LUW 33

Underground World Lady – Chapter 33 

When Cecilia lightly lifted the hem of her dress, a stained wine mark became visible.

Pierre subtly furrowed his brow.

“You manage to cause trouble the moment I look away. Who did this?”

“…And what if I know who it was?”

“Well, I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.”

At his cryptic remark, Cecilia instinctively turned her body, as if to hide the stain.

“It’s nothing. Just the usual social skirmish.”

“You’re familiar with parties, Lady Niberius, so let me give you some advice. If you let noble power games slide, they’ll one day grow into annoying hostility. That’s why you have to crush them early—make sure they never dare try again.”

“High society is scary.”

“You’ve just lived too peacefully.”

“Oh, absolutely. My family was nearly executed for allegedly distributing illegal weapons, but it’s been such a peaceful life.”

Cecilia pouted.

“More importantly, are you mad?”

His tone had been sharp for a while. Though Pierre was never overly gentle, his words now carried more bite than usual.

Pierre stopped at her question and slowly looked down at Cecilia.

His face was expressionless, as always, but there was a hint of displeasure in his gaze.

Cecilia, who had met his eyes briefly, shrank back and lowered her head.

“Sorry… for getting my dress dirty—”

“I didn’t say you could smile at just anyone.”

“…What?”

With that, Pierre turned his gaze forward again.

His blue eyes caught the light of the chandelier, shimmering like sunlight dancing on a lake. Yet beneath the surface, they were dark and unreadable, like the lake’s deepest depths.

Before Cecilia could process what he meant, someone approached them.

It was a servant dressed differently from the ones in the ballroom.

He politely bowed to them.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Cardinande. Lady Niberius. I have a message from the Marquess of Zilgeorc.”

Zilgeorc.

Cecilia’s eyes widened, though she tried not to show it. Pierre, in contrast, answered calmly.

“What is it?”

“The Marquess heard that Lady Niberius’s dress was damaged, so he has prepared a spare one. Please follow me and I will guide you.”

Pierre’s eyes narrowed.

“How considerate. We’ll gratefully accept.”

“Yes, then Lady Niberius, please come with me.”

Cecilia’s shoulders tensed.

She remembered what Pierre had told her before they came here:

“The Marquess has a lot of interest in this situation. If he sees you beside me, he won’t be able to resist approaching you. Once we enter the party, he’ll seek you out. He’ll only call for you, so I won’t be able to help.”

“…What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

Even in the rattling carriage, Pierre had kept perfect posture as he calmly met her eyes.

“That’s right. Just tell me afterward what he said to you.”

“Shouldn’t I prepare some answers? What if I mess up…?”

“People make the most mistakes when they try to plan too much. If you script your responses, you won’t be able to adapt.”

In other words, he expected her to improvise.

Could she do that? She’d never even met Zilgeorc before.

As Cecilia nervously gripped her dress, Pierre spoke reassuringly.

“It won’t be hard. Don’t get nervous in advance. Let’s decide on a simple signal before you go in. The signal is…”

“Cecilia.”

Pierre’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. He held her arm gently and smiled.

“Be careful not to step on your hem.”

The signal he had mentioned.

At those words, Cecilia quietly inhaled and smiled back at him.

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

Following the servant up to the upper level of the party hall, she was led into a room filled with spare dresses and tuxedos.

Inside were maids ready to assist with changing, and one of them approached, holding a dress.

“This way, Lady Niberius.”

The maid gently guided Cecilia.

When she had changed and stood before the mirror, Cecilia’s eyes widened in surprise.

The dress was pure white, dazzling.

Soft, slightly glossy silk draped smoothly along her body, sparkling like starlight under the soft lighting.

The off-shoulder design fully exposed her shoulders, collarbones, and ample chest.

The sleeves were entirely sheer—an unusually bold choice in high society.

Even her slightest movement made the embedded jewels shimmer brilliantly.

If the dress Pierre had chosen emphasized elegance and restraint, this one was designed purely for glamour and attention.

The maid added flamboyant accessories to complete the look.

Unable to hold back, Cecilia hesitantly asked,

“Isn’t it a bit much? Do you have something a little more subdued?”

“It suits you perfectly, so don’t worry. The dress and accessories were gifts from the Marquess.”

She didn’t need gifts like this.

But Cecilia couldn’t show her distaste openly, so she nodded politely.

When she finished changing and stepped out, the earlier servant was waiting.

“The Marquess would like to speak with you. I’ll escort you.”

Refusing didn’t seem to be an option.

The servant immediately began to lead the way.

They arrived at a lavishly engraved door behind the ballroom.

Cecilia took a deep breath and knocked.

“Come in.”

A gruff voice echoed from inside.

When she opened the door, she saw the bulky form of the Marquess of Zilgeorc reclining deeply in an ivory chair in the dim room.

He gave her a broad grin.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Niberius. This is our first time greeting each other, isn’t it?”

“It is an honor, Marquess. I am Cecilia Niberius.”

“No need for stiff formality—come, have a seat.”

Hiding her tension, Cecilia carefully walked over and sat across from him.

“The Viscount of Niberius is quite the secretive man, hiding such a beautiful young lady all this time.”

His slow gaze slid down her form. Cecilia demurely bowed her head.

“You flatter me.”

“How’s the dress? I heard about the accident and had it prepared quickly. I hope it’s to your liking.”

“It’s far too generous a gift. I’ll return it safely to your estate afterward.”

“Haha! Losing one dress won’t ruin my house. Don’t worry—just accept it. It suits you perfectly.”

“Then I will gratefully accept it.”

Outwardly composed, Cecilia remained deeply on guard.

The Marquess poured himself a full glass of wine and eyed her steadily.

“So. Is Viscount Niberius doing well? I hear he’s been busy with… various matters.”

“Yes, he is in good health.”

When Cecilia answered concisely, Zilgeorc gave a knowing smile.

“That’s good to hear. There’ve been some incidents, so many were worried.”

He took a sip of wine, continuing with a friendly tone.

“I was concerned as well. So when I heard you would attend my party, I was quite pleased. At least for tonight, forget the hard times and enjoy yourself.”

His kind tone carried a sour undertone.

Feigning hesitation, Cecilia lowered her eyes and spoke cautiously.

“It’s been a rough time lately, but thanks to Your Excellency’s kindness, I could come out like this. And of course, I sincerely thank you for the invitation.”

“Hm.”

The Marquess twirled his wineglass before smoothly changing the subject.

“By the way, I didn’t know Lady Niberius had ties to the Grand Duke of Cardinande.”

“I didn’t originally. But His Grace took pity on my situation and decided to help.”

It wasn’t a lie. She simply didn’t elaborate.

The Marquess raised a brow and muttered to himself,

“There’s always a reason behind someone’s kindness.”

“…Pardon?”

He smiled faintly and took a sip of wine, his voice soft.

“The Grand Duke is a notoriously cold man. He rarely extends a hand to anyone. But with you, he’s unusually kind.”

He wet his lips with wine and smiled lazily.

“Don’t you find it odd? As if he already knew everything, and just showed up at the perfect time to help.”

“I… not particularly…”

As Cecilia fumbled for words, a subtle gleam passed through Zilgeorc’s eyes.

“To me, it looks like he’s using you under the guise of goodwill.”

Cecilia shrank back, her expression as if she might cry any moment.

The Marquess smiled thinly to himself.