I wore the most annoyed expression I could muster and leaned back against the carriage, opening my mouth.
“What is your business?”
“I came here to say hello. Young Lord.”
In fact, I’d never spoken to her before, so her current actions could only be termed as shameless. I was certain her intentions weren’t noble, evident not just in her gaze but also in her peculiar behavior.
“I am Perl of the Paerious family, the major ore supplier to the Baslett family.”
“Is that so?”
Uninterested, I cut off the unnecessary self-introduction. I aimed to avoid any situation that might lead to Shael misunderstanding.
Despite the potential hurt to the pride of a noble lady, Perl pressed on with the conversation.
“By the way, where is Young Lady Shael? Is she in the carriage while making the Young Lord stand outside?”
In essence, she implied that Shael was being abusive towards me, her fiance. The woman’s comment hinted at an underlying intention to separate Shael and me.
Such words were typically left unsaid. I surmised that the rumor about me being unable to break our engagement due to Shael exploiting some weakness was the reason for Perl’s audacity. The absurdity of such a rumor testifies to how wild gossip had become.
I responded with truthful words.
“Since we ki*sed quite a lot, she is tired and sleeping.”
“…?”
It was an unexpected answer.
For a fiancée unable to dissolve the engagement due to his weakness being exposed by a vile villainess, it was an absurd response.
Nevertheless, Perl persisted, seemingly undeterred.
“You can tell me the truth. Without that, there’s no way you’d be outside the carriage sighing alone…”
I had stepped out to cool my flushed face from kissing Shael, and I hadn’t sighed. This woman was making her won convenient assumptions.
I took a deep breath to compose myself. Even if her behavior was based on the rumors and ignorance, it was also true that she lacked manners.
Of course, such people existed in the world. Raised in the gilded confines of a noble family, they lacked a sense of propriety. The discovery of a rich iron vein and the rise of the Paerious family likely played a role in Perl’s audacity.
As I frowned, Perl, sensing something was amiss, said, “Oh, I forgot to go to meet my father. See you at the Social Gathering shortly, Young Lord.”
No, she hadn’t realized something was wrong. Was there something I needed to attend to?
I sighed and retreated into the carriage. First and foremost, I wanted to check on Shael inside.
Shael was still asleep. I desired to watch her a bit longer, but alas, I had to wake her up.
“The Social Gathering is about to start. You should wake up now.”
Shael nodded in her sleep, naturally falling into my arms.
Suddenly awake, she spoke, “This smell…”
“What smell are you talking about?”
“It smells like perfume.”
It seemed the smell of perfume had lingered even if we exchanged just a few words. Shael’s keen sense of smell detected even the faintest details.
“Someone came over to greet me. Naturally, I treated her coldly and avoided conversation as much as possible.”
I made a clumsy excuse, which Shael would probably find hard to believe.
Contrary to my expectations, Shael nodded.
Her response was quite unexpected indeed, considering that I had conversed with another woman without her knowledge.
At the same time, I felt gratitude, as it also meant that Shael had placed her complete trust in me.
And I vowed never to betray that trust.
Firm in my resolve, I entered the imperial palace with Shael.
***
The grand imperial palace hosted the Social Gathering.
Everyone, in a display of their nobility, donned vibrant clothes.
Shael and I entered inconspicuously, trying not to attract attention. Yet, attention was inevitable, given the recent rumors about Shael.
The only relief was the absence of the Crown Prince and the Mage Tower Lord.
However, that was all. The situation was dire, evident in the hushed conversations around us.
‘Usually, they wouldn’t be able to do these things so openly.’
As many scrutinized us, the rest also got courage and sent us unabashed stares.
“Let’s go to the corner and pass the time.”
Of course, I didn’t plan to just confine ourselves to a corner. The purpose of attending the Social Gathering was to dispel the rumors surrounding Shael.
The plan was simple– demonstrate that Shael had become somewhat kinder. Show people the depth of our affection and validate our relationship.
After clearing my thoughts, I looked to the side and saw Shael pouring wine into her glass.
“Why do you want to drink when you are weak? It’s an important day, so you should keep your sober mind.”
“I’m not weak.”
In the end, Shael, who ignored my nagging, followed me with her wine glass. She had poured more than expected, so I planned to snatch the wine glass after she drank about half of it.
Oddly enough, Shael didn’t drink the wine she poured.
‘If you’re not even going to drink, why did you even take the wine? Does it feel cool to carry around a wine glass?’
I didn’t know. Shael’s way of thinking was beyond my comprehension. Still, I was relieved that Shael didn’t plan to drink too much.
“Please sit down.”
As we settled into a corner, several onlookers gathered, their gaze fixed on us.
Among them were the offsprings of the Duke of Anyden and the Count of Paerious, led by Perl Paerious, whom I had encountered earlier.
All members held high status, their families boasting outstanding wealth and influence. So I had to be careful.
Notably, the Duke of Anyden’s family had a had a bad relationship with the Azbel family.
I concentrated my mana, enhancing my senses. Even so, it was not enough, so I resorted to a magic scroll to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“Look, she is enjoying wine alone. Poor Young Lord Eran…”
“What can he do? She is someone who even troubled the good Duke Jespen.”
“I heard that she even harassed a commoner at the Banquet Hall of the Magic Tower.”
“I had a conversation with Prince Eran earlier, and he seemed eager to break off the engagement.”
I deactivated the sensory magic, not wanting to hear more. It made me want to approach them and stop the conversation. Yet, that might not be wise.
I exhaled, gathering my composure.
Sensing my anger, Shael spoke, “Your face is red.”
“It’s because it’s hot. I’ll go get some fresh air.”
A nearby balcony provided an escape.
As I entered, the voices slandering Shael were muffled by curtains.
However the unwanted voices persisted as someone also approached the balcony.
It was Perl Paerious, who was among those cursing Shael.
“Oh, what a coincidence.”
“…” I didn’t respond.
I shot her an annoyed look, silently urging her to leave.
Yet choosing to remain oblivious to my displeasure, Perl grinned, “It was a pity that I couldn’t say goodbye just a while ago. I guess it’s fine now, Young Lord Eran.”
Consciously aware of Shael beside me, Perl continued, “I hope next time we will have a chance to talk alone.”
The two of us had a conversation without her knowledge—a remark that blatantly scratched at Shael’s inner turmoil.
It seemed the Paerious family failed in properly educating their children.
Turning my head, contemplating how to handle the ill-mannered Perl, I noticed Shael frowning. She teetered on the brink of losing her temper. Her left hand, the one that held the wine glass earlier, trembled. Now, she seemed poised to splash wine on Perl.
Quickly, I reached out, intercepting her. I even confiscated the wine glass Shael held.
“…!”
Shael panicked, as if unaware I would do this. She exchanged bewildered glances between the wine glass and me, seemingly unable to fathom that I had taken it away.
Perl did not conceal her sneer. She even had a look on her face as if she had won.
However, that triumph was short-lived.
“Ah!”
A bright red picture was drawn using empty space as a drawing paper.
Soon, Perl’s white dress was stained red as the spilled wine drenched her.
‘…no.’
To be precise, it splattered.
Seeing Perl’s expression, the opposite of moments ago, brought a refreshing feeling.
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Rather than splashing wine to someone else, wouldn’t it better to feed them excessive PDAs until they vomit from cringe. At least this way, you can alleviate the rumors.