As they stepped into the backyard, the air felt cooler than summer. To Ruby, who was already heated from the intoxication, it felt refreshing.

Eli seated Ruby in one of the chairs placed in the yard and sat next to her. As soon as they sat down, he held Ruby’s shoulders, making her lean against him.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun drinking with people.”

Her voice carried an unseen joy.

Come to think of it, it hadn’t been years since she’d first been introduced to alcohol when she moved to the capital for her social debut.

“The first time I drank to the point of drunkenness was at Count Litmus’s. They say you need to know how much to drink to avoid embarrassment.”

She recalled the day she and Lynn had unwittingly downed a strong drink late in the evening without the countess’s knowledge.

“With Baroness Blora?”

Eli asked with a knowing smile.

“Yes.”

Ruby nodded with a small smile.

“What about you? When’s the last time you had much to drink?”

“I don’t remember.”

He couldn’t remember the first time, but he could remember the last. It was the days until he’d met Ruby here.

“It’s been a while.”

But he lied as if he didn’t remember.

“You’re lying.”

At the firm reply, Eli flinched.

‘Does she know something? Who could have mentioned it? ’

His mind was busy with her response.

“You handle alcohol well. Have you never been drunk?”

However, when a completely different answer came, he smiled and brushed it off.

“You’re still sober, right?”

Ruby mumbled worriedly.

“Yeah.”

“I’m the only one who’s drunk,” Ruby muttered.

“No, I’m in a good mood.”

Ruby shifted slightly against his shoulder and locked eyes with him.

“…Really?”

Ruby, as if measuring the truth, narrowed her eyes and looked at Eli.

She leaned in close and searched his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking.

It was a question she wouldn’t normally have asked. But for now, her drunkenness must have emboldened her.

The Eli in front of her looked too serious to be in a good mood, she thought, locking eyes with him.

He didn’t answer right away, so she waited for a response and looked into his brown eyes, which were brighter than usual in the moonlight.

“……Of course.”

Eli did the same. The red eyes that met his mesmerized him.

He stroked her cheek like a mesmerized man.

“How can I not be happy when you’re with me?”

Ruby smiled softly at him. Eli couldn’t look away because it was the carefree smile he’d seen on her so long ago, before she’d been hurt.

“What about you? Am I the reason you’re happy?”

“Aren’t you the person who’s here with me right now?”

Ruby replied cutely, wondering if it was someone else.

Eli burst into laughter. It was a response that made him feel better, despite Ruby being drunk.

Then Ruby also smiled, influenced by his laughter.

“So…… can I come on to you tonight?”

Eli approached Ruby slowly, as if gauging her willingness. He could stop at any time if she stopped him.

Ruby had to admit that, even in her dazed state, as she watched him move closer, the feeling was there.

Her feelings were like a tree, firmly rooted, no matter how hard she tried to push them away. Even if she cut the tree down to its base, she couldn’t remove all of its deep, hard roots.

It wasn’t until today that she realized that no matter how much time passed, her feelings for him would never change. And that she felt the same way about him now.

So she just watched him approach, and when their noses were almost touching, she slowly closed her eyes. Soon, warm lips met and parted. Eli wrapped his hands around Ruby’s face, capturing her upper lip.

Ruby’s body pushed back as the kiss deepened.

Eli put one hand on her back and the other in her hair, savoring her sweet lips as if he were desperate to be closer to her.

Even as she struggled to breathe, Ruby threw her arms around his neck.

It wasn’t until their lips parted that they realized they’d had enough of each other.

Eli gently touched her lips with his thumb. He felt a twinge of regret, even though he had just tasted them, and it was time for them to be close again.

Lights flickered on the second floor.

The sudden noise startled Ruby, who quickly pulled away from him.

“It seems something happened; I should go check.”

Ruby hurried out of the room, afraid that someone might see them and notice their flirtatious behavior.

Eli was suddenly alone, but he wasn’t sorry. If he had stayed with Ruby a little longer, he might have had trouble controlling himself.

“Haa…….”

He shielded his eyes with one hand, trying to cool off.

* * *
Ruby, who had hurriedly entered the mansion, bit her upper and lower lips together in embarrassment.

The coldness of her wet lips, devoid of the warmth of another’s touch, confirmed that what had just happened was no dream.

“Ruby.”

Aaron called to the dazed Ruby.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. What happened?”

Ruby asked, feigning nonchalance.

“Oh, Miss Emily had a little too much to drink, so Leton and Dominic took her upstairs.”

“Thank you.”

At the mention of Emily being drunk, Ruby hurried upstairs.

When she entered the room, Dominic was pulling the covers over Emily.

“I’m going to go downstairs first.”

“Thanks, Leton.”

Leton bowed and left the room.

“It seems she drank too much because of the atmosphere.”

Dominic explained briefly.

“I’ll stay here. Go downstairs.”

“Oh, I’m fine.”

“Come on. Aaron is still downstairs.”

“Oh…….”

Dominic suddenly blushed and looked embarrassed.

“Did you know?”

Ruby laughed mischievously, remembering how she used to poke her in the side every time she saw Aaron.

“Madam!”

The sudden, loud voice made Ruby point to Emily on the bed and bring her index finger to her lips. Dominic herself nodded in surprise.

“Go downstairs quickly.”

She said it quietly.

“…Yes. Thank you.”

Dominic did not refuse further, and she closed the door as she left. Emily’s room had a soft light on. Ruby sat on the chair next to the bed, lost in thought.

As she recalled the recent events, a small smile appeared on her face, despite feeling embarrassed.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Weren’t you asleep?”

Suddenly, Ruby was startled by a voice. Even though her thoughts couldn’t be heard by her, it made her feel embarrassed.

“Are you okay?”

Concerned about the sudden soft voice, Ruby got up from her chair and approached. Emily had covered her face with a blanket, and Ruby couldn’t see if she was okay.

Ruby comforted Emily on the blanket, speculating that there must be a reason for her to come this far, even using the excuse of returning a letter to Palman.

“Did Mother throw away the handkerchief you made for my brother? That is why you weren’t able to give it to him.”.

At Emily’s following words, Ruby’s comforting stopped.

“It’s all because you were mistreated in Shuban, right? Not liking socializing, not even hosting a simple tea party.”

It was the most common thing Emily heard from the nobility after her debut.

“Why doesn’t the Marchioness of Grit do anything?”

“Maybe she is being too full of herself. Maybe she doesn’t want to share her refined taste with us.”

She didn’t like Marie’s public disparagement of her own daughter-in-law, but she didn’t understand Ruby’s refusal to do simple things either.

But when she thought about what it must have been like to be humiliated at every party, what it must have been like to see gifts thrown away, and how hurtful it must have been to listen to the hours of personal attacks she had to endure to get a dress fitted, she finally understood.

No wonder she was so nervous about gatherings of people. The Ruby she’d met at Zenfield had a face and a smile Emily had never seen before.

It wasn’t hard to see that it was the real her—the one she’d never seen in all her years in Shuban and the capital.

“I’m sorry I’m so late.”

“….”

“Thank you. But even so, thank you for making my brother laugh.”

Selfishly, Emily borrowed the excuse of being intoxicated to ask for forgiveness. It was a tremendous act of courage for her, who didn’t know how to apologize.

“I just wanted to tell you that, and after this, I’ll be leaving in a few days.”

Now, Eve’s words finally make sense. It wasn’t something that could be ended with a simple excuse like, ‘I’ve decided to change because I’m uncomfortable.’

One person’s heart had been hurt. It was a fact that the hidden scars, invisible to the n*ked eye, must have somehow affected her life, even Ruby, who may not even be aware of them in her subconscious.

“I’ll accept the apology, though I can’t say I forgive you, because…”

Ruby’s voice quietly echoed in the room. The sudden apology was strange.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness anyway.”

Even though she didn’t get angry or move, it was just a calm and indifferent tone.

“You can leave whenever you want. A few more days won’t make a difference.”

“….”

“Then get some rest.”

Having said what she wanted to say, Ruby left the room.