92 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 92
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The wolf opened his mouth again, offering advice that suggested the earlier rebuke hadn't been a misunderstanding. It was almost laughable how he acted familiar, as if he were something to me.
“But approaching just any man is dangerous. There are many who would gulp down a pretty deer like you in one bite.”
“Are you referring to the person currently holding my hand?”
He chuckled, a low sound, as if I’d said something amusing.
“Huh? You can’t even meet my eyes properly, yet your lips are so wickedly alive. That’s what makes you interesting.”
I tried to hide my fear, responding as calmly as possible.
“I hear it’s the latest trend. Very effective for teasing men.”
“Why do you think so?”
“You keep lowering your head because you want to know what I’m thinking. Isn’t that answer enough?”
“Would you drop your guard if I took a humbler stance?”
“I don’t think your definition of ‘dropping your guard’ is the same as mine, Sir. Didn’t I already say? ‘Love.’”
“So, Sir Ayres gets to see every side of you?”
“…Everything. Yes, everything.”
Surprisingly, the lie came easily. I hesitated for a moment, but not enough to bite my tongue. I almost laughed. Good heavens. Everything? How adorable.
But it seemed to strike the Crown Prince directly, as he gripped my hand tighter and growled. My answer must have offended his pride.
“The virtue of the Masquerade is not love, but pleasure. Especially a lone deer, who is nothing more than a mouthful. You want to become a woman? It’s a simple matter. Just trade trust for deceit.”
“Are you planning to teach me about shame? Then I suppose I should pretend to be a weak, cowering goat. Or perhaps run away swiftly. After all, no animal runs as well as a deer.”
“And no beast incites the desire to hunt as much.”
“Don’t you have the virtue of showing that burning passion to another woman? Look, there are women over there, tormented by unrequited love for you, Wolf Mask. They could show you what deceit is. The word is still too difficult for me. Oh, but you’re not scolding me for being uneducated, are you?”
“Damn it. You’re confusing me. Are you really a virgin? How can you answer so shamelessly? Your body shrinks back so innocently, yet your words chatter like those of a cunning woman. Don’t test my patience. Before I shut that mouth of yours.”
I’m shrinking back because I’m scared of you, I almost said, but barely managed to stop myself. Instead, I chuckled casually and whispered,
“Look at my shoes.”
The Glass bead shoes peeked out from under the raised hem of my skirt. The Crown Prince seemed startled by the unexpected provocation, forgetting to dance and freezing in place. His lips twisted, slowly parting as if to denounce this outrageous display.
“You’re insane.”
Despite his rebuke, I said in a light, singing voice,
“It means you shouldn’t doubt my purity. Where else would you find a more courageous and noble exposure?”
“Damn it.”
The wolf cursed under his breath, as if he couldn’t bear it any longer, and pulled me out of the hall.
Even as I was dragged away, I felt the gazes of many upon me and shrugged.
Was this why I was told to approach the Crown Prince? But things don’t always go as planned. So, I’ll run away again.
“I’ll bite.”
“What?”
“I told you. I’ll bite.”
I lifted his hand, the one holding mine, and bit it. The Crown Prince was shocked by this impudent behavior, of course, and people—wearing masks—appeared from somewhere and roughly pulled us apart.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and ran towards the main gate. I heard shouts to catch me from behind, but it seemed difficult, as women swarmed around the wolf.
Incredibly, as soon as I left the hall, the bell rang, signaling midnight. What a ridiculous coincidence.
It was as if something terrible would happen if you didn’t leave the Masquerade before midnight.
But unlike before, running wasn’t easy. The Glass bead shoes tapping against my feet were the problem. They seemed pretty when I moved lightly, but as I ran frantically, they tangled in my skirt and bumped against my toes, making a mess of things. The throbbing pain was worse than I expected, and I felt like I would be caught if my feet gave out.
So, I took them off without hesitation. I felt no shame. Instead, I threw them on the stairs and ran barefoot, feeling light and refreshed.
“Kerula, wait a moment.”
Perhaps the Crown Prince had caught up, because he called out to me in a calmer voice than I expected. There was no hint of terrible desire, just a plain tone.
Was that why? I forgot to run and stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking at him. In his hand, he held one of the Glass bead shoes I had thrown away. The wolf threw one of them to me. I caught it without thinking.
“You will come to me with that other shoe someday. And then, you will repay the debt on this hand.”
“What if I throw it away now?”
“Don’t test my patience.”
Certainly, if he wanted to, he could kidnap me right now, drag me away, and strip me of my clothes. It would be easy if he used the people who had appeared earlier.
But the Crown Prince was truly being patient, and I had to sigh in relief at his consideration, even if I felt uneasy about having half of the shoe, a symbol of purity, in my hand.
“This is really the last time.”
But truly, this would be the end of my contact with him. The Crown Prince wasn’t foolish enough to continue this false game.
So, if we met again, it would probably be a year and a few months later, when I debuted in society. Would he still hold onto this desire until then?
There were so many beautiful women around him. Especially given the wolf’s reputation as a lecher.
That’s why I could brush off the word ‘last’ so easily. Without even knowing that Theodore was watching this scene, so simply.
“Then, farewell.”
Ding. The bell rang again. I turned and started to run. I felt the wolf’s gaze on my back, but I didn’t look back.
Strangely, the carriage I had arrived in was waiting in the same spot where I had first gotten out, as if it knew I was coming.
I got into the carriage with the help of the coachman. The Baroness of Flanders was already inside, waiting.
As soon as I got in, she asked impatiently. She didn’t seem to have received any word from Theodore.
“The offer?”
“I refuse.”
“Can’t you postpone it?”
“Didn’t I say the decision was mine?”
“But Miss, as long as that shoe is in your hand, my courtship will proceed very passionately.”
Perinnil’s eyes were on the shoe resting on my lap.
“No, this is useless.”
I said defensively. And I brushed the shoe off my lap and onto the floor. As if it meant nothing at all.
Then, Perinnil clutched her chest sadly and picked up the shoe. The cunning whore knew how to make even such a simple gesture look seductive. Her half-closed eyes seemed full of sorrow.
How adorable.
I clicked my tongue and looked away from her face. Perinnil asked,
“Where is the other one?”
“Don’t you have something to say first?”
A hollow laugh escaped me at the sight of her eyes, blinking innocently as if she didn’t know what I was talking about.
I swallowed my rising anger and continued kindly. It was time to see how much freedom and trust Theodore had granted her.
“Why me of all people?”
“To be precise, not just you. There’s no one as enthusiastic as a woman who knows the taste of men, so a little affair is nothing to them. But you were the only one who kept the conversation going with me. That’s all.”
“You seemed to know too much for that. Now, tell me. What would you have done if it wasn’t me?”
Perinnil smiled gently. Nothing. She was so casual, as if all the offers she had made to me were really nothing.
But she had been so persistent about me. Even when we parted, she had pushed me towards the Crown Prince. That was contrary to Perinnil’s answer.
So, there was only one conclusion. I realized through her gaze that she didn’t know as much as I thought, and that she was a doll acting only on his instructions. In the end, Theodore was holding all the keys.
So, I had no choice but to change the question and start over from the beginning.
I desperately hoped that she had more information than her position allowed, and that she had a high degree of freedom of speech. Only then would I be able to endure the terrible time it would take to get home.
“Did you happen to know that I would meet a man wearing a Wolf Mask today? And who he was?”
“No.”
The answer came without a moment’s hesitation. But I instinctively knew it was a lie. If she really didn’t know, she wouldn’t have made and sent the Glass bead shoes.
She wouldn’t have handed me over to the Crown Prince as if she had been waiting for it. No, the Masquerade itself seemed to be intended to reunite the Crown Prince and me. Why?
“Then tell me everything. I can’t move without knowing anything.”
“It’s not that complicated. Just think simply. Meet the person you met today. Then, tell me what happened with him.”
Certainly, Perinnil knew how to explain things in more detail than Theodore. Of course, that was only in comparison to Theodore. In fact, her answer was much worse than I had expected.
But to me, those seemingly simple words sounded like, ‘Just stall for time, you bitch.’ Was that just my imagination?
“Is he an important person to you?”
“Let’s just say that.”
Then why would she monitor the Crown Prince’s every move, even at the Masquerade? And why a woman? Because he was known to be a lecher? Or was there something else? The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt.
I racked my brains, trying to think of anything related to the Crown Prince.
But the Sissae of the past had been focused solely on Sir Halberd, so I couldn’t find even a single piece of memory related to him. Ah, what a useless woman I am.
Then, Theodore’s words suddenly flashed through my mind.
‘You’re the first woman who has piqued his interest enough to give you a nickname after only seeing you a few times. Doesn’t that make your mouth water? You could become the noblest woman in the world. You could overcome social limitations.’
A chill ran down my spine. Nickname, Crown Prince, wolf. And Glass bead, symbolizing purity. Good heavens, that was it!
I looked at Perinnil with a fresh perspective. Ironically, the Baroness of Flanders had mentioned my role from the beginning.
It was just symbolized by the dress and the Glass bead shoes! I was the fool for not realizing it.
Once I got to this point, I almost laughed out loud. In the end, as Perinnil had said, today’s beginning was from the Masquerade I had first visited with Chatoul. That’s what had led to this. How glad she must have been to find me with the wolf! Ha!
Perinnil opened her mouth and spoke to me. Her gaze was fixed on the shoe in her hand.
“I thought you would gladly accept the offer.”
“Why do you think so?”
“When I first met you, you looked at me intently. And observing a whore’s behavior means one thing.”
“Didn’t you consider that it might be a misunderstanding? That it could be curiosity about something else? That sometimes makes people look different.”
“Yes. It was very refreshing that there was no contempt. But Miss, I’m not a fool.”
“Then let’s just say that I briefly abandoned my noble duties and honor and returned to my original self. To a hungry girl walking barefoot in the streets, a whore sometimes looks great.”
Perinnil frowned at my answer, as if she couldn’t understand. She even bit her lip, as if she couldn’t admit that her expectations were wrong.
