79 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards Episode 79
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I took a step back and went behind a pillar. She quietly followed me.
“Is that Madame’s new relative?”
The woman asked me as soon as she walked behind the pillar. I realized that ‘Madame’ referred to Chatoul and shook my head.
“Well, if you were Madame’s relative, you would be standing in the middle. Madame loves to show off all her relatives. Then are you a whore who followed her?”
“No.”
“Then I must have been mistaken. I was trying to find some common ground, but I failed.”
“Common ground for what?”
“What else can a poor rural noble’s wife do at a Masquerade like this?”
The woman drooped her shoulders as if she was depressed and said weakly.
“Become the mistress of a powerful noble.”
I examined the woman. Although she was wearing a slightly outdated dress, the woman had a pretty good figure.
The nape of her neck, which stretched down from under the mask, was white and long, and a few strands of hair neatly braided behind her back were even elegant.
Her breasts were quite full, and her straight arms were long and slender. She was taller than me, so her legs must be long as well.
Her voice was a bit low, but not unbearable. If the face behind the mask was pretty, the chances of a one-night stand in exchange for her body seemed high.
“So, did you find one?”
“Only a few perverts. I haven’t met anyone like the Wolf Mask you danced with.”
Ah. I think I knew why the woman was talking to me. The woman was asking me to introduce her to the wolf. She must have instinctively recognized the nobility hidden behind that scary mask.
“Why didn’t you approach him?”
“I tried. But he didn’t even look at me. You’re the first person he’s spoken to. So, I thought you knew each other.”
“I just got a little help. He was a kind person. A gentleman who knows how to help a woman in distress.”
“Then he wouldn’t be neglecting the current situation.”
The center of the hall was not visible due to the wall that people had built themselves. My body was that of a girl who was just growing up, so even if I wore high heels, I couldn’t overcome the natural height difference.
I could only barely infer the situation inside through the tearing screams. Virginity was being torn apart. Torn to shreds under the mockery of these cruel beasts. Sad cries were erupting one after another, but the densely built human forest showed no signs of moving.
The woman and I huddled closer as if the shadow of the pillar would protect us. It seemed that no one had noticed us because we were in a secluded place.
“Actually, I thought you were either a worn-out whore or a woman who knew a man.”
“Why did you think so?”
“Because no virgin can be calm wearing such clothes.”
I compared the woman’s clothes to mine and nodded. It was natural for me to wear clothes of this design in the social circles before I returned, so I could wear them without feeling out of place, but now only a whore or Madame de Châteauroux would wear such revealing clothes.
It was trendy, but only in its early stages, and no woman had the courage to reveal half of her breasts yet.
The women gathered here, if they threw away the masks that hid their faces, were neatly dressed in clothes that slightly revealed their chest lines.
I replied in a nonchalant tone.
“The mask must have hidden my shame.”
“Or you’re the mistress of someone great who can’t be touched, or you’re that person yourself. Isn’t that right?”
“So, what do you want to talk about?”
“I hate living in the countryside, shivering without being able to burn a single piece of firewood. I want to live in the capital. Please help me. I’ll do anything if you help me.”
The woman pleaded in a desperate voice, with both hands gathered at her chest. It was a shame that I couldn’t see her expression because the pure white mask was covering her entire face.
Perhaps she thought that I, who was wearing such a splendid dress like Madame de Châteauroux and leisurely strolling through the hall, was perfectly suited for this Masquerade and could help her.
My indifferent attitude even after seeing the incident in the center of the hall must have given her confidence. So, she must have subtly probed my status.
Anyway, it was absurd. A woman who was willing to become a mistress for a glamorous life in the capital. Had the huge monster called poverty swallowed the honor and pride of a noble?
But if she was really desperate, she wouldn’t be asking for help by choosing a man in an inappropriate position. She should be clinging to a pig-like man or a pervert. Or she should just live within her means from the beginning.
I swallowed a sigh that was about to burst out. What I needed now was a woman who was undeniably lewd but honest about her desires and who could play with a man with her toes.
I wanted to confirm that vulgarity and elegance, coquetry and chastity, could be combined in him.
But today must not be the day. I took another step back from the woman and said in a cold voice.
“It’s not that you can do anything if I help you, but you have to do anything from now on. You’ve found the wrong nanny.”
“It’s simple. You just have to introduce me to someone you know… Is that so difficult?”
“It seems easier to bump into him with that voluptuous body of yours than with my words? I don’t know what will happen if you pull your chest down a little more.”
“You!!!”
The woman raised her hand to slap my cheek, but I was faster. How could I not anticipate such a simple reaction after rolling around in social circles for so long?
I grabbed her wrist. Her hand, full of anger, was trembling in the air.
“Or get introduced as someone’s relative.”
The woman’s hand fell limply as I shook it off. I thought she would get up and attack me even if she fell down, but she just sobbed weakly, and even her venom seemed insufficient.
With such a temperament, even if she became someone’s mistress, she would surely be kicked out by the main wife. Or perhaps she had used up all the courage she would have in her life just by deciding to become a mistress. Feeling empty, I passed by the woman.
The hall had long since regained its liveliness from before. The tragic scene from earlier was gone, and a sense of ecstasy seemed to be rising.
I carefully slipped out of the hall, making sure not to get caught by people. It was about to become boring since all I could hear now was the panting of beasts, as even the music had stopped.
“So, did you find another beast?”
I probably would have if it weren’t for the wolf who followed me out.
“I didn’t find a beast to protect me. But I did see real beasts.”
I answered without looking back. The man was approaching me nimbly like a real wolf.
The silent movement, without even the sound of footsteps, made me wonder what kind of person he was. And also, the face behind the mask.
He burst into laughter at my answer, a laugh that seemed to come from deep within his throat. Then he whispered, ‘Are you disappointed?’
The man seemed to think that I was disappointed and upset by the Masquerade. And he added, as if comforting me, ‘How innocent.’ I didn’t answer.
The man looked at me as if he was exploring me as he walked. My face was flushed with that blatant gaze.
But the fact that it wasn’t disgustingly unpleasant might be because of the Wolf Mask he was wearing. How could I feel like I was being teased when I felt like prey placed in front of a hungry wolf?
All I could do was pretend to be nonchalant, tensing up so I wouldn’t get bitten. My stiff back was starting to hurt.
“You seem innocent, but also worn out… You seem foolish, but also sharp in strange ways.”
He muttered as if he had come to a conclusion about me. But the way he trailed off as if he couldn’t be sure made me feel strange. Is this how I look in the eyes of others? It was almost new to me.
“Why do you think I’m innocent?”
“Because you’re not seducing me. You must know what it means for a man and a woman to be walking alone at a Masquerade like this, right? And the fact that you can ask me this so casually is also proof of that.”
“Well, could it be because I don’t like the other person?”
The man laughed with a snort as if it was absurd. There was arrogance in that laughter, as if to say, ‘Who would dare to ignore me?’
It was a natural reaction for him, as he showed off a face that even that fierce mask couldn’t hide. Many women must have been eager to spread their legs under him.
Anyway, I thought he might be upset by my answer, but he didn’t turn back and continued to walk next to me. So, I could easily ask the next question.
“Can you also tell me why you think I’m worn out?”
“Because you’re not ashamed of these words and you’re passing them off with composure. That’s why I really want to take off your skirt.”
It was my turn to laugh out loud this time.
When the men of high society touch virgins, they only choose truly innocent virgins.
They are easily deceived by sweet words and willingly offer their bodies, and when they are abandoned, they just fall apart and cry. They can’t even imagine attacking with venom. How foolish.
What more could they want when they barely comfort themselves by thinking of themselves as victims of a tragic love? So, there is no easier opponent than this.
“I’m going to bite. Very fiercely. You can’t think of me as the same as a woman who just locks herself in a room and cries.”
“That’s a thrilling thing to say. So, how many men have you bitten so far?”
The man was answering in a way that was almost rude, but it suited him so well, as if it was supposed to be this way.
I gently pressed my lips with my second finger. Then the man muttered, ‘You’re acting cute.’ Strangely, his voice sounded more and more familiar the more I heard it.
Where have I heard it before? I tilted my head at the sense of déjà vu. Then, when I saw the blue hair draped over his shoulder, I couldn’t help but think of someone reflexively.
The only man with this kind of hair and a familiar voice is Theodore Vitraice.
But is this beast-like person the same as that elegant libertine? I had doubts, but I couldn’t be sure. Could I believe that he had developed such a dangerous atmosphere in just a few months!
But what if this is real? What if the elegant libertine was his mask? What if he was pretending to be someone else and going in and out of the Masquerade, picking up information here and there?
So, what if he found out about the rumor that I introduced Chouisel to Madame de Châteauroux?
My body seemed to be trembling. Suddenly, my lips felt parched and I was thirsty.
The man must have thought I was feeling cold, so he took off his coat and put it on me.
