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chapter 65
“Hahaha! See? I told you!”
“Oh my, Young-sik, you’re quite mischievous.”
Brian, searching for friends who would have attended the party, suddenly found himself standing close to a beautiful woman he had just met.
Every time she spoke, she burst into laughter, and Brian responded with a deep smile.
“Um, if you’re not accompanied by anyone, would you like to… go with me?”
It was obvious what the shy, blushing woman was going to say. Brian, expecting her to accept a date invitation, soon noticed her complexion slowly paling.
“L-let’s… go together some other time. I-I’ll… uh…!”
“Ah! Wait a moment!”
Had she seen a ghost? The atmosphere had seemed fine.
Watching the woman hurriedly run away, Brian tilted his head in confusion.
“Is something behind her?”
Turning around, Brian came face-to-face with Helwin, standing silently.
“Ah! You scared me! Hey, when did you get here?”
“…Just now.”
Brian held his racing heart for a moment and then glared at Helwin. His face looked drained.
It wasn’t anger—Brian could tell something was wrong. Having known Helwin for years, he noticed that his friend looked depressed.
‘Same as last time…’
When Brian had previously visited to hand Helwin Christine’s invitation, Helwin had looked no different.
“Did something happen to you?”
“No…”
“Then why the long face? Did someone reject you?”
Trying to lighten the mood, Brian’s words only made Helwin frown more and shut his mouth tightly.
Something had clearly happened to Helwin, but Brian couldn’t figure out what. Frustration gnawed at him.
He had come to talk, even just a little, but Helwin didn’t seem in the mood. In the end, Brian finished his business and handed him Christine’s invitation.
“Christine’s hosting a party this time. Lucia and the others are all going, so you’re coming too, right?”
“…Lucia’s going?”
Helwin, who hadn’t reacted to anything Brian said until now, finally showed some response. Energy returned to his dying red eyes, which left Brian puzzled.
“Yes. She’s attending with Marquis Casper.”
Brian mentioned Marquis Casper, wondering if Helwin was reacting to Lucia. Helwin frowned.
“…Then I’ll go too.”
Unlike the casual way he took the invitation, Helwin’s eyes burned with intensity.
Brian watched Helwin glance around, noting:
‘He seems a bit livelier than before.’
Previously, he had looked frail, like someone near death. Now, he seemed to have regained some vitality. The dark expression remained, however.
“Ah! Helwin, Brian! So you’re here?”
“Ethan! Arista’s here too?”
Turning at Ethan’s voice, Brian saw him approaching with Arista.
“We ran into each other at the entrance. Seeing this many people, it seems Christine put a lot of effort into this.”
“It’s her first business venture, so naturally she prepared a lot. Looks like people are quite interested in Christine’s business.”
It was only natural, as this was the first event hosted by the only daughter of the Diores family, who leads the beneficiaries.
“Everyone! Thank you for coming!”
Christine approached, her voice full of energy. As the host, she was beautifully dressed.
Her glassy, gem-like eyes—usually hidden beneath her eyelids—were revealed, and she held a large bouquet of flowers, making her look almost fairy-like.
“Wow, Christine! You look so beautiful!”
“Gosh, I barely recognize you! So pretty that the men must be turning their heads!”
“Oh, not that much.”
Christine blushed under Arista and Ethan’s compliments.
Her gaze then landed on Brian. Everyone expected him to say something cheesy first, but surprisingly, he said nothing.
Instead, his golden eyes seemed to pierce her, making Christine scratch her cheek nervously.
“Is something wrong…?”
“Uh? Ah, no, not that…”
For a rare moment, Brian appeared flustered.
“Ahem. Y-yes… you’re… beautiful…”
Arista and Ethan burst out laughing at Brian’s awkward reaction, as he had never interacted with a woman like this before.
“Hahaha! What kind of reaction is that?”
“Looks like Christine really is beautiful. Brian, the great Brian, is shy! We should preserve this moment forever.”
“Shut up! Who’s shy here?!”
Even as Brian tried to quiet them, they laughed harder.
Christine gazed silently at Brian. His earlobes were slightly red.
After teasing her constantly, seeing him act like this made Christine hum in delight inwardly.
Meanwhile, Helwin, unfazed by the noise, was lost in thought. Christine noticed and asked:
“Are you looking for someone?”
“I wondered if Lucia had arrived.”
“Lucia? She’s here.”
Helwin paused, looking at Christine.
“She just greeted Marquis Casper and Lucia a moment ago.”
“They were together?”
“Yes. They were over there… oh, she’s gone?”
Christine looked around, realizing Lucia had disappeared in just a few minutes.
“She must have gone somewhere else. It looked like she was greeting people with Marquis Casper.”
“I see. Thanks. I’ll go find her for a moment.”
After a brief thanks, Helwin hurried to where Lucia had been.
Christine watched him go, tilting her head with a hand on her face.
“How strange…”
“What is?”
“Helwin… doesn’t he seem anxious about something? I wonder what happened with Lucia.”
Arista, who knew what had occurred between Helwin and Lucia, let out a small sigh.
She had even intentionally made space for him. Could it be he still hasn’t resolved it?
“No… I don’t think so.”
At that moment, Brian spoke.
“Huh?”
“A man in love can’t see anything else.”
Brian’s words, meaningful and teasing, left Christine confused. She didn’t understand at all.
Brian smirked, glancing at Helwin.
Helwin arrived at the location Christine had indicated. Using his height, he scanned the area, but could not find Lucia.
“…Where on earth did she go?”
He didn’t even know why he was looking for her. He only felt he needed to talk to her.
When Henry asked if he would just stand by while Lucia’s engagement proceeded, Helwin finally acknowledged the turmoil in his heart.
‘I… I…’
He realized he didn’t see Lucia as just a friend.
Yet even admitting that, he couldn’t identify the exact nature of his feelings.
If it was love for Lucia, what did it mean for the feelings he had toward Arista until now?
Was he, like Lucia, willing to give everything for her?
Only questions remained. Yet, despite his rational mind trying to regain control, his heart and body were already drawn to Lucia.
Even when meeting Arista, his gaze didn’t linger; he only yearned for Lucia.
Feeling his heart gradually tipping, Helwin wandered around in search of her.
‘I want to see her.’
He wanted to meet her and speak. Only then could the knot of complicated emotions feel like it might unravel.
After checking the hall without finding her, Helwin turned his gaze outside.
“Maybe she went to the garden?”
She wouldn’t have returned home yet, so the outdoors was the only remaining option. Helwin hurried toward the garden.
Since the party had just begun, the garden wasn’t crowded. Walking quickly, he soon approached the fountain.
Thud—!
A woman coming from the opposite direction collided with Helwin’s shoulder.
“Oh, s-sorry…”
Her freckled nose caught his attention. She seemed distressed, her tears full of despair.
Helwin, startled, watched as she quickly moved past him.
Turning forward again, Helwin finally saw Lucia.
“Luci…”
His joy was short-lived, however, as he froze at the scene before him.
Sitting on the fountain, Lucia received a kiss from Bern, who bowed slightly to do so.
Lucia accepted Bern calmly, wrapping her arms around his neck.
His chest dropped, vision blurred.
‘Why… do I feel like this?’
They were soon to be engaged, so a kiss wasn’t unusual. Soon, they would even have children. Yet why…
‘It feels like there’s a hole in my chest.’
He wanted to run away immediately. He wanted to take Lucia away from Bern. Not Bern, it should have been him with Lucia…
Helwin inhaled sharply, recalling the thoughts he had just had.
“Do I… like Lucia?”
The idea that the one kissing her should be him, not Bern, struck him powerfully.
Even when he thought he liked Arista, he had never considered intimacy with her.
His stomach churned. Helwin clenched his face, taking a step toward the kissing pair.
After what felt like an eternity, their kiss ended. They looked at each other.
In that moment, Lucia burst into tears. Bern carefully embraced her.
“It’s okay, Lucia… it’s okay.”
Seeing this, Helwin stopped in his tracks.
He was furious that it wasn’t him kissing Lucia, yet even if it were, he couldn’t know if she would rely on him.
‘Since when did this happen?’
At some point, she no longer confided in him or relied on him.
Moreover, no matter how sad she was, she tried not to show tears in front of him.
‘Please… don’t make me miserable anymore…’
The last time Lucia cried, she had made her final confession to him.
Even wanting to comfort her, he couldn’t. She had rejected him.
Unable to be her support, unable to console her, only causing her tears… did he even deserve to stand by her side?
There was no place for him between them.
The glow in his red eyes slowly faded.
Soon, all that remained where he stood were the marks left in the grass.
