There was such sheer delight in Isabel's call that goosebumps broke out on my skin. Had she stolen only one lover from me, I might have felt guilty right about now, but having lost seven to her, she bordered on terrifying. Was this that fatal beauty capable of snaring any man she set her sights on, or simply fatal charm?
“Isabel, you're here.”
Of course, I didn't let her see my true thoughts. The moment I laid eyes on her, Khalid flashed through my mind—along with that letter I had received in Sorel, the one that had driven me utterly mad with rage. So, completely separate from how I had just whined to Olivia and Violetta, I greeted her with a smile of pure nobility and grace.
“Congratulations! I heard you concluded the negotiations brilliantly. You really are amazing!”
“My, thank you. You look exceptionally lovely tonight, Isabel.”
“Thank you. Since it's the first time seeing my fiancé in a while, I took a little extra care. You look truly stunning tonight as well. I almost didn't recognize you.”
“Well, there is someone I wanted to impress.”
‘And that someone is your fiancé.’
‘It seems the person we both want to impress happens to be the very same man.’
‘Though he'll probably only have eyes for me.’
Those three petty, childish remarks hovered on the tip of my tongue, but in the end, I kept them to myself and merely praised her beauty. Yet at my words, Isabel's eyes widened before a radiant smile spread across her face, and she parted her lips.
“Goodness, have you already found another lover?”
Another?
“Then again, you've always been charming, Scarlett. That's my friend for you! It's simply wonderful. If I were a man, I would never let you go. So, is he a good man?”
“…A very good man.”
Extraordinarily so.
Why did that sound an awful lot like she was calling me a slut who moved constantly from one man to the next, wagging her tail? Was I just being overly twisted? While maintaining the smile plastered across my face, I latched onto the crux of her hidden jab, chanting Khalid's name in my head to swallow my boiling anger.
Khalid is mine, he's mine, he's mine. Whew. To think I would resort to something so childish. People say your intelligence drops off a cliff when you fall in love—was this what had become of me?
“Oh, Scarlett, should I formally introduce you to my fiancé? You've seen him before, right? Kha—”
“No need, Isabel. Violetta and I have plans elsewhere. There are a few things she and I need to discuss.”
Cutting Isabel off before she could summon Duke Prodiad, I offered an easy smile. What kind of scene would unfold if she dragged Khalid over here right now? As splendid as the evening was, he couldn't very well announce to her face, ‘I'm breaking our engagement.’ Besides, judging by Isabel's cheerful demeanor, Khalid had evidently bypassed a Mutual Annulment entirely and submitted a Petition for Annulment directly to His Majesty the King.
A Mutual Annulment was a procedure where both houses consulted and came to a reasonable agreement, whereas sending a Petition for Annulment directly to the King allowed His Majesty to independently review and dissolve the betrothal on the spot.
That man didn't spare Isabel even a shred of consideration. Was he truly so opposed to wasting a single second?
Then why get engaged to her in the first place?
Glancing toward Khalid, who was conversing with a few nobles across the hall, I turned back to Isabel with another pleasant smile.
“Let's save it for next time.”
‘Next time, I'll be the one introducing him to you.’
Swallowing those final words, I gave Isabel a brief embrace and turned away. Even behind my back, I could feel her beaming smile lingering. Violetta burst into a fit of giggles as she watched me return to them, my expression completely unchanged.
“Aren't you quite the sly one now? What tremendous progress compared to the old days.”
“I was dying to say something. If His Majesty weren't present, I would have spilled everything right then and there.”
I meant that, at least in part. Had this not been the banquet hall, and had Isabel and I met in private, I would have told her point-blank that I was dating Khalid.
When it came to things like this, childish tactics really were the most satisfying. Compared to how I was acting now, I found myself questioning whether the Scarlett who had risked her life in Sorel was truly the same person. I had been so magnificent back then. After watching me briefly clutch my head in lamentation, Olivia shook her head in mild exasperation before turning back toward Violetta.
“By the way, didn't you mention you had something prepared?”
Wait, what? That was supposed to be an excuse; had she actually prepared something?
“Oh, right. Let's get out of here. See that terrace over there? I gathered a few of our closer friends together. It's far too noisy in here.”
“Why go and form an exclusive clique all of a sudden? How vulgar.”
“A clique? Vulgar? Oh, please… They're people we're comfortable around. Totally comfortable! After all the thought I put into this for you, too.”
Having just drained myself in that subtle war of nerves with Isabel, I ended up letting myself be pulled along by Violetta's tugging hand.
To be frank, I was immensely grateful to her. I despised these banquets. While basic socializing was necessary to a degree, the high-ranking nobles were faces I saw constantly during work anyway, and the lower-ranking nobility were mostly people hovering around just to attach their names to House Dirnant.
In the end, half-reluctantly letting Violetta lead me, I pushed open one of the grand double doors of the banquet hall and stepped out onto the terrace, where a gentle night breeze blew.
The terrace was refreshingly cool, and the gathering of people was intimately familiar.
Seeing the handful of friends I had known since our Academy days, I felt the lingering tension dissolve in an instant. Celine, Lady Walter, Nicholas from the Ministry of Justice, Adrian from the Ministry of Finance, and Korkel were all lounging there. Korkel, who had been resting a champagne flute on the terrace railing, waved a hand toward me.
“Yo, you made it? That was quite the dance you had out there.”
“Ah, you're here?”
Aside from Korkel, the other four were entirely engrossed in a poker table. Nicholas, holding his cards with the solemn gravity of someone performing a sacred ritual, spared a brief glance to greet me before returning his focus to his hand, plucking one card and setting it on the table.
Having neither skill nor interest in poker, I paid them little mind and sank onto a nearby couch. Violetta planted herself right beside Lady Walter to watch the game. Olivia picked up a cookie from a tray, popped it into my mouth, and tossed another into her own. Soothed by the profoundly peaceful, intimate atmosphere that stood in stark contrast to the ballroom inside, I reclined halfway against the cushions and hugged one to my chest.
“You dressed up so beautifully, only to dance a single waltz? You should go take another spin.”
“I'd rather die.”
Korkel poured some champagne and handed the glass to me. Accepting it, I took a sip and answered his question with utter indolence. It was the honest truth; just one turn around the floor in that massive gown left my entire body feeling limp. How could anyone dance multiple times? Granted, my stamina was pathetic, but even if I were overflowing with energy, I had zero desire to dance repeatedly.
“Ooh, looks like I won.”
The poker game had evidently wrapped up, as Lady Walter gently laid her cards face-up. Judging by Nicholas's crestfallen expression as he shuffled the deck once more, victory belonged to her.
She and I were not quite close enough to address each other by given names, but we had always partnered up for assignments back at the Academy, and since our joint projects consistently earned top marks, we had kept in touch even after graduation. At the same time, House Walter shared notable connections with House Dirnant—holding the rank of count, yes, but incomparable to the likes of House Wither.
Having claimed a win, Lady Walter seemed to lose interest and rose from her seat. Violetta promptly claimed the vacant spot, while Lady Walter walked over toward me, her eyes widening in surprise the moment she took me in.
“My goodness, My Lady. You look truly stunning tonight.”
“Thank you.”
“Ah, not that you weren't always lovely, of course.”
She offered a gentle smile in response to my reply. Her clear, elegant gaze was something I had always admired. Since our Academy days, she had been renowned for her grace, delicacy, and feminine charm, so much so that I remembered quite a few young noblemen vying for her attention. Moreover, having an elder sister spared her the crushing burden of succeeding the family title, allowing her to lead a comfortable life continuing the research she had loved since her student days.
The sofa dipped slightly as she sat beside me. I shifted over to give her ample room, gathering the voluminous folds of my skirt against me.
“Looking this radiant, you should have stayed inside the banquet hall longer.”
“It's too uncomfortable.”
“Ah, there certainly are a great deal of nobles in attendance tonight. Had you remained inside, My Lady, you likely would have been worn ragged by now.”
She wasn't wrong. If I hadn't slipped away out here, I would have long since been boxed in by layers of chattering nobles and crushed flat. Petty though it might seem, staying here was vastly preferable. With such prominent figures gathered in one spot, who would dare barge in to disturb us?
“Want some wine?”
Noticing me merely nursing the champagne, Korkel poured a glass of red wine and nudged it toward me. I accepted it and drained the contents in a single gulp. All at once, Isabel's pure white gown flickered before my eyes. Not in my imagination, but through the glass of the terrace doors—her ostentatious dress was constantly catching my attention from inside.
Following my gaze, Lady Walter turned her head, quickly piecing together what I was looking at before letting out a soft laugh.
“She looks lovely.”
“She does.”
“She must have wanted to dress up for your celebration, Lady Scarlett. It's quite endearing.”
Lady Walter truly knew how to phrase things so pleasantly. Unlike Violetta, who chanted ‘down with Isabel’ in front of me every single day, this woman had never once spoken ill of Isabel. It was a thoroughly aristocratic and wise approach.
True nobles didn't engage in petty squabbles.
Sensible people avoided making enemies within the cramped confines of a ballroom. Nor did they indulge in slander, knowing full well what unpredictable consequences it might bring down upon their own heads.
I finished another glass of wine and set it down. The alcohol was surprisingly strong. While I could hold my liquor quite well, drinking any more risked making me tipsy, so I released my grip on the glass. Clear-headed though I was right now, there was no guaranteeing what kind of spectacle I might cause if I let myself get drunk.
Fortunately, the night air was delightfully crisp, lifting my spirits. Olivia handed a glass of ice water to me after seeing me set the wine aside. As I took a slow sip, my gaze suddenly collided with someone's through the window.
Oh.
It was Khalid.
The corners of my eyes crinkled into an easy smile. I saw a faint curve touch his lips in return. Ah, he was gorgeous. Setting everything else aside, the man was just downright handsome. Granted, judging a person solely by looks wasn't commendable, but handsome was handsome.
To be honest, I still wasn't entirely sure how much I liked Khalid, or to what degree I loved him. Or whether I genuinely loved him at all. If Isabel hadn't been in the picture, would I have fallen for him?
Our relationship was far from pure. Or rather, using the word ‘our’ felt dreadfully unfair to him, so let's just say I was the only impure one. Accustomed to brief flings that flared intensely only to cool just as quickly, I couldn't readily decipher what kind of emotion truly bound the two of us. A romance like this was entirely new to me.
And yet, I couldn't help but like it. I liked the exceptional treatment he reserved only for me, and I liked the quiet passion he harbored.
Which was precisely why I wouldn't let this bond we built crumble so easily. From what I had observed during those few days in Sorel, he was deeply responsible, strict yet fiercely attentive toward his knights, and compassionate enough to worry over the wounded. Standing across the hall, he subtly tilted his head toward the side doors of the banquet hall. I set down my glass and rose to my feet as if under a spell, a smile gracing my lips.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Violetta, who had been completely absorbed in the poker game, looked up at me with startled eyes. Keeping my gaze locked on his retreating figure as he slipped out of the hall, I answered with a wicked, teasing grin.
“A secret tryst.”
