Chapter 27

10. Obsessed (2)

Translated by alyalia

Cecil is a maid who always does her job neatly. She tied her hair when I told her to, even put on gloves if I commanded her. However, it didn’t mean she should bite more than she could chew.

“You don’t have to change it.”

I remained consistent with my attitude that as if I had nothing to do with her, then Cecil took out a few words more carefully.

“It’s Lady’s birthday banquet, but I don’t think Lady seems happy.”

I almost immediately responded to her words.

‘Did you think it would be fun when people throw a birthday banquet in a hurry for their daughter who had been neglected for 15 years to the point that they didn’t care if their daughter was dead or alive?’

Fortunately, my screw wasn’t loose enough to spit out what I thought.

“It’s just… I’m nervous because I’m not used to the banquets.”

I gave a plausible excuse and got up from my seat.

Today, as usual, I was a quiet master who neither criticized nor praised my servants.

“Lady.”

But only Cecil’s behavior was different from my daily routine. My dedicated maid spoke carefully as if she had to burst out what she had been holding back in silence.

“You’re beautiful today.”

“…”

‘What’s going on with this compliment?’

Cecil widened her eyes and tensed as if she had made a big mistake. In contrast, I only nodded with an expressionless face.

Creek, thud.

I came out of my room with a familiar sound of hinges and went down the stairs to avoid being late for my birthday banquet in the garden.  At the same time, when I found a silver mirror among the numerous ornaments in the hallway, I looked sideways at it. I look the same as before. But I’m starting to like the dress a little bit, which only seems ridiculous.

‘This was ridiculous.’

‘Perhaps even Vasago, the matchless beauty, would have thought that she was ugly if she had only heard being ugly from an early age?’

I hurried my steps past the mirror. My brief thoughts didn’t last long.

* * *

I eventually arrived at the banquet hall in the garden. It’s only a simple banquet, unlike my younger brother’s birthday, which they prepare grandly every winter.

‘Huh?’

But something was more surprising than the size of my birthday banquet.

“Butler, is there a separate list of guests attending?”

“Ah, Lady Vanora, you’re here. If that’s the case, here…”

“Let me see it for a moment.”

Clearly, my birthday banquet was a modest event featuring a few young ladies and young master from the Count family and a few vassals of Count Celcius. It’s because my parents didn’t put much effort into recruiting the guests. However…

“Are all these people really coming?”

“They are already filling the guest seats. The banquet will begin shortly, so please wait while chatting with them.”

The list of participants in this life was different. Not only Aloken Jalier was participating, but there were quite a few key figures which I had heard of their name in society.

‘Since the rumors of my engagement with Aloken have spread, the quality of guests has changed.’

It wasn’t difficult to guess why this happened. But the real tiring thing is from now on.

“Thank you all for attending the birthday banquet of Lady Vanora Celcius. Before beginning the banquet, there’s an important announcement…”

At my birthday banquet, it will be announced that I will become Aloken’s fiancée. So, all the people were flocked to the little Duke. Even though the performance of the banquet started, his side was so crowded.

‘I’m disappointed that you’re treating me like this when my fiancé has changed. You treated me like a ghost on my first 16th birthday.’

I skillfully greeted people with good grace. However, as I was surrounded by fake laughter, I felt tired.

“I’ve been really curious about your face since Lady has never accepted the invitation to my tea party. I was amazed that you were so beautiful in person!”

“After all, Lady is Count Bale Celcius’s daughter. Even at such a young age, you’re already elegant…”

‘What the hell do these old people want from a little girl?!’

I was tormented by their compliments and tried to get out of my seat with the excuse to eat.

“Ouch.”

“Where are you going? You have to see your fiancé’s face.”

But then.

As soon as I left the crowd, someone grabbed my waist. Contrary to his cultured way of speaking, he was a person who didn’t show consideration for others.

As soon as the panorama broke away from the crowd, someone pulled her wrist.

“…Lord Aloken.”

“Let’s skip the honorifics. This is my last piece of advice.”

Aloken Jalier. He appeared in a coat of the same color as the green dress I was wearing. Even from a hundred steps away, we looked like a couple. 

“The banquet is smaller than I thought. If I knew this would happen, I would hold it at my villa.”

“It’s a virtue to prepare a birthday celebration at home without getting helped by someone else.”

“You’ve never had a celebration like that in the past 15 years, but to draw a line like that…”

At those words, I was slightly surprised.

“Did you do a background check on me?”

Aloken responded with a calm look contrary to me.”

“A background check… I think it’s natural to wonder what kind of person my fiancée is like.”

“Even you already said that you don’t have any interest in me…”

“To be honest, I did dig a little bit to see if there was anything harmful. But the results were meaningless.”

Tap, tap.

He turned his gaze away, touching the tip of his cane with his index finger. The voice that came out afterward was so small that it could easily be buried in the laughter of party-goers.

“The abandoned daughter of house Celcius named Vanora. There was testimony that she was a little strange lady. I can understand why those rumors were going around.”

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“…”

“Your debutante is right around the corner, so your first birthday party is to announce your survival. Besides, Hanar Celcius acted like all she had to do was reap even though your fiancé suddenly changed. But as long as I will be the Duke, everything will be fine.”

“So, what do you want to say?”

“I like you because you’re being despised by your family at home.”

Aloken’s expression changed when I looked at him, who was wary that my partner had begun to dig up my family affairs.

“I’m sure there’s no Celcius family behind you, so I’m relieved. Betrayal is possible only with power.”

“Are you saying you like me? Because I don’t have any power?”

Aloken, who leaned lightly with his weight on his cane, loosened his cold expression and raised the corners of his lips.

“Normally, you have compassion for people who are like you. You’re not the only one in this world who has a family like that.”

“…”

At Aloken’s meaningful words, I looked into his eyes for a moment. But my action didn’t last long. Because a familiar voice called me.

“Lady Vanora!”

“!”

Red hair like a burning flame, and likewise red eyes. A boy with an innocent smile that didn’t suit the thin ice of the social world ran over here.

“Is that…Carl Andras?”

“…”

“Did you two know each other? Vanora.”

‘I don’t remember allowing a dog to enter this banquet.’

I tilted my head when I saw a guest’s face who appeared out of nowhere.

“Lady Vanora, happy birthday!”

“Thank you.”

“This is a birthday present. I bought a parasol because your skin looks so pale, but I don’t know if you will like it or not.”

The already noisy banquet hall became even noisier.

The third son of the Andras family. In the future… No, we don’t have to go in a few years later, even now, a man called a beast and a jerk appeared in front of me. I wasn’t too embarrassed to see him, but my doubts remained, so I asked a few questions.

“I don’t think my mother would have sent an invitation to the Marquis family. How did you get here?”

“The invitation? I got it. It was me who said that I wanted to come first.”

“Did you know it was my birthday?”

“Ah, that’s it. That…”

Carl Andras was wearing a red overcoat as if to represent his family today. Despite the intense color, his behavior was modest.

“I’m worried that Lady Vanora might have forgotten about our promise, and you hadn’t contacted me. I’ve been looking into what you’ve been up to lately, but when I heard you were having a birthday banquet…”

So what this boy tried to say was that I had left him alone, so he came by himself to me.

‘Did I use Europa as bait for nothing? He’s so sweet that he’s coming to me at his own pace and making a fuss.’

In fact, I was deliberately taking time for it slowly. It was because I watched how he would come out in a situation where Shuteri died after dueling with him and how he took responsibility for it. But I didn’t expect him to visit me in person. The timing was bad too.

“…promise? Are the two of you close enough to even make a promise with each other?”

“Lord Aloken, that’s…”

“I know there is no relationship between Celcius and Andras.”

My fiancé, Aloken Jalier, stood by my side. It doesn’t matter emotionally because my contract with him will be broken later on anyway. But it was very cumbersome to question the useless suspicion of Aloken.

‘Carl, there’s no way this naive thing can lie. He’s making a mess of it, and now Aloken is gonna find out that I’m involved in Shuteri’s death!’

It made me in a fear I had never felt before. A cold sweat burst out of fear that everything would be revealed. It would be strange if I came to him now and shut Carl’s mouth or urgently sent him back.

“How did you two become friends?”

“Ah, about that.”

However, the words followed by Carl were unexpected.

“Because we love animals! We got to know each other while talking about dogs before.”

“Dogs…?”

“Yes. Maybe one day we will join an animal rights group together. Ah! I said that next time I would show her the Lord’s horse as well. Our promise was to come to my family to see the horses.”

Carl Andras, surprisingly, was able to lie skillfully with such an innocent face.

“Will Lord join us to come to my house and see the horses too? If Lord does a duel with me just once, you can get the horse for free.”

“N-No. I’m busy with my schedule these days. Right? Lady Celcius also knows about it.”

“Yes?”

It was good that the topic of conversation changed naturally, like flowing water, but Aloken’s reaction was strange. It was as if he hated Carl’s invitation.

“Yes, well, he must be busy. He’s gonna have to deal with his work…”

I calmly helped Aloken, then spoke with courtesy.

“Carl Andras, I will make an appointment with you soon. I will call you after today’s banquet, so please wait. Actually, I’ve been busy preparing for my birthday banquet these days.”

“I understand.”

Fortunately, the encounter with Carl did not last long. When I explained the future schedule roundabout, Carl got away from there by himself.

‘I will have to go visit him soon.’

After taking revenge on Shuteri, I didn’t communicate with Carl Andras. It was an act of concern that some evidence would be left that could blame me. Now, the case where the apprentice knight has been neatly closed, I thought I should contact him slowly.

“Do you like animals?”

Soon, Aloken, watching Carl move away, asked that question.

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I nodded my head roughly.

“Yes, I liked them.”

It wasn’t a lie. I loved insects, and insects also belonged to animals.