TREV 47

Chapter : 47

“Ah, no. I’m not feeling very well today.”

I hurriedly shook my head.

If I tried to dance with my mind this cluttered, I was certain my partner’s feet wouldn’t survive.

In the briefest instant, Young-ae’s eyes narrowed sharply as she looked at me.

“Ah…”

Only then did I feel I might find a way to be alone.

“Viscount, I’m sorry, but I still have a few more dances to go.”

Young-ae subtly left an opening, and she quickly seized it.

“In that case, I can take your place, Princess…”

“No. I appreciate the consideration, but I’m not really fond of dancing.”

Yet, whether Lawrence understood our thoughts or not, he shook his head firmly.

Frustrated, I drained my glass in one gulp again.

I looked briefly at Young-ae’s disappointed expression before speaking.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well, so I’d like to go somewhere quiet…”

“Oh, you want to go somewhere quiet? I’ll show you.”

But it seemed Young-ae had no intention of letting me go.

At this point, though it was impolite, it seemed the only option was to leave directly.

“No. I’ll go alone…”

“Young-ae, I appreciate your concern, but I’ll take care of my partner myself.”

Before I could finish, Lawrence spoke.

“Since this isn’t an ordinary day, Young-ae, you should enjoy the ball.”

That’s not it.

I needed time to think alone.

“Ah…”

“Patricia.”

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, that familiar, irritating voice cut into this uncomfortable and complicated situation.

Turning my head to the voice behind me, I saw Morgan Herarreilla approaching.

He wouldn’t normally come to me first.

Then Arser Rodriguez caught my eyes.

“Hello, Princess.”

“….”

“I am Arser of the Rodriguez family.”

I had been trying to find a moment alone, avoiding everyone.

Yet now, I was surrounded by people I didn’t want to face.

“Patricia Herarreilla. If you were greeted, you should respond.”

Morgan clicked his tongue lightly at me, standing there in a daze.

“Ah… I’m Patricia Herarreilla.”

“You are so beautiful. The phrase ‘flower of the social circle’ suits you perfectly.”

Arser Rodriguez widened his already-large eyes and clasped his hands together.

Even from afar, she was pretty, but up close, she was breathtaking.

Long, thick eyelashes, plump under-eyes, and when she smiled, her prominent cheekbones.

She looked childishly innocent.

“Ah…”

I let out a small sigh at the sudden turn of events, and Arser glanced around me.

Then, seemingly spotting Lawrence Gerhardt late, he quickly bowed.

“Hello, Viscount Gerhardt. I am Arser Rodriguez. I apologize for not recognizing you sooner.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Lawrence shook his head as if it didn’t matter.

Is this their first meeting?

And it’s going to be such a lackluster one?

This is supposed to be a meeting between the protagonists of a novel.

I looked up at Lawrence, trying to catch even the slightest change in his expression.

What could he be thinking now?

Even in the novel, they didn’t fall in love at first sight.

“Thank you for understanding so graciously.”

Lawrence nodded slightly and then turned his head, as if he had nothing more to say.

A moment of silence followed.

Surprisingly, it was Morgan who broke it.

“Miss Rodriguez wanted to greet you.”

“Greet?”

I asked again, surprised by his words, and Morgan nodded.

“I was very excited to meet you when I came up to the capital.”

Arser shyly continued, like a child confessing hidden feelings.

“Me?”

Miss Rodriguez nodded, lowering her eyes shyly.

“I really wanted to meet you at least once.”

“Lord Herarreilla.”

Then Lawrence quietly spoke.

“The princess isn’t feeling well and was planning to rest. I think this is enough of a greeting.”

“Ah…”

Morgan let out a small sigh and nodded.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“No, no.”

“Shall I help you?”

“…It’s okay.”

I forced a smile at Arser, who looked worried, refusing her offer.

“You don’t need to feel burdened. I’ll support her.”

Then Miss Rodriguez linked her arm with mine.

Startled by her closeness, I blinked, and Lawrence Gerhardt spoke.

“Miss Rodriguez, didn’t the princess clearly refuse?”

Arser carefully withdrew her arm at Lawrence’s slightly annoyed remark.

“I just wanted to help…”

“Enough.”

Lawrence let out a small sigh and extended his hand to me.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, yes.”

I held his hand, feeling his firm demeanor, and glanced at Arser.

Her eyes lowered, as if she might cry at any moment.

Even while walking, I felt uneasy.

I felt the chaos of their first meeting and felt sorry for Arser, who had been scolded unnecessarily by Lawrence.

I shouldn’t be caught between them.

“…No. Why?”

“What?”

“Why are you so harsh…? I think she’s startled.”

Only then did Lawrence glance at Arser in the distance.

He frowned and turned his head toward me.

“Are you saying she was rude to you?”

“…No, it’s not that.”

“She was a young lady we’d never met. I think I approached her with the utmost courtesy while giving a warning to someone who came too close, didn’t I?”

Lawrence tilted his head slightly, clearly displeased.

What on earth is happening?

“Haah…”

I let out a small sigh, and Lawrence finally spoke.

“Let’s go first. Where exactly are you not feeling well?”

His large hand slowly moved toward me.

Tap.

The back of his cool hand touched my forehead.

“You don’t seem to have a fever.”

“Viscount, I appreciate your concern, but I can go to the waiting room alone. You should return inside.”

“Is there a reason you need to be alone?”

“Huh?”

“If not, I’d like to stay with you. I’m worried you might be unwell because of me.”

I remained silent, and he gently guided me along.

“You’ve been exposed to a lot of cold air today.”

Lawrence’s tone dropped slightly.

Though I couldn’t see his face, I could feel his worry and apology.

“….”

Somehow, the story was starting to unravel.

Since when was it okay for them to meet like this?

The story was heading in an unexpected direction.

Arser Rodriguez—why had she come to the capital earlier than the novel?

If there was any change from the original story, it was clearly because of me. My actions must have influenced her timing.

I cast a quick glance.

Lawrence’s large, white hand was holding someone it shouldn’t have been holding—me.

“….”

To outsiders, this situation seemed trivial.

Young ladies and young gentlemen exchanging greetings at the ball.

But for me, it was different.

This wasn’t how their meeting was supposed to start, and it wasn’t how it should proceed.

Lawrence Gerhardt.

I knew how much Arser Rodriguez meant to him.

Arser, distressed by Patricia, and Lawrence, who felt a kinship with her.

But maybe, from the moment I became Patricia, from the moment I changed, their meeting could never go as the novel described.

“….”

I knew it too.

Yet, the thought that they might not connect because of me made my heart pound.

Lawrence Gerhardt needed Arser Rodriguez.

“Viscount…”

I wanted to know what he thought of her.

“…Viscount.”

“I’m listening. Speak.”

“Just now, Miss Rodriguez—she’s really pretty, isn’t she?”

Lawrence glanced at me and stopped walking.

I waited, wondering what he would say, when he opened the door ahead of us.

“Go in.”

He gestured slightly with his chin.

“Her pure eyes and white face—like a fairy.”

“Do we really need to stand here in the corridor?”

I asked without moving, and Lawrence furrowed his brow slightly.

As I hurried inside, he followed.

“Sit on the sofa.”

He gestured toward the sofa and began pacing the room.

“She was delicate, cute, a beauty at first glance. Isn’t that so?”

Lawrence rummaged through a cabinet as if he didn’t hear me.

“Oh, and didn’t she look like a deer? Like a deer drinking from a clear stream at dawn?”

For a moment, Lawrence, who had been rummaging, frowned sharply and looked at me.

I was momentarily speechless at his expression.

It was the same expression he made when looking at Morgan Herarreilla.

The face of annoyance and exasperation.

“…No. No! I meant, isn’t she pretty?!”

To be treated the same as Morgan…

I couldn’t contain my embarrassment and shouted.

“I don’t understand your intention in asking!”

“…I just wanted to share my surprise at seeing something beautiful.”

Lawrence’s face twisted even further.

“I just asked because I wanted to talk a bit more with the Viscount. Isn’t that better than silence? So, wasn’t she pretty?”

She was just beautiful.

If he had just said that, all my worries would have melted away.

Was it really that hard to say one simple sentence?

After staring at me with a displeased expression for some time, Lawrence finally spoke.

“…Haah, I wasn’t thinking anything special.”

“Huh?”

“I wasn’t thinking anything special. Isn’t my thought more important? If the princess thought so, then that’s enough.”

Suddenly, a flare of anger rose deep within me.