OIAR - Chapter 11

At the beginning of summer, the date was set for the Debutante Ball, hosted by Countess Evgenia, to coincide with the capital's social season.

In preparation for welcoming guests for the first time in over a decade, Evgenia's employees had been preparing for two weeks in advance.

They worked together to strip the old, three-story main building of its age-old grime. Martha and the other maids scrubbed the mansion's floors with candles and hung new curtains to replace the worn ones. They meticulously brushed the dust that had settled on the picture frames and sculptures hanging on the walls.

“The landscaping of the petition should also be given some new care at this time..."

In preparation for this ball, Eli paid close attention to the various details of the mansion.

'I don't think decorating an already old building and an unattractive garden will make much of a difference.'

Shioana, who had been watching the mansion's transformation, muttered quietly. But she wasn't foolish enough to say such things out loud.

"If possible, you should stay in your room."

Her brother was more sensitive than usual because of the prom preparations. He would nag Shioana at the mere sight of her.

"Shioana, from today on, eat only one meal a day."

He asked Shioana to lose weight even though she was already thin and had a waist that was not even a handful wide.

"What is that skin? I ordered this precious water, so apply it every night."

Eli frowned every time he looked at Shioana. It was true that she wasn't as strikingly beautiful as her brother. Eli's blond hair and blue eyes could instantly light up the dark living room.

'But I'm not that bad, am I?'

Since she was little, Martha had always said she was the prettiest girl in Regbel.

"...Ah, isn't it?"

Shioana, who was feeling her face with her hand, made a gloomy expression.

She wanted to vent to Martha, frustrated, but lately, it's been hard to even see her face. From the kitchen to the reception room to the ballroom, there was no place Martha didn't touch.

"I want to help you in some way."

But that didn't work out because she had to watch Eli's reaction.

"You must neither see nor do anything that would harm the dignity of a nobleman. Do you understand? Shioana!"

For three days, she been stuck in her room, frozen in place by her brother's chilling surveillance, clutching a book or embroidery. 

'I can't go on any longer!'

Shioana sneaked out into the hallway and looked around. Shioana quickly came out of the main building.

"...Phew."

She remembered that she had left in such a hurry that she had forgotten to bring her straw hat, but she couldn't bring herself to go back.

'If Eli catches me sneaking out, he won't leave me alone.'

As she walks around looking for shade, she sees Joseph bringing a new statue to the shop.

"Do you really think that would suit our garden?"

A statue of the goddess Diana in a shabby and desolate garden just off the edge of a field.

Shioana felt so absurdly amused that she almost burst out laughing. She covered her mouth and managed to make her way through the fir and hawthorn trees, reaching the lake.

"...Wow!"

Shioana was captivated by her favorite scenery and exclaimed in admiration. The lake at this time of year was so beautiful that it made her completely forget the chill of Regbel.

She paused for a moment, gazing at the lake before turning toward the swing. It was tied to the edge of the lake, sparkling like a jewel. Ever since she was a child, she'd loved sitting on it and gazing out at the lake.

'Time passes well...'

As she watched the light break apart, her mind went blank.

She could forget about the scolding from her brother, her father not looking after her, and the fact that she spent every day alone with nothing to do.

"Miss, it's dangerous, so you shouldn't ride the swing alone."

Although Martha's request came to mind, she shook her head lightly.

No one knew anyway.

Because she was always alone.

As she held the old rope still and swayed her body back and forth, the swing creaked and moved.

Shioana kicked her feet and climbed a little higher, feeling as if she were floating over the lake. As her dress lifted, the wind blew through the gap.

As Shioana looked down from her high vantage point into the dark blue center of the lake, a strange thought struck her.

'...If I just fall into that place like this.'

Even then, no one would know.

As she was chuckling at her useless thoughts, she saw someone running towards her from over there.

'...When I looked for him, I couldn't even see his nose.'

Perhaps because he was busy preparing for the ball, it had been several days since he last saw Etienne. She remembered that she had saved him from a near-death snake bite, yet she hadn't even received a proper thank you.

"Isn't that usually annoying?"

She stretched and bent her legs as if to show off, kicking off the sky and soaring upward.

At this moment, she felt like she could shake off all the worries and vague anxieties about the upcoming ball.

Unlike the peaceful Shioana, all the color drained from Etienne's face.

"It's dangerous!"

He had been hauling the collected twigs and other trinkets back and forth on a cart several times. His back felt like it was going to break, and he was sweating so much that he went to the lake to wash his face, only to see a small figure flying into the sky.

"...How much did you avoid?'

Maybe it was a waste of time from the start, thinking he was going to rush towards her like this.

"Get down now!”

The rope on that swing was very worn, so it was hanging precariously.

His heart felt like it was going to burst as he watched Shioana happily riding the swing that could break at any moment.

The first thing he did was jump to the edge of the lake and grab the rope. But stopping the swing, once it was high up, wasn't easy. He pulled the rope with both legs firmly planted in the mud, using enough force to make the veins on his forehead bulge.

"...Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

Etienne suddenly grabbed the rope, causing the swing to twist, and a startled Shioana let out a shrill scream.

After a while, the swing came to a complete stop, and Shioana, who was trembling while holding onto the rope, opened her mouth.

"...What on earth are you doing?"

He was so surprised that he couldn't even speak clearly.

As Martha said, was it really true that I shouldn't get close to the red-eyed Noah?

While she was thinking about all sorts of things, Etienne lifted her body into his arms.

“Let go of this!”

Although she struggled, she was unable to overcome the strength of his arms, and he came out into the water, holding her.

"..."

All that could be heard was the noise of the swing swinging and the sound of water dripping from the two people's bodies.

"Get down! Etienne!"

She pressed against his chest with both arms, but it was no use. Even though Etienne was holding her awkwardly with one hand, his embrace was incredibly firm.

Just as Shioana finally gave up and was about to rest her forehead on his chest, the scent of blood, along with Etienne's body, wafted in. His other hand, the flesh of his hand, had been rubbed against the rope, and blood was flowing profusely.

"Etienne, you're bleeding."

As Shioana struggled to her feet, he quickly set her down. When she stood before Etienne and tried to examine his hands, he clenched his fists. But his expression hardened, as if he couldn't hide the pain.

"You've been acting all high and mighty, and now look at this!"

Shioana, who had been holding his hand, grabbed Etienne's wrist with force.

She glared at Etienne, who was still clenching his fist, and he flinched. Taking advantage of the gap, Shioana pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped it around the wound.

Although her skills were clumsy, a faint blush rose on Etienne's face as he looked down at Shioana, who was quite diligent.

"...Ha."

After finishing the rough treatment, Shioana lay down on the grass.

"I can't even sit down."

She played with her arms crossed over her head, her back prickling from the grass. Mrs. Hooper would have been horrified to see this, but there was nothing she could do.

"I don't know why, but you really surprised me."

When Etienne first caught her, she really thought he was crazy, just like Martha said.

"Is this how you treat the lifesaver?"

Because her excitement hadn't subsided, she kept blurting out useless words. As she sat upright and smoothed out the folds of her dress, Shioana snapped at him sharply.

"What are you doing? I don't want you to look up at me, so come sit next to me. Everyone's busy anyway, so no one will come."

At her words, Etienne, who had been looking around, took a seat a short distance away. He silently stroked the handkerchief Shioana had tied for him, while he gazed across the lake.

"There's a ball coming up soon. Did you know?"

Feeling awkward, Shioana deliberately put on a cheerful voice.

"They've invited a lot of guests, and they're going to play some great music."

All she had was a piano, a little out of tune, and she had only seen violins and cellos in books, so she couldn't even imagine what they actually sounded like.

"Martha said there will be barbecue too."

She brought out new dishes and told him to look forward to what she said would be a wonderful ball.

She acted excited, but in fact, she wasn't really.

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