“……”
“……”
Silence enveloped the dimly lit corridor where only minimal lighting was maintained since it wasn’t regularly used.
Kisa and Seyard walked toward the banquet hall without exchanging a word for quite some time.
At first, the lingering effects of her conversation with Daniel weighed heavily on Kisa, making it difficult to speak. But as time passed, she became too self-conscious of Seyard’s presence to break the silence first.
‘Is he disappointed in me?’
From his perspective, Kisa’s behavior today would likely be difficult to evaluate positively.
Despite Seyard conducting himself properly, she had appeared unannounced at the charity banquet without prior notice, and worse, he had caught her alone in an enclosed space with her former fiancé.
Though Seyard probably wouldn’t reproach her for it, by societal standards, it wasn’t appropriate behavior.
Wanting to avoid his gaze even slightly, her steps naturally slowed. She intended to walk a few paces behind him.
When walking with Daniel during their outings, this had been quite normal. Since his stride was faster than Kisa’s, he often walked ahead, showing his back to her.
Strangely, though, Seyard remained beside Kisa. He had matched his pace to hers, deliberately slowing down.
“……”
I see. He’s matching my pace. For some reason, a corner of her heart felt ticklish.
“Um.”
Just as Kisa, encouraged by the thought that he didn’t seem disappointed in her, was about to speak—
“This way.”
Suddenly, Seyard placed his arm around Kisa’s waist and guided her in a direction different from where they had been heading.
Huh? But the banquet hall is that way? With this question in mind, Kisa allowed herself to be led by him.
Shortly after, they arrived at a terrace overlooking the Habertz family garden.
“Why are we here…?”
“Was I being too meddlesome?”
In response to Kisa’s puzzled question, Seyard smiled faintly. It wasn’t the socialite smile he had worn inside the banquet hall, but the casual, familiar smile Kisa knew well.
“I thought it might be better to calm things down in several ways.”
“Pardon? Oh.”
Kisa suddenly remembered that just minutes ago, she had expressed her anger with unusual ferocity, holding nothing back.
Come to think of it, Seyard had arrived shortly after that. Had he perhaps heard her thunderous shouting on his way there?
The thought made her face flush hot with embarrassment, and she lowered her head.
“If you’re talking about anger, it’s already subsided.”
“Why do you look like that?”
“I’m a bit embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed about what?”
His tone suggested he genuinely didn’t understand.
“Well, actually….I was so angry earlier that I ended up yelling at the top of my lungs. You heard that, didn’t you?”
Seyard blinked silently for a moment before answering.
“To answer your question first, I did hear some loud noises while I was looking for the Princess.”
Indeed, Seyard had mentioned hearing a loud noise when he first appeared in that room.
“However, perhaps because of the walls in between, I couldn’t make out the exact content. So you needn’t worry that I heard anything you wished to keep private.”
“No, it’s not that I particularly wanted to hide anything from you, Seyard. It’s just embarrassing that I shouted so loudly.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, it wasn’t very mature of me.”
“That’s not true, Kisa.”
At his unexpected outright denial of her statement, she automatically looked up at him.
“Even adults can certainly raise their voices when they’re angry or upset.”
He said gently, with a rather serious expression.
“Suppressing your emotions in every situation is not a healthy habit.”
This advice sounded new to Kisa’s ears.
Count Vansfelt had always taught his daughter to maintain her dignity as a noble no matter what happened. Openly displaying one’s emotions was considered undignified.
That was the common perception, which was why many nobles maintained a facade of smiles even during arguments.
“A person’s patience is not infinite. If you only endure, you might eventually explode and cause an uncontrollable situation, or your emotions might manifest in abnormal and unhealthy ways.”
Kisa found herself nodding without realizing it. Even though his logic contradicted conventional wisdom, coming from Seyard’s mouth, it was easy to accept.
“I see. Thank you for saying that.”
The embarrassment that had filled her heart until just moments ago had noticeably subsided.
“Now that I think about it, I do feel refreshed. It seems like a lot of my long-held emotions have disappeared.”
After her verbal confrontation with Daniel in the reception room right after their broken engagement, a subtle depression had weighed down her entire body, but now she felt only lightness.
Perhaps it was because she had finally expressed all the words she couldn’t say back then, firing them at Daniel.
“…You really are amazing. Somehow, when I talk with you, just like last time, my troubles seem to lighten.”
At Kisa’s sincere compliment, Seyard scratched his cheek somewhat bashfully.
“You’re too kind. In truth, I’m merely repeating things I’ve seen and heard elsewhere in a plausible manner.”
“Aren’t you being too modest?”
“I mean it. As proof, although I’ve spoken as if I know better to you, I haven’t been able to practice it myself.”
“Really?”
“Yes, how should I put it.”
His reddish-brown eyes briefly gazed into empty space.
“I tend to be rather dull when it comes to my own emotions. Often, I fail to recognize them in the moment, only to realize later what I was feeling at the time. This has happened quite a few times.”
This was new information about him.
“So I’m rather envious of you, Kisa. If only I could respond to my emotions in a timely manner like you do, I wouldn’t have created things to regret.”
Did that mean there were specific regrettable incidents in his past? Although such a question arose in her mind, she didn’t voice it. She was concerned it might appear as if she were prying.
‘Instead, although it might not be quite the same…’
Just as she was about to make a decision, a sneeze escaped from Kisa’s mouth.
“Oh dear, it is rather chilly, isn’t it?”
Seyard opened the terrace door with wide eyes and apologized.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you out here.”
“N-no, that’s not it!”
“Anyway, let’s return to the hall.”
“……”
“Kisa?”
Seyard looked with puzzled eyes at Kisa, who remained motionless in place.
“I’d like to talk with you a bit more here, if that’s alright.”
“With me?”
“Yes, would that be okay?”
Seeing Kisa ask with an uncertain voice, Seyard soon relaxed his expression.
“Why wouldn’t it be? I would be honored.”
Still, worried she might catch a cold, he took off his coat and draped it over Kisa’s shoulders.
The jacket with its luxurious lining carried Seyard’s unique refreshing scent.
Feeling somewhat bashful, Kisa spoke.
“Thank you. I find myself constantly thanking you, Seyard.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
“It’s not nothing to me.”
“Please, don’t mention it.”
Saying so, Seyard leaned against the railing and gazed at the illuminated night view of the capital.
“More importantly, did you have something to tell me?”
“Yes, that’s right. I want to explain how I ended up arguing with Daniel there.”
Kisa voiced the decision she had made earlier.
“We’re in the same boat now. And this relates to our contract as well. So I should explain it properly to you.”
He had the right to know why his fiancée was quarreling with her ex-fiancé in a room alone.
“You don’t have to force yourself.”
“No, that’s wrong. I want to tell you.”
Though it wasn’t a pleasant story, she wanted Seyard to hear it. Also, since he had comforted her when she was feeling down about Daniel previously, she wanted to show him that she was no longer depressed.
“…Yes, actually, I did want to hear about it.”
As if her feelings had been conveyed, Seyard nodded.
“What happened between you and that man, Kisa?”
While meeting his eyes—which she had previously felt possessed a strange power to draw words from people—Kisa began her story.
Despite it being quite a long tale, thanks to the warmth of his coat, she didn’t shiver from the cold.
“So that’s what happened.”
After the story ended, Seyard lowered his gaze.
“The Queen of Chamal, I had no idea.”
“I feel rather ashamed. To think you’d have to endure such false rumors because of that bastard Daniel.”
A runaway bride was definitely not a good label for a woman he would eventually marry. But Seyard shook his head.
“You don’t need to feel sorry toward me. What about you?”
“Me?”
“It’s a scandalous rumor that would be more than enough to feel insulted by.”
He wasn’t wrong. Who would welcome rumors about being sold off to a lecherous old man?
But Kisa was somewhat taken aback that Seyard would worry about her first.
“I’m fine. It’s only spread among a very small group of people, so it’s not really…”
At most, only Daniel, Melissa, and the Princess knew about it.
“……”
Seyard still seemed displeased even after hearing Kisa’s answer. After a moment of silence, he finally made a suggestion.
“Kisa, I’ve been thinking…”
Even after he finished speaking, Kisa didn’t know how to respond and merely watched his expression.
“Why all of a sudden…?”
“I’ve had some complaints about the original plan for a while.”
“You don’t need to do that for my sake!”
“It’s not for Kisa, but for me. My personality is rather impatient by nature.”
After giving this hard-to-believe reason, he suddenly took out his pocket watch to check the time.
“The banquet will be ending soon. Let’s go back quickly.”
Kisa wondered if she should object further, but while his suggestion was surprising, it wasn’t that she disliked it, making it difficult to strongly oppose.
Shortly after, when the two arrived at the banquet hall, they were met by several pairs of eyes.
“Duke Hillan, where have you been?”
Count Habertz approached Seyard with quick steps.
“Everyone has been looking for you. We can’t skip the speech from the highest donor.”
They had truly arrived just in the nick of time.
“I apologize, everyone. There was an unavoidable circumstance.”
The Count and several others looked alternately at the two latecomers with subtle expressions, but Seyard paid no attention and began his speech.
“Highest donor. I am very pleased to receive such an honorable title. And I have another piece of good news.”
He dropped a bombshell statement with a composed face.
“I have gotten engaged.”
