Chapter 59
“This is a gift sent by His Highness the Duke. Isn’t it pretty?”
Delina held her arm right in front of my face. Even from a distance, it was obvious how beautiful it was, but she deliberately did this to unsettle me.
“As you can see, His Highness the Duke’s feelings are for me. Don’t think he’s showing a little kindness to you.”
People who had no knowledge of my connection with Tirchen were busy whispering among themselves, curious about what Delina meant.
As curious eyes fell on me, Teus grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear.
“Let’s step outside for a bit of fresh air.”
Teus looked regretful that he couldn’t shield me from the prying eyes. He thought that stepping in directly might only make things worse, so he quietly tried to get me out of the situation.
“Later. Let’s go after you finish talking with Miss Shiton.”
I appreciated his concern, but running away now would only fuel their curiosity further. This wasn’t the right choice.
Although facing Delina was extremely unpleasant, if she wasn’t going to stop talking herself, I had to make her. Otherwise, my relationship with Tirchen would inevitably become the subject of malicious gossip.
Everyone would speculate wildly about my trip to recuperate, which had been a personal matter, and they would only focus on the fact that I had been with Tirchen. Even if my visit to the villa occurred after my engagement with Gustavo had been broken, gossips would have no hesitation in tarnishing him as a scoundrel.
“I can’t let Tirchen’s reputation be sullied just because of rumors involving Gustavo.”
Even if people learned that we had stayed at the villa together, it shouldn’t be revealed in this way.
I took a step toward Delina, closing the distance. These words had to be whispered so that others couldn’t hear.
“What is it that you want to say, Miss Shiton? That you stayed at Tirchen’s villa and got kicked out? That you went to see the cave and fell into the water? Or…”
I paused for a moment, trying to gauge if my memory was correct.
“You deliberately pushed my head underwater after I barely got out of it?”
Delina’s face turned pale.
Now the positions were reversed; it was my turn to provoke her.
“Which of these three should I tell people? If you like, I could even tell all three at once.”
“S-stop this nonsense.”
“Well, don’t you see? Only you and I know what really happened. If I put all the events in order, wouldn’t anyone believe me?”
Delina, cornered, did not answer. By shutting her mouth at the right moment, I ensured that our stay at Tirchen’s villa could remain quietly beneath the surface.
Pretending to turn away, I then looked back.
I didn’t know why Tirchen gave her the bracelet, but I assumed it wasn’t out of affection. If it had been, he would have terminated his contract with me first.
“Just because His Highness the Duke sent you a bracelet doesn’t mean he has feelings for you.”
“Hmph! You pretend not to care, but now you’re jealous. If he had no feelings for me, he wouldn’t have sent me a gift.”
“Did His Highness the Duke confess directly to you?”
“No, but he sent it to our house, so it’s the same thing.”
“Did he send you a love letter?”
Delina couldn’t answer. Only after I pointed it out did she seem to realize the truth.
Unable to answer properly, Delina immediately became the subject of murmurs from those around us.
“Surely he didn’t do that to the countess?”
“His Highness the Duke has never shown any interest in Miss Shiton before, so suddenly sending a gift seems strange, doesn’t it?”
“By the way, I heard a few days ago that Miss Shiton sent a huge gift to the Duke, but he returned it all.”
“Oh! So that was true. I thought he was so enraged he wanted to punish the servant who delivered it.”
The onlookers, who envied Delina, now murmured suspiciously. They assumed that if the bracelet was indeed from Tirchen, she wouldn’t have returned her gifts.
“This really is a gift from His Highness the Duke!”
Delina emphasized, trying to convince everyone she was telling the truth.
“How would you know? No one saw it directly.”
Yet a noblewoman nearby openly accused her of lying.
Suspicion, once planted, only grows unless there’s definitive proof to dispel it. Until Tirchen personally explained, Delina would inevitably be labeled a liar.
‘Serves her right. Tirchen isn’t going to appear here to clarify, so she’ll have a hard time for a while.’
I linked arms with Teus, who had been quietly waiting nearby. Though I had taken on Delina in the skirmish, his face was pale with concern.
“Let’s go get some fresh air.”
Feeling refreshed, I said playfully, and Teus chuckled wryly.
“So, you’re not helpless on your own, huh…”
He looked both proud of me and somewhat bitter. In the past, I would have fled any problematic situation, but I had changed; I was becoming stronger, more steadfast.
“With my trusty friend beside me, what could possibly scare me?”
I squeezed his arm, feigning cheerfulness.
We hadn’t walked far when we ran into someone unpleasant—not by chance, but because he deliberately blocked our path.
“Well, well, Ellysia.”
Gustavo greeted me with a fake smile, accompanied closely by Dana Essel, the youngest daughter of the Essel Marquis. I lightly bowed in response.
“If I had known you were attending this party, I would have come to fetch you. What a pity.”
Teus’ expression tensed at Gustavo’s obnoxious comment, nearly blurting out an expletive.
“Please refrain from making statements that could cause misunderstandings, Sir Berato.”
I remained silent, not wanting to soil my mouth by engaging with Gustavo.
“Why does it concern you? Are you Ellysia’s new man?”
Typical of Gustavo, his words were trash.
Seeing Teus flare, I quickly grabbed his arm.
“Sir Berato, perhaps you should focus on your partner rather than my matters?”
I subtly gestured at Dana, who clung to Gustavo’s arm like a tiny kitten, sharpening her claws at me.
‘So, in this life, you were supposed to go straight for Letisa, but first you’re checking out Miss Essel?’
Dana, unaware of the situation, was pitiful.
Having already drawn attention from the Delina incident, I had no desire to be in the spotlight again with these two.
“What a flawlessly splendid party, Miss Essel.”
“Yes. I heard Lady Mares was quite ill, but you seem to have fully recovered.”
Dana clearly didn’t rejoice in my recovery. Though I could have tried to comfort her, I chose another approach. I wanted to make it clear that she didn’t need to be wary of Gustavo to make things easier for myself.
“Yes. I’ve fully recovered, so I can attend the party. I was just about to move to another spot. You two, enjoy your time here.”
I smiled brightly to show my sincerity. Though Gustavo’s clinginess prevented full success, my tone conveyed the message.
“You misunderstand, Ellysia. I have no relationship with Miss Essel.”
Dana’s teary eyes softened, and her hand slipped from Gustavo’s arm.
‘What a shameless scoundrel.’
He flaunted his popularity with women while holding the daughters of dukes and marquises in both hands. It was infuriating.
“Oh! I apologize. A lady as graceful and elegant as Miss Essel deserves someone who matches her. I misjudged.”
Dana’s expression changed from nearly crying to sulking.
“I, too, have discernment. As this is a party hosted by my family, I wanted to be attentive to all guests regardless of rank.”
“You are very considerate. Treating all invited guests with kindness, regardless of status, is a model for all ladies.”
Dana blushed shyly at the praise. Just moments ago, she had seen Gustavo as the greatest man in the world, but her attitude shifted completely.
‘She probably thought he was amazing because everyone else did. I just taught her that the diamond she coveted was really just plain glass.’
Though I couldn’t say it aloud, my expression and eyes conveyed the message.
In the end, the two separated and went their own way. Dealing with even just two tiresome people had completely drained me.
Teus led me to a gazebo in the garden.
The roof rose in tiers, ending in a pointed spire. Since the party was in full swing, few people were outside, making the quiet quite pleasant.
“I guess inviting you to the party wasn’t a mistake after all.”
Teus seemed apologetic, as if what happened were his fault. Meeting Delina and Gustavo and engaging in the conflict had nothing to do with him, though he wouldn’t admit it.
“I didn’t like some of the people we met, but coming here with you was the right choice.”
“Even after unpleasant events, you say that?”
“At first, I was annoyed, but in the end, I won, didn’t I? When I have someone on my side, there’s nothing to fear.”
“…Yeah. I’ll keep being on your side.”
Seeing his warm, genuine smile, I couldn’t help but grin back.
