My lips parted, and Vin popped something into my mouth.
“You looked like you were enjoying it earlier.”
The bittersweet taste-it was Vin’s favorite brand of chocolate.
Had he been watching?
…I ate too much earlier, and now it’s too sweet.
“I also brought wine.”
I frown, and Vin holds out a wine glass.
It wasn’t any smaller than when he’d held the wine earlier.
He’s been looking out for me since then.
Why on earth?
“Oh, Duke of Ortega. What the hell is going on here? Surely you despise Lady Heather, don’t you…?”
“That is correct.”
“Then why did you…”
“Because people change, and so does love.”
“Change? She’s only grown less ill-tempered.”
“If you’re going to pass judgment on Irene’s temper, why don’t you look at your own? Wasn’t it Lady Hant who was the first to lash out at someone who was being polite?”
“Well, yes, but..!”
“Lady Hant.”
Vin called out to Callie. Then an angelic smile crossed his face.
Well, now Callie is dead.
” Lady Hant, do you ever allow anyone to harm your beloved?”
“…Are you trying to hurt me now?”
“Of course not. I don’t give a damn about anything that isn’t worth trampling.”
“…Then what are you going to do?”
“I’d trample on something of greater value, like ceasing my dealings with Viscount Hant.”
I’d read about this in the novel.
The insignificant Viscount Hant is kept in nobility because his ancestral connections allow the Ortega to trade with him at a slight cost.
Now that their ancestor is dead and they no longer have to take the risk, if they cut off the deal, Viscount Hant would probably be left penniless.
Judging by the somber expression on Callie’s face, my guess was probably correct.
” Oh, Duke. I was imprudent, could you please reconsider?”
“I don’t think so.”
” Nix, what are you doing, not apologising already!”
“…I apologize, sir.”
At Callie’s urging, Nix Heyman ducked his head in confusion.
Why are you both apologizing to Vin and not me?
The fault lies with me.
I don’t see how apologizing to the powerful is any different from apologizing to Irillin’s parents or me, anyway.
“Lord Heyman. I gave you a chance by selecting you to escort the National Foundation Festival. Do I have to give you a second chance?”
“If you give me … one more chance, I’ll never let you down again.”
“You won’t disappoint me. I’ve already made my assessment of you. A bat out of hell, driven by power, not integrity. Unfit to be an Imperial Knight.”
“V-Vice Commander, you have one last chance to…I will apologize to Sir Heather as well.”
“No need.”
I said sharply.
Then Nix Heyman grabbed my wrist and said.
“Irillin, You really don’t want me…”
“I don’t want you!”
I hissed, jerking his hand away with little effort.
I huffed out mockingly.
“Lady Hant I think your fiancé needs to wear something to cover his scrawny body.”
“My Lady, on the other hand, is very strong.”
Vin’s words, accompanied by a sarcastic, cold chuckle, made me chuckle.
I stared up at him with a smile on my face. Yesterday’s emotions had been pushed to the back of my mind.
“Well, my Lady, the most powerful woman in the world, I’ll take care of the nasty scum, and all you have to do is enjoy the party.”
“Master, Do you have a message for the lady?”
“No.”
Sith replied dryly.
Wendy felt nervous. She kept glancing at Irene, wondering if perhaps she was trying to tell her what she had done wrong.
She secretly regretted the way she had treated Sith, looking down on him.
She hadn’t realized that Irilin was getting along with the Sith.
Even the Marquis and Marchioness, who had treated him as if he were nothing more than a servant, had recently begun to take notice of him.
Something must have happened to give him power.
“Or do you need something else?”
“No.”
So now that she was trying to be friendly, Sith wasn’t even paying attention to Wendy.
His attention seemed entirely focused on Irillin and Vin.
“Your water glass is empty, I’ll fill it for you- oh, and there’s no water in the kettle either, just give me a minute and I’ll come back with some!”
It’s the virtue of a good maid to fulfill your needs before you even ask.
Wendy didn’t miss this opportunity, grabbing the kettle and scurrying off to the kitchen.
She was humming to herself as she picked out the tea leaves, thinking it would make her more useful if she also prepared the tea.
“Hey.”
The stranger’s voice echoed behind her.
Wendy flinched and turned around.
It was a man with snow-white hair and creepy violet eyes.
‘I don’t recognize him. Is he related to my master…?
She searched her memory, but nothing came to mind.
But for some reason, he reminded her of someone.
It was different now, but that’s how Irillin used to call her in the past.
“It’s…”
“Get in the carriage.”
“What?”
“Get in the damn carriage. Quick. I’m thirsty.”
She had heard that only one other person had attended the tea party besides those on the invitation list.
There was no way Wendy hadn’t seen the newcomer since she’d been outside all this time.
The man was dressed in fine clothes, but he looked strangely unkempt, as if he hadn’t bathed in days.
If so, he was most likely an intruder posing as a nobleman.
But perhaps it was the years she’d spent as a maid, and her hands were brewing tea before she knew it.
Carefully adjusting it to the perfect temperature for immediate consumption.
“Ready?”
The next thing she knew, the man had snatched the teacup from Wendy’s hand.
He gulped the tea down in a frenzy.
Then, with a snap, he threw the teacup to the ground.
With a loud clang, a storm of insults erupted.
“It tastes like sh*t! You really picked this garbage for a tea? How come it’s been seven years and you still haven’t made any progress? What are you doing, get back in the car now!”1(I have no idea what Irillin is saying😭)
He really meant it when he said he’d get rid of the nasty scum, and while I enjoyed the tea party in peace, Vin whispered to each and every one of them.
I don’t know what he said, but the offending guests obediently retreated under Vin’s watchful eye.
What a bunch of idiots. Are you looking out for Vin now?
You’ve just disrespected the host of the party, and you’re going to get a lot of bad rumors for the rest of your life.
“Did I do good?”
Vin asked, looking like a puppy who’d just been fetching a ball.
“Praise me.”
He even ducked his head.
“Why me?”
I responded with the coldest expression I could muster.
That’s when I turned around, wondering.
Why was he acting like yesterday never happened?
“Didn’t you hear what I said yesterday?”
“I did. You said you didn’t love me.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
Vin rolled his eyes and laughed. His voice was soft, like a spring breeze despite the late autumn.
“To make you love me.”
I heard the voice, but the words sliced sweetly through my heart.
The desire to hold on to the breeze, to hold on to it, came again and again.
“You think I’m going to be shocked that you don’t have feelings for me? You’re wrong. I already knew that.”
You don’t know. I wanted to spit it out.
I caught myself when I saw my sister in the distance, her face full of concern.
A newfound coolness spilled out of my mouth.
“You think I’m going to change my mind just because you did?”
“Yes.”
“Ha- on what basis?”
“Based on me. Because I didn’t know you, I never thought I’d go to war for someone I despised so much.”
…I was surprised, too.
I couldn’t believe he was so obsessed with me that he’d go to war.
Even if he’s my bias, I didn’t think I’d be crazy enough to go to war for him.
“Did you think you could just duel me and I’d back off?”
“…”
“What the hell, I’m not the kind of person who can settle for that.”
Vin wrapped his arms lightly around my waist, just as I wrapped my legs around his.
I averted my face from his, which was getting closer and closer.
I had to work very hard to keep my tone nonchalant.
“What do you want so badly?”
“You haven’t had dinner yet.”
“Well, can I just have dinner?”
“You think so?”
Vin unclasped his hands from around her waist.
Then he sighed, and his eyes cleared.
It was as if he was struggling to hold back a surge of…desire.
“I want to be with you every day, not just one day, not just one dinner, and I want it to be your normal routine to do everything with you.”
“You make it sound like you want to…marry me.”
“Why, is that bad? We’re going to get married someday.”
“Yes, it’s very bad, because it sounds like you want to kill your wife.
“That’s bad. So let’s get a divorce.”
” No way.”
“In the future you’re dreaming of, I won’t be there. Find someone else.”
Like for example, a crown prince.
Come on, please!
