Chapter 73

‘Why am I hiding?’

Cersinia didn’t even know why she was hiding. It just felt like she shouldn’t be caught by the two. In the meantime, the two entered the parlor room. The man who followed them nodded at Aronia’s gesture and turned back the way he had come.

‘Only the two of them?’

Cersinia’s eyebrows twitched, watching the whole situation with only her eyes sticking out from the pillar.

‘What kind of business do they have to go into the parlor room just for the two of them?’

For some reason, Cersinia was annoyed. She hurriedly turned around and walked away from the parlor.

‘What is it?’

But she came back with a worried mind. She couldn’t even get to the front of the parlor room, so she leaned against a pillar that was a little further away. She still feels disgusted by what the butler said when she met Aronia the other day.

“And she could be Your Excellency’s fiancée in the future.”

That wasn’t the only thing that bothered her. When she met Aronia for the first time, Aronia deliberately ignored her and gave her a snort. But now Aronia was smiling broadly in front of Ben with a gentle expression on her face as if she never ignored someone. Cersinia was heated up by her actions.

‘Ben might not know. That lady is such a two-faced person.’

Cersinia’s face, who had grumbled with dissatisfaction, immediately hardened. She was acting so low-tempered and childish. It made her feel ashamed of herself, and her face heated up.

“What am I doing…”

No matter who Ben was talking to or with whom he was, it was none of her business. Whether it was with Aronia or another woman, it had nothing to do with her.

Cersinia leaned her head against the pillar helplessly. She knows she doesn’t deserve to be concerned about him, but there is no way to stop her anger from rising.

‘Why am I so annoyed?’

‘Why am I doing this shamelessly after refusing his confession?’

“Haa.”

She let out a deep sigh. It’s just a passing feeling, but it didn’t come off easily. Cersinia, who had been standing in place for a long time, eventually couldn’t stand it and stood in front of the door of the parlor room.

There was no sound over the door. She put her ear close to the door. The door was so thick that only a small murmur was leaking out to the point where it was hard to tell whose voice it was.

‘What are they talking about? Are they really talking about engagement?’

Anxiety struck over her. Even though she knew she shouldn’t do it, her hands were already reaching for the doorknob. The reason couldn’t suppress her instinct. She knew it was a disgraceful act, but she couldn’t stop it. If she got caught, it would be a shame, but she hadn’t seen anything for now. She had to see it with her own eyes.

The doorknob in the parlor room turned very quietly and secretly. Cersinia swallowed her saliva and opened the door very carefully to fit one of her eyes. Through the gap in the open door, she rolled her eyes and focused on finding the two.

She saw Ben and Aronia sitting on the sofa in the middle of the parlor room. Aronia was bursting with laughter at what was so fun, and she was chattering nonstop. On the other hand, Ben kept his lips tightly shut and remained expressionless. His gaze was directed to the other place, perhaps not even listening to Aronia.

Cersinia was somehow relieved by his indifferent attitude. Her heart was relieved because of his gentle smile, which he had always shown to herself, and his friendly gaze didn’t reach Aronia. Cersinia’s expression, which was dyed with anxiousness, became more relaxed.

“Who is she?”

At that time, Cersinia fell off the door in surprise at the sudden voice. Her heart was pounding out of her mouth as if she was caught stealing something.

“It’s my first time seeing her.”

May, who appeared without knowing when she had come, said she lifted her face from the door’s gap. Cersinia was so surprised that she almost screamed. She barely managed to hold out, but it was really dangerous.

“You surprised me.”

Cersinia frowned at seeing May, who still remained calm.

“Why are you spying on them?”

“…When did I spy on them?”

“You were surprised as if you were caught watching them secretly.”

Her conscience was pierced because every word May said was accurate.

“Hmm.”

May crossed her arms with a strange smile. Cersinia hated that strange smile. That smile acts like she knows everything. She really hated it.

“By the way, who is she?”

“I don’t know. Someone Ben knows.”

“She seems to like the Grand Duke a lot.”

“…How can you know that?”

“I can tell by just the way she looked at the Grand Duke and smiling shyly.”

In fact, Aronia was wary of Cersinia living in the mansion from their first meeting, and she was constantly drawing her pretty smile in front of Ben. Even a tactless person will notice at once who Aronia likes.

“I think she is the most beautiful person I have ever seen in the capital.”

At May’s words, Cersinia had no choice but to admit it. Aronia was an attractive woman no matter who looked at her. Her appearance was enough to make you look back if you passed by her on the street. In particular, her feelings that were revealed openly made her even prettier. Because the woman in love was more beautiful than any other jewel.

“Let’s go now.”

Cersinia turned around. It was a complete defeat. She can never beat a person who is honest with their feelings.

“Huh? The Grand Duke is smiling.”

May murmured as she peeped over the door. Cersinia, who turned around at the sound, quickly pepped too.

May’s words were true. She couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but Ben smiled softly. His smile made Aronia happy, smiling with a red face.

‘How can he smile? Even if it’s not with her, he’s someone who doesn’t smile well in front of others…’

Cersinia’s hand holding the doorknob was tense. Her stomach swelled up like lava. She was so annoyed to the point that her head was steaming. Cersinia pulled her face away because it was hard to see anymore. She took a rough step with a crackling sound.

“Huh? Cersinia, the doorknob…”

May looked at the door and Cersinia alternately with a puzzled face and soon followed her. A small piece of wood fell in front of the door of the parlor room where the two passed by. There was a fist-sized hole in the place where the doorknob was supposed to be. The doorknob was in the hands of Cersinia, who was walking with a rugged look, apparently in anger.

* * *

At that time, the parlor room. Ben rose up from his seat without talking to Aronia.

“Grand Duke?”

Aronia questioned his sudden action, but he ignored it and strode towards the door. It was as if he had heard Cersinia’s name outside the door. When he reached the door, he grabbed the doorknob and turned it, and the doorknob fell helplessly. There was no one in the hallway through the open door. But there were few pieces of wood on the floor.

“Grand Duke? Is someone outside?”

He stared at the doorknob in his hand. He didn’t know why it fell or where the doorknob on the other side went, but somehow the empty hallways had a faint scent of Cersinia. He closed and opened his trembling eyelids at the scent he had been longing for.

“That can’t be true.”

He smiled helplessly in disappointment. Now, he even feels pain from it. He grabbed the doorknob he was holding with more strength. A lot of angry veins appeared on the back of his hand. Cersinia couldn’t have come to see him. Because she said she didn’t want him.

‘She told me not to wait.’

His expression was distorted to the fullest as representing his troubled heart. He looked at the hallway one more time just in case. However, there was no one in the hallway where even the servant did not pass. He roughly closed the door where the doorknob fell and headed back to his seat.

“Oh my, did the doorknob fall off?”

When he put the doorknob down on the table, Aronia opened her eyes in surprise. Ben sat on the sofa and didn’t answer. At the silence that came again, Aronia opened her mouth, noticing the atmosphere.

“By the way, it’s really surprising that the Grand Duke is wearing a bracelet.”

Aronia brought up the bracelet again. Since entering the parlor room, she was excited and talked about this and that alone, but Ben was indifferent. He didn’t make eye contact but only gave one faint smile and one answer.

Then she found a bracelet on his wrist. Contrary to his cool and charismatic appearance, the crimson bracelet was too cute for him. When she brought up that topic, Ben was smiling from that, and it was the first time he showed his smile to her. She liked that so much that she brought up the bracelet again because she wanted to see his smile again.

“It’s already late.”

“Ah, it’s already like that…”

But it was only her mirage, and he no longer smiled when talking about the bracelet. Aronia got up from her seat. Because Ben’s words clearly meant that she needed to leave now.

“I won’t send you off.”

Ben never gave Aronia even a glance. His gaze was fixed outside the window until Aronia said goodbye and left the parlor room. The glow of the setting sun now lit up the sky. His wrist was wearing a crimson bracelet like the sunset that had not set yet.