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Chapter 28
A handsome face suddenly leaned in until our foreheads touched. He whispered softly, “Refreshing, isn’t it?” and smiled playfully. My heart began to race.
“Is it because I drank too much?”
I tapped my pounding chest for no reason, admiring his sculpture-like face—then those amethyst-like, beautiful eyes caught my gaze. Without realizing it, still with our foreheads touching, I raised my hand and touched Cardin’s face. Perhaps he liked my touch, because his smile deepened. Then he gave me a smiling glance with his eyes.
“Cardin.”
“Yes?”
“Your eyes are pretty. They sparkle like stars. I like stars. Huh? Is that a star?”
While staring at the beautiful light in Cardin’s eyes, I suddenly pointed up at something shining on the ceiling and muttered.
“Do you want it?”
“Yeah!”
“Then I’ll pluck it and present it before you.”
Cardin solemnly dropped to one knee and kissed the back of my hand, then placed a hand on the table.
“Duke! Have you lost your mind? This is the imperial palace!”
Trin tried to stop Cardin as he boldly put a foot on the table, while beside me Mei spoke as if soothing a child.
“Sis, that’s not a star. It’s just a jeweled decoration.”
“No! It’s a star! It’s sparkling! Pick it for me!”
Drunk, an insane possessiveness surged up, and I started throwing a tantrum.
“For my goddess, I would offer anything. Not just the stars, but the moon and the sun as well!”
Hearing me, Cardin grabbed his brad knife and managed to put one leg up on the table to “pluck” the star.
“This is driving me crazy—really! Hold on to Miss Jurn tight!”
“Don’t worry about us, focus on him! What are you doing? The duke’s almost all the way up!”
The battle that felt like a war finally ended after Harna couldn’t overcome the alcohol and fell asleep, and Trin succeeded in turning Cardin around. Regaining his senses, Cardin quickly tossed the brad knife far away and asked,
“Where’s Harna?”
“She seems to be asleep. Please, stop now!”
At the duke’s question—asking for Harna the moment he came to—Trin shouted in a pained voice. It was already the third time today. Trin had no strength left to stop Cardin’s lovesick rambling. Ignoring the aide who looked like he wanted to hand in his resignation and run away, Cardin deliberately shifted his gaze to where Mei was.
Mei was barely holding Harna, who had fallen asleep leaning against her, and she was already at her limit. Then a large hand scooped Harna up in a princess carry. Only after confirming that there was no brad knife in Cardin’s hands did Mei finally sigh in relief and relax. Cardin walked slowly, not looking at Harna’s face.
Seeing Harna’s flushed neck, Cardin let out a small chuckle.
“You little drunk.”
He teased her lightly, then tightened his arms securely in case he dropped her, and quietly left the ballroom.
“Mmhh…”
My head felt like it was splitting. I woke up, but my vision was blurry and the world was spinning.
“Water…”
Muttering as I searched for water in my intense thirst, familiar hands half-lifted me and brought a cup to my lips. I hurriedly drank all the water, blinking as I tried to clear my head.
“Are you all right?”
“No… I don’t think I am.”
I answered Vera’s worried voice in a hoarse whisper, frowning at the splitting headache.
“How did I get back?”
I clearly remembered drinking a few glasses of wine, but after that—nothing.
“You don’t remember?”
“Huh?”
Her meaningful tone sent a chill down my spine and snapped me fully awake. “You don’t remember?”—that was exactly what my manager Dongsu used to say every time I blacked out after drinking. He’d cry, asking how I could do something so outrageous and not remember, beating his own chest since he couldn’t bring himself to hit me, listing my mistakes like a rap.
Don’t tell me—even with a different body—my awful drunk habits stayed the same?
“Did I mess up?”
“Yesterday, Duke Letorno brought you back, miss.”
Why was Cardin coming up here?
“In the carriage, the duke carefully carried you down.”
“W-What?”
“And he personally laid you on the bed before leaving.”
“Oh my goodness!”
Clasping my cold hands together, I thought hard.
Let me remember. Yesterday, I scolded Naren and Sehara, felt good about it, and drank wine with Mei. I planned to stop at two glasses, but it became three—and after that, I remember drinking like there was no tomorrow. Then, all at once, the things I’d forgotten rushed back.
Cardin appeared, and I said… oh no!
“Your eyes are pretty. Will you give them to me?”
I’m insane.
“No, I want them! Those purple eyes, they sparkle!”
Every memory came flooding back—throwing a tantrum, calling Cardin by name, even speaking to him casually.
“Miss, your face has gone pale.”
I gave Vera, who looked startled at my complexion, a faint smile.
I weakly leaned back against the bed. Thump. As I watched Vera panic at me collapsing limply, there was an urgent knock. Dad opened the door and came in.
“Dad.”
“Harna, are you okay? Why did you drink so much?”
As his hand worriedly brushed my pale face, the memories I wanted to forget surfaced again—those eyes that held me like a loving lover as our foreheads touched, and his gentle touch.
After barely lifting myself to look at Dad, I let my strength drain again and collapsed onto the bed. Dad called my name in alarm, but I couldn’t bear facing the reality of my drunken behavior, so I closed my eyes and fled from it.
“Honey water is best for a hangover. Drink it all.”
I took the honey water Darin handed me and muttered as I felt the warmth of the cup.
“Do I even deserve to drink this?”
I sighed, staring at my gloomy reflection in the honey water.
“I’m such a drunk… Let’s just die.”
Though I said that inside, I gulped down the honey water to soothe my burning stomach. As the sweet warmth spread through me, I felt a little better and leaned back against the bed, thinking.
How should I get out of this situation?
I troubled Mei, and I caused trouble for Cardin.
If there was one small flaw in otherwise perfect me, it was that I couldn’t control myself when drinking. That was why, after becoming Harna, I avoided alcohol—but just because I was in a good mood, I drank wine like there was no tomorrow.
“A letter has arrived for you from Miss Mei of Count Porco’s family.”
As I was about to grab my head in self-reproach, Darin held out a sealed letter, wearing a stern expression.
“Please don’t pull your hair. You haven’t forgotten that I’m in charge of your hair, have you?”
“Of course. I know. Sorry.”
As I took Mei’s letter, Darin pulled a comb from her maid uniform pocket and brushed my hair. Only after confirming its smooth shine did she relax her expression and step back.
I glanced at Darin, then opened the envelope.
“I can’t even mess with my own hair anymore.”
Grumbling inwardly, I read Mei’s round, cute handwriting—just like her pretty face.
Sis, you made it home safely, right? The last thing I remember is us parting with you having drunk too much, so I’ve been very worried. I’ll come visit you soon. I miss you!
I smiled as I folded the letter, feeling as if I could hear Mei’s cute voice. Even after seeing what a mess I was that day, she still worried about me—it warmed my heart.
“I should invite Mei over sometime… Ah! Right! That works!”
Clapping my hands, I jumped up as if I’d never suffered from a hangover and shouted to Darin.
“Bring me invitations right now! Two—exactly two!”
“Yes.”
Watching Darin hurry out at my urgent order, I grinned broadly.
Right. Since it’s come to this, I should set up a situation where Cardin and Mei fall for each other, just like in the original story. If I give Mei time to be with Cardin, good feelings will surely develop.
Even if Cardin seems to like me, once he meets his true love—Mei—won’t his heart change?
The thought of Cardin calling Mei “my love” strangely weighed on my chest, but I firmly told myself it was just leftover alcohol and ignored it.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat to regain composure. No pointless thoughts—focus. Let’s plan how to make them fall in love!
“Duke, an invitation has arrived.”
“I’m not going.”
When Trin brought up the invitation—knowing better than anyone that Cardin never attended unless it was an important imperial event—Cardin frowned.
Seeing him like that, Trin smiled meaningfully.
“It’s an invitation from Miss Jurn.”
Before he could finish speaking, a large hand quickly snatched up the invitation. Ever since the imperial ball, Cardin had worried about whether Harna was all right—so of course he had to read it immediately.
As Cardin carefully opened the invitation, Trin stifled a laugh. Cardin, who used to avoid Harna because he knew how much he changed when he saw her face, had changed.
That change had been clear at the imperial ball.
Three times—three times he’d approached her out of concern. In the past, he would have passed by without a glance, but this time he went to her of his own accord.
Trin found this unfamiliar version of Cardin both strange and welcome. He seemed more human than when he worked like a doll devoid of emotion. It was a bit hard stopping him sometimes, but that was fine.
“What does it say?”
“She says she wants to have tea with me.”
In truth, this wasn’t the first time Harna had sent Cardin an invitation. Even before he started acting strangely, she had sent many—asking him to dine together, have tea, go on dates.
Then, at some point, the invitations stopped. Sometimes he’d even been relieved not to have to write another identical rejection letter. Lately, though, he’d begun—just a little—to wait for her letters.
“Will you attend?”
At Trin’s question, Cardin forced his face blank. But unlike when he was working, the corners of his mouth had softened slightly—he looked ready to run to the marquis’s house just because he wanted to see her.
“Well, since she’s invited me like this, I can’t refuse.”
Can’t refuse, my foot. You’ve failed at managing your expression, Duke.
Swallowing his laughter, Trin replied,
“I’ll send a response accepting the invitation.”
“Good. It would be best to send it quickly. The date she invited me for is tomorrow.”
“What? Tomorrow?”
He didn’t know why it had been arranged so suddenly, but there was no time. Pouting in dissatisfaction, Trin bowed to Cardin and hurried out.
