46

“…”

“…”

Dante and I fell into silence side by side.

Viscount Craig once again pursued the lady.

“Let’s stop fooling around and go together.”

“Oh, no, I…”

The opposing woman weakly resisted, but it seemed that Viscount Craig paid no heed to her objections.

Judging by the hearty laughter, he didn’t seem to be listening with his ears either.

“Well, isn’t it natural for bees and butterflies to get entangled in flowers?”

I felt a sickening sensation twisting in my stomach.

Indeed.

Lucien, who once trusted and followed that small-minded cousin like a parent, was still confined in a dark, gloomy cell.

If it weren’t for Lucien, that leech-like fellow, who would have never set foot in this splendid banquet hall, was now swaggering around.

Everything about Lucien had been taken away.

“That bastard…”

Dante, cursing under his breath, tried to stand up again.

In fact, Viscount Craig’s attitude was a blatant rudeness toward the host.

If, by any chance, rumors spread about this incident, the host would have to handle the aftermath.

I called Dante.

“Marquis.”

“Oh, what?”

Dante, who reflexively raised his voice, checked my expression and managed to suppress his irritation.

Although I didn’t know for sure without looking in the mirror, my expression seemed anything but gentle.

“As expected, can we just leave them alone?”

After taking a short breath, I calmly spoke.

“In that case, as the organizer of this debutante party, there’s something I really want to do.”

“Hmm, I don’t know what it is.”

Dante, with a strange look, nodded as if acknowledging it.

“Do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

I stood up from my seat.

I picked up the champagne glass on the table and walked briskly towards the balcony.

Just below the balcony, a well-hidden spot behind lush garden trees came into view.

Inside, a lady and a gentleman were standing as if they were trying to hide.

However, the expressions of the two were quite contrasting.

“Please, Viscount Craig…”

“Well, what’s wrong? It’s a good time for each other during these occasions. Right?”

The lady looked bewildered, and the gentleman was relentless in trying to allure her.

I pulled my head out and gauged the positions of the two.

Since they were clearly visible from the protruding balcony, there seemed to be no hindrance to what I was about to do.

‘All right.’

With an expressionless face, I tilted the champagne glass.

Shwooosh!

Translucent champagne poured down directly over Viscount Craig’s head.

“Ah!”

The viscount jumped up like a frog dropped into boiling water.

Then, with a disgusted expression, he looked up.

“Well, what the!”

His carefully styled hair and sophisticated suit were all a mess.

It seemed that champagne had gotten into his eyes, as he couldn’t open them properly.

The sight was quite satisfying.

“You…!”

Viscount Craig, hastily wiping his face with his sleeve, scowled.

“Lady Lepherian! What on earth are you doing!”

“What am I doing?”

I replied nonchalantly without raising an eyebrow.

“I just gave water to the flowers.”

“No, what nonsense is this!”

“If it’s natural for bees and butterflies to get entangled with flowers…”

To my rhetorical question, Viscount Craig made a bewildered expression.

Whether he liked it or not, I shrugged.

“Then, isn’t it natural for flowers to drink water?”

“Hey, Lady Lepherian!”

The viscount, unable to control his anger, raised his voice.

But sadly, he couldn’t reprimand me to the end.

“Who are you yelling at right now?”

Behind me, Dante leaned his head forward.

“Oh, Marquis Offenheir?!”

As soon as he confirmed the other party, the color drained from the viscount’s face.

But only for a moment.

The viscount raised his head stiffly.

“Di-did you just see that?”

His clenched fists looked determined, as if he were a general leading a million enemies in battle.

However, saying that while covered in champagne made him look a bit comical.

“Lady Lepherian intentionally poured champagne on me! How could she commit such an outrage…!”

But Dante, leaning against the railing with his chin in his hand, responded disdainfully.

“Viscount Craig, is the viscount always this shameless?”

“Yes?”

“That’s right. The most effective card the viscount currently holds is the title of Acting Duke Kalleid.”

As if poking a sore spot, Viscount Craig’s face turned red with embarrassment.

But Dante didn’t stop there.

“Dare to believe in that insignificant Acting Duke position and dare to create a scandal at our debutante, relying on such a theme.”

Dante’s gaze sank coldly.

“You’re running towards me to offer an apology, aren’t you?”

“Scandal, you say! I didn’t do anything…!”

“Really? Did you really do nothing?”

Dante smiled beautifully, tilting his head.

Just by looking intently, the pressure was immense.

The viscount’s legs began to tremble.

“Well, people don’t change easily.”

“Hoo, Marquis….”

“But even if a knife is stuck in your back, it might wake you up.”

Dante spoke languidly, leaning his chin on the railing.

“Mumbling as if your mouth is a hole gets on other people’s nerves. Don’t you think so?”

“…”

Whatever he had imagined, Viscount Craig’s face turned a pale blue.

A laughter-mixed voice fell like a sharp blade.

“Viscount, you should behave yourself better.”

“…”

“It’s your debutante after all; maybe you kept quiet to avoid causing more trouble.”

Facing the silent viscount, Dante asked kindly.

“No response, huh?”

Viscount Craig looked up at Dante with fear in his eyes.

After a long time of biting his lips.

“Yes, I understand.”

The viscount nodded, gritting his teeth.

Only after extracting an answer from the viscount’s mouth, Dante snapped his fingers.

“Then get lost.”

As Dante’s words dropped like thunder, Viscount Craig hurriedly retreated.

The lady left alone stared at me, frozen, then quickly left after a brief bow.

I watched her retreating figure absentmindedly.

‘How different is our situation?’

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

If Dante wasn’t my lover, I wouldn’t have been able to smile and endure such ridicule.

However.

My chest felt suffocating, as if crushed by a rock.

In the end, I had to live cautiously, always watching someone’s eyes, trying not to offend them…

‘I’m the same.’

I bit my lip tightly.

At that moment.

“Darling.”

A soft voice echoed.

I snapped back to attention as if cold water had been poured on me.

Right.

Dante was beside me.

The man who could twist my neck at any moment.

… A shiver ran down my spine.

“Yes, Marquis.”

I reflexively turned to Dante.

Thunk.

Along with it, his outstretched index finger poked my cheek.

… Dante extended his index finger as if waiting for me to turn my head.

“Oh, it’s so soft.”

Dante, who had been poking my cheek repeatedly, gave me a teasing smile.

I stared at Dante with cold eyes.

‘Was this man always this cheesy?’

But Dante didn’t stop there.

With both hands, he started squeezing my cheeks.

“Huhaim, i hon jom… (Marquis, stop…)”

I tried to resist Dante, holding both my cheeks in his hands.

Nevertheless, Dante didn’t stop playing with my cheeks for a long time.

Anyone looking at me would think my cheeks were made of clay.