Episode 41

【What Happened at the Debutante】

Chris quietly looked down at the letter before turning his gaze to me.

“Why are you delivering this to me instead of her doing it herself?”

A calm reply came back.

‘What if he’s disappointed because he couldn’t see Aria’s face?’

That sudden thought crossed my mind. I shrugged, hoping my anxiety wouldn’t show on my face.

“…She asked me to deliver it.”

“Is that so.”

I handed Chris the still dainty-looking envelope. Chris carefully took the letter I offered and opened it right in front of me.

“…!”

I thought he would handle it more delicately, but it was unexpected.

‘I assumed he would at least open it when he was alone.’

That’s usually how love letters are handled, right? Or maybe not? I’ve never exchanged one, so how would I know?

As the letter opened, the scent of lemon wafted out. It was Aria’s favorite fragrance, one she often used. At that moment, Chris let out a brief laugh.

My heart skipped a beat seeing that. I tried hard to maintain my composure.

Chris suddenly spoke up.

“Did you enjoy the lemons?”

“…Pardon?”

I was caught off guard and asked back in confusion.

“Because you had them with poison.”

I belatedly realized he was talking about the first gift he sent.

I remembered the lemons Chris had sent, the ones Aria had turned into lemon tea.

…At least I had taken a sip, so it was as if it had been passed on to me. Thinking of the things Chris had sent made my heart feel warm.

“…Thanks to your gifts, I recovered and am able to walk around like this.”

“Though you didn’t exactly show any signs of taking care of your health afterwards.”

“Well, that’s…”

I awkwardly stammered and touched the necklace I had received back then. Chris stared intently at my hand resting on the necklace.

“…”

Just as I started feeling like my hand was turning red, Chris nodded and finished reading the letter.

“It’s an invitation for me.”

“Yes.”

“As her partner for the debutante ball.”

Chris quickly read through the letter, folded it lightly, and then asked me.

“Is this something that requires an immediate response?”

“…Not to me, but to her.”

“I doubt I would go to the manor just for this.”

I nodded, understanding his reasoning. The Northern retainers, who didn’t like my presence in the Grand Duke’s estate, would hardly appreciate Chris going to the manor for Aria.

“You can send a letter. I’m sure she would appreciate it.”

When I answered as calmly as I could, Chris nodded again and asked.

“You mentioned there were two matters, so one remains.”

I clenched my lightly folded hands and observed Chris.

Chris, who showed no particular reaction to Aria’s name earlier. Chris, who wouldn’t visit Aria due to the opposition of the retainers.

However, he had smiled when he smelled the lemon scent, the fragrance of Aria.

‘I can’t figure out his feelings at all.’

Suppressing the urge to close my eyes, I spoke.

“I’ll tell you my request.”

“Please do.”

“…If you don’t mind, I’d like to request you as my partner as well, Your Grace.”

“……”

Silence filled the carriage for a while. Only the rattling of the moving carriage reminded me of reality.

‘It can’t be helped if he refuses.’

I would have to tell the Duke that I tried my best, but who knows how he would respond.

While I fidgeted with my fingers, unsure of what to do, I felt as if I could hear the ticking of a clock in my head. Then, Chris calmly opened his mouth.

“Is there no letter for me?”

“A letter?”

“I understand that such partner requests are usually exchanged through letters.”

Trying to remain composed, I responded to Chris’s words.

“No. I thought it would be better to tell you directly.”

“……”

“Leaving something tangible between us seems premature.”

Do we really need to leave such evidence between us? Isn’t it enough if it just looks that way to others?

Chris seemed to prefer exchanging formal documents, but I had a different perspective.

I already had memories from my past life, memories of letters and documents I had never written, but which had been attributed to me as having been sent to Chris.

…In the end, those letters led to Chris’s death.

‘When I think of that…’

My heart ached, and it felt painful. The thought of writing something and giving it to Chris felt strangely unsettling. It seemed like too much of a risk for me.

Chris seemed to be lost in thought after hearing my words.

“Understood.”

After that, silence returned. I suddenly remembered that Chris still hadn’t given me an answer about being my partner.

However, it was difficult to ask again, so I just looked out the window.

Rumble.

“Stop the carriage for a moment.”

“Why, Your Grace?”

Chris opened the window to the coachman’s seat and ordered the carriage to stop.

“Your Grace?”

I asked in a puzzled voice. Chris answered the coachman.

“We should head to a jeweler’s.”

“Just any jeweler?”

“The best one in the capital.”

“I know of a suitable place.”

The coachman nodded immediately. The carriage started moving again with a jolt. I looked at Chris, feeling the tingling in my fingertips.

“At the jeweler’s…”

“I heard it’s customary for a family member or a fiancé to buy jewels for a young lady on her debutante.”

Hearing that, my heart sank.

It was clear that he was going to buy jewels for Aria.

‘There’s no need for me to accompany him there.’

If I followed him that far, I would end up in a pitiful situation, no matter how much I tried not to be.

I wanted to avoid that, but I missed the chance to refuse, so I just sat quietly in the carriage.

“We’ve arrived.”

Not long after, the carriage smoothly came to a stop in front of the jewelry store. I recognized the place immediately.

It was the same jewelry store that had been buzzing with talk among the servants, where Seth had taken Aria for her debutante preparations.

‘…Should I tell Chris that Aria already has a gemstone?’

The story of the gemstone Seth had bought for Aria was a big topic of conversation in the manor and within the social circles.

A large pink sapphire, said to be as beautiful as Aria’s pink hair.

I recalled the sneering looks of the servants as they spoke about it.

But if Chris decided to buy a gemstone for Aria, she would gladly discard the pink sapphire and wear Chris’s gift instead.

‘Seth would be quite upset, I suppose.’

The best advice I could offer in this situation… was to avoid choosing the pink sapphire Aria already had.

A pang of discomfort hit my chest.

“I’ll wait here until you’re finished.”

The coachman opened the carriage door, and I quietly spoke up. It was time for me to step aside.

“I think I’ll take my leave now.”

“…Why?”

Chris’s expression showed genuine confusion as I responded while still seated in the carriage. His bewildered look made me feel dizzy, as if he truly couldn’t understand why I was doing this.

‘Of course, he doesn’t need to know that I don’t want him to meet with Aria.’

Still, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. I forced myself to continue speaking.

“…Aren’t you here to buy a jewel?”

“Which is precisely why you should come with me.”

“I can tell you about Aria’s preferences, but beyond that…”

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.”

Chris interrupted sharply, and I looked up at him in surprise.

“The person I’m buying a jewel for is you, Mindia Reinhardt.”

His words made my throat burn with a sudden heat.

“I came here to purchase your jewel. You are attending the debutante as well, aren’t you?”

I had no idea what to say next.

“Why?”

The question slipped out almost instinctively. It was the same question Chris often asked me.

“Why go to such lengths…”

Chris answered immediately.

“Because if I don’t say it this clearly, who knows what you’ll do next.”

He sighed deeply.

“I’ve already told you that I don’t want a repeat of what happened last time.”

“…You’re referring to the pickpocket incident.”

Chris looked at me with the same intense gaze he had that day.

“To prevent such incidents, I thought it necessary to reinforce our alliance.”

My racing heart began to calm down a little.

Knowing that he was a man driven by duty and responsibility brought me both relief and a faint ache in my chest.

‘No matter what, even if he loves Aria, he won’t abandon our alliance.’

That was the one truth I could hold on to.

I entered the jewelry store, holding Chris’s hand. Even after understanding the reason, my fingertips continued to tremble.

“Oh my.”

The eyes of everyone inside the store turned to us in an instant.