Chapter 3
Lorraine had always rejected every man who showed interest. He was the first she had ever opened her heart to.
This gentle and perfect lover had ended things with a single letter overnight; it was surely hard for her to accept. And soon she would see him dancing with another woman at the ball….
Henry thought Lorraine might try to hold onto him if they were alone together, asking why he left, perhaps even crying. Then he could comfort her, kiss her… Henry swallowed reflexively.
‘She must have come dressed so seductively to win me back.’
With that thought, his forgotten desire for Lorraine was rekindled. His pulse quickened, mouth dry. Lorraine’s gaze seemed to linger on Henry once, but perhaps because of the mask, she didn’t recognize him.
‘I am the Henry Boyle you’re looking for!’
Henry decided. Before the ball began, he would approach Lorraine and speak to her. After his first dance with Catherine, he’d dance with Lorraine and talk to her. Surely Lorraine was waiting for a chance to speak with him. Perhaps tonight, instead of Catherine, he would be alone with Lorraine….
Just as Henry, full of anticipation, moved toward Lorraine, Earl Bedington began his opening remarks for the first dance. People began moving to dance. Henry tried to follow Lorraine with his eyes, but soon she disappeared into the crowd.
Henry regretted not speaking to Lorraine, but the night had only just begun. After Earl Bedington’s speech, the first dance started.
As Henry danced with Catherine, whom he had chosen over Lorraine tonight, he found himself unable to focus, instead thinking about how to approach Lorraine after the dance.
But Catherine, too, had her attention entirely on the newly arrived Viscount Lindsay, so she cared nothing for Henry’s thoughts.
Though each was thinking of someone else, their dance was very smooth. Dancing together while thinking of others, they made a perfectly matched pair.
* * *
Inside the ballroom, Lorraine felt the men’s gazes more openly than usual. Normally, furtive glances would have sufficed, but tonight, hidden behind masks, their eyes roamed her body without restraint.
But such leering attention meant little to Lorraine now. When she greeted people lightly at the entrance, the familiar Mostar nobles did not recognize her. Instead, they seemed to think she was a lady from another city.
‘This isn’t bad. No, it’s perfect.’
Just as planned, no one realized she was Lorraine Summers. Only then did Lorraine begin to truly scan the crowd. Yet no one caught her eye. Masks hid faces, and under bright lights, any attempt at seduction felt awkward.
‘Maybe somewhere darker would be better.’
Before the first dance began, Lorraine quietly slipped out to the garden.
* * *
The garden air was cool and clear. Lanterns lit the space here and there, but there weren’t many, so the deeper parts were shrouded in darkness. Everyone was inside enjoying the music, so there wasn’t a soul in sight.
She had come to the garden, thinking it would be easier to seduce a man somewhere dark, but it seemed she was the only one bold enough to leave the ballroom during the party.
Lorraine perched on a bench by the fountain in one corner of the garden. Only the gentle sound of water breaking the silence.
“Whew—.”
Lorraine sighed and fell into quiet thought. She hadn’t even kissed Henry Boyle after a month of dating, and now she was planning to have her first experience with a man whose face she didn’t even know.
‘Am I out of my mind?’
Now that she was at the ball, Lorraine suddenly realized just how reckless she was being. She thought herself mad. But maybe everyone should go a little mad at least once in their life.
Thanks to her masked face, Lorraine felt bolder. If she chose a stranger new to Mostar, he would never know who she was. Tomorrow, she would return to being the ‘shadow’ Lorraine Summers anyway.
She convinced herself. Recalling her plan for tonight, Lorraine steeled her resolve. The mere thought of actually carrying out her decision made her body tense with nervousness. The fear of doing something irreversible, and the growing anticipation, made her heart race.
Just then.
Rustle.
‘Is someone here?’
At the sound of leaves brushing together, Lorraine straightened, alert. She focused all her senses on the source of the sound. But time passed and no other sound came. It must have been just the wind.
‘No one would come here. And even if someone did, would they fall for my seduction?’
Just as she thought that, slow footsteps sounded from behind. This time, someone really was approaching. Lorraine held her breath for a moment. The sound of leaves grew closer. Outwardly, she sat calmly, but her heart was pounding.
At last, a low voice murmured from the darkness.
“I thought no one was here….”
A man appeared, cutting through the dark. Even in the shadows, his silhouette was strikingly tall. Despite the mask, he was clearly no ordinary man. He was certainly not a Mostar noble. She would have remembered such a man.
He wore a mask, too, but his eyes were vivid beyond it. Lorraine’s gaze met his.
“I came out for a breath of fresh air… I never expected to meet such a beautiful lady here.”
His greeting was exceptionally elegant, every word pleasing to the ear. There was a certain ease in his voice.
“Did you come out for a rest too, My Lady? I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”
“No.”
Lorraine smiled beneath her mask.
“In fact, I was waiting for someone to come.”
Words she would never have said on any other night. But tonight was different.
“In that case, now that I’m here, you needn’t wait for anyone else.”
From his smooth reply, Lorraine sensed he was experienced with women. That was just what she wanted. Nervous but determined, she replied, trying not to show it.
“If you would be so kind, Your Lordship, I’d be delighted.”
With a gentle smile under her mask, Lorraine spoke softly.
“No matter how safe Bedington’s garden may seem, it’s dangerous for a beautiful lady to be alone at night. I could be a scoundrel, you know.”
His gentle voice held no threat at all. But if he knew her real intentions, perhaps he was the real in danger tonight.
Feigning nonchalance, Lorraine smoothed the folds of her dress and answered.
“Perhaps it’s you who should be careful, Your Lordship.”
Unaware of Lorraine’s true intentions, the man seemed to take her words as a joke, replying with amusement.
“Is that so? Then I’ll be sure to watch myself.”
Lorraine liked the confidence and skill in his tone. Most of all, his tall figure visible even in darkness appealed to her. Such a charming man. She couldn’t see his face or know his identity, but Lorraine felt he was a gift from the gods. Yet hesitation suddenly crept into her mind.
‘But… is this really okay?’
But she couldn’t go back on her decision now. If she missed this chance, she might never meet someone like this again. It was as if the anonymity behind the mask was urging her on.
Just then, faint music from the ballroom drifted to the fountain. Lorraine decided not to hesitate anymore. She rose slowly and looked at the man, quietly speaking.
“Do you like to dance?”
To ask a stranger she’d just met in the garden, not the ballroom, for a dance—Lorraine surprised herself.
“It’s noisy inside, but the charm of a masquerade is dancing with strangers, isn’t it?”
“I don’t particularly like dancing….”
At Lorraine’s invitation, the man paused briefly before continuing in a gentle voice.
“But I do enjoy dancing with someone special.”
As he said this, he extended his hand, and Lorraine took it without hesitation. The man’s fingers wrapped firmly around hers.
The two began to move slowly to the music. The hem of Lorraine’s dress fluttered in the breeze, casting a long shadow beside the fountain. Whenever the wind blew, a faint scent of roses wafted from the man.
His lead was smooth and natural. He held Lorraine’s hand, communicating wordlessly through movement. Lorraine didn’t find the silence uncomfortable; in fact, the man’s presence felt even clearer within it.
Lorraine gazed into his eyes beyond the mask, thinking,
‘What is he? Is he truly a gift from the Gods?’
When the man’s hand encircled Lorraine’s waist, guiding her forward, she felt as if his touch pierced her clothes, reaching her skin.
Translator
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Didn’t you read anything about s*xually transmitted diseases in books? Or are s*xually transmitted diseases just a fairy tale in this world? Didn’t you consider the possibility of getting pregnant? Maybe I’m being too anxious. Please, at least use a condom.