Chapter 16

‘A rough gem.’

If she had not been stuck out in that countryside, she would have long since met a good match and married. Or perhaps she had already had someone chosen for her in the countryside.

A feeling of pity rose in Madame Sinclair’s eyes. She was already imagining a tearful farewell scene between Hazel and an imaginary lover who did not even exist.

‘What is so great about that blasted royal command.’

On top of that, Marquis Fitzroy had dropped his daughter off at Madame Sinclair’s salon and disappeared. Even though he knew perfectly well what kind of place this salon was.

A place where, among the not-so-many nobles, bourgeois, foreigners, and new money were all chaotically mixed together, a space overflowing with men who fell below Marquis Fitzroy’s standards.

To be frank, for ladies desperate to marry off their daughters, it was quite a decent place. But for Hazel ‘Fitzroy,’ it was true that it was packed with inadequate men. Perhaps he simply did not want to invest much in his daughter, or who knew.

‘What a spiteful old man. If he means to marry her off anyway, he could at least find her someone better.’

That cold gaze containing not a trace of affection came back to mind. What a finicky look it had been, watching even the angle of her fingers as though it would not overlook even the slightest breach of decorum from his daughter.

In an instant, Madame Sinclair was filled with a sense of mission that she had to rescue this young lady from that stifling household.

Madame Sinclair turned her blazing eyes around with fighting spirit. When it came to gifting a lady a new life, no one could rival her.

After sweeping her eyes around once, Madame Sinclair held out her hand to Hazel.

“Come here, Hazel. It is all right to walk slowly.”

The timid young lady and the Madame headed toward the stairs. She had worried whether Hazel’s ankles would be all right on such high heels, but fortunately the new Miss Fitzroy climbed the stairs holding the Madame’s arm without showing any sign of discomfort.

Despite her delicate appearance, she was a young lady with some strength of character. She seemed likely to suit the man the Madame intended to introduce her to as well. That was fortunate.

“Here we are.”

Sensing their presence, the man straightened away from the railing he had been leaning against at an angle. When their eyes met, Madame Sinclair gave a benevolent smile and drew the young lady forward.

“Hazel, say hello. This is Mr. Kyle Strauss.”

“……”

The emotions reflected in each other’s eyes were opposite.

The man with sea-green eyes reflected in the trembling gray ones was enjoying this situation. On the other hand, the woman with gray eyes reflected in the calm sea-green ones was troubled.

The man before her was still as offensively perfect as ever.

A height a handspan taller than most others, broad shoulders, hair brushed back without the slightest disorder, buttons and tie set exactly in place.

And the woman the man looked over was also just as he had expected.

A gaze height perfect for him to look down at.

A slender waist easy to encircle with one arm.

Hair naturally slipped loose as though teased free by the breeze.

And a beautiful face that, once it captured his eyes, would never let them go.

Kyle gave a polite bow of greeting.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Fitzroy.”

“……”

Hazel only moved her lips soundlessly.

After parting like that in front of the theater, not a single letter had passed between them. Perhaps Alice had sensed something strange, because she too had stopped talking about Kyle.

It would be a lie to say Hazel had not thought of Kyle Strauss even once while preparing to leave for Bukata. But Hazel had deliberately pushed thoughts of Kyle away.

There were days when, no matter how hard she tried to turn her mind elsewhere, it was no use.

On those days she hated Kyle Strauss. If she had to acknowledge any feeling she had for him, hatred was better than affection. Fortunately, her heart compromised with its owner at about that point.

Hazel managed with difficulty to part her lips.

“Hello, Mr. Strauss.”

Madame Sinclair added a kindly explanation.

“As you may know, Hazel, Mr. Strauss is a promising businessman. He has thrown himself actively into the expansion of central Bukata. There is even talk that one-third of the newly developed district belongs to Mr. Strauss. With a man of such vision building a hotel, expectations around him are naturally high.”

“Please do not praise me so highly, Madame. It is nothing much.”

“How modest you are. The rumors are already everywhere. I hear that unsatisfied with acquiring Royal Unity, you are building yet another resort hotel on the Westburn coast? How far ahead do you see, Kyle? Even the gods are unfair!”

Madame Sinclair steered the conversation gracefully. Was Miss Fitzroy accustomed to Bukata, Mr. Strauss knew Bukata inside and out…… as she evenly drew both of them into the conversation, Madame Sinclair finally laid her elegant hand on her lap.

“By any chance, do you two know each other?”

“……”

“……”

Madame Sinclair found the answer in the two young people’s reactions. She lowered her voice.

“I know you are close with Alice, Hazel. Thinking about it, Mr. Strauss is also quite close with Alice, so I wondered.”

Though she did not say it directly, Hazel realized that Madame Sinclair was thinking of Sainsbury as the common thread between the three of them. Quietly she answered,

“We were friends once.”

They were no longer friends.

Only in front of the theater had Hazel realized that Kyle had stopped thinking of her as a friend long ago. She knew now that the brief kindness he had shown in summer had merely been a whim.

Kyle also agreed with Hazel’s words.

“We were friends.”

That easy acknowledgment stabbed painfully into Hazel’s chest. Right until Kyle added something else immediately after.

“But now she looks like a beautiful woman.”

The face that had barely maintained its composure crumbled. Smiling, Kyle watched in real time as her face turned ashen.

Madame Sinclair, taking Hazel’s confusion for maidenly shyness, put on a stern expression.

“Mr. Strauss, you must not say such things carelessly. The two of you are no longer children.”

“Ah, my apologies. I was just so glad to meet an old friend that I went too far in jest. If it was too much, I am sorry, Hel.”

“……”

Hazel was never skilled at answering Kyle back. It had been the same in girlhood, and it was the same now.

Madame Sinclair continued to scold Kyle.

“You’ve embarrassed Hazel. Mind your manners.”

“I shall be careful.”

After that as well, Hazel was led around by Madame Sinclair’s hand and introduced to several young men. Among them, the only one Hazel knew was Dennis. Since he was also acquainted with Alice, he was a far easier person to speak with than Kyle.

It was after she had finished brief self-introductions and light conversation before several people. Hazel rose from where she had been sitting.

“I’ll go wash my hands for a moment, Madame.”

“Of course, take your time.”

Answering kindly, the Madame added in a whisper,

“There is an empty room at the far right end of the corridor. It is a space prepared for the ladies. There are not many lady guests today, so you should be able to rest comfortably. Go and sit for a while.”

* * *

The sitting room was said to be the room where Madame Sinclair’s daughter had lived until her marriage. There was no one in the small room, which held several pink armchairs, a fireplace, and a dressing table.

Hazel walked over with dragging steps and dropped into a chair as though collapsing.

“Ha……”

Her face was hot. Hazel cupped her cheeks with her hands.

‘They must have felt something like this too.’

Madame Sinclair’s compliments were even-handed; after admiring Hazel’s beauty, she always made sure to mention the young man’s looks as well. If he was noble, she emphasized the name; if he was a commoner, she mentioned his parents’ company or his fortune.

Rolling restlessly this way and that on the sofa under the weight of that pressure, Hazel’s brows drew together. The pain rising from her overworked feet was no ordinary thing.

After hesitating, Hazel took off her shoes. Thinking someone might come in, she was wrapping her legs up tightly in a blanket when, with a formal knock, the door opened.

Seeing Hazel stiffen at once, Kyle let out a hollow laugh.

“Relax your eyes, Hel.”

An unwelcome guest. Looking up at him, Hazel replied,

“This place is for ladies. Leave.”

But Kyle calmly answered back as he stepped into the room.

“All I see is a young hoyden who kicked off her shoes as though she had been waiting to be left alone.”

Hazel clamped her mouth shut. She had wrapped her legs in the blanket, but she had not been able to hide the shoes she had taken off beside the sofa.

Hazel awkwardly bent forward, grabbed the shoes, and dropped them behind the sofa. Her aim was to make sure that, even if someone else came in, they would not know she had taken her shoes off.

Kyle nodded.

“Quick thinking. Well done.”

“Shut up and get out.”

Hazel insisted once more in a tired tone, but Kyle did not even blink.