Chapter 3 - Book I: Chapter 3

Book I: Chapter 3

Edwin, who listened quietly to the Count, nodded his head once. Then the count took the lead with an excited face. Those who were mumbling around them retreated back with regretful expressions.

“This way.”

Harrieta stood absent-mindedly and saw Edwin following the Count. Strangely enough, the Count was leading him to where she was standing. With each step they took, the gap between him and her gradually narrowed.

Ten steps closer.

Seven steps closer.

….closer

Both her legs seemed to have been rooted and lodged in the ground. She couldn’t even move a single step. Her train of thought stopped, and the world seemed to have also stopped. Many of the people standing around her in the large ballroom, slowly disappeared from her sight, leaving only him and her there.

Two steps apart. 

They were so close that if he had taken one step closer, she could have easily reached him.

Harrieta’s eyes trembled violently. Her heart was pounding like the gills of a fish that had been thrown out of the water. Her both hands trembled with an uncontrollable tension. She was so nervous that she could not even tell whether she was inhaling or exhaling.

Everyone cleared the way for the two men. However, Harrieta stood still like a rock, as if she didn’t know what to do. Edwin’s eyes, following the count, turned towards her.

It was only for a moment that his eyes met hers. But that short moment alone was enough. An intense thrill, as if struck by lightning, spread throughout her body. His eyes were deep blue in colour akin to the dark sea waters. His blue eyes with long eyelashes were breathtakingly enchanting. Her legs shook and became completely soft.

~Flop

Suddenly, she felt her knees give way, and at some point, Harrieta found herself sitting on the floor. Because she was extremely tense, all the strength drained from her two legs, making it difficult to support her light body.

People saw her sinking to the floor, but they didn’t care a dime about her. They only paid attention to Edwin. In a world that had turned black and white, he was the only one in colour. She was utterly fascinated by him.

Edwin’s gaze that had glanced past her, again fell back on her.

“Ah… Well, that.”

Harrieta’s jaw trembled. When she realized he was again looking at her, her mind became blank. Like a fool, she just sat there, lost in his appearance. She couldn’t even think of anything.

“We.. well, then that…”

Just at that moment, Edwin stopped walking and looked at Harrieta for a moment.

As soon as he stopped, everyone held their breath. For a short moment, he looked at Harrieta with a strange gaze, making it difficult to know what he was thinking.

Then he turned around and approached her. Standing right in front of her, he leaned down and reached out his hand towards her. Harrieta looked at his long fingers covered in white gloves. ‘Maybe I’m dreaming with my eyes open. Or maybe I have fallen into the world of my imagination.’

The distance between them was so close that she could feel the other person’s breath. Edwin had a subtle musky scent. Harrieta held his hand as if she was possessed by something. His comforting warmth passed through the thin gloves to her hands.

At that moment, she was terrified. It was because she was afraid that he would mock or despise her. However, the moment she looked into his eyes, she realised all her fears were for naught. His eyes neither held any contempt or despise in them. They also didn’t contain any pity or scorn. In fact, there were no emotions at all. He was looking at her, but also at the same time was not.

Indifference. His perfect face held only indifference, even towards others.

Thud! 

Harrieta felt like she was hit hard in the head with a big hammer. At the same time, it felt like something that was trying to sprout deep in her heart was brutally trampled.

Edwin helped Harrieta to get up. Like a puppet hanging from a thread, she moved as his hand led her. She was standing on her two feet but she still felt as if she was floating.

“Are you all right?”

Edwin looked into Harrieta’s eyes and asked in a low tone. However, it did not seem as if he was asking for an answer. As soon as he confirmed that she could stand on her own, he retrieved the hand he had reached out to her. After giving her a perfunctory nod, he walked towards the Count, who was waiting for him.

She didn’t even have time to say thank you.

Dum! Dum! 

His heavy footsteps moving away from her sounded unrealistically loud in Harrieta’s ears. She looked at his back, standing still like a stone. The warmth of his hand still lingered in hers.

‘Are you all right?’

“

It was a soft but stable voice. His voice was excellent enough to match his beautiful appearance.

‘Are you all right?’

The words kept echoing in her head. Her heart became impatient. She wanted to see Edwin again at all costs. She wanted to see her image in his eyes and engrave her existence in his head. As long as she could make him acknowledge her existence, nothing else  mattered to her.

“Wait a minute…”

“Harrieta!”

As soon as she was about to chase Edwin, Lilian came running towards her and grabbed her shoulder.

“!”

The moment she felt Lilian’s hand gripping her shoulders, she realised what she was going to do. It felt as if the magic spell, which had ensnared her, had finally broken. One by one, her black and white world filled with colours and sounds gradually began to rise in the quiet hall. Her eyes widened.

“This.. Aunt?”

Lilian looked worried at the confused state of Harrieta.

“Harrieta! What happened? Why were you sitting on the floor? Do you have anemia or something?”

“No, it’s not like that, but…….”

“Rose told me that I wouldn’t have to worry about your health, but what the hell is going on? I think we should get a checkup from a doctor once we get home.”

“…….”

“By the way, do you know how surprised I was when you suddenly ran away like that? Both the Baroness and Sir Welch were embarrassed by your sudden behavior. You have to apologize politely when we meet them later…. Harrieta, Harrieta! Are you even listening to me?”

At the sight of her niece, who was all over the place, Lilian frowned and rebuked her. But Harrieta did not listen to even a word. With desperate eyes, she looked straight ahead, only at one place.

“Aunt. Who is that person?”

“That person?”

Lilian glanced at the place where Harrieta’s gaze was fixed.

“You mean Count Champs?”

“No. The young man next to the Count….The one who helped me up.”

Harrieta blushed and added a little. Then Lilian made a face that she understood the situation.

“You are referring to Sir Edwin. The tall and blonde man?”

Harrieta nodded fervently at the familiar name. Edwin. Even his name was attractive. Her eyes sparkled the most vividly since she came to Lavant. Lilian, who noticed this appearance, became quiet. As if thinking about something, Lilian asked vaguely.

“Do you know the Duke of Redford?”

“Redford?”

“Yes. The Duke Redford. The Redford family has a long history as they have existed since the founding of Brimdell. They are one of the most influential and wealthiest families among all the existing aristocratic families. Aside from the royal family, they are said to have the most noble lineage in Brimdell. And many Redford men have actually married women from the royal family.”

In the back alleys, people even joked that the successors of the Redford family had a  more pure royal lineage than the current royal family. But no one had ever dared to examine whether this rumour was true or not.

“Sir Edwin is the successor of the current Duke Redford. In short, he would be the next duke.”

“The next Duke…”

Harrieta dumbly repeated Lilian’s words. It turned out that he was a Duke. For the daughter of a small Viscount from the countryside, who was at the bottom of the noble class, he was a man whose status was very far and high from hers. Only now she could understand why Count Champs was so happy to see Edwin.