Ines saw Carson’s face harden subtly at the mention of the Empress. Maybe she was in a much bigger picture than she thought. Fear struck her for a moment, but nothing changed.
“The Count’s daughter mentioned the Viscount earlier. Do you know about that?”
Ines’ face cracked at the mention of the title. As if trying to control her anger, she took a deep breath and spat out several short words.
“Joseph’s goal is to marry me now. The Viscount, he’s after is the Swenden family’s.”
“What does marrying you have to do with him obtaining the title?”
Ines lowered her head and laughed vainly.
“That’s right.”
Carson thought Ines would shed tears at any moment. But his thoughts were pleasantly wrong.
The woman’s eyes, raised, were cold and even bitter.
“Isn’t that noble status something that a commoner cannot have even if he wakes up after dying? Maybe, as he said, he died and tried to come back to life.”
At that moment, Noah knocked on the office door and went inside, so Carson couldn’t ask what he wanted to know more. Noah looked tired as if he had been looking for Carson for quite some time.
“Your Highness, are you here? Lady Swenden is with you.”
“What’s going on?”
“I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but the host of the banquet has been away for too long...”
Perhaps aware of Lady Swenden, Noah’s nagging toward Carson was less frequent than usual.
“I thought it would be better to hurry up and do what I mentioned earlier, so I came to get you in a hurry.”
Carson knew very well what he was telling him to hurry up with. Perhaps because he was away, no one had started the first dance. As Noah had said, wrapping up the banquet was the priority right now.
He walked slowly toward his faithful aide, saying,
“Yes, but you know that too?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Swenden family is now a vassal of Landhill.”
“Of course... I know.”
“Besides, the Swenden family is a long-standing Viscount family, and their position is also solid. And what else did you say? Oh, reputation, I saw today that the Swenden family has a great reputation.”
“...Of course.”
“Lady Swenden?”
“Yes, Your Highness. No, My Lord.”
Ines hurriedly answered the sudden address. She could not understand the conversation between the two.
“You said you were twenty this year, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
He turned his gaze to Noah again.
“Oh, what do you think? Lady Swenden today.”
However, at this moment, Noah, who understood the context of the question given to him, barely lifted his lips and said.
“The dress really suits her.”
“That sounds like you’re saying that her appearance is very good, doesn’t it?”
“That’s right. Very beautiful.”
“Well, that’s fine.”
He tilted his head slightly and asked Noah again, “Isn’t that so?”
“Yes.”
Carson kept his gaze on Noah and reached out to Ines, who was sitting in her seat.
“Will you be going back to the banquet hall?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll escort you.”
Ines looked at him with wide eyes.
From the outside, it didn’t look like a completely connected building, but the main office was connected to the second floor of the building where the banquet hall was located by a long hallway.
To get to the first-floor banquet hall from there, she had to go down the stairs in the center. Since there was no way to escort someone by the back, what he was saying to her now was clear.
“And will you give me Young Lady’s first dance?”
His gaze that had been on Noah slowly shifted to her. Looking at his playful golden eyes, Ines placed her own hand on the hand he held out as if she was entranced.
Then he pulled Ines’ arm to straighten it and stared at her silently for a moment.
Then, before she could even realize what had happened, the man’s lips, as light as a feather, landed on the back of Ines’ hand.
It was a simple kiss that made no sound, but Ines felt her hand burn as if it was on fire. Her face blushed so much that she could feel it.
Carson took her flushed cheeks as an answer and gently lifted her up with more force.
Ines stood next to him, flowing like water. When he put his hand on his chest and folded his arms, she put her hand between them. The man who glanced up at her slightly raised his lips, but then he moved away.
After walking three or four steps, he leaned over to Noah, who was standing on his left and whispered in a voice that only he could hear.
“It’s too obvious to ask about the size of the dowry. You figure it out later.”
Carson finally made Noah blush like Ines. Of course, he didn’t think it was wrong because it was something he had to do as a subject.
However, Noah was also a nobleman to the core. He felt embarrassed because he had revealed his philistine nature. He was just annoyed at his master who had such a good memory.
He deliberately straightened his shoulders and made a proud expression. He thought that if he didn’t do that, he would feel like a philistine.
Noah watched the two of them walking out the door.
And he recalled the charismatic appearance of Lady Swenden as she treated Lena. Just looking at that alone, she seemed more than qualified to lead the Count’s family.
How beautiful was her appearance? She was not lacking at all even standing next to that extremely beautiful man.
Thinking about it, there was no reason why Lady Ines Swenden should not be included in the list, as Carson had said. She had only been excluded from the list because her family had not completely annexed Landhill.
A smile appeared in place of the embarrassment.
Noah quickly followed Carson, feeling that he might have a Madam sooner than expected.
When they reached the central staircase, Ines tightened her grip on his arm. Carson was reacting to every little thing she did.
When he heard the commotion of people, his nerves became slightly sensitive. Ines let out a small breath.
Feeling eyes on her, she looked up and saw Carson looking down at her with a strange gaze.
“Are you nervous?”
“I’m not used to people’s gazes.”
He furrowed his brows for a moment and then laughed out loud. Carson thought of Ines, who had rushed toward him without hesitation even when a horse was running wildly in the square. He could still clearly see her walking toward him without hesitation, even though she was bleeding.
It seemed that it was an exception when so many people were looking at her in shock.
“Oh, you were so rude.”
His voice remained tinged with laughter as he apologized. Only then did Ines realize that he was joking. Ines glared at him, but he didn’t care at all.
“I haven’t been to many banquets.”
“I see.”
“Besides, this is my first time dancing with a man who isn’t my father.”
Carson stopped walking in surprise at those words.
“First time?”
Even though it wasn’t something to be said in the bedroom, it strangely brought up various emotions in his heart. Guilt, a sense of responsibility?
“I know it might sound strange, but I haven’t had many opportunities.”
He led her as naturally as possible and continued walking.
“I also had my debutante at sixteen. I danced with my father at that time.”
All women in the empire had their debutante at sixteen unless something special happened. After that, they attended many banquets for two years, built connections, and started getting married when they turned eighteen.
“If I remember correctly, I think I started liking Joseph around that age. From then on, I vaguely thought I would become a commoner’s wife.”
Carson’s eyes turned cold as she spoke calmly as if she was telling someone else’s story.
Four years... That was the time she had thought of him as her lover. It wasn’t a feeling that had seeped in like light for a short time. He stretched his neck to both sides once in a strangely unpleasant way.
“That’s why I didn’t attend most banquets. A banquet is not appropriate for a commoner’s wife. Even when I had to attend, I didn’t dance. I thought that was the way to be loyal to him.”
Ines found herself talking about herself without realizing it, but she strangely didn’t feel like stopping. Like a believer who wants to reveal her shortcomings before God and be forgiven, Ines felt her heart become lighter as she spoke.
“My father didn’t really intend to marry me off early. Oh, but I think he’s started to think about it now.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father said that I was offered a marriage a while ago. Of course, someone interfered and it fell through.”
As they talked, the two reached the central staircase. As she had feared, all eyes in the hall were on them. Carson placed his hand on the back of her hand. The feeling of his soothing tapping made all her tension disappear.
“Let’s talk about what we couldn’t talk about today another time.”
Ines nodded and turned her gaze, and Count Graham’s daughter and Joseph were glaring at them. Ines lifted her heels and pressed her lips tightly to Carson’s ear.
“I was going to tell you that I’m not good at dancing, but I’ve been talking too much.”
As he went down the stairs, he leaned in close to her. Then he naturally put his hands on her waist and pulled her into his arms.
“Is that so?”
Looking at her, he pulled his lips up perfectly. Ines unconsciously smiled brightly along with him at the gentle curve that made even those who saw it feel good. The serious conversation they had just had seemed very light at this moment.
He spoke loudly, but Ines whispered in his ear again.
“Yes, I might step on your toes.”
He took his hands off her and quickly walked down the two steps ahead of her. Then he turned to face her and met her gaze at the same height.
“The Count’s daughter mentioned the Viscount earlier. Do you know about that?”
Ines’ face cracked at the mention of the title. As if trying to control her anger, she took a deep breath and spat out several short words.
“Joseph’s goal is to marry me now. The Viscount, he’s after is the Swenden family’s.”
“What does marrying you have to do with him obtaining the title?”
Ines lowered her head and laughed vainly.
“That’s right.”
Carson thought Ines would shed tears at any moment. But his thoughts were pleasantly wrong.
The woman’s eyes, raised, were cold and even bitter.
“Isn’t that noble status something that a commoner cannot have even if he wakes up after dying? Maybe, as he said, he died and tried to come back to life.”
At that moment, Noah knocked on the office door and went inside, so Carson couldn’t ask what he wanted to know more. Noah looked tired as if he had been looking for Carson for quite some time.
“Your Highness, are you here? Lady Swenden is with you.”
“What’s going on?”
“I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but the host of the banquet has been away for too long...”
Perhaps aware of Lady Swenden, Noah’s nagging toward Carson was less frequent than usual.
“I thought it would be better to hurry up and do what I mentioned earlier, so I came to get you in a hurry.”
Carson knew very well what he was telling him to hurry up with. Perhaps because he was away, no one had started the first dance. As Noah had said, wrapping up the banquet was the priority right now.
He walked slowly toward his faithful aide, saying,
“Yes, but you know that too?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Swenden family is now a vassal of Landhill.”
“Of course... I know.”
“Besides, the Swenden family is a long-standing Viscount family, and their position is also solid. And what else did you say? Oh, reputation, I saw today that the Swenden family has a great reputation.”
“...Of course.”
“Lady Swenden?”
“Yes, Your Highness. No, My Lord.”
Ines hurriedly answered the sudden address. She could not understand the conversation between the two.
“You said you were twenty this year, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
He turned his gaze to Noah again.
“Oh, what do you think? Lady Swenden today.”
However, at this moment, Noah, who understood the context of the question given to him, barely lifted his lips and said.
“The dress really suits her.”
“That sounds like you’re saying that her appearance is very good, doesn’t it?”
“That’s right. Very beautiful.”
“Well, that’s fine.”
He tilted his head slightly and asked Noah again, “Isn’t that so?”
“Yes.”
Carson kept his gaze on Noah and reached out to Ines, who was sitting in her seat.
“Will you be going back to the banquet hall?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll escort you.”
Ines looked at him with wide eyes.
From the outside, it didn’t look like a completely connected building, but the main office was connected to the second floor of the building where the banquet hall was located by a long hallway.
To get to the first-floor banquet hall from there, she had to go down the stairs in the center. Since there was no way to escort someone by the back, what he was saying to her now was clear.
“And will you give me Young Lady’s first dance?”
His gaze that had been on Noah slowly shifted to her. Looking at his playful golden eyes, Ines placed her own hand on the hand he held out as if she was entranced.
Then he pulled Ines’ arm to straighten it and stared at her silently for a moment.
Then, before she could even realize what had happened, the man’s lips, as light as a feather, landed on the back of Ines’ hand.
It was a simple kiss that made no sound, but Ines felt her hand burn as if it was on fire. Her face blushed so much that she could feel it.
Carson took her flushed cheeks as an answer and gently lifted her up with more force.
Ines stood next to him, flowing like water. When he put his hand on his chest and folded his arms, she put her hand between them. The man who glanced up at her slightly raised his lips, but then he moved away.
After walking three or four steps, he leaned over to Noah, who was standing on his left and whispered in a voice that only he could hear.
“It’s too obvious to ask about the size of the dowry. You figure it out later.”
Carson finally made Noah blush like Ines. Of course, he didn’t think it was wrong because it was something he had to do as a subject.
However, Noah was also a nobleman to the core. He felt embarrassed because he had revealed his philistine nature. He was just annoyed at his master who had such a good memory.
He deliberately straightened his shoulders and made a proud expression. He thought that if he didn’t do that, he would feel like a philistine.
Noah watched the two of them walking out the door.
And he recalled the charismatic appearance of Lady Swenden as she treated Lena. Just looking at that alone, she seemed more than qualified to lead the Count’s family.
How beautiful was her appearance? She was not lacking at all even standing next to that extremely beautiful man.
Thinking about it, there was no reason why Lady Ines Swenden should not be included in the list, as Carson had said. She had only been excluded from the list because her family had not completely annexed Landhill.
A smile appeared in place of the embarrassment.
Noah quickly followed Carson, feeling that he might have a Madam sooner than expected.
***
When they reached the central staircase, Ines tightened her grip on his arm. Carson was reacting to every little thing she did.
When he heard the commotion of people, his nerves became slightly sensitive. Ines let out a small breath.
Feeling eyes on her, she looked up and saw Carson looking down at her with a strange gaze.
“Are you nervous?”
“I’m not used to people’s gazes.”
He furrowed his brows for a moment and then laughed out loud. Carson thought of Ines, who had rushed toward him without hesitation even when a horse was running wildly in the square. He could still clearly see her walking toward him without hesitation, even though she was bleeding.
It seemed that it was an exception when so many people were looking at her in shock.
“Oh, you were so rude.”
His voice remained tinged with laughter as he apologized. Only then did Ines realize that he was joking. Ines glared at him, but he didn’t care at all.
“I haven’t been to many banquets.”
“I see.”
“Besides, this is my first time dancing with a man who isn’t my father.”
Carson stopped walking in surprise at those words.
“First time?”
Even though it wasn’t something to be said in the bedroom, it strangely brought up various emotions in his heart. Guilt, a sense of responsibility?
“I know it might sound strange, but I haven’t had many opportunities.”
He led her as naturally as possible and continued walking.
“I also had my debutante at sixteen. I danced with my father at that time.”
All women in the empire had their debutante at sixteen unless something special happened. After that, they attended many banquets for two years, built connections, and started getting married when they turned eighteen.
“If I remember correctly, I think I started liking Joseph around that age. From then on, I vaguely thought I would become a commoner’s wife.”
Carson’s eyes turned cold as she spoke calmly as if she was telling someone else’s story.
Four years... That was the time she had thought of him as her lover. It wasn’t a feeling that had seeped in like light for a short time. He stretched his neck to both sides once in a strangely unpleasant way.
“That’s why I didn’t attend most banquets. A banquet is not appropriate for a commoner’s wife. Even when I had to attend, I didn’t dance. I thought that was the way to be loyal to him.”
Ines found herself talking about herself without realizing it, but she strangely didn’t feel like stopping. Like a believer who wants to reveal her shortcomings before God and be forgiven, Ines felt her heart become lighter as she spoke.
“My father didn’t really intend to marry me off early. Oh, but I think he’s started to think about it now.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father said that I was offered a marriage a while ago. Of course, someone interfered and it fell through.”
As they talked, the two reached the central staircase. As she had feared, all eyes in the hall were on them. Carson placed his hand on the back of her hand. The feeling of his soothing tapping made all her tension disappear.
“Let’s talk about what we couldn’t talk about today another time.”
Ines nodded and turned her gaze, and Count Graham’s daughter and Joseph were glaring at them. Ines lifted her heels and pressed her lips tightly to Carson’s ear.
“I was going to tell you that I’m not good at dancing, but I’ve been talking too much.”
As he went down the stairs, he leaned in close to her. Then he naturally put his hands on her waist and pulled her into his arms.
“Is that so?”
Looking at her, he pulled his lips up perfectly. Ines unconsciously smiled brightly along with him at the gentle curve that made even those who saw it feel good. The serious conversation they had just had seemed very light at this moment.
He spoke loudly, but Ines whispered in his ear again.
“Yes, I might step on your toes.”
He took his hands off her and quickly walked down the two steps ahead of her. Then he turned to face her and met her gaze at the same height.
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