Episode 35. Things to Do for Two Tonight
Adele was proud of her mental strength.
She could pretend not to hear and put on a confident and arrogant expression even when she was being pointed at as a villainess.
However, she could not show that expression at the moment.
“How can you be so beautiful? Your skin looks like it’s covered in honey.”
“How could honey not drip from the Count’s eyes?”
Adele stuck out her tongue at the women’s sly laughter.
‘How dare you say such embarrassing things...’
She would rather be pointed at as a villainess. She wanted to run away from that place right away.
However, now her actions had become Christine’s reputation. She wanted to be of some help to him who had chosen her, even if it meant going up against the Emperor.
So she would not run away or avoid him. She had to adapt to society for his sake. The status of a noble was also established by her reputation in society.
“Thank you for looking at me so pretty.”
When Adele covered her mouth with her fan and responded with great elegance,
“I don’t know what’s pretty about you. It’s too dazzling to look at.”
When she turned around at the familiar voice, Mia was smiling in the crowd.
“Mia!”
Mia, who had been touched by Madame Chanel from head to toe, looked incredibly sophisticated and beautiful.
“Congratulations on your engagement, Miss Adele.”
Mia whispered as she hugged Adele,
“I don’t know who you’re too dazzling to look at.”
Adele playfully responded.
It seemed that she had already gotten used to the unfamiliar voice.
After introducing Mia to the people, the two quickly left the place.
***
“As expected, you have to keep your friends close. The day has come when I’ll be attending the palace banquet wearing Madame Chanel’s dress. You don’t know how kind everyone is when I say you’re my friend.”
Mia looked just as happy as Adele today.
However, Adele looked a little anxious.
“I also feel like this sudden fortune is like a dream. I’m a little afraid of waking up.”
“Don’t be anxious, Adele. Even the gods have consciences. He's sorry for making you so unhappy.”
“I really hope so. By the way, did you find out about the silver wolf story?”
Mia winked.
“Who asked you to do that? I tried to lure my husband.”
“What did you say?”
“The rumors of seeing a silver wolf were all false. There was nothing strange about the body. There were only four claw marks. Oh, and the hunters caught a wolf in the palace forest yesterday.”
“Really...?”
Should she say it was fortunate?
But the situation seemed to have been handled too neatly, so it felt a little uneasy.
“Oh, but there was one strange thing.”
“Strange thing?”
Mia glanced around and lowered her voice.
“The coroner’s report was sent separately to the Emperor and Count Weiss.”
“Why...?”
“But the thickness of the two reports was different. The report submitted to the Count must have been much thicker.”
Did this mean that Christine was hiding something from the Emperor?
Something that Christine knew, and the Emperor didn’t.
However, it was possible that he had summarized the report and submitted it to the Emperor. If we were to suspect, there would be no end to it.
Moreover, she suspects Christine of all people.
“Yee. Anyway, keep this a secret.”
“It’ll be a pain in the neck to say more.”
It was then.
“I guess there’s no helping your sinister nature. The main character of the banquet is talking about secrets in the corner.”
Seira approached the two with the ladies.
“Well, since you’re not part of our family anymore, there’s no need to use honorifics anymore, Miss Adele?”
Then Mia stepped forward, raising her arms as if to protect Adele.
“Why, is something bothering you? Are you afraid that I’ll see your bad side?”
Seira’s embarrassed expression was evident. The art of elegantly turning the tables was a social skill. However, this was a preparation to grab Adele by the hair and fight her right away. A woman with strong arms.
“What, what are you!”
“I’m an apostle of justice who defeats villains, why?”
Adele stopped Mia.
“Mia, I have something to talk about, so please step aside.”
This was the palace. If they got into a fight, Mia’s reputation as a foreigner would only get worse.
“Are you okay?”
“Don’t worry. I have a fiancé.”
Adele answered as if she was going to let people hear. No matter how she responded, she was sure to hear that she trusted Christine and acted recklessly. It would be less unfair if she heard it after selling his name.
“Well, your fiancé is watching with his eyes wide open.”
Christine, who had been talking to people, felt the gaze and turned to look at her.
A tall and slender figure with a straight and upright posture. A beautiful face that caught the eye even in a large crowd. The women around her moaned at that sight.
Adele smiled faintly at him as if everyone was watching. Christine also smiled faintly and nodded.
It was a gaze exchanged between lovers who were deeply in love.
“Oh, if you’re jealous, you’re losing. I lost, I lost!”
Mia stepped back, teasing Seira as much as she could.
“You shallow thing who doesn’t know shame!”
Seira muttered, glaring at Adele venomously.
Adele responded with a gentle yet solemn face.
“So you tried to use the Princess to separate me and the Count? Because it was too shameful for you to do?”
“Do you believe the Princess? You’re blaming me for your own stupid actions.”
“As expected... You were the one who made the Princess like that.”
The noble ladies around Seira murmured at those words.
Adele was just wondering. It seemed unlikely that the timid Princess would come up with a pretense of being pregnant on her own.
Seira, who realized that she had been caught up in Adele, looked around and quickly changed the subject.
“The murderer who poisoned my father! Do you think you can be happy after doing that?”
Adele came close to Seira and smiled.
“Of course. The villainess of Kalame has no shame or guilt.”
Seira was quite taken aback by Adele’s changed mood.
Until recently, she had thought of her as nothing more than a rock rolling around at her feet.
The girl who had trembled in fear in the corner of the basement when she lived in the Oswald household.
After being kicked out of the family, she was a sinister villainess who hid on the outskirts of Green Hill.
That was the Adele that Seira wanted.
But it was outrageous that she was so proud just because she was the fiancée of Count Weiss.
No, it was unacceptable.
A half-noble woman of low rank became her equal.
'Without Count Weiss, you are nothing!'
Seira tried to separate Adele from Count Weiss because she was afraid that she would say that.
However, the noble ladies around her soon surrounded Adele and praised her.
"From now on, we should call Miss Adele the flower of the empire."
"That's right. No matter how beautiful a jewel is, it can't attract butterflies, so it's useless."
The jewel was what they meant by Seira. They say that the world of society is one where there are no eternal enemies or friends, and everyone turned around and belittled Seira as if it were a show.
Instead of beheading Adele, the Emperor gifted her a villa, and the Princess called her her friend. So the queen of society might soon change. To Adele, the fiancée of Count Weiss, the Emperor's closest confidant, and the Princess's friend.
Seira, who sensed this, was out of her mind with jealousy and anger.
'If only I had my brother!'
Yes, my brother!
Now that she thinks about it, she has forgotten. How much was Adele afraid of Stone? And there seemed to be some kind of secret between them.
That must be why Adele couldn't say anything, even though Stone was the one to blame.
Seira approached Adele again, waving her fan elegantly.
"Oh, my brother asked me to say hello. He couldn't attend the engagement ceremony, but he'll visit you when he gets back soon."
"...!"
At that moment, Seira saw clearly. Her expression had turned pale and hardened. Adele elegantly continued to talk to the people, but the tips of her fingers holding her fan were trembling slightly.
Seira, who was quick-witted, couldn't miss that.
Was there something with her brother after all?
If only her brother could come, she might be able to easily break up with the Count.
"Then let's meet again when my brother comes back, Miss Adele."
***
"Are you okay?"
Adele quickly turned around at Christine's voice. She was immediately relieved when she met his gentle eyes that were worried about her.
“Yeah, except I’m a little tired.”
Christine whispered affectionately, cupping Adele’s pale cheek.
“Go and rest. I’ll take you.”
“No. I can stay a little longer.”
Adele carefully pushed his hand away, conscious of her surroundings. Being alone with Christine made everyone’s gaze gather to the point of being burdensome.
Being popular seemed as tiring as being called a villainess.
But he didn’t care about the gazes. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, as if he only saw Adele.
“You’ve overdone it. You’re just a patient who just got out of bed.”
“Don’t worry. I was so happy today that I got better quickly.”
“But save up your energy.”
And a secret whisper seeped into her ear.
“We have something to do alone tonight.”
“...!”
When Adele flinched in surprise and looked at him, the corners of his eyes quirked strangely.
Adele covered her mouth with her fan, afraid that someone might hear, and replied softly.
“What are you thinking! We’re barely engaged.”
Christine made an innocent expression, pretending not to know.
“Who said anything? We could drink tea, dance, talk, take a walk... even if we were to do all that, it wouldn’t be enough even if we stayed up all night.”
She was shocked, but Adele pretended not to know.
“Yes, just imagining it makes me excited, Chris. However, I think I’ll need to recover more to do that. So I think it would be best if we go back first.”
“Together...”
Adele folded her fan and pushed Christine away with the end of it.
“It would be bad if both of our guests left before the banquet was even over. Your Grace, please come back later.”
“There’s no such thing...”
“If you leave in the middle, I’ll take all the blame. Even for my sake. Yes?”
In fact, everyone was gathered to see Christine. Even if the villainess of Kalame left at this point, no one would be sad.
When Adele smiled cutely and pleadingly, Christine pouted like a young girl.
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Chris.”
“You know? You can’t say thank you with your mouth?”
“Of course. I’ll repay you very sweetly, so look forward to it.”
“Really?”
“Then with the special apple pie.”
Adele winked at Christine, who was dumbfounded, and turned around gracefully.
The quick-witted Zimmer quickly followed her.
***
“Adele, you’re mine.”
“You’re crazy, Stone!”
“As long as you have this mark, you’ll never be able to escape me. It’s proof that even your soul is mine.”
Adele closed her eyes with a horrified expression in the shaking carriage.
‘Stone, you son of a bitch!’
Will Stone really come back?
Could it be that Seira lied?
If he finds out that she's engaged to Christine, he won’t stay still.
‘But even Stone can’t hurt him, right?’
It was fortunate that Christine was strong, but it was forbidden to be at ease. He was so evil beyond imagination.
Even if Christine wasn’t inferior in a head-on confrontation, there was no way to know what he would do. He was someone who didn’t hesitate to deceive people and stab them in the back.
More importantly, what would Christine think if she saw the mark on her body?
‘No! I can never show you such a horrible mark!’
Adele shook her head with a shudder.
Today, terrible thoughts tormented her as if they were the price for her dreamlike happiness.
The two years at Oswald’s.
The time she lived as a basement lady was bearable.
What was more unbearable was Stone...
“We’ve arrived, Miss Adele.”
Zimmer’s voice finally brought Adele out of her terrible thoughts.
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