CH 18

As Britia stepped into the mansion, the overwhelming grandeur of the Slanford Marquis’s home left her breathless.

Even the Duchess Rubley’ mansion, which she had visited at the last party, had paled in comparison.

Britia had thought it was one of the most splendid mansions in the capital, but now she realized how little she knew of the world.

The Slanford Marquis’ mansion was on a whole other level of magnificence.

“Finally, the famous Britia Lockheart has graced us with her presence.” 

A masculine voice with a hint of youth rang out above her head as she wandered through the hall, admiring the surroundings.

“Welcome,” the Marquis smiled down at Britia from the central staircase railing, flanked by six other men and women.

“Please come up,” the Marquis beckoned. 

Britia took a deep breath and cautiously ascended the stairs, feeling as if she might get swept away by the atmosphere.

Suddenly, she remembered Duchess Rubley’ warning not to look at Marquis Slanford too closely, for he was a sly fox.

As she drew closer, the face that had appeared to simply shine from afar became clearer. 

Lemon-blonde hair and deep blue eyes enhanced the atmosphere.

The sharp nose and the line of his lips and chin that tapered down were in harmony like a painting.

“Britia-nim.”

As she nearly reached the top of the stairs, Marquis Slanford offered his hand to Britia.

Britia swallowed quietly and attempted to place her hand on his, but something abruptly grabbed her ankle.

Britia stumbled but managed to avoid hitting her face on the stairs.

“Are you all right?” 

Marquis Slanford asked with concern.

Britia was perplexed and looked down at the ground. 

Something cold had touched her foot, but she couldn’t see anything unusual.

Was it just her imagination, or was it the eerie atmosphere of the mansion getting to her?

Britia felt uneasy.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”

Someone in the crowd mocked her with a snide comment.

She looked up to see who said it, but no one claimed responsibility.

Everyone was staring at her, and it was clear that they didn’t welcome her.

Even a fool could sense it.

‘But why? ‘

She had just arrived, and she hadn’t done anything to offend them.

She hadn’t taken her time climbing the stairs, either.

And the timing was off as well. 

She and Marquis Slanford had arranged to meet at 3 o’clock, and when she got off the carriage and checked her watch, it was only 2:40.

It was all too strange.

‘Wait a minute, something was off.’

Why were they all gathered here as if they were waiting for her?

It was hard to believe that they all happened to arrive more than 20 minutes earlier.

“Am I late?”

Britia asked, and someone clicked their tongue in response.

Something was definitely off.

“No, don’t worry about it,” Marquis Slanford said, grinning. 

And then, behind him, his tail flicked.

His tail resembled that of a reptile, particularly a snake.

Britia had imagined Marquis Slanford with a fluffy, golden tail, as the Duchess called him a fox. 

But a tail covered in scales, not fur, was rare.

Now that she thought about it, Marquis Slanford’s tail had been like that.

She suddenly remembered the first time she had spoken to him.

His golden scales had shone brightly, and they matched his stunning appearance perfectly.

“Britia-nim?”

Britia was lost in thought, mesmerized by his tail once again.

“Thank you for inviting me today, Marquis-nim. It is an honor.”

Slanford smiled and nodded slightly.

“I am the one who is honored. It is said that these days it is more difficult to invite you than to catch a star in the sky.”

Britia smiled awkwardly, unsure how to react to his words.

“These days, isn’t everyone talking about you wherever you go?”

As expected, Britia thought to herself.

Why did he suddenly invite her to a tea party when they never interacted before?

And why even the Duchess warned her to avoid his sight? 

Britia had a feeling she knew the reason why.

He must be curious about the rumors surrounding her and Turas-nis. 

That’s why he called her here, to have a truth-seeking battle.

And now she understood their cold, calculating gazes.

They probably thinking,

‘Why is this woman so special that the reclusive Lord Turas suddenly took an interest in her?’

It had been a few rough days, especially with their chilly glances.

But now that she knew the reason, Britia felt much more at ease. Although it might not be an enjoyable time, if she could anticipate what might happen, she could prepare herself mentally.

As they all moved to the drawing room together, Britia steeled herself.

“Please have a seat, Britia-nim,” said the Marquis, as he pulled out a chair for her.

She felt all their eyes focus on her.

It didn’t have to be this way. 

She wished they hadn’t gone to so much trouble.

She silently pleaded with him through her eyes, but the Marquis just grinned.

Just sit down already.

Although she was reluctant, Britia tried to express her gratitude as she sat down. But something suddenly slapped against her buttocks.

“Yikes!”

She spun around in surprise. The only person behind her was Slanford, who had been holding onto her chair.

Britia didn’t understand what was happening.

“Why did you act like that, Britia-nim?” Slanford looked puzzled.

She wondered if it was just her imagination due to her nerves.

But this wasn’t the same as when she had a feeling of someone grabbing her ankle. This time was different.

She was struck so hard that her body was pushed back.

Could it have been Slanford? Britia was suspicious, but his two hands were still holding onto the back of her chair.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Britia smiled faintly, feeling strange about the situation. 

As she tried to sit back down, she felt tense.

And then it happened again. Something hit the area connecting her thigh and buttocks. This time, she saw what it was.

With a sharp sound, something struck the area connecting her buttocks and thighs. This time, she saw its identity.

It was a tail covered in golden scales!

It was the Marquis Slanford’s tail.

However, the owner of the tail stared at Britiia with a face that seemed to know nothing about it.

“Is there something you don’t like?”

As if responding to his words, the tail moved smoothly. It seemed to be aiming to hit her again at any moment.

Britia stepped back.

‘Could the Marquis really move his tail freely?’

“Ugh, I can’t stand it anymore!”

The red-haired woman suddenly stood up and shouted.

“Hey, we’ve all been waiting for you for almost an hour!”

She pointed at Britia and expressed her anger.

“But no apologies?”

“Kayla.”

The Marquis scolded Kayla, the red-haired woman.

“Despite waiting patiently, why can’t she even sit still in her seat?”

Kayla retorted sharply. Britia was puzzled and opened her eyes wide.

“What do you mean by waiting?”

And for an hour, what on earth are they talking about?

“I came on time as stated in the invitation…”

“Britia-nim, were you not pleased with my invitation?”

Slanford interjected with a very apologetic voice.

“Did you hesitate to come here as you were an hour late?”

“No, Marquis-nim, I came at the time specified on the invitation.”

Britia pleaded, but no one believed her.

“It was Marquis-nim, who wrote 3 o’clock on the invitation.”

She had checked it several times, so she remembered clearly. It was definitely at 3 o’clock.

No matter how many times she checked, she remembered it clearly. It was definitely 3 o’clock.

“I promised everyone the same time, 2 o’clock,” said the Marques.

He sighed, saying he couldn’t invite her alone at 3 o’clock.

“I’m sorry, everyone.”

Then he turned and faced the crowd with Britia following behind him.

“I must have upset her somehow.”

“It’s not like that.”

As the conversation took a strange turn, Britia became frustrated.

“You seem to dislike even sitting in this seat, so should I apologize?”

The Marques seemed to have no intention of listening to her.

“Marques-nim, no.”

“Don’t just say ‘no,’ then tell me what the problem is.”

Kyra wrinkled her brow.

Britia didn’t know how to explain the situation. 

‘When I about to seat, the Marque’s tail flicked and hit me. 

How am I supposed to say anything about that?’

“Why are you just shutting your lips?”

“Calm down, Kyra.”

The Marques intervened, and Kyra stopped speaking and turned her head.

“Britia-nim, if there is a reason, please tell me.”

He tried to convince her, but his tail twitched as if he wanted to hit her despite his friendly smile.

“Misunderstandings are resolved through conversation, so it’s okay. I’ll believe you.”

She showed a conflicting image of saying she would believe him while his tail showed the opposite.

When Britia kept her lips closed until the end, the Marques sighed.

“I’ve already heard the rumors about you that are hard to believe. That you see dead souls?”

Britia was speechless for a moment.

“Is there one here too?”

The Marques wandered around the reception room, and others looked around in surprise.

“That rumor isn’t true.”

Britia raised both hands and lowered her head.

“I can’t see anything like a dead soul.”

“Don’t worry, Britia-nim.”

Marquis-nim smiled.

“Seeing a dead soul is definitely an unpleasant thing, but I don’t think it’s so scary that it includes you.”

“No, Marquis-nim. I don’t have that ability.”

As she denied it and tried to sit down quickly, the Marquis’ tail hit her buttocks again.

Britia couldn’t stand the impact and fell forward.

“What have you been doing since earlier?”

Kyra looked down at the fallen Britia with an expression.

“As expected, there is something here, a ghost!”

A woman shouted, trembling in fear. Then, others also rose from their seats in contemplation.

“No, it’s not!”

“Then did you make the falling smoke alone?”

“That was it!”

The Marquis’ tail!

When Britia saw the Marquis, everyone’s attention turned to him.

“Did I do something?”

The Marquis looked at everyone with an innocent face.

“As you all know, I didn’t even touch her with one fingertip.”

“It was just her foot that tripped.”

Britia desperately tried to defend herself.

“I can’t stand it anymore.”

Kyra’s face became even more frightening.

“What do you mean by ghosts?”

She pointed her finger at Britia, who had fallen to the floor.

“You’re just creating smoke to draw attention.”

“What?”

Britia doubted her own ears.

“I feel so annoyed that I wasted my precious time on this attention-seeker.”

“Attention-seeker?!”

An aggrieved Britia widened her eyes and retorted, but Kyra ignored her and looked at the marquis.

“I don’t want to waste any more time, so I’m going back.”

“Kyra.”

The marquis approached her and tried to soothe her. Kyra brushed off his touch with one hand and clicked her tongue.

“Haha, it’s not even the right atmosphere for a party.”

Her cold pupils stared down at Britia.

“All because of some attention-seeker who’s too late and has no shame.”

[TL- Curse you Slanford!!!!!]