightly while sitting beside the bed, wiped her tears and gently stroked her face.
“Mother… I… won’t cancel the party… I really… want to hold it… My friends came… please…”
Poor Lorienne mumbled, barely able to open her eyes.
The duchess turned to look at the physician.
The elderly doctor let out a long sigh, stroked his beard, and spoke.
“She has always been weak, and the fatigue accumulated. On top of that, she was so happy to see her friends that her body overheated. If she rests a little, she will recover. There is no need to cancel the party.”
“Thank you… doctor…”
Hearing this, Lorienne seemed relieved. She spoke faintly—and then fell asleep again.
Once Lorienne was asleep, the others, reassured, left the room. Sophia and I volunteered to stay by her side.
After asking the maid to call us if anything happened, she withdrew, and only then did we feel the tension leave our bodies.
“My goodness… what was that? I heard she was weak, but I didn’t think it was this serious.”
“At least it’s nothing too severe. That’s a relief.”
I looked down at the sleeping Lorienne.
Her usually pale cheeks were flushed, and she breathed softly in her sleep. But she didn’t look like she was in pain.
I glanced around the room.
The white furniture and high ceiling made the already spacious room feel even larger.
As Lorienne had once mentioned, portraits of her at different ages hung on the walls. Beneath them, in a display cabinet, were stuffed animal dolls and delicate porcelain dolls arranged neatly side by side.
Aside from the large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the room was simpler than expected.
Sophia followed my gaze and looked around.
“It’s simpler than I thought. Somehow, I imagined Lorienne living in a doll paradise.”
“She told me in a letter—there’s a separate doll room. She says she prefers to keep her bedroom tidy, so she only brings in the dolls she likes at the moment. Isn’t that adorable?”
As we chatted quietly, the sun began to set outside.
In the meantime, the head butler had prepared tea and scones on the table.
Perhaps it was the delicious smell of the scones—or the noise from setting the table—but Lorienne, with a damp cloth on her forehead, slowly opened her eyes.
“How long… was I asleep?”
Her voice was slightly hoarse.
“Hmm… about two hours? It’s not party time yet. Maybe you should rest a little more?”
“Yes… sorry, but I’ll talk while lying down.”
“Do you want some tea too?”
“No… just some water.”
We pulled the cord beside the bed to call the maid.
“You called? Oh—my lady, you’re awake…”
The maid’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of Lorienne.
“Yes. I’m fine. Could you bring me some water?”
Lorienne smiled faintly and blinked.
After drinking the water the maid brought, she seemed to regain much of her strength.
Once the maid left again, I tried to lighten the mood by changing the topic.
“Lorienne, your evening dress is so pretty. Your skin is so fair—the light purple suits you perfectly.”
“Ah… this is my sister’s choice… She insisted I wear this today. My sister and her husband arrived a few days ago. They’re out right now… but when they come back, it’ll be a fuss again… Sophia, have you ever met my sister?”
“You mean the Countess Dart? No, I’ve never met her. Earlier, I noticed you and the duchess look very alike. Do you resemble your sister too?”
Lorienne shook her head.
“My sister takes after our father more. I think she got the best of both our parents, but she doesn’t like that. Since we were little, she’s dressed me up like her doll and played with me. I’m grateful… but sometimes it’s tiring.”
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of kinship as I recalled Lenore stuffing my luggage full of clothes—though they were all black dresses anyway—and still feeling unsatisfied.
As we talked, Lorienne gradually improved. Soon, she was able to sit up, leaning against the pillows.
At that moment, there was a knock, and someone entered.
A tall man stood in the doorway, backlit by the sunset streaming in behind him.
As he stepped closer, I could see his broad shoulders and tall frame. He wore a high-collared white shirt, a black vest, and silk trousers.
His black hair, tied loosely to one side, and his sharp jawline gave him a strong presence. His deep red eyes seemed as though they could pull you in.
For a moment, I felt as if I had seen a wild predator’s eyes gleaming in the darkness.
“Lorienne, I heard you collapsed.”
“Ah, Alec… I’m fine now.”
“Are these ladies your friends?”
“Sophia, Adel. This is my third older brother.”
Sophia and I stood.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ladies. I am Alec Russell Andrian. Lady Sophia, we’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“Sir Alec, it’s been a while. Since last year’s hunting competition, I believe.”
Alec lightly kissed the back of Sophia’s hand.
“We should go hunting together again sometime.”
Then his eyes turned to me.
Looking closer, I realized his red eyes were actually the deepened pink color characteristic of the ducal family.
He extended his hand. When I placed mine on it, he kissed the back of my hand—
But instead of a brief, polite gesture, he pressed his lips against it, lingering, while staring directly into my eyes with an intense gaze.
I felt like a small animal standing before a black panther.
“I am Adeline Beatrice Drayton. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“So you are the famous Lady Adeline. First, allow me to offer my condolences.”
I tried to respond with a proper curtsy, but Alec held my hand tightly, not letting go.
Confused, I hesitated.
Then he smirked slightly and finally released my hand.
I stepped back awkwardly and managed a belated curtsy in response.
Because he stood with his back to Sophia and Lorienne, only I had seen everything.
‘That was frightening… What was that?’
Alec turned and placed a hand on Lorienne’s forehead.
“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. Ladies, I’ll take my leave.”
With a polite gesture over his chest, he exited the room.
I quietly covered my right hand with my left.
It was only a greeting… yet it felt like I had done something wrong.
The next morning, Lorienne had fully recovered and went down early to greet the guests.
Lenore worked busily on my hair, more meticulous than ever.
“Honestly, these days Mary might be better at hair than me. I should let her handle it regularly. Good thing I picked your dress in advance.”
I smiled faintly.
Today as well, I wore a black dress—but this time with a slightly lower neckline trimmed with lace and a bustle at the back that made the skirt voluminous.
Since there would be social dancing, this was Lenore’s way of making sure the black dress wouldn’t look plain.
She braided my hair to one side and secured it, then added jeweled pins between the braids to give it volume.
Looking in the mirror, it looked subtly glamorous. I quite liked it.
Just as I finished getting ready, there was a knock.
It was Lawrence.
“I’m here, Adel! Lady Lorienne said you were here, so I came to get you. You look beautiful today.”
I glanced at Lenore, who lifted her chin proudly as if the compliment were hers.
“It’s all thanks to Lenore. Thank you.”
“Shall we go? Tea time is about to start.”
When we entered the hall, it was already filled with people.
Nobles from all over had gathered to attend the birthday of the duke’s beloved youngest daughter, whose family had strong ties to the royal family.
A dazzling chandelier hung from the ceiling, and beneath it stood a long table covered with all kinds of desserts.
At the center was a three-tiered cake.
It was decorated with white cream and pink icing, with Lorienne’s name written on top.
“The cake looks just like Lorienne. White and pink—it’s so lovely.”
Lawrence glanced at the cake, then turned his eyes back to me, pointing at my necklace.
“Adel, is that the necklace Lady Lorienne gave you? It suits you so well. Next time you come to my birthday party, if I give you a necklace, will you wear that instead? If it matches my eye color, it would look like a set.”
“Yes, yes… but it looks like tea time will proceed like this?”
My lukewarm response made Lawrence tap my arm lightly.
“There are too many guests—most people won’t even get to sit. If not a necklace, how about a ring? That would be nice too.”
Just then, Lorienne stepped forward toward the cake, signaling the start of the party.
Behind her stood the Duke and Duchess of Andrian, smiling.
And behind them—
I saw Sir Alec leaning against the wall.
Our eyes met instantly.
As if he had been watching me all along, he curved his lips into a smile.
I quickly looked away.
‘It’s not like I did anything wrong… so why am I avoiding his gaze?’
When I looked back—
He was already walking toward me.
