Chapter 6. Lost Shoe

Out of pity.

As soon as I heard those words, my face flushed hotly.

My cheeks burned as if they were on fire. I slid down, covering my face with both hands.

The coldness of the marble tiles seeped into me.

I felt a sense of shame that I had never experienced even when I was mistreated and forced to do menial work at home.

“Dancing with her out of pity? You’re not kind enough to do such a charitable act.”

“I was just being generous. Like tossing a coin to a beggar on the street.”

“If that lady hears this, she’ll cry. You scoundrel.”

“Your Majesty is quite sharp-tongued today.”

Their banter didn’t carry any weight. They continued their light-hearted conversation, and I didn’t hear any more about me.

Only then did I understand why Enoch Bayern hadn’t asked my name. To him, I wasn’t worth knowing.

‘Why do you live like that? You poor thing. You should find a suitable match, get married, and leave this house.’

One day, Iris, a friend of Helene, had casually said this to me.

Iris both despised and pitied me, covered in ashes as I was. Through her, I learned for the first time that it was possible to look at someone like they were a bug and still feel a budding sympathy. And being the object of such feelings was an utterly miserable experience.

“…….”

Something hot surged up from within me. From the adjacent balcony, the sound of two men laughing still echoed.

It was the kind of laughter that seemed to own the world.

Voices full of ease and joy, oblivious to the misery of someone like me who had nothing, grated on my nerves.

The fact that I had admired Enoch Bayern until now made me feel even more wretched.

I unclenched my fists, which had been gripping so tightly that marks were left on my palms, and placed my hands on the floor. I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. As I struggled to stand on my trembling legs, my feet tangled, causing me to stumble and hit the railing hard.

“Ah…!”

I had hit my left wrist. As the strong impact subsided, pain gradually set in. Additionally, it seemed like I had twisted my left ankle.

“Ugh….”

It was at the moment when I bent over to touch my ankle with my hand.

“Is there someone on the next balcony?”

Enoch Bayern’s mumbling voice reached my ears, perhaps having finally noticed my presence.

I covered my mouth with my hand and held my breath. The thought that the man might discover I was hiding here made my mind go blank. Unsure of what to do, I simply held my breath, and coincidentally, the chime of midnight began to ring out.

Dong— Dong—

The resounding chime filled Ivona Palace, and it would ring several more times. If I wanted to escape without being caught, now, while the noise was masked by the chimes, was the only chance.

I stood up and hurriedly opened the door. The dark corridor was empty. I quickly threw myself into the darkness, hoping no one would see me, and ran frantically.

How long had I been running?

I found myself in front of the hired carriage I had come in.

The coachman, leaning against the carriage, widened his eyes in surprise at my disheveled appearance.

I stood still, trying to catch my breath. My heart was pounding madly, and sharp pain radiated from my injured spots. But I tried to speak calmly as if nothing were wrong.

“Take me to 11 Hebrington Street. I’ll pay the fare upon arrival.”

The coachman stared at me for a moment, then turned his gaze away and nodded. It was a relief that he didn’t ask any questions.

The carriage started immediately after I got in. Inside the jolting carriage, I stubbornly stared straight ahead, biting my lip. Looking at the starlight scattering in the darkness outside the window would only make me cry.

The ball I had attended with high expectations turned out to be the worst. It was only when I arrived at the mansion and got out that I realized I had lost one of my old shoes.

* * *

The loud chime grated on his sensitive nerves. Enoch frowned as he opened the door and stepped into the corridor.

It was empty. The door to the next balcony was wide open, as if someone had just run out of it. He glanced inside but found no one.

But he was sure he had sensed someone.

Someone had definitely been hiding on this balcony like a mouse. Whoever it was had a nasty habit of eavesdropping on others’ conversations. A look of disgust, as if he had touched something filthy, crossed Enoch’s face.

He could track down the presence if he wanted to… Enoch paused as he noticed something in his line of sight while scanning the corridor.

It wasn’t trash, but a shoe.

A very old women’s shoe.

“…….”

It was undoubtedly a belonging of the eavesdropping mouse.

Was the mouse a lady? Enoch let out a shallow laugh and approached the shoe, nudging it with his toe.

The shoe, so old it seemed beyond repair even by the best craftsman, looked more suited to a maid doing chores than a lady. Or perhaps… it belonged to a young lady from a family so poor they couldn’t afford new shoes.

“…….”

The woman he had seen at the ball seemed to be wearing shoes just like this.

Enoch tried to recall her faint impression. He remembered her light brown hair and blue eyes, but couldn’t clearly picture her face. Of course, he hadn’t paid close attention.

But if he saw her again, he could recognize her. He had that much of an eye.

Enoch nudged the old, ash-colored shoe toward the balcony where Henry was. The shoe, almost gray from wear, seemed to resemble the pitiful woman herself.

“What’s this?”

Henry, who came out to the balcony late, frowned at the old shoe rolling at his feet. Enoch, after a moment of hesitation, called him in a voice so sweet it could be misleading.

“Brother.”

“…What’s wrong? Have you lost your mind?”

Enoch flashed a bright smile at Henry, who rubbed his forearm as if he was creeped out, and made an absurd request very naturally.

“Could you pick that up for me?”

It took Henry a moment to understand the request. He wondered what Enoch wanted him to pick up… then realized his brother was gesturing toward the old shoe. At the same time, he remembered that Enoch had an extreme aversion to dirt.

Enoch Bayern always wore gloves when attending social events or going out, and discarded them immediately after use.

If he had to shake hands bare-handed, he would always wash his hands afterward. He was almost pathologically obsessed with cleanliness.

It was more like a hatred of humans than an issue of cleanliness…

“You’re asking the king to pick up a shoe off the floor?”

Henry grumbled, looking back and forth between the old shoe and Enoch. His voice sounded prickly, but there was no anger, only bewilderment and a hint of annoyance. Enoch replied with an angelic smile.

“You’re my brother.”

“Ha…”

“You’re going to pick it up anyway.”

Yes, this was Enoch Bayern. A self-centered, arrogant person who acted without hesitation wherever he went.

A person like that was his dreadful younger brother. Henry sighed and bent down to pick up the shoe. He wasn’t as fastidious as Enoch, nor did he strictly adhere to hierarchy. And he was curious about the shoe’s origin.

It was clear that the person who had eavesdropped on their conversation from the next balcony had dropped it… Henry glanced at Enoch. His brother seemed to have some idea.

“Is it someone you know?”

“How could that be my acquaintance’s shoe?”

“Then why did you ask me to pick it up?”

Enoch stared at the old shoe for a moment without saying anything, then spoke in an utterly indifferent tone.

“Throw it away.”

What the… Henry was too stunned to even curse. Enoch turned away, adding nonchalantly.

“We can’t leave trash lying around in the historic Ivona Palace.”

Henry Frederick, who had suddenly become the humble king picking up trash, was left speechless, his mouth opening and closing in disbelief.

Enoch left without looking after him, and Henry, who stood frozen with the old shoes in hand, decided after a moment of hesitation to take them with him. If his thoughts were correct, these shoes were…

* * *

A few days had passed since the Spring Ball ended.

My insignificant daily life was as dull and peaceful as ever, but there was something different this time.

“Ugh…”

The ankle I injured on the balcony on the night of the ball had not yet fully healed.

While my wrist was only slightly swollen and bruised, my ankle seemed to have been seriously twisted, still causing severe pain and making me limp whenever I walked.

My stepmother and the three siblings were very pleased with my condition.