Feeling the memories of that day gradually reviving, Kisa murmured.
“…That’s right.”
Now that she thought about it, such a thing did happen.
It was quite an unpleasant incident for Kisa, so she had buried it deep in her heart, but seeing this portrait inevitably brought back those memories.
Her memories ascend back in time. Gently.
****
“Kisa.”
“……”
“Kisa?”
“……”
“Hey!”
“Huh?”
At the loud voice, Kisa opened her closed eyes and looked at the person sitting across from her.
Inside the bumpy, moving carriage, Kisa’s close friend, Melissa, tilted her head.
“Are you alright? You’ve seemed a bit dazed for a while.”
“Ah, sorry. I must have dozed off.”
“Really? But you look rather pale. Are you feeling sick?”
“Not at all. I think it’s because I couldn’t sleep last night. That novel you lent me was so interesting that I stayed up all night.”
Kisa waved her hand and forced a smile to prevent Melissa from worrying.
“Yes, it is quite entertaining.”
With that, Melissa easily dismissed her concerns and lightly scolded Kisa.
“Still, you’re something else. How could you stay up all night before such an important day? Looking at you, you’re surprisingly irresponsible sometimes. Anyway, make sure you don’t show any signs of fatigue in front of the Princess later.”
“…Okay.”
Her friend’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“I’m so excited though. I wonder what kind of person Duke Hillan is.”
That’s right. Today was the day Princess Arta would formally introduce her fiancé to the friends attending her tea party.
‘Duke Hillan.’
Kisa’s expression darkened at the thought of him.
A man who, despite being so admired and arousing much curiosity, rarely appeared in social circles.
Kisa felt somehow uncomfortable with this man with whom she had never had a proper conversation.
The reason was unclear. Was it because he possessed the red hair she disliked? Or because looking into those cold eyes reminded her of Count Vansfelt?
She wasn’t sure. It seemed like both reasons, yet neither at the same time.
She simply hadn’t had a good feeling since the first time she laid eyes on the Duke at a banquet.
No, actually even before that. From the moment she first heard the name ‘Vischer Hillan,’ Kisa had a vague premonition that she wouldn’t like him.
It was strange. Until now, Kisa had never disliked someone for such a trivial reason as not liking the sound of their name, but the young Duke Hillan was somehow an exception.
‘No, rather than dislike…’
It might be fear. Whenever she saw him, her chest would strangely tighten, and her knees would weaken.
Anyway, it was a great fortune for Kisa that Duke Hillan rarely attended social events.
She would see him maybe once a year, if at all, and even then, the Duke was always surrounded by people desperate to speak with him, allowing her to naturally avoid contact.
After that first meeting where she had greeted him while hiding behind her father who was exchanging pleasantries with the Duke, Kisa had no occasion to encounter him up close.
Until today…
Leaning weakly against the backrest, Kisa let out a small sigh, making sure Melissa wouldn’t notice.
‘Ah, I don’t want to go.’
It wasn’t just Duke Hillan; her physical condition was absolutely terrible.
She had brushed it off when Melissa asked earlier, not wanting to cause unnecessary worry, but in truth, Kisa was indeed sick.
Just a few hours ago, she had completely thrown up the food she had eaten for lunch.
The cause was, without fail, Count Vansfelt.
‘Julian, you unhelpful brat.’
Of all days, why did the report about her younger brother studying in another region have to arrive today?
Upon hearing from his subordinate that Julian’s attitude toward his studies was unsatisfactory and his grades below expectations, the Count had made no effort to hide his displeasure.
The sparks flew to Kisa, who was dining with her father.
He launched into a tirade against his daughter and criticized even parts that he would normally have overlooked.
Apparently, picking at her food made her look unpleasant.
Naturally, in such a situation, Kisa, who was of a sensitive disposition, could hardly eat comfortably.
To make matters worse, she was already feeling pressured by the fact that she had to attend the Princess’s gathering in the evening and meet Duke Hillan.
As soon as she rose from the dining table, Kisa felt nauseous and had to run to the bathroom.
While Kisa had always been prone to indigestion, this time it was particularly severe.
This was probably the worst her stomach had turned in the past two or three years.
However, unless she was bedridden and unable to move, she couldn’t ignore the summons of the esteemed Princess.
Moreover, today was not just an ordinary tea party gathering, but the occasion where the Princess would introduce her fiancé.
Kisa took medicine from her personal physician to calm her stomach, drank just a few sips of water, and boarded the Dos family’s carriage that Melissa had arrived in.
To be honest, only the nausea had subsided; her condition hadn’t improved at all.
Her hands and feet were cold, her body felt weak, and she had a slight pain in her solar plexus.
It seemed the medicine hadn’t completely cured her indigestion.
“The Princess said the Duke is a kind person, but I wonder if we’ll actually get to see that kind side of him? Oh my. To think he’s aloof in front of others but affectionate when they’re alone, it sounds so romantic.”
She couldn’t even hear her friend’s excited chatter about the anticipated meeting with Duke Hillan.
All she wanted was to get this over with quickly and return home, when Melissa changed the subject.
“By the way, I haven’t seen that dress before. Is it new?”
It was a magic spell that instantly revived Kisa’s mood.
“Ah, this?”
Kisa answered shyly, her cheeks turning red.
“It’s a gift from Daniel. He said it would suit me.”
“What, Daniel Lowens? Isn’t he studying abroad?”
“Yes. He sent it with a letter a few days ago.”
“It’s pretty! This style must be fashionable overseas.”
After examining Kisa’s pale yellow dress with sparkling eyes, Melissa soon made a mischievous expression.
“So you wore this precious dress given by your beloved fiancé on such an important day.”
“Well, yes.”
She would have preferred to just keep it in her wardrobe.
Partly because it was a gift she received from Daniel after a long time, but also because she could feel his taste in it.
It meant that he hadn’t just instructed a servant to choose something and attached his name to it.
She didn’t know what had prompted him, but Kisa was overjoyed by the fact that he had remembered his fiancée even while living abroad.
She had been visiting her wardrobe several times a day for the past few days, just wanting to look at the dress.
When she gently touched the soft fabric of the dress, it felt as if Daniel, who was far away, was right beside her.
‘I wish he would finish his studies abroad and come back soon.’
Just having him in the country would surely make her life twice as enjoyable as it was now.
Just as it had been in those days of old.
But one can’t remain forever lost in happy memories.
“Come on, let’s get out.”
As soon as the carriage arrived at their destination, the excited Melissa grabbed Kisa’s wrist and led her out.
The two headed toward the small banquet hall in the royal palace, which they had visited a few times before.
This event was a relatively small gathering, attended only by young nobles who were close to the Princess.
Along the way, they met up with other tea party members, and upon entering the small banquet hall, a palace attendant immediately guided them to where the Princess was.
“Welcome, everyone.”
Princess Arta greeted her friends with her usual confident smile. And then…
“Thank you for accepting my invitation. Ah, let me introduce you. This is my fiancé, Vischer.”
The tall man beside her turned to face Kisa’s group.
“Duke Hillan.”
Kisa hastily lowered her eyes and curtsied before their gazes could meet.
The others did the same, albeit with a slight delay, so it wasn’t particularly strange.
As her heart pounded oddly, a sweet baritone voice rang out above her head.
“I am Vischer Hillan.”
Just that simple introduction, nothing more, nothing less.
There wasn’t even a common courtesy such as “Nice to meet you,” but at least no one at this gathering seemed to take offense at that fact.
The head of the Hillan family, said to have a longer history than the royal family.
Moreover, for Vischer Hillan, who had ascended to the position of Duke at a relatively young age and had been managing his family remarkably well, this level of coldness was not arrogance but rather a characteristic.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Duke.”
“Um, thank you so much for the gift you sent to our family! My parents also asked me to convey their regards if I saw you today.”
As soon as his greeting ended, the young ladies around Kisa clamored to say a word or two to the rarely seen Duke Hillan.
Kisa mixed in with them appropriately and then found an opportunity to slip away from the crowd.
As she was trying to calm her still-pounding heart, a few young ladies approached her.
They were those who had lost in the fierce competition for spots next to the Princess and the Duke.
“Phew, both of them are so popular.”
“Indeed.”
Kisa nodded at one lady’s sigh-filled remark.
Afterward, the two stood in front of a table with food and exchanged various idle talk.
It was when the topic turned to the dress Kisa was wearing.
“Wow, a dress gifted by your fiancé who’s far away, how romantic. I didn’t know, but it seems that Young Master Lowens is quite considerate… Oh, Duke!”
The lady who had been smiling as she spoke suddenly looked behind Kisa and froze.
Her body naturally stiffened. Without turning around, she knew who was behind her.
In contrast to Kisa’s tension, Duke Hillan calmly explained the reason for his appearance here.
“I was looking to wet my throat.”
“Oh my, I’m sorry.”
At his words, the lady quickly stepped aside.
She had been blocking the table where wine bottles and glasses were placed.
“Not at all.”
While Duke Hillan was pouring wine into a glass, Kisa tried to quickly leave.
Unfortunately, that’s when the accident happened.
Thump! Almost simultaneously with the light impact on her body, something cold soaked Kisa.
Kisa turned her creaking neck to look at her side.
Her vision was filled with red. Her precious pale yellow dress was no longer its original color.
“Oh dear.”
Hearing the voice near her ear, she reflexively looked up at the man beside her.
“I apologize.”
Duke Hillan, with whom her eyes met for the first time today, offered an apology. With an utterly serene face.
