Grace spoke in a quiet voice.
In the distance, an ordinary man with brown hair similar to hers caught my eye.
"My family's cousin is currently assisting His Excellency the Duke of the North and managing his estate, and my mother received a book of etiquette from Her Majesty the Empress a long time ago."
"What about you?"
"Yes?"
Grace's eyes widened when asked while listening to the family's greatness listed one after another.
"I mean Grace's brother. I heard you're introducing me to your older brother, not your mother or your cousin."
"Ah... My brother..."
She rolled her eyes and continued speaking awkwardly.
"He's going to take the exam to become a knight soon."
"He doesn't have a title yet."
"Yeah, but it's as if it's already decided! My cousin this time..."
"Is the title given to him by your cousin?"
"That's not true, but he said he would help my brother join the Knights."
"Yes."
As I nodded with my eyes down, Grace continued speaking in a hurry.
"And my grandfather in the imperial capital said to my brother..."
I carefully unwrapped Grace's arms and smiled.
"Thank you for the favor, but it's okay."
"Yes?"
She looked at me in confusion and shook my head in a kind and gentle voice.
"I think Grace's brother is a man of great character."
"What is that..."
Everyone looked at me as if they didn't understand.
I took a deep breath. It was easy to please them.
In any case, Eric is the only one who is hated and despised.
If I just smile at what they say and say 'I see,' they will proudly treat me like a 'true noble.'
But...
"I'm a bit of a snob."
"Yes?"
"A bit too much, I'm a snob or something."
Everyone looked at me in bewilderment at what I said with a grin.
I opened my mouth while fiddling with the red ruby necklace that Eric had 'lent me'.
"It is rare for a man to be able to gift such a beautiful necklace and gorgeous dress to a noble lady whom he has only known for a day or two. Even if he receives a title, the salary he gets will be at best a mass-produced product."
"Hey, young lady."
Looking at the embarrassed and wincing face, I pulled the corners of my mouth into a smile as much as possible.
"It took a long time for Grace's older brother to receive the title that was given to him at birth, but Eric was able to grow a reputation that was not even his own in such a short period of time."
"..."
"Isn't it obvious who you will get more from by being around you?"
"There, Oh my God-"
"Because the person I want is someone who can buy me rare seafood dishes at a fancy restaurant every day. Wouldn't it be difficult for Grace's brother to do that?"
Absolutely, Emily frowned next to Grace, who had her mouth open.
"How could you have such a shallow idea!"
A voice full of accusations rang out.
The eyes of those who had been full of kindness towards me just a moment ago became harsh.
'It's not much of a hit, though.
When I was Rebecca, I received more attention and was treated more harshly.'
Even if an ant bites me, it will sting more than this.
"Young lady."
At that moment, a soft voice cut through the crowd.
Eric walked up to me, pulled my hand, and kissed me lightly.
"I just apologize for making you wait so long. Do you mind if I ask you to dance a song?"
Just then, a familiar melody played in the ballroom.
It was Isabella's favorite waltz song.
I nodded my head in agreement without saying a word, and his hand slowly pulled me into the central hall.
Eric began to lead me more skillfully than any of the nobles in the hall.
***
No matter how skillful the other person was in leading, it was difficult to follow the dance perfectly using only the memory and leading.
While I was focusing all my attention on my toes, I heard a giggling sound from above my head.
"Oops, I'm sorry. I am..."
Eric turned his head and his shoulders shook.
"You heard the conversation a little while ago?"
"I didn't know you would so proudly call yourself a snob."
He finally looked at me as if he had calmed down and added in a humorous voice.
"Didn't you reject my favor a long time ago, saying it was burdensome?"
"It was burdensome, but I didn't refuse because I didn't like it. I like nice restaurants, expensive dresses, and pretty jewelry."
I just refused because I didn't have enough money to accept it carelessly.
"Thank goodness. I thought my excessive aggression left a bad impression on the lady."
"Rather than that..."
It was my problem that I couldn't handle the sudden luck.
Because I am going through things that will never happen again in my life.
Wearing a dress I never thought I would wear, dancing in a beautiful hall I never thought I would walk down, holding the hand of a man I never thought I would meet.
"Not everything the other ladies said a moment ago was wrong."
Eric grabbed my hand spun me around and spoke.
"I gave you a gift in the hope that you would think favorably of me, and I also did not tell you anything about my past."
"For me, what kind of person Eric is in front of me is more important than who his parents are."
"What kind of person do you think I am?"
"What a great person."
Whatever happened between him and his foster parents, was only an uncertain guess.
However, it was a clear truth that the humble top was raised to the point where it was even talked about by nobles.
As soon as he entered the ballroom, the nobles rushed over to me and told me where he was from. This gave me an idea of how he had been treated so far.
Suddenly, at that moment, I don't know why, but I remembered the priest looking down on me. The look in his eyes as he reprimanded the apprentice knight, telling him not to bring 'things like that' into the temple.
This man holding my hand received such contempt and disgust from countless people every day, yet he steadily earned what he had. Without even running away.
"I think you're a great person. It goes without saying that your abilities are extremely outstanding."
If I had the same ability, wouldn't revenge on Isabella be much easier?
A rush of envy came over me..
I made eye contact with Eric, who was listening to me with his mouth shut and continued speaking.
"So please understand that I am being cautious about Eric's favor. Eric is a man who, if you put your mind to it, can do things I can't even imagine, so I'm afraid that I might be incurring such a huge debt that I will never be able to repay it."
Eric, who was stamping his feet with a brisk step, asked quietly.
"Didn't you say you were a snob? Shouldn't you be happy to receive the favor I am sending you?"
"As I said before, there is nothing I can do to repay your favor, Baron."
I held his hand and spun around to face him again, and his beautiful face caught my eye.
For me, who has never had a moment like this in my life, this moment felt like a dream.
This moment is when I am dancing alone with a handsome and talented man, wearing a beautiful dress and receiving all the jealous and envious looks from people.
One side of my chest felt itchy.
The feeling of his body temperature touching my fingertips made me feel strange emotions.
"The song will end soon. Isn't it a bit disappointing that things are like this?"
A low voice reached my ears.
It was visible that the members handling the instruments were moving through the movements.
The dancing nobles were also glancing over their shoulders, watching the two of us.
I relaxed my hand holding him.
"Well. I think one song is enough."
It was a sweet time, like a one-night dream.
Stepping and dancing to music with someone, and savoring sweet snacks.
These were things I had never done before in my life.
Maybe you wonder what the point is in dancing to one more song.
'But no. Just here.'
It was difficult to be overly immersed in the present moment.
Because there was something more important to me than all of this. Listen to Isabella's last wish, survive safely, and return home.
When Eric saw me slowly finishing the dance with my eyes down, he opened his mouth again.
"This may be a very rude idea, but isn't it possible that you received someone's favor and the results weren't very good?"
When I looked up, I saw Eric's gaze toward me filled with concern.
"No."
I calmly shook my head in response to his cautious question.
"In fact, it's the opposite."
A moment of puzzlement flashed across his face.
"It was such a pure and great favor. A favor so great that I can never repay it."
It was a time when I didn't have a beautiful appearance or decent status like I do now.
Back when I was a girl in a dirty and shabby slum, someone frowned just because I was seen in front of her.
The favor given by Isabella was the first and everything for 'Rebecca'.
Her kindness, which miraculously flowed into my life, moistened my dry, twisted heart.
It became a ray of light in a life full of despair.
Comments
Post a Comment