Allan Bardo.
As soon as she heard the name, what Calix had said in the past came to mind in Odelia's mind.
'Allan Bardo, let's filter this guy out. Bardo is from a prestigious family, but he's a very gossipy person.'
"You look like you'll be the subject of a lot of gossip..."
Odelia unconsciously blurted out what she had only been thinking inside. Allan's eyes widened.
Odelia was also flustered and quickly waved her hands.
"Oh, no, just not thinking about it... No, I'm sorry."
Allan, on the other hand, burst into hearty laughter.
"You're a really interesting person."
Whether it was because of his loud voice or simply because he had an eye-catching appearance, when Allan burst into laughter, the eyes of the banquet hall began to turn to Odelia and Allan one by one.
Regardless, Allan asked Odelia softly, not caring.
"Lady Odelia, if your dance card isn't full, can I stamp it?"
Odelia nodded slightly, thinking that it would be rude to refuse after making a mistake.
“Sure.”
Allan nodded with a bright smile. The moment he saw that bright smile, Odelia felt a strangely familiar feeling.
What is it? There's no resemblance, but his smiling face reminds me a little of Calix.
Meanwhile, Allan stamped Odelia's dance card. Then he tilted his head up and looked at her with a playful gaze.
Odelia, too, met his gaze without averting her gaze. Suddenly, she realized something.
'Oh, this person also has golden eyes.'
His rare, crystal-clear golden eyes seemed to lock eyes with Calix. Whenever she encountered him, she would either slink away or try to focus elsewhere, but with this man, she was able to meet his gaze without any hesitation.
"Why are you staring so intently? Do you like my face?"
"Yes."
If she were an ordinary woman, she would have fidgeted and looked even more embarrassed, but Odelia answered without a moment's hesitation.
Then Allan looked embarrassed again. Odelia continued speaking with innocent eyes.
"Your golden eyes are truly beautiful, Lord Allan."
"..."
“Why are you doing that?”
"I like Lady Odelia."
"Yes?""
What's so straightforward? Odelia blinked quietly as she stared at him, and Allan hurriedly added.
"Wait a minute, please don't take this as me flirting. I just meant that I like the person who is Lady Odelia!"
"Ah..."
As Odelia nodded absentmindedly, Allan hurriedly added his words again.
"Ah. So, I'm not flirting with you or anything, I'm just talking to you as a person!"
"Yes."
Contrary to the rumors that he sounded like a vixen and a strange man, he was a man with a silly charm. Odelia ended up bursting into laughter.
At Odelia's appearance, Allan scratched the back of his head and muttered awkwardly.
"It's a compliment I've never heard before from a woman, saying that my eye color is pretty. I always hear people say that I have a handsome face."
“I see.”
Even a little confession of fainting.
"Oh. I'm not saying that because I'm good!"
"Yes, I know. You are not a man full of arrogance."
"Yes, thank you."
"You can't trust rumors."
"..."
Did she really like those words? From then on, Allan began following Odelia around throughout the banquet.
When Odelia was about to eat, he immediately sat right next to her.
"This is delicious. Oh, if you eat this, you'll get a burp."
"..."
"Oh. That's a bit rich. If you don't like rich food, don't eat it. It'll just ruin your appetite."
"..."
"Are you choking? I brought you some champagne, so let's drink together!"
The way he chased after Odelia like this made him look like a talkative puppy.
Odelia found him a bit annoying, but strangely enough, she didn't hate him. He seemed like a brighter version of Cedric.
"Come to think of it, I heard you participated in the war. Is it true that you fought alongside His Highness the Crown Prince? I have so many questions. How did you manage to do such a thing?"
Like a puppy chasing its owner and constantly nagging him, Alan's voice was filled with pure curiosity and longing.
Odelia looked into his eyes for a moment, then swallowed a sigh and gave a short smile in response.
"That's what war is all about. It's dangerous, complicated, and, needless to say, long."
Odelia didn't bother to continue. She felt like responding to his heated gaze would lead to a mess.
Then, Allan, who had been nodding as if he wouldn't miss even that, changed the subject again with sparkling eyes.
"You must have had a really hard time. But marriage, you know, isn't it really hard? I still find it so difficult."
He had an honest expression on his face, as if he was pouring out his worries, so Odelia looked at him for a moment before finally smiling and shaking her head in resignation.
"That's right. It's tough. To be honest, I'd rather go on a punitive expedition than find a man to marry."
Allan opened his eyes wide and burst into hearty laughter.
"Haha! You even have a sense of humor. As expected, someone who made a name for themselves on the battlefield is different."
Allan's laughter was refreshing, almost a bit too much, and for that moment, the heavy air felt lighter.
He treated Odelia with the utmost kindness, his gaze filled with yearning. It was a gaze of curiosity and respect, as if he wanted to get to know her a little closer.
But Odelia wasn't particularly shaken. She gave a brief smile, turned her head, and naturally turned her gaze toward the inside of the banquet hall.
Allan was wondering if he saw Calix and the Grand Duchess walking along the red carpet.
“Do you already have someone you like?”
Otelia hesitated for a moment, then nodded as if she didn't know.
“Yes, that’s right.”
At that moment, Calix and the Grand Duchess came into view from afar, entering the banquet hall. Odelia's eyes fluttered slightly.
Allan didn't miss the subtle distinction. He wiggled his eyebrows, his golden eyes shining.
Just in time, a waltz began to flow from the central dirt. One by one, those whose names had been written on dance cards came out and began dancing with their partners.
Odelia turned her head and looked at Allan.
"I'm sorry, but since you already know everything, I can't dance with you."
Odelia felt a little annoyed by the man and didn't feel like dancing right away.
Just as she was about to leave, Allan reached out his hand and smiled brightly.
"No, that's why you should dance with me even more!"
***
A little while ago, the Grand Duchess, in the carriage heading to the Duke's banquet hall, opened her mouth with a worried expression.
"I didn't know they would really kill Liam. No matter how much they tried, I never expected they would act this way, did I? What was the Empress, no, the Duke of Devon's plan to do something like this? Could it be something about Miss Odelia?"
Calix sat alone with his legs crossed, his gaze fixed on the window, and slowly answered.
"At least now, the Empress isn't after Odelia. As always, she still doesn't know about Odelia."
"Then what on earth..."
Before she could finish speaking, her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath.
When she looked at Calix with a look of doubt, Calix opened his mouth quietly, still looking out the window.
"Still, just in case, I think it would be best to hurry up and get Odelia married.
"...Is that okay with you?"
There was a moment of silence. Calix slowly closed his eyes and answered.
“It should be okay.”
Comments
Post a Comment