Chapter 14
“Maribel is right.”
“Sister!”
“Besides, we agreed to let go of our old grudges. If you keep acting like this, you’ll put me in a very difficult position, José.”
At her firm yet elegant words, José’s face flushed red.
“I don’t know why you keep embarrassing me like this. Do you even realize how many times I’ve already had to apologize?”
It looked like she was about to make José apologize again, so this time I stopped her.
“Gabriella. I don’t want to receive an apology from someone who doesn’t actually mean it.”
“What?”
“Of course, if you don’t mind. Because my friendship with you is precious to me.”
And I truly meant it.
“If that’s how you feel, I won’t force it. But José, know that I’m deeply disappointed in you.”
Gabriella looked at José with a gentle smile.
“Go on ahead. I’ll enter together with Maribel.”
“Sister… you’d side with the cunning Maribel instead of me?”
Good grief, what does he mean “taking sides”? Is he a child?
Well, José was just past eighteen. An age when being sensitive about loyalty and sides wasn’t unusual. And, of course, Maribel had her past misdeeds.
“Let’s go inside, Maribel.”
Still, I couldn’t deny I was glad Gabriella had stood by me.
I schooled the twitch at my lips into composure and stood beside her.
José stomped inside first in a huff, while Gabriella and I entered together.
“You came together, I see.”
Our father, Mateo, murmured with satisfaction. I bowed lightly, then raised my eyes to scan the men seated inside.
And then—I made eye contact.
“Ah!”
Damn it. The sound slipped out before I realized it, leaving me staring like an idiot.
It was that man. The one with light green eyes.
The first time, I’d avoided his gaze desperately.
The second time, he’d been veiled in black, and I’d shut my eyes too quickly to see properly.
But now—at the end of the table, idly rolling his wine glass between elegant fingers—that man was absurdly handsome.
Jaw-droppingly so.
Honestly, whoever had created such a being deserved praise from the heavens.
With nearly white platinum blond hair swept back to reveal his forehead, his skin was lightly tanned. His pale green eyes were as clear as peridot, his nose and brow bone sculpted like art.
Fuller lips contrasted sharply with his ascetic jawline. He looked languid, even dangerous, and his broad shoulders were visible above the table.
When our eyes met, he inclined his head slightly before looking away, taking a bored sip of wine.
If that man was Pedro—the story’s villain and my supposed husband—I felt I could endure and shoulder all the absurdities of this world just for him.
Yes, if I’m honest, a flicker of excitement rose within me.
His presence here meant he might indeed be Maribel’s husband.
“Are you alright, Maribel?”
“Ah… I was just startled to meet so many unfamiliar faces at once. My apologies.”
Thanks to Gabriella’s concern, I managed to cobble together a decent excuse.
It seemed she had met some of them before, because she gave polite nods around the table before sitting down.
Still dazed by the ridiculous beauty’s appearance, I was about to follow her when Father stopped me.
“Maribel. Before dinner, shouldn’t you make a proper introduction?”
Even if not formal, I knew this was like a kind of social debut.
Curious eyes fixed on me, and my body moved before my mind did.
As if trained, I instinctively bent my knees in a graceful curtsey.
“I am Maribel of the Sephardi family. It is an honor to meet such distinguished guests.”
At such banquets, only a few could dine with the duke’s household and his children.
Other than the Sephardis, only four young men and one young woman—roughly my age—sat at the table.
I hesitated, waiting for introductions, but none came. It was as though I was expected to already know them.
“Um, these gentlemen are…”
“Ah, Maribel has finally set aside the old tradition and removed her veil today. A true step forward as a Sephardi. Since she seldom attended social gatherings before, some of you may be seeing her for the first time.”
My attempt at asking for introductions was neatly intercepted by my stepmother, Laura.
So all I could do was stand there, playing a guessing game about which one of them was Pedro.
“Perhaps she was kept hidden for being too beautiful?”
One of the men laughed—a redhead with striking emerald eyes. But his smile felt like it concealed something.
And his compliment gave me chills.
“Lord Esquia, hidden? While the duke does cherish his daughter, it was Maribel herself who chose to wear the veil until now. We’re only grateful she has changed her mind.”
Laura, acting as if she were my spokesperson, replied smoothly without missing a beat.
For heaven’s sake, just give me their names already!
Frustration boiled in me, but I couldn’t throw a tantrum during my first appearance.
I tugged awkwardly at the corners of my mouth. “Introductions would be…”
“Please, sit here, sister.”
At Gabriella’s gentle invitation, I had no choice but to take my seat.
I sat down, determined to rely only on sharp observation.
Across from Gabriella sat a young woman in an ornate dress with a high collar. She had rosy cheeks and a youthful look.
“Gabriella, that bracelet you’re wearing is exquisite.”
“Thank you, Your Highness Princess Cecilia. It’s not just any bracelet, either—Maribel gifted it to me yesterday.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
The woman called Cecilia glanced at me briefly.
I could feel her noting the color of my hair and eyes. Then came a flicker of disdain in her gaze.
“It’s a precious item, and I treasure it. It’s the Sephardi pearl rosary.”
Gabriella’s elegant smile didn’t falter as she touched the necklace, though she surely sensed the tension.
“Do you mean the one made from Marcus’s black pearls?”
The redhead seated at my right tilted his chin and asked.
All eyes turned to me.
Of course—because of my black hair and navy eyes.
But now that I’d been introduced as the Sephardi heiress, I had no desire to emphasize my origins.
“It’s no longer called Marcus’s pearl rosary. It is the Sephardi family’s sacred relic.”
Tilting my head, I met the redhead’s gaze with an openly furrowed brow. Then I turned to Gabriella with a proud smile.
“I’ve had it since childhood, but I felt Gabriella would need it more than me. That’s why I gave it to her.”
“You sisters are truly close.”
The one who spoke was a handsome man with light brown hair and golden eyes.
Though he looked slightly delicate, his gentle impression carried an intellectual aura.
He reached out and laid his hand over Gabriella’s.
Given his seat near the head of the table, his resemblance to Princess Cecilia, and the way Gabriella beamed at him—it was obvious who he was.
The Crown Prince, Carlos Bernau. Cecilia’s older brother.
So this was Gabriella’s fiancé. Was this supposed to be Yun Gabi’s taste?
I sneaked a few glances at the Crown Prince. He didn’t seem like a bad man. But from my sister’s perspective, all men—be they princes or not—must have looked inadequate.
“Ahem.”
José cleared his throat.
It was as if he was scolding me for eyeing the Crown Prince with suspicion.
“Gabriella must suffer much, having such a greedy sister.”
“José! Why must you keep—”
“I only speak because she keeps sneaking glances at His Highness the Crown Prince.”
José fixed me with an accusing look. Like a jealous puppy bristling whenever Gabriella sided with me.
I could have ignored it.
But accusing me of harboring feelings for the Crown Prince in such a formal setting? That I couldn’t let pass.
With a heavy sigh, I turned to Carlos.
“My apologies. As Gabriella’s elder sister, I couldn’t help but feel concerned upon meeting Your Highness for the first time.”
“Concerned?”
The sharp voice belonged to Princess Cecilia.
“Gabriella will soon join the noble family of Bernau. What could possibly worry you? I’m honestly quite offended.”
So, she hates Maribel. Well, not that I expected anyone here to be fond of her.
But her attitude didn’t bother me much.
I didn’t even spare her a glance, only raised an eyebrow.
“Forgive me, but whether it’s His Highness or any other man in the world, it’s only natural for an elder sister to worry when her younger sibling leaves the family home. Perhaps younger siblings find such sentiments harder to understand.”
Then, deliberately, I glanced at Carlos.
“Surely, Your Highness, if Princess Cecilia were to meet a suitor, you would look upon him with the same protective gaze I now cast on you?”
My words left the room in momentary silence.
