Chapter 43
After the hunting festival, Ines had come to realize one thing.
The more her actions differed from the past, the more unexpected incidents occurred, disrupting the course of future events.
Cedric’s visit while she was ill had been one such incident.
What happened at the hunting festival had been another.
Her visit to the Angel ducal estate had been another as well.
And that wasn’t all.
Ever since her last visit to the ducal estate, Cedric’s requests for dates had become increasingly straightforward.
No matter what excuse she came up with, she could never outtalk Cedric.
As a result, Ines had no choice but to spend time with him about once a week.
That was why she absolutely had to get through today’s event without incident.
If she did anything reckless here, where their engagement date would be officially announced, there was no telling in what unexpected direction the future would turn once again.
***
“Look over there.”
The people’s whispers and gazes all turned toward one place.
At the end of those gazes were Ines and Cedric, who had just entered the ballroom.
“I’ve been thinking this ever since the hunting festival.”
One noblewoman took a sip of her wine as she spoke.
“Duke Angel seems much more affectionate toward his future fiancée than I expected.”
“What do you all think the reason is?”
Her tone openly revealed her surprise.
“I know what you mean.”
Another lady standing beside her nodded in agreement.
Count Greenwood was now influential enough to dominate noble society.
As a result, many nobles who wished to establish ties with him treated Ines kindly in public, even though they secretly disliked her.
However, Duke Angel was different from them.
Unlike the other nobles, he had no need to rely on Count Greenwood’s influence.
“Could it be…”
A young lady standing beside her mother cautiously voiced her thoughts.
“Could it be that Duke Angel actually likes Lady Greenwood?”
The moment she finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous.”
Laughing so hard that tears formed in her eyes, one noblewoman dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief before speaking to the innocent young lady.
“There are already more than ten young ladies who openly admire Duke Angel.”
“What do you think that means?”
“W-Well…?”
“It means there are ten noble families powerful enough to stand against Count Greenwood.”
“And every one of those daughters desires the position of Duchess of Angel.”
The ability to openly reveal one’s feelings meant they possessed confidence.
It meant they all believed they were superior to Ines Greenwood.
Whether it was because of the power of their families.
Or because of their wealth.
Or, if neither of those, because of their own beauty and refinement.
“Ines Greenwood is such a country bumpkin that she probably can’t even dance a single proper dance.”
Another young lady glared at Ines with eyes full of envy and jealousy.
She envied everything Ines possessed.
She felt it was unfair.
‘I can dance far better than she can.’
A foolish woman who attended almost every ball she was invited to simply because people dared not offend Count Greenwood.
Yet she never danced even once.
She merely stood alone in a corner of the ballroom.
Her presence was so insignificant that she was no different from one of the ballroom windows, a tablecloth, or an elegantly decorated cake.
Why else would she have never danced even once?
There could only be one explanation.
Her dancing must have been too laughable to show anyone.
‘A country bumpkin Duchess who can’t even dance one proper dance.’
‘Even Duke Angel is sure to be disappointed!’
The young lady ground her teeth.
In any case, today would be the end.
Surely this would be the opportunity for everyone to discover Ines Greenwood’s true worth.
“There’s no way a woman like her could ever become the Duchess of Angel—”
She had been about to say *could*.
However, the moment she saw Ines and Cedric dancing together, she was so shocked that she could not finish her sentence.
“Look over there.”
“She’s an incredible dancer.”
The young lady who had been mocked by so many people straightened her shoulders proudly as she spoke.
Just as she had said, although Ines should have looked intimidated,
she danced beautifully with perfect posture.
She suited Cedric so perfectly that every noble who had been speaking ill of her was left speechless.
That woman…
Was she really the same foolish Ines Greenwood?
Even after witnessing Ines move with the effortless grace of someone who had attended so many events that she could not possibly become any more experienced,
they simply could not believe it.
***
“What a shame.”
As they danced, Cedric quietly whispered to her.
His voice was filled with amazement.
“If I had known you were such an excellent dancer, Miss Ines, I would have asked you to dance much sooner.”
He truly meant it.
“When did you practice dancing so much?”
“Did you receive private lessons?”
Remembering that Ines had once claimed she could not dance well, Cedric asked.
In response to his question, Ines simply smiled without saying a word.
When he asked when she had practiced so much,
she could hardly tell him that it had been during the days when she had been his wife,
when they danced together every night in a quiet room without any music.
“I don’t like dancing.”
As she danced hand in hand with him around the ballroom,
Ines felt as though she were dreaming for a brief moment.
It was the kind of dream in which she had returned to those carefree days.
But just as every dream must eventually end,
the music came to an end as well.
“Since we’ve finished one dance, I think I’ll go rest for a while.”
She intended to spend the rest of the evening in a corner of the ballroom, just as she always did.
“I see.”
“Then let’s go together.”
“Pardon?”
“I happen to be a little tired as well.”
“Aren’t you thirsty?”
Cedric said with a faint smile.
“Go somewhere quiet and rest.”
“I’ll bring you something to drink.”
Cedric had already seen through everything Ines was thinking.
Today, he had no intention of letting her go so easily.
His future fiancée.
Today was the day that tiresome line she constantly drew between them would finally come to an end.
Once their engagement date was announced today,
she would officially become his fiancée.
Whether or not the engagement ceremony itself had already taken place did not matter.
He intended to make his determination unmistakably clear regarding this engagement,
which everyone—including Ines herself—still believed might one day be broken.
He wanted everyone to accept their engagement as naturally as they accepted that the sun would rise in the east the next morning.
Thinking that, Cedric smiled.
For some reason, Ines seemed unusually gentle today.
Wasn’t she always subtly avoiding and distancing herself from him?
Without ever learning why,
and without ever asking,
he had remained by her side.
But his patience was beginning to wear thin.
It was even harder to endure because he could not understand it.
She certainly liked him.
Having met countless people since childhood because of his status,
Cedric had become highly sensitive to both goodwill and malice directed toward him.
Ines liked him.
Moreover, whenever she avoided him, he sensed neither hatred nor indifference in her actions.
‘Just what are you hiding?’
He wished she would simply tell him honestly, whatever it was.
Holding two glasses of lightly sparkling wine,
Cedric slowly walked toward Ines.
When their eyes met,
he gave her a gentle smile and lightly raised one of the glasses.
The golden wine shimmered softly inside the crystal.
The more Ines avoided and distanced herself from him,
the fiercer the fire burning within Cedric’s heart became.
“Lady Greenwood must surely feel hurt.”
“You do remember how indifferent Your Grace has been toward her all this time, don’t you?”
When the head maid had complained like that,
he had merely laughed it off in disbelief.
But if, as she had suggested, this strange atmosphere had truly begun because of him,
then he needed to make up for it.
He carefully considered gifts that Ines might like and sent them to her.
He even made up rather unreasonable excuses just to persuade her to spend time with him on dates.
He knew spoken confessions meant little to Ines,
so instead he showed her through his actions.
Please…
Understand how I feel.
I love you this much.
I truly mean it.
Yet no matter how honestly he revealed his feelings,
he never received an answer.
Cedric felt as though he were shouting endlessly into an empty void that returned no echo.
Just a little longer.
A little more time,
and everything would surely be all right.
Even as he told himself that,
his heart grew increasingly impatient.
Still, judging by Ines’s behavior today,
his efforts had not been entirely in vain.
Wasn’t the woman who had always wanted to keep her distance now spending time by his side in front of so many people,
even if it was because of an official event?
To Cedric,
that was a very welcome change.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
Ines accepted the wine glass from Cedric and took a small sip.
As the sweet wine, with its light alcohol content, slid down her throat,
warmth quickly spread through her body.
Seeing a faint blush bloom across Ines’s face as she quietly looked down at the wine glass,
Cedric found her adorable.
Ines noticed Cedric smiling at her,
and, embarrassed,
she looked away.
She fanned herself with her hand as she mumbled,
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have drunk it.”
“I think the alcohol is getting to me.”
“A little alcohol helps people relax.”
“It will do you good, Miss Ines.”
“Pardon?”
Unable to understand what he meant,
Ines looked up at him.
Her usually clear green eyes had become slightly hazy from the wine.
The moment Cedric met those eyes,
he found himself unable to keep today’s news to himself any longer.
“Today, Count Greenwood will announce the date of our engagement ceremony.”
Ines’s eyes trembled slightly.
However, her reaction was not nearly as intense as Cedric had expected.
“You’re not surprised.”
“Did you already know?”
Cedric asked, sounding somewhat surprised.
“No.”
“I didn’t know.”
“But I expected it.”
Just as I thought.
It was the same as in her previous life.
Or even if it had not been,
there could hardly have
been a more fitting occasion to announce their engagement ceremony.
Even though she had prepared herself,
hearing Cedric say it aloud still shook her heart.
If she could,
she wanted to avoid it.
She wanted to run away.
But she could not.
Because if she did,
there was no way of knowing how fate might become twisted once again.
