Chapter 19
Harold’s deep blue eyes slowly shifted toward me. Without taking his gaze off me, he straightened his posture from where he had been leaning on the terrace railing.
“Let’s head down now,” he said and disappeared from the terrace. Moments later, he appeared in the garden.
With noble and impeccable strides, neither too fast nor too slow, Harold made his way to my side. Specifically, he positioned himself between me and Vincent, lightly wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
The fragrance of the perfume I wore became even more noticeable now that he was standing so close—a fresh, woodsy scent. The realization that Harold was truly beside me eased the tension I’d felt under the cold stares of the crowd. Just having him near brought an unexpected sense of relief.
With his characteristic elegant smile, Harold glanced down at Vincent.
“Young Master Vincent, are your eyes not working properly? Or did you have too much to drink at the gambling house last night and are still hungover? Otherwise, I don’t see how you could claim that my Diana grabbed Lady Ella by the hair.”
“Hah, defending the Duchess is one thing, but are you really picking a fight with me now?”
“Fight? I’m merely stating a fact. I was on the terrace the whole time Lady Ella was alone in the garden.” He gestured toward the terrace where he had just been standing.
“Lady Ella approached Diana to initiate a conversation, but suddenly screamed and collapsed. Then, as if possessed, she began to tear at her own hair, just as my wife described.”
As Harold defended me, murmurs rippled through the crowd. His words held significant weight, unlike mine, even though they were essentially the same.
I felt a bittersweet tinge in my mouth, knowing this, but at the same time, I felt reassured by his support.
Harold turned his attention back to me.
“Diana, you said a servant called you here earlier?”
“Yes.”
“Just so we’re clear, I never instructed any servant to bring you to the garden. So…”
He trailed off as his fingers lightly brushed against my earlobe, sending a shiver down my spine.
“…someone else must’ve wanted to put you in an uncomfortable position.”
Harold’s gaze slid away from me and back to Vincent.
“What…! There’s a limit to how much you can cover for the Duchess, Your Grace!” Vincent’s voice rose, his face flushed with anger.
“Do you think I’m the kind of man who would deceive everyone here just to protect my wife?” Harold’s smile vanished, replaced by a cold, displeased expression. The overwhelming pressure emanating from him made Vincent’s complexion pale.
“That’s… I didn’t mean…”
“If not, what did you mean?”
“…”
“If it wasn’t an insult, then what?”
Even though the oppressive atmosphere wasn’t directed at me, I could feel its weight. The tension was visible on the faces of those around us. ‘Wow… Diana, how did you ever manage to argue with Harold?’ If it had been me, I wouldn’t have dared to attend any party he was present at—at least, not if we were on bad terms.
But now, we were on the same side, and there was no one more reassuring than Harold.
“…”
Vincent, realizing how deeply he had dug himself into this mess, seemed to finally grasp the situation. I could predict what he would do next.
“I must have been mistaken due to the lingering effects of alcohol. I apologize, Your Grace.”
“It seems your apology shouldn’t be directed at me alone.”
“I’ve wronged you, Duchess. I sincerely apologize for my actions.”
When Vincent was overwhelmed, his first instinct was to flee from the situation. And now, that’s exactly what was happening. I turned to glance in Ella’s direction. She was still in Kaiden’s arms, her face hidden.
However, Kaiden’s face was clearly visible, and it was filled with tension.
“Lady Ella. Do you have nothing to say for yourself?” Harold’s sharp question made Ella’s shoulders tremble.
She slowly turned her head, her tear-filled golden eyes looking pitifully at Harold.
“…When I saw the Duchess, it reminded me of past events, and I was overcome with fear. I should have stopped my brother when he misunderstood the situation, but I… I couldn’t breathe properly when I looked at the Duchess…”
“Why, though? You were just having a perfectly fine conversation with her earlier.”
“Pardon? When did I… Ugh.” Ella bit her lower lip, glancing at me with wide, desperate eyes before collapsing into Kaiden’s arms once again.
With her pale cheeks and frail appearance, it really did look like she had fainted. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at her theatrics.
“I apologize on my fiancée’s behalf. I will formally visit the both of you later to offer our apologies once again,” Kaiden said, swiftly carrying her away from the garden.
With Ella making her dramatic exit, Vincent was the only one left.
“Young Master Vincent, I think it’s time for you to leave as well,” the Marchioness of Mayer suggested gently, though the words were clearly a dismissal.
Vincent clenched his jaw but, under the harsh glares of the onlookers, had no choice but to leave alone.
* * *
I sat at a table on the terrace and took a deep breath, trying to shake off the tension from the argument. It still hung over me like a heavy cloud.
I stared blankly at the open garden, lost in thought.
‘If Harold hadn’t been watching everything from up there…’
If that had been the case, everything would have gone exactly as Ella and Vincent planned. It would’ve been me getting kicked out by Lady Mayer, not Vincent. And the “villainess” label on me would’ve just stuck even deeper. Harold wouldn’t have kicked me out because of my abilities, but would he have been disappointed?
Just imagining Harold looking at me with disappointment made me feel down.
Just then, something cold touched my cheek. It was a glass.
“Huh?” I jumped, startled. When I looked up, there was Harold, holding two glasses in his hands.
“What were you thinking about that you didn’t even notice me come in?” He sat across from me, casually crossing his long legs. He put the glass he was holding to my cheek down in front of me. A sweet wine scent wafted up from the glass.
“Oh, I was just spacing out,” I replied.
“Hmm.” Harold raised one eyebrow slowly as he took a sip, his deep blue eyes focused on me like he didn’t believe I was just daydreaming. Avoiding his gaze, I took a sip of my wine.
We sat in silence for a while, just drinking. Before I knew it, my glass was empty. The alcohol in my system relaxed me a bit, and I leaned back in my chair, staring at the garden.
“It could’ve been a bad day, but it ended pretty well, didn’t it?” I said quietly.
I remembered the time we ran into those human traffickers. Harold had ‘coincidentally’ been passing by, and that’s how I survived.
And today too—he just ‘happened’ to be on the terrace, watching everything, saving me from a huge misunderstanding.
“If you hadn’t been up there watching from the terrace, things would’ve gone exactly how those two wanted. With everything I’ve done so far, no one would’ve believed me, no matter how unfair it was. I wouldn’t have had anyone to complain to, so I probably would’ve just ended up crying under my blankets.”
I laughed as I said it, but deep down, I meant every word.
If things had gone wrong, I would’ve been upset thinking about all the effort I put in. It would’ve hurt to be accused of something I didn’t even do. And I would’ve been devastated by Harold’s disappointed look. Just imagining it made me feel like I lost 10 years of my life.
So yeah, I was really lucky Harold had been there to see everything.
“I guess I’m a pretty lucky person,” I said with a teasing smile, turning to look at Harold. He was already looking at me, our eyes naturally met.
Harold raised an eyebrow.
“……”
“……”
Without saying a word, he took another sip of his wine. There was still more than half left.
“Hmm, maybe.” He set his glass down softly, leaning back in his chair, his fingers intertwined in front of him. Even in such a relaxed position, he exuded natural elegance.
“Still, I don’t think you would’ve been crying alone under your blankets like you imagined.”
“Really?”
“Diana, you handled it quite well. Compared to the emotional, reckless girl you were before you were married, I’d say you did a great job.”
Hmm. So maybe someone would’ve believed me after all? It was a good thing I stayed calm and handled the situation rationally instead of acting out emotionally. Good job, me,
Feeling a bit proud of myself, I asked teasingly, “So even if you hadn’t seen what happened from the terrace, you wouldn’t have left me crying by myself?”
I wasn’t really expecting him to say yes. I figured he’d give a more negative answer, and then I could just pout playfully in response.
“Oh, did I forget to mention?” Harold’s lips curved up into a long, mischievous smile.
“When I said I saw the moment you ran into Ella… that was a lie.”
