Chapter 36
Amid the laughter and conversation, the sound of a knock on the door was heard. Louis frowned and opened it.
“You can’t keep a guest shut in her room forever. You promised to show her the garden, didn’t you? The pastries will be done soon, so why don’t we have afternoon tea outside?”
“Oh, right. I forgot.”
“For heaven’s sake. Even if Kyle is with you, suddenly taking a lady you just met today into your room… it gave me quite a fright.”
She’s saying the same thing as Kyle.
“Marie, are you having fun?”
Mother showed her face, softening the atmosphere.
“I’m having a wonderful time. It’s my first time seeing rooms other than the main part of the house, and I was taken to the place where my friend feels most at ease. Thanks to that, I was able to relax.”
“That’s lovely hospitality. Thank you, Lord Louis, for making Marie happy. And thank you, Madam, for your consideration.”
Mother is amazing. She smoothed over the situation all at once. The expressions on both Louis and Kyle’s faces softened too.
“Indeed. I’m glad. Now then, Louis, please show her to the garden.”
The anger faded from the Madam’s red eyes, the same color as Louis’s.
On the way to the garden, Mother mentioned going to the carriage to retrieve a painting meant as a gift for the Madam. Kyle volunteered to go get it instead. As soon as we arrived in the garden, Louis dashed off to the restroom.
Rufus, who had been left out all this time, decided to stick with Mother.
I walked through the garden alone. There were many strongly scented flowers. It seemed this was the Madam’s proud garden, created to her taste, with the general layout following her instructions as well.
So that’s why she was so insistent on us coming to the garden. I’ll probably have to give my impressions of it later, so I was looking for spots that seemed particularly well-cared-for when I arrived at the place with the strongest fragrance.
It was a rose tunnel, not just an arch. Inside, it was dim even during the day, with no dappled sunlight filtering through.
I entered the arch and proceeded inside. Sensing a presence from the way I had come, I turned around.
“……Ah.”
“……….”
I froze, seeing the person who had come up behind me as if he had followed me.
Deep crimson hair the same color as the surrounding roses, and amethyst eyes you could mistake for jewels. A tall, slender man of overwhelming beauty. His striking, cat-like eyes, standing out even in his refined, androgynous features, held a masculine strength that enhanced his beauty.
The very air around me seemed captivated by him, shifting into a space entirely under his spell, to the point where it felt strange that I only noticed him now. I couldn’t look away.
I had seen him at the royal party. The man I must absolutely not get entangled with. The first person whose eyes made me feel a clear, distinct fear.
Quietly, his gaze fixed on my eyes, the corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk on just one side.
“Hello….”
My body flinched just from hearing his voice.
“…Hello.”
“We met at the party. You remember me?”
“Yes… My apologies for not greeting you properly then, even though our eyes met.”
His bangs flowed smoothly. With a defiant smile still playing on his lips, he slowly closed the distance between us.
The closer he got, the more overwhelmed I felt… My heart pounded, screaming that he was dangerous, and as if to protect it, I brought both hands to my chest and clenched my fists tightly.
“…….”
He stopped right in front of me, and the other corner of his mouth also lifted into a smile. Perhaps because the tunnel was dark, no light reached his eyes, and that smile looked utterly terrifying.
Even through my confused thoughts, I realized it. He was the older brother Louis had mentioned. His name was, I think…
“Rua……”
“Ahh… That’s right, Maria.”
He raised the corners of his mouth even higher, narrowing his eyes seductively, and slowly reached his hand out towards me.
“Lord Rua!”
At the loud voice, his hand stopped dead. He frowned, making a suspicious face.
The owner of the voice ran over, shielding me with his back, creating a wall between me and him.
“You’re Kyle Elter, right? I heard you went to Alnim… And you’re Maria’s exclusive knight now…?”
“…….”
I moved closer to Kyle’s silent back and pinched his clothes. Kyle shook his shoulders slightly, then reached back and firmly grabbed the arm I was using to pinch him.
“Today, I am here as a guest of Lord Louis, whom I have kept waiting over there. I request permission to take my leave.”
As Kyle pulled me along and we passed by Lord Rua, he placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered something. I couldn’t catch the part after “I will definitely…” I looked up at his face; his expression was hidden by his hanging bangs as he looked down at me, but the corner of his mouth was curled in a defiant, seemingly amused smile.
“You’re slow! The tea’s gonna get cold. …Hey, what’s with you two?”
Pulled along, I started running. No matter how many times I called out to Kyle, he didn’t stop until we finally reached the spot where Louis was waiting.
Kyle was breathing heavily. Louis, seeing Kyle’s strange state, rushed over, and only then did Kyle let go of my arm.
“What the hell was that…?”
Kyle’s face was pale, as if he’d seen a monster. Louis shifted his troubled gaze from Kyle to me.
“Just now, in the rose tunnel… we met Lord Rua.”
“Big Bro? I thought he wasn’t here today. That’s weird. Did his plans change? And I’ve never seen him in the garden either… So, did he do anything?”
Louis’s voice showed anger. He looked down at Kyle again, furrowing his brow.
“He didn’t do anything. We were just exchanging greetings… but I was just so overwhelmed by his presence.”
“Ahh, yeah, he’s got a hell of an aura, my brother. So you ran away?”
It wasn’t that he was arrogant… if anything, I was the rude one for calling him by his name without a title, wasn’t I?
“That’s right… I ran. But I won’t run next time.”
Kyle still had a cold sweat, but strength had returned to his eyes.
“Anyway, why’s Big Bro in a place like the garden? I don’t know what he’s thinking, but if you don’t get involved, he won’t come after you. It’s not like he’d chase you or anything, so calm down. Did he block your path or something? Just have some tea for now. It’s probably cold, though.”
“He completely blocked the path. He deliberately stopped to block our way.”
“So that’s it? Don’t worry, it’s fine.”
Louis looked at Kyle with concern and urged us to sit down.
After that, we made small talk with Kyle included, but he seemed distracted, probably lost in thought.
The Madam seemed to be in very high spirits, likely because the painting Mother gave her was truly splendid. When I complimented the garden, her mood improved even further, and her non-stop talking was impressive. The topics were mostly about paintings and jewels, and I was impressed by Mother’s skill in gracefully listening while still making the other person feel good; she was a true lady.
In the end, it seemed Lord Rua had gone out, so I never got to properly greet him. All I did was block his path, say “hello,” call him by his first name, and then run away. I was like a mysterious chick wandering and peeping around someone else’s garden… an absolute oddity.
