novelDon't come to the imperial ball (1)
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Chapter 90: Chapter 90 Don't come to the imperial ball (1)
"I...I tried to understand you, thinking how much you hated me and how much you have misunderstood me. So, I felt you wouldn't forgive me because you couldn't trust me anymore... I tried to understand your pain.
But why have you never tried to understand me? Do you think you alone spent your past days in pain? What about me? Don't you think I didn't suffer at all?"
Wendy couldn't blink. She felt as if all the blood was being drained from her head.
Dylan took a deep breath several times. He seemed to try hard to restrain resentment welling up in his heart. Seeing her embarrassed expression, he closed his eyes as if to mock himself.
Heavy silence fell over them for a while.
He carefully removed his hand from her shoulder. He bowed his head as if he tried to control his feelings, and he said feebly, "...You can't go back to the banquet hall, so let me bring Captain Lard here. Wait here..."
Wendy lowered her head as she didn't have the nerve to watch him disappearing into the darkness. The light from the oil lamps that lighted the hallway still did not shine into the darkness in which she was hiding.
She sat down on the spot. She felt emaciated. Dylan's dejected face came to her mind on and off.
'Have I ever tried to understand him?'
His pain broke her heart.
Wendy recalled her work today, with a dry and tired expression like a withered flower.
A feeble smile came out of her mouth. It was a tiring day. She could not hold her body sinking into the dark. She even wished she would disappear somewhere like a wrecked ship floating on the night sea.
She heard the sound of someone walking toward her. She was aghast for a long time. At one point, one clear voice was heard loudly in her ears. Wendy's vision was vaguely blurred like a bent autumn tree.
"..."
At that moment, someone stood in front of her. She looked up with blurred eyes.
The man was looking down at her, lowering his body. A worried voice came out of his lips.
"Are you playing hide and seek now?"
Lard reached out to her. Wendy looked at his hand for a while and put her hand on it.
He raised her up quickly.
"Let's go back now." He said with an expression of anguish and conflict.
She followed him silently. The light of the oil lamp shook with their movement.
As she stepped out of the building, she felt some violent emotion coming up from deep down.
Unable to determine whether it was sadness or guilt, she was distressed for reasons that she didn't know. She kept lowering her head, as if she didn't want him to notice her troubled mind."What happened?"
When she reached the staircase past the long corridor, he asked the question he had been holding back until then. But she shook her head a couple of times, with her head down, counting the numerous steps.
"As you did not come back for a while, I went to the female lounge...I really regretted sending you away with her..."
"...I'm sorry I've worried you."
"I met Sir Dylan Lennox. He told me where you are."
"... I think I'm beholden to him, " she said with a gloomy expression.
Although Lard seemed to ask her much more, he shut up, trying to put up with that. He fixed his eyes on her wet eyes, which turned red like the flaming sunset.
When she came out of the building, the cool night air blew over her skin. She stroked her arm, as if she was touching the seam of the old sleeve. A leaf from an old oak tree that endured for a long time landed on her feet. She walked away after looking at the cracks in the leaf quietly.
The two headed across the corridor to the place where the carriage was waiting. There was a loud noise of the people chattering with wine glasses with faraway fountain brightly lit.
While the two walked along, people were smiling and chattering on the benches here and there.
"...I told you so! Ahaha, As this is the direct import from Soperanin, you never know good quality it is."
"Oh, As you say so, I really would like to see that."
As the two passed by them who were chattering in a merry mood, they shut up at the same time. Only after the two walked away from them a little farther did they resume talking.
"You are Sir Schroder, aren't you?"
"Is this the same woman as the one in the rumor right now?" One of the men asked with a low voice. Although they talked carefully and quietly with a low voice, she could hear them all.
"Yes, she is the same woman I saw at the title awarding ceremony recently.
They say nobody knew which family she was from. Another rumor has it that she is not a noblewoman..."
As their chattering continued, Lard looked back and cast a fierce glance at them.
Their conversation stopped again.
"Ahahaha... Shall we go back now?"
"Sure."
They hurriedly went back to the banquet hall. Lard said in a quiet voice, once again staring at the disappearing people, "I feel heavy because I think I've involved you in imperial stuff."
"... I've heard something about it from the princess. I hear she received a threatening letter."
"Edmonds said the same thing, too. But they can't take it as a cause to draw you into their matters." He said resolutely.
"Do you think this would put me at risk?"
At her question, he stared at her with a gloomy expression.
"I am not so sure. Those who oppose the bill could threaten you to force me to be on their side...But I will not tolerate it. I can reassure you that nobody will hurt you."
She nodded once, hiding her pained heart. He looked at her with a lonely expression as if he read her mind.
She heard the horses whinnying nearby. When she moved a few steps further, she arrived at a place where the carriages of nobles were lined up. Noticing his master coming, Lard's horseman quickly ran to him.
As she moved to the wagon, escorted by him, there was the clattering of a horse. A little later, there was a wagon passing through the entrance. It was a late guest.
"Whoa, whoa!"
The wagon stopped in front of the two. The shape of an eagle flying up grasping a small beast with its claws was painted on the wagon door. It was the symbol of the Engre family.
A man with a sharp expression got out of the wagon, as if he was determined to do something.
Given that he had a solid build with a sword, he looked like a knight under Engre.
Then a middle-aged man dressed in an old-fashioned taupe suit got out of the carriage.
His hair was gray, and his eyes looked good.
"I'm glad to see you here, Sir Schroder."
He approached the two with a friendly smile. It was a smile that would appeal to anyone.
"Sir Engre!" Lard greeted him, moving ahead of Wendy.
"I think I am late, though I tried my best not to be late. Are you leaving already? Why are you in a hurry? I hope you could enjoy the party a little longer."
"I enjoyed it enough, " he replied shortly. His attitude toward Engre was cold.
"The woman behind you.... Is she your partner? I want to say hello."
"I felt so unwell that I was going to leave. You can say hello later, " Lard said, blocking his sight.
"...As you refuse, I can't say hello. Have a good night then!"
A sly smile appeared on the face of Duke Auguste Engre. Lard narrowed his eyes and glanced at him sharply.
Right at the moment there was a big earthshaking blast through the corridors of the banquet hall. Lots of dust was seen rising from the banquet building. At the same time people screamed here and there.
When there was a disturbance, Lard instinctively pulled Wendy into his arms.
Her face was turning white as if she was scared about the screams coming out everywhere.
His face grew dark instantly. The crown prince was still inside the banquet hall.
Something creepy flashed through his mind.
With his eye fixed on the banquet hall, he looked at Wendy again. As he couldn't figure out what was going on now, he couldn't take her to the center of the turmoil.
"What the heck is going on? Sir Burleigh, go and check what happened!"
Engre ordered his bodyguard knight. But the knight bowed and said, "I cannot leave you here alone."
Lard looked down at Wendy with a serious expression after watching the knight having a run-in with his master. Meeting his eyes, she bit her lip as if she decided something, and said, "Please go ahead. You have something to do out there!"
"..."
"Come on!" She pressed hard.
At her urging, he glanced at Engre's face. He could not take Engre's concern about her at face value.
He couldn't leave Wendy alone here.
Maybe the man in front of him was more dangerous than the turmoil out there. He had foreboding that the explosion inside the hall and Duke Engre was very relevant.
"No, I can't leave you here!"
After he said that, he grabbed her hand.
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