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chapter 75
“What are you staring at me with such impure eyes for?”
Melissa, having caught the hostility in my gaze, shrieked in a sharp voice. Her expression and tone made it seem entirely natural if she were to grab my hair at any moment.
And I, too, was ready to grab hers in return.
So what if it was just hair-pulling? The first grab might be hard, but the second time would be easy. Even if they started calling me the scrappy chicken of high society, I didn’t care.
“……”
“……”
It felt like the only thing left was to see who would throw the first punch. I twitched my fingers, thinking of Melissa’s hair as though it were a buzzer worth a hundred million won.
“Ladies, please.”
The one who stepped between us was the man Melissa had been kissing. He had already returned to that obvious, greasy-faced persona he’d shown at first—polite, smooth, and slightly flirtatious. A fairly handsome knight with platinum blond hair.
Well, from the public’s point of view, “fairly” was an understatement; he was very good-looking. But I had grown too used to seeing an exceptionally handsome face every day, so this one barely registered as “decent.”
“Ladies? Are you seriously putting me on the same level as that woman?”
“I had no such intention.”
“Then what was your intention?”
The man raised both hands to show he meant nothing, but Melissa wasn’t convinced. Her annoyance only deepened as she pressed him further.
He simply shrugged, wisely realizing words wouldn’t get through.
“So you’re not much to look at, but you must be very skilled at seducing men?”
With the man silent, Melissa turned her anger back toward me.
“That’s right.”
I accepted her jab with perfect calm.
“What?”
“I didn’t know it myself, but apparently I have a gift for driving men crazy. Just as you said—why else would Lord Winchester have married someone as low-born and plain as me? Thank you for enlightening me about my hidden talent.”
I even gave her a polite little bow. Why? Because it would infuriate her even more.
“You—! You’re really asking for it!”
Just as I expected, Melissa’s face flushed redder and redder until she finally raised her hand to strike.
Perfect! Go ahead, throw the first hit. Then it’ll be on you, and I’ll have no guilt when I yank out a fistful of your hair.
“Melissa.”
Her hand froze in the air. The man had caught her delicate wrist.
“Thorns may be part of your charm, but it’s troublesome if you bare them everywhere.”
“Let me go.”
“No, I can’t. I’m a knight sworn to protect the weak. I can’t stand by and watch a defenseless lady get struck.”
“Lady? Did you just call her a lady and dare to stop me?”
“Well, she’s certainly not a man, is she?”
With that easy smile, he spoke, and Melissa’s face grew even redder—though not from shyness, but rage.
“And sometimes, a less flashy acacia with sweet nectar can be more alluring than a beautiful rose with thorns. I only mention it because you seem not to understand that yet.”
Even without being well-versed in metaphors, it was obvious he meant Melissa was the rose, and I was the acacia. In other words, he preferred someone plain but kind over someone beautiful but nasty-tempered.
“Ha! Unbelievable.”
Melissa laughed bitterly, glaring back and forth between us.
“I can’t stay here. Being around you two makes me feel dirty.”
With a sharp turn of her head, she stormed toward the terrace door.
Oh, wait—that door was broken, it won’t open—oh. It opens.
She pulled out the latch on the right side, and the door swung easily. So, they’d locked it earlier to sneak around in private.
Melissa stormed out through the open door.
Which left on the terrace…
“……”
“……”
Just me, and the nameless knight who had passionately kissed Melissa and could change his expression at the drop of a hat.
‘Awkward…’
I stole a glance at him. His uniform looked similar to Lord Winchester’s, but instead of black it was blue. Not like Ethan’s either. Probably navy, then.
When our eyes met, he smiled. His eyes curved into thin crescents, and before I realized it, I smiled back.
‘Wait, why did I smile?’
It was his smile—it somehow disarmed people. The way his eyes crinkled until the pupils nearly vanished, his gentle expression… it all made him seem harmless.
Maybe that same smile had lured the wildcat Melissa out here in the first place. His sturdy build and strong-looking muscles probably didn’t hurt either. And yes, his face wasn’t bad.
“Hmm…”
I felt I should say something, but nothing seemed right.
Thank him? No—if he hadn’t dragged Melissa out here to fool around, none of this would’ve happened.
Say it was nice to meet him? Hardly—it wasn’t.
Suggest meeting again? No thanks. I didn’t even know who he was, and if we did meet again, it’d just be awkward.
“So, you’re the Countess Winchester?”
While I fumbled for words, he spoke first. He must have remembered what Melissa had called me.
“Ah, yes. That’s correct.”
“Though our encounter was… unusual, it’s an honor to meet you.”
He smiled and extended his hand. I, without thinking, placed mine in his. He had that kind of charm—he naturally made people follow his lead.
Smooth as water, he lifted my hand, clearly intending to kiss the back of it.
“Wait, hold on!”
If I hadn’t quickly pulled my hand away, he would have. I knew that in this world, kissing a hand or brushing cheeks with a mock kiss was a casual greeting.
But still—
“You’ve got lipstick on you.”
I had no intention of letting a man with another woman’s lipstick—Melissa’s, no less—press his lips to my skin.
“Ah…”
He quickly rubbed his lips with the hand that had held mine.
“And another thing.”
“Yes, my lady?”
He smiled again, his face spotless now, with not a trace of embarrassment. Oddly enough, his effortless composure felt unnatural. In this situation, most people would at least look a little awkward.
“Acacias have thorns too.”
“…Pardon?”
“You said some prefer the sweet acacia to the rose with thorns. Well, acacias have thorns as well.”
“Ah…”
Finally, he seemed to understand, letting out a soft exclamation mixed with realization.
“Hahaha. Is that so? I had no idea. Honestly, I don’t even know what an acacia looks like. I only know acacia honey is famous, so I figured the flowers must be fragrant enough to draw bees.”
“Exactly. Since acacias aren’t as pretty as roses, they rely on fragrance to attract bees for pollination—and survive.”
“You’re not… taking offense at what I said earlier, are you? I never meant that comparing you to an acacia was to say you aren’t beautiful. I only meant you have a unique charm, even if not flamboyant.”
He dipped his head slightly, watching me, as if silently apologizing.
“I know. And I also know my place. I’m not that beautiful or dazzling. But, as I said—acacias have thorns too.”
Instead of accepting his apology, I smiled as I delivered the words I had meant to say all along. It was a smile, yes, but anyone with sense could see I was bristling with thorns like a hedgehog.
