With Janet's escape, it became clear that the whole thing was a distraction operation by agents, and Noah and I were able to return to the mansion. Our daily lives returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. I secretly marveled at how they had managed to conceal it so perfectly. The Medea royal family, as if displaying a powerful nation untouched by war, held royal events and games, and the upper class gathered at the palace stadium, nearby yacht piers, and fields, enjoying various sports. Lively news spread to the common people.
I was sitting in a tent on a wide field of lush, rugged summer grass, participating in an open golf tournament for the upper class. This was part of a comical play, but to keep tabs on the situation, I needed to step outside and mingle with them, even if it was a hassle.
Barbara, seeing me in black bloomers, a white belt cinched around my waist, and a matching ribbon around my neck, approached me, saying I looked like a black cat wearing a ribbon. She smiled, shaking the bottle of Winter Wine in her hand, handed me a glass, and sat down next to me.
"I'm sorry you couldn't participate in the golf tournament we held last time. If only you hadn't gotten injured..."
“It’s a shame. I would have won first place.”
Barbara, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, covered her mouth and giggled with what seemed to be unfounded confidence.
"That time, Esmeralda Harrison won. She paid a lot of money to hire a teacher, and she was so good, perhaps because she was tall."
I recalled Esmeralda, staring at me with pointed eyes through silver-rimmed glasses. Unlike her relative, Countess Reuben, this woman, with a somewhat broken personality, was standing there, and the moment I realized she was there, I met her eyes, standing at a distance.
Esmeralda, dressed in simple, unadorned attire, strode toward me with her arms folded as soon as she spotted me. Her bright blue eyes scanned me up and down, as if searching for even a speck of dust clinging to my clothes.
"You're attending this event, knowing the hardships and suffering our family is currently experiencing. You're as selfish as your mother, who didn't care what happened to our family."
She still thinks Duchess Agnes Harrison is my mother, but it's indeed because of my real mother, the Queen. I was laughing inwardly, but outwardly, I was slightly sullen, enduring her sharp rebuke. I was about to dismiss her and send her away when Barbara burst out, blocking my path and taking my side.
"Lady Harrison. It's not Mrs. Rotsilt's fault."
"If you know what shame and shame are, wouldn't it be right to reflect on yourself, Miss Chelsea?"
"So why should I care whether Mrs. Rotsilt is self-restrained or self-indulgent? You're just ashamed of your own family—your aunt and cousin."
I was sitting in a tent on a wide field of lush, rugged summer grass, participating in an open golf tournament for the upper class. This was part of a comical play, but to keep tabs on the situation, I needed to step outside and mingle with them, even if it was a hassle.
Barbara, seeing me in black bloomers, a white belt cinched around my waist, and a matching ribbon around my neck, approached me, saying I looked like a black cat wearing a ribbon. She smiled, shaking the bottle of Winter Wine in her hand, handed me a glass, and sat down next to me.
"I'm sorry you couldn't participate in the golf tournament we held last time. If only you hadn't gotten injured..."
“It’s a shame. I would have won first place.”
Barbara, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, covered her mouth and giggled with what seemed to be unfounded confidence.
"That time, Esmeralda Harrison won. She paid a lot of money to hire a teacher, and she was so good, perhaps because she was tall."
I recalled Esmeralda, staring at me with pointed eyes through silver-rimmed glasses. Unlike her relative, Countess Reuben, this woman, with a somewhat broken personality, was standing there, and the moment I realized she was there, I met her eyes, standing at a distance.
Esmeralda, dressed in simple, unadorned attire, strode toward me with her arms folded as soon as she spotted me. Her bright blue eyes scanned me up and down, as if searching for even a speck of dust clinging to my clothes.
"You're attending this event, knowing the hardships and suffering our family is currently experiencing. You're as selfish as your mother, who didn't care what happened to our family."
She still thinks Duchess Agnes Harrison is my mother, but it's indeed because of my real mother, the Queen. I was laughing inwardly, but outwardly, I was slightly sullen, enduring her sharp rebuke. I was about to dismiss her and send her away when Barbara burst out, blocking my path and taking my side.
"Lady Harrison. It's not Mrs. Rotsilt's fault."
"If you know what shame and shame are, wouldn't it be right to reflect on yourself, Miss Chelsea?"
"So why should I care whether Mrs. Rotsilt is self-restrained or self-indulgent? You're just ashamed of your own family—your aunt and cousin."
Esmeralda's expression was a mixture of bewilderment and confusion as she stood before Barbara, who was standing with her arms on her hips and bearing a general expression.
"Yes. That's only natural. I'd rather it be someone else."
"Then, according to your logic, you should just stay home and reflect on your shame. Instead of forcing it on others. Aren't you ashamed of thinking of your own blood relatives that way?"
"Miss Chelsea. Even if your father is a high-ranking military official, is it permissible to be this rude?"
“Wasn’t it Miss Harrison who approached us first, started a fight, and was rude?”
Barbara's gray eyes, quick to flare, boiled over and glowed fiercely. I stood watching with my mouth shut, thinking what a real brute she was. Why was she stepping in to fight for me like this? Did I look that fragile and weak? Barbara's voice rose another notch.
Esmeralda, who seemed to already know that I had fallen down the stairs and was on the verge of death, coughed loudly, looking embarrassed.
“It looks like she’s fine, so don’t try to force yourself to sympathize.”
What did I do to deserve this? I've been emotionally drained lately, and I have no more energy left to deal with anyone. So I grabbed Barbara and shook my head, signaling for her to stop.
"It's okay, Barbara. Not everyone in the world can like me. Everyone has to live with the courage to be hated."
“You're truly magnanimous. You're different from those whose capacity is no bigger than an espresso cup.”
“Noah? Weren’t you having an important conversation with people?”
“Boaz said he wanted to see you.”
“Oh, really? You’re so cute. Did you miss me?”
Boaz, who was standing next to Noah and looking up at me, hugged my neck and kissed my fluffy cheek. Boaz wagged his tail and repeatedly licked my cheek. Then, Noah gently tapped my shoulder. He looked at me with a strangely excited expression, as if expecting something.
“Actually, that’s a lie. I came because I missed you.”
“Oh, really...”
It was clear he meant to do the same as I did for Boaz, but with so many people watching? I felt my face flush, and I shook my head in embarrassment. But I was weak when he stared at me with such a sullen expression.
“I missed you...”
"Yes."
Before I could finish speaking, Noah grabbed my wrist and pulled me. He made me wrap my arms around his neck, forcing me to curl up on tiptoe and cling to him. He lowered his head, his breath brushing against my cheek. Without realizing it, I locked eyes with the corners of his lips, which had risen prettily. Was it okay for us to be standing there, face to face, in this awkward position, with everyone watching? Barbara chuckled and covered her eyes with both hands. He whispered softly.
“Should I lick it like Boaz?”
“No, not that much. Were you jealous of Boaz?”
“Yeah. Please only kiss me and tell me I’m cute, as I’m your husband.”
My desired husband smiles at me.
I quickly kissed his cheek with a stiff movement and pulled away. Since I got married, he's been craving such ostentatious displays of affection more often. Last time, standing in the middle of a crowded square, he even pointed to his smooth lips as if to invite me to kiss him.
I asked, "There must be a reason for this, right?" but he only replied that it was because he was my husband.
Behind Noah's sturdy shoulder, Esmeralda was seen biting her lip and glaring at me. At first glance, she looked furious, but a closer look revealed her face flushed red, as if she were about to burst into tears.
“Why of all people...”
I'm not sure exactly what she meant, but judging by the shape of her lips, she muttered something along those lines and then turned around. I glanced back and forth between Esmeralda and Noah, who were hurrying away, my eyes wide with confusion.
"Are you by any chance acquainted with a woman named Esmeralda of the Harrison family? She's the one over there at the dessert table, with the silver-rimmed glasses and tied-up hair."
I gestured toward Esmeralda, who had already moved away. Noah, who had wrapped one arm around my waist, turned around and looked down at me again, nodding.
“Yeah, I know.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
So, I wanted to know what kind of resentment Esmeralda held toward Noah that made her look so aggrieved. As if reading my mind, Noah lowered his eyes and stared silently somewhere. It seemed as if there was a library in his head where he organized all his memories. It didn't take long for him to retrieve them.
"We first met three years ago in the fall, playing poker at the casino table in the banquet hall during the Princess's birthday party. On the other hand, I won 23,000 pounds with a flush, while she lost 15,000 pounds."
“She has a grudge for losing money.”
She lost a whopping 2,000 pounds to him. Since she's lost quite a bit of money to him herself, she holds a bit of a grudge.
"I thought she'd blow it and walk away, but she borrowed money from somewhere and got back into the game. After that, she only bet small amounts or folded (forfeited) until she lost all her money."
“I think she has a grudge.”
"I provoked her and made her bet everything at the end. That's how she ended up losing all her remaining money."
“You must have an incredible desire for revenge as well.”
“As I was returning to where the board was last staying, she ran out of the hallway, grabbed me, and said...”
"Countess Rotsilt, you must come quickly! Let's show the power of the St. Louis Club!"
At a crucial moment, I heard a voice calling me. It seemed like it was my turn. Barbara, holding my golf clubs, smiled brightly, as if urging me to hurry. I felt a sudden slump in my shoulders.
“...Let’s talk when you get back.”
“I bet a lot of money on you, honey. I’ll trust you.”
Even though it was for social purposes, I felt a bit pressured because we each had staked money. Noah gently stroked my head as if cheering me on. I felt like a racehorse being cheered on, but whatever. No one expected me to win and probably wouldn't have bet money, so I should at least hit the jackpot.
***
The match was a two-person team, with Barbara and me on the same team, and unfortunately, Esmeralda was on the opposing team. Esmeralda, who had been standing there with a very unpleasant expression on her face, openly mocked me.
"It's not enough that you've gotten into this position without any sense, but you're even participating in the game with such poor skills. How much longer do you plan to be laughed at?"
I acted like I was clueless and looked at Barbara with wide eyes.
“Barbara, are you not good at this? You were good at it last time I saw you.”
“Hey, it’s not that bad.”
“Really? Miss Harrison. Are you talking about me?”
"Then who would it be? You've probably never even seen it before coming to Medea, so I doubt you'll even be able to hit the ball. I'm debating whether I should give you a handicap. I think you'd probably refuse, too, just out of pride."
I said this after seeing Esmeralda shaking her head with a dignified attitude.
"I heard you're very good. It would be nice if you gave me a handicap. I'm such a beginner."
With a mocking expression, she called over the Baron, who was the match referee for the day, and informed him that her team would be handicapping the match. She glanced at Noah, then back at me, with a face of amusement. I covered my mouth and giggled.
"Thank you, Lady Harrison. Everyone would have bet on your team."
I stood on the tee box, clutching a custom-made steel golf club grip, and expertly settled into my stance. I glanced back and saw Esmeralda's eyes widen, smiling leisurely. "I've been doing this for years at Hyundai. I couldn't lose to you even if I wanted to."
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