CH 243

However, because it was so sudden, Rieta was startled and held her cheek with one hand.

“. . . ?”

In her narrow vision, she saw Count Hewitt and Everett, who had not yet climbed into the carriage.

“. . . You still have this on you, don’t you know embarrassment?”

She could see the count’s appearance as he scolded his son in a low voice, then turned around in a hurry when he sensed her presence.

“Oh my, Princess.”

He hurried over with a smile. With urgency, as if trying to gloss over something.

“Did you come to see me off? What a kind person, it’s okay if you don’t go that far.”

“I just.”

Several times over the Count who blocked my way, Rieta tried to pull her head out to look at Everett.

She failed because the Count kept blocking her way.

“I just wanted to say thank you for the presents . . .”

When Rieta mumbled her words vaguely, the Count grinned.

“I’m glad to hear you say that. More than that, I’m sorry to keep the Princess standing on such a hot day. I will hurry and leave.”

He quickly hurried his son into the carriage.

Rieta didn’t miss the fact that Everett’s eyes were red as he climbed into the carriage.

In addition, she noticed that his cheek was slightly swollen.

He must have been slapped on the cheek by the count.

Again, Everett will have to rely on the necklace.

At that thought, she looked at the small, hard object that had touched her cheek a moment before had fallen on her feet.

Rieta bent over and picked it up.

It was a little marble.

Having seen it several times, she was quite familiar with it.

She raised her head in surprise.

The carriage with Everett was pulling away before she knew it.

“Count . . . !”

Rieta called for him, but they had already gone far enough out of reach.

Through the window of the carriage, she could see Everett’s pale face.

She remembered the sound she heard as she came out the front door.

The sound of something breaking.

And the small marbles in front of her.

Recalling what was broken wasn’t too difficult.

* * *

Even after the carriage disappeared from sight, Rieta stood still.

Everett’s expression as he left was somehow stuck in her mind.

“It seems that the Count is very angry.”

Soon the butler came to talk.

She looked up and saw him. The butler was picking up the small marbles that had fallen on the floor one by one.

Rieta quickly started looking for the marbles with him.

“. . . Everett only likes Princess Gabriella and his grandmother. The Count is really too much.”

She collected the marbles one by one in a white handkerchief.

Although it was very small, it was not difficult to find something that sparkled in the sunlight.

“But young Hewitt was difficult for an old man like me to understand. Most of all, among the nobles, there must be many people of the same age as me.”

His story somehow seemed to carefully explain the Count’s feelings.

Everett’s actions may be creating futile backlash.

Still, Princess Gabriella really liked Everett’s behavior.

He was delighted to pour out his affection without caring about the eyes of others.

It was something anyone would love.

. . . It must be a concern for the Count.

Rieta felt guilty again.

That was also true, because the reason why Princess Gabriella said, ‘I want to have someone like Rieta as my companion’ was all her fault.

If Rieta was just an ordinary person who didn’t read the original book . . .

She wouldn’t have been able to approach Princess Gabriella like this, and even if she did, Princess Gabriella might not have liked her this much.

So, she thought she was somehow to blame for getting this necklace broken.

I’m sorry, Everett.

She wiped the pile of small marbles one by one.

She also did not forget to classify them according to color and shape.

“Princess Rieta.”

The butler happened to come with a strong line to string the beads on.

He said he bought it from an accessories merchant.

Rieta tried to shape the necklace with a thin string, and she looked around and slightly frowned.

It doesn’t seem to have such a simple shape, but she couldn’t imagine how it was made.

Simply inserting beads would not make it a beautiful shape.

“How do I do this?”

“If you give us time, we can entrust it to a professional to restore it. Do you remember the shape of the necklace?”

Rieta narrowed her brows for a moment, and she tried to remember the shape.

“A little . . . Oh, but this necklace remains on the Hewitt family portrait!”

“If you can refer to it, you can make it in almost the same shape.”

That was a very hopeful thing. Except for one problem.

“But the play is tomorrow . . .”

Even when Everett put on the heroine’s costume, he was wearing that necklace.

He always relied his heart on it, so it was clear that he would find it necessary on stage as well.

Above all, this necklace for him, was his grandmother’s love itself.

“I wish I could deliver it somehow by tomorrow.”

Rieta murmured.