EIITAB - Chapter 34 < Foolish And Unsightly >
Even If It Is Trampled And Broken
Aslan's gaze, which had been slightly askew, flew towards her again like an arrow and struck her. The target was her heart. Aslan's arrow hit the mark, causing Hestia's heart to ache and tighten.
For some reason, it felt like she was struggling to breathe, so her voice became even thinner and continued slowly as if it would break between her lips.
"How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Her words, which would normally have been buried deep within her, end up being added in a foolish and unsightly way. Her purple gaze had been lingering on his golden eyes all along.
With the hope to convey her sincerity, slowly fell down as if hanging a heavy weight.
"But I don't have the right to ask that."
With those words, a thick silence fell between the two. A feeling that no matter how much you rub, it will only spread and never be erased. It blurred the boundary between the two, but on the other hand, it also completely distinguished the two and prevented them from becoming one.
No more words came out of Aslan's mouth. Hestia moistened her parched lips with her tongue several times.
Then, suddenly, Aslan's toes, which had been hanging at the end of her gaze, turned around. Then, a sound was heard, Hestia belatedly raised her head and looked up, but his back was nowhere to be seen and only the closed door was visible.
"He walks really fast."
She muttered, a bitter smile dangling from her lips.
"Whoa..."
She let out a deep sigh and was just about to rest this time. A knock was heard from outside again. The door slowly opened and Angela appeared through it.
"Princess, are you okay? It's Angela."
"You can come in."
Angela went inside with an apologetic look on her face.
"Sorry. I knew she wanted to rest alone, so I tried not to follow you... But it seems like Duke Kalati is following in the Princess's footsteps."
She said she followed me because she was worried.
"Well, I just stopped by and asked if you were okay. "
$"He left right away."
"Yes? Him?"
Angela's eyes were round like a rabbit as if she couldn't quite believe it. At that sight, all of Hestia's tension went away and she smiled silently without even realizing it.
Sweat from her forehead stuck to her fingers as she unconsciously ran her hand through her tangled hair.
'I'm not feeling well."
It was clear that she had a slight fever. She was shocked by Lilith's words, which was immediately evident in her body. Ever since she was diagnosed as terminally III, her physical condition has largely depended on her mental strength.
This meant that the weaker her mental strength, the faster she tended to run out of energy.
'I knew it in her last life too, but I couldn't quite control my mind!'
She closed and opened her eyelids several times.
'You can't fall down like this. You have to make it through the night at least.'
Every time she caught her breath, her delicate body shook quite loudly. The event schedule for Compassionate Day is divided into part 1 during the day and part 2 at night. During the day, they provide volunteer services to children at an orphanage, but at night, they enjoy an after-party with nobles who attended a charity event at the palace's banquet hall.
As winter continued for a long time in the North, the nobles also had no choice but to keep an eye on the Northern commoners whose lives were becoming difficult. By order of the King, lavish parties were avoided as much as possible, and each family could not even hold large-scale banquets.
Therefore, even in aristocratic society, opportunities for such exchanges were very rare and precious, so most people attended. Angela seemed to have the same thoughts as Hestia and asked a question in a very cautious manner.
"You probably won't be able to attend the soiree today, right?"
Hestia shook her head before she could finish speaking as if it was not worth worrying about.
"No, I will attend. Just prepare it as scheduled."
"But Princess... You look very bad right now."
"It's okay if I rest for a while."
Hestia stubbornly answered. What Lilith said made her understand her situation objectively again. It seemed like her story had spread more than she thought.
In this case, if she does not follow her scheduled schedule properly, the rumors will branch out and spread further in a negative direction.
'If I don't attend the night's banquet, there will definitely be speculation that I'm not showing up because there's something annoying about me.'
And that meant that, like in her last life, Annessa would again take control of this situation.
'I have to show that there's nothing wrong with me!'
The perception that something was defective and therefore abandoned by God and the temple was absolutely unacceptable. Hestia stubbornly spoke out loud once more, as if casting a spell to herself.
"I can attend. So make me pretty, Angela. please."
***
At night. Royal palace banquet hall. A gorgeous chandelier illuminated the spacious space. The shadow of the crystal cast a beautiful light on the floor, further enhancing the luxurious atmosphere. A corner of the banquet hall.
Dean, who had attended the banquet with Aslan, sipped his drink and spoke.
"It's really a big deal, Your Excellency,"
"What?"
"Aren't you the kind of person who never attends things like this in your lifetime?"
"...."
Aslan pursed his lips and made no reply. He was concentrating his entire attention on glaring at the woman seated in one corner of the banquet hall with his hawk-sharp eyes.
'That woman... Saintess Annette.'
Even though Hestia had not yet appeared, Annette arrived early and walked around the banquet hall as if it were her home. Numerous nobles surrounded her. What was so funny was that there was loud laughter over and over again.
Aslan was not particularly curious about their conversation and did not want to listen. However, because his five senses were so developed, stories came naturally to his ears even if he didn't want them to.
Of course, the voice of the group was loud.
'Did I come here for no reason?'
As Dean said, attending the night's banquet was unbecoming of him. Didn't he even attend his own welcoming party? But what about the after-party of a charity event?
Although he himself was aware that it was quite an impulsive action, he did not move as if he had taken root.
"It's noisy. It's complicated."
The visual quality was not right. Aslan clicked his tongue and looked around the banquet hall. A badge made of the finest silk. A tall tower of champagne and all kinds of rich and fancy food. The leftover food was left carelessly, and eventually, the servants who came in to clean it up randomly threw it into a bucket.
It was a luxury that Aslan could never dream of in Kalathi, where he spent most of the year. Dean, who was standing next to him, asked back indifferently.
"Do you want to go back? Should I ask you to prepare a carriage?"
"....."
Aslan made no reply and simply pursed his lips. Dean, who glanced at his lord, said,
"You look very strange today."
After scolding him, he took another sip of his drink. Aslan continued to glance toward the entrance. Dean, finding his lord's behavior strange, spoke again.
"Is there anyone you waiting for?"
"Dean, don't worry about me."
"How can I become a lieutenant and get the attention of My Lord?"
Aslan looked back at Dean with frowning eyes. At that grim expression, Dean playfully raised his hands.
He thought he would finally become quiet, but it was not only Dean who was disturbing Aslan.
"Hehehe, you have become even more beautiful in the time! I haven't seen you in a long time, Saintess Annette."
The voices of Annette's followers kept catching his hearing like a snare.
"It's been a while, Count Bern."
Annette naturally held out the back of her hand toward Count Bern, as if she were royalty. The Count paused for a moment but then smiled as he took her hand and kissed it. Is it because it was a party with alcohol?
Some of the followers surrounding Annette were already quite drunk.
"Saintess Annette is truly humble!"
'You're right.'
In fact, if we look at her holy power alone, Saintess Annette is superior.
"When you first appeared, we cannot forget your appearance as you brought spring with you. Compared to that, Saintess Hestia..."
They began to put things into Annette's mouth that they should not say in order to win her favor. Annette quietly folded the fan she was holding and lowered both eyebrows conspicuously.
"Everyone, please don't say things like that. I find it very difficult to listen to this."
She continued her words, with the expression on her face showing that she was so pitiful that she would die just thinking about it.
"No matter how true it is, how upset would she be if those words reached Saintess Hestia's ears?"
"I understand."
Aslan was listening, and a cold breath flowed out from between his lips as if he was dispirited.
"Why are you doing that?"
"Say the second time. Please stop paying attention."
"You are truly heartless."
Aslan twisted his mouth, passing Dean's grunting with one ear. His eyes had become sharper. On the outside, Annette looks very troubled by the behavior of the nobles praising her.
However, only words can stop them from doing so. The coy laughter and subtle encouragement were annoying.
'It's not even the same.'
He gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to click his tongue. As he crossed his arms, his muscles bulged as if they were about to burst.
'Is it a good thing that the Princess is not here?'
Aslan hoped that Hestia would not appear like this. In fact, he had come to see her handsome face one more time, but he thought that if the banquet had this kind of atmosphere, it would be better if Hestia did not come.
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