Chapter 15

A few days later, Lilia was preparing to attend a tea party. It was her very first solo outing.

“Be careful on your way.”

“Alright. Behave yourself while I’m gone.”

Lilia joked, winking playfully. He thought she’d be nervous, but she wasn’t at all.

“Where did you say you were going?”

“To the Lotein Earldom. She said there’s someone she really wants to introduce.”

The letter sent to Lilia had asked her to please come if possible, which was why she’d chosen it for her first outing. When she finished getting ready and stepped outside to board the carriage, Damon followed closely behind.

“I’ll be back.”

“……Alright.”

Damon felt oddly regretful, even though they’d only be apart for a few hours. As Lilia boarded the carriage with his escort, she smiled with her eyes and waved her hand. Tilting his head, he came closer, and suddenly Lilia grabbed Damon’s tie and pulled him in.

“Wait……!”

“If you make that face, I won’t be able to go, Damon.”

His face flushed red. Lilia gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then pressed her lips to his cheek. When she pulled away, a bright mark remained, and Lilia grinned mischievously.

“See you later.”

“Ah, yeah. Be careful.”

Damon stepped back, looking dumbfounded. The carriage door closed, and soon it rattled away. He stood there until the carriage disappeared into a dot. When Damon turned to enter the mansion, Noah’s eyes grew wide. Not knowing what to do, Noah cleared his throat and spoke.

“Um, Master.”

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s just…….”

Noah hesitated, unsure how to begin, then finally pointed at his own cheek with a finger. Damon, puzzled, wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, and found a red lipstick mark. Seeing the lipstick on his hand, his ears turned bright red. Lilia must’ve left it when she kissed his cheek earlier. But that cheeky Lilia didn’t even tell him and just left.

“Ha…….”

He sighed deeply, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his cheek. The bright red lipstick on the white handkerchief looked out of place. Back in his office, he tried to focus on documents, but without Lilia nearby, he felt empty. Around now, she’d usually barge into the office and hover around him.

Despite having a rare moment alone and a mountain of paperwork to handle, he just couldn’t concentrate. He felt like a dog waiting for its master to return from an outing. Damon kept rereading the same documents, and finally pulled the bell to call Noah.

“Did you call, Master?”

“Prepare a horse immediately.”

“Ah, are you going to the Imperial Palace?”

“No, to Lilia.”

“Pardon? But Madam is out right now, isn’t she?”

“Yes, I know. Can’t I just go where she is?”

Noah looked at Damon as if he’d misheard, but Damon shamelessly added,

“Is there some law saying a husband can’t go there?”

“Well, no……. Uh…… Yes, I’ll prepare the horse.”

Usually, tea parties and such were activities for noble ladies, so men didn’t pay much attention. Nobles valued their dignity, so it was unheard of for husbands to go fetch their wives. But none of that mattered to Damon right now.

Soon, Damon mounted the horse Noah brought and headed for the Lotein Earldom. He was very curious about Lilia’s reaction. Wanting to see her even a second sooner, he urged the horse to go faster.

* * *

Arriving at the Lotein Earldom by carriage, Lilia carefully got out. The Earldom was as spacious as the Duchy. As she looked around, a maid approached and bowed her head.

“Welcome, Duchess Fortein. Please follow me.”

Following the maid ahead, they soon reached a wide garden. Lilia seemed to be the last to arrive, as only one empty chair remained. Smiling, she approached, and the other noble ladies rose from their seats.

“You’ve arrived, Duchess Fortein.”

“I said I’d come early, but it looks like I’m the last.”

“No, we all just got here.”

When Lilia sat down, the others did too. She glanced around. Most faces she recognized from family trees, but there was one unfamiliar face. Yet somehow, it felt familiar. She stared at the face, wondering why it seemed so familiar, when the hostess, Countess Lotein, stood up.

“Since everyone’s here, let’s begin the tea party. First, thank you so much for accepting my invitation.”

Countess Lotein smiled softly, bowed her head slightly, then continued,

“As I wrote in the invitation, the reason I’m hosting today’s tea party is because there’s someone I’d like to introduce to you all.”

At that, people glanced at each other and whispered quietly. At her gesture, the woman beside her slowly stood up.

“My dear friend, Viscountess Cynthiarel Delphinne.”

Lilia’s eyes widened. She finally realized why the face was so familiar. Light brown hair cascading to her waist, and fresh-looking green eyes.

‘It’s Cynthiarel, the heroine!’

Lilia’s mouth dropped open. Cynthiarel’s unexpected appearance left her flustered. Cynthiarel bowed her head slightly and greeted them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cynthiarel Delphinne.”

Her gentle smile was beautiful. There was a subtle grace about her, different from the others.

“I’ve been ill since childhood and stayed in my territory instead of coming to the capital, but recently I’ve returned. I hope you’ll all treat me kindly.”

Cynthiarel glanced at Countess Lotein and smiled gratefully. The two seemed very close. After her brief introduction, she sat down, and the other ladies immediately started talking to her.

“I’m Lanae Easter.”

“Nice to meet you, Lady Easter.”

The atmosphere was warm. Then, one lady asked Cynthiarel,

“So, Lady Delphinne, did your husband come to the capital with you?”

“Ah, that’s…….”

Cynthiarel’s expression darkened. The lady, having asked without much thought, looked quite embarrassed at the poor reaction. She hesitated, unsure how to continue, and finally answered,

“My husband passed away a few months ago after falling ill.”

A sympathetic sigh spread through the group. Cynthiarel seemed deeply saddened, tears welling up in her eyes and falling. Countess Lotein, looking concerned, quickly handed her a handkerchief. Cynthiarel smiled bravely and took it, dabbing her tears.

“I misspoke. I’m sorry for bringing up painful memories.”

“No, it’s fine. I hadn’t told anyone. I’m alright, so please don’t worry.”

Her voice, tinged with tears, made Cynthiarel seem even more pitiable. Now everyone here would think Cynthiarel was a poor woman who’d lost her husband. But Lilia knew everything. She thought to herself, impressed,

‘Why is this considered a “ruined” story in the first place?’

The story about her husband dying of illness was a complete lie. Cynthiarel’s husband was a notorious womanizer. Unable to endure it, she stabbed him to death. The mistress who was with him tried to flee, tripped on the stairs, and struck her head on the corner, dying instantly.

Fortunately, Cynthiarel had a grown stepson. She’d come to the capital for his upcoming succession to his title. But the problem was, her relationship with her stepson was suspicious. No one knew this—only Lilia, who’d read the book. She sipped her tea and glanced at Cynthiarel.

At that moment, their eyes met, and Lilia simply smiled and turned her head away. She felt sorry for Cynthiarel’s situation, but didn’t want to get close.

‘I must make sure Damon never meets her.’

She had no intention of losing him, but just in case. Damon only became the male lead because he was divorced and alone. But now, they didn’t even have enough time to be together.

Lilia was determined to block every possibility of Damon meeting Cynthiarel.

“Lady Delphinne, I’ll be hosting a tea party at my mansion soon. May I send you an invitation?”

“Of course. I’ll be waiting.”

They chatted back and forth. With everyone’s attention on Cynthiarel, Lilia had nothing to say. She was relieved no one kept talking to her. The tea party ended in a lively atmosphere, and the ladies stood up.

“Shall we tidy up? My, it’s gotten late.”

“Oh, so it has. I enjoyed today.”

Lilia put down her teacup and slowly headed to the garden entrance. She’d left last, but it felt like everyone was staring at her. She thought it was her imagination, but it wasn’t.

Everyone was really glancing at her, eyes wide. Wondering what was going on, she hurried outside, and when she saw who was standing by the carriage, Lilia almost popped her eyes out.

Lilia blinked furiously and rubbed her eyes. But the person by the carriage didn’t disappear. Standing there with a blank expression, she mouthed,

“Damon?”

It was definitely a very small sound, but perhaps by coincidence, Damon turned his head sharply toward her. As a smile spread across his lips, those around them audibly caught their breath. A smile formed at the corner of Lilia’s lips as well. Someone next to her spoke.

“Your husband is so affectionate. He even came all the way here to pick you up.”

“Ah… That’s right. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

The person who spoke to her was Cynthiarel. Lilia’s eyes darted back and forth quickly. Cynthiarel was looking at Damon, but he was looking at Lilia. Lilia almost ran as she approached Damon.

“Lilia.”

“Damon! What brings you here?”

“I missed you.”

At his honest words, Lilia’s cheeks flushed slightly. But somehow, she looked a little impatient, as if something terrible would happen if anyone saw Damon, making sure he couldn’t look anywhere else. Seeing her act differently than usual, he tilted his head.