Chapter 5. The Fifth Meeting

“You didn’t need to come all this way.”

Dominic greeted Olivia, who had visited the mansion since morning, with a weak voice. His kind and gentle childhood friend had apparently heard about his early return home yesterday and was worried.

“How could I not? I heard from the Marchioness that you haven’t been feeling well lately. Leaving early? You never did that even once during our days at the academy.”

Olivia set down the basket she had been carrying on the table.

“What’s that?”

“Scones. I baked them myself, so you have to eat them all. Understood?”

The mention of scones made Dominic smile slightly. That a noble lady would do work typically done by maids felt endearing, probably because it was Olivia.

“Thanks. I’ll eat them well.”

“Good. Cheer up! I really don’t know how to handle seeing such a listless Dominic Winchester for the first time.”

Olivia smiled brightly.

As if infected by that smile, Dominic also gave a faint smile. Just then, the butler knocked and entered the reception room.

“Pardon my interruption. Young master, we just discovered an invitation that had been overlooked… We need to send a reply urgently, how should I respond regarding attendance?”

“Invitation?”

“Yes. A ball invitation.”

At the butler’s apologetic response, Dominic wordlessly held out his hand. Seeing the color of the envelope, Olivia’s eyes widened as she spoke.

“You haven’t replied yet?”

“No. What is this?”

“It’s Her Highness the Princess’s debutante ball. I can’t believe you haven’t sent your response yet — you should send it right away, even if it’s late!”

“Hmm…”

He wasn’t particularly interested in balls and didn’t attend them often.

While it was certainly an important event being the Princess’s debutante ball, as the second son who wouldn’t inherit the title, his attendance wasn’t strictly necessary.

“You’re attending, of course?”

Olivia frowned slightly as she pressed for an answer.

“You need to show your face more at social events, Dominic. Why are you so different from the heir of Crawford when you’re close friends?”

The word Crawford caught Dominic’s ear. Of course, Olivia was referring to her friend Lucas, but what came to his mind was a woman with long hair and a provocative personality who resembled his friend.

“Will Lucas attend the ball?”

While hearing his own voice come out seemingly casual, Dominic internally cringed at himself. Somehow he felt like he had become as cunning as a snake.

“Of course! Naturally.”

The innocent Olivia nodded firmly. As a noble’s child, attending social events diligently was a natural duty for Olivia. From her perspective, she couldn’t just let her friend try to skip the Princess’s debutante.

“But only one person per family needs to attend, right? Since my brother will attend for our family, there’s no real need for me to go.”

“Oh my. What are you saying? What does your brother’s attendance have to do with anything?”

“Is it not related?”

“Of course not! Do you think only the heir of Crawford is attending from the Crawford family?”

Olivia continued in a loud voice.

“Lady Crawford will definitely attend.”

“Really?”

Dominic nodded. As if ceding, he shrugged and turned to the butler.

“Well, that’s that. I’ll attend.”

“Yes, understood young master. But what about your partner?”

“Ah! Right. Partner. Oh dear. Almost everyone will have partners arranged by now.”

Worried that her friend might change his mind about attending the rare ball, Olivia quickly raised her hand.

“Dominic. I’ll be your partner.”

“You?”

“Yes.”

“You haven’t arranged a partner yet?”

“Umm? Well. Ah, I haven’t decided yet.”

Though she remembered ‘that person’ making threats about being her partner, Olivia swallowed hard and shook her head.

She hadn’t properly answered yet anyway. So it wasn’t a promise. Though it bothered her somewhat, taking care of Dominic as a friend was also important to her.

But Dominic declined her offer.

“Sorry Olivia, but I’ll pass on the partner.”

“Huh?”

“Thanks for thinking of me.”

Then Dominic told the butler he would attend the ball without a partner. Olivia’s eyes widened.

“What? That’s absurd! Attending a ball without a partner… If that’s the case, just go with me!”

“No. It’s fine.”

Dominic again declined Olivia’s concerned offer.

How strange indeed.

Clearly until just a few weeks ago, he had been desperate to kiss Olivia.

Now, even while he’s facing her, such thoughts don’t cross his mind at all.

Rather…

He didn’t want to be seen attending the ball with Olivia.

Not by that woman with the same bright platinum blonde hair as his friend, who had been tormenting him even in his dreams lately.

* * *

In the ballroom where elegant dance music in three-quarter time continued to play, Dominic leaned against a corner drinking wine.

With near-black hair and azure blue eyes, two sons of the Winchester family, beautiful as a painting, attended the ball today. Compared to Simon Winchester, who would inherit the title, Dominic was a more approachable target. Not to mention, he had attended the ball without a partner today.

The ladies dancing with their partners looked at him with apparent regret. They hadn’t expected him to attend this time either, since he rarely made appearances.

No. Even if he attended, they assumed he would naturally be Olivia Lindid’s partner.

Dominic, who usually wore his naval uniform, was a man who exuded an austere, ascetic atmosphere like a priest. Yet today he appeared in elaborate formal wear. It stood out even more since he was a man who usually wore mainly navy or black.

“What kind of change of heart is this.”

Simon let out a hollow laugh beside Dominic. The beige formal wear with elaborate gold embroidery was clearly far from his brother’s taste. Everyone had watched with half surprise and half expectation when he said he was even getting clothes tailored for once, but now he was just drinking wine without dancing once at the ball, which seemed quite strange.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not some child.”

To his brother’s criticism while watching over him instead of his partner, Dominic responded while swirling the wine in his glass.

His eyes were still fixed on one spot.

On that flashy woman with platinum blonde hair similar to what he was wearing today.

‘Ha.’

Sparks flew from Dominic’s eyes.

‘She brought a partner?’

Watching the woman who had been tormenting him even in his dreams for weeks giggling with another man made his blood boil.

Why had he thought it would be natural? Dominic assumed Karina would naturally attend the ball without a partner.

If he had thought about it just a little, he would have realized that assumption wasn’t natural at all. She was one of the most famous women in society along with Olivia. There was no way men would have left her alone, and given her famously sociable personality, there was no way she would have rejected all those partner proposals.

In fact, the man who became Karina’s partner this time had received her acceptance simply because he was the first to propose.

‘Damn it.’

Though he knew it wasn’t her fault, he felt spiteful anyway.

Because of Karina, at night… He had done that thing. Feeling like a feverish child, he felt his anger rising seeing her looking well-fed and healthy, unlike himself.

What is this feeling?

These emotional disturbances that should have no connection keep happening too often since getting involved with Karina.

Across the room, he could see Karina, surrounded by men and laughing merrily, fanning herself as if she felt hot.

Watching her back as she left the hall alone, waving off her partner who seemed to be suggesting they go to the garden together.

“Dominic? Where are you going?”

“Just getting some fresh air.”

Dominic placed his empty wine glass on the windowsill and slowly walked in the direction where she had left the banquet hall.

* * *

“Haah.”

I can breathe now.

The crowded banquet hall always feels like it lacks oxygen. Karina looked up at the sky while taking deep breaths.

It was a night with twinkling stars. Perfect for Her Highness’s debutante day.

“I didn’t expect to see him here.”

She couldn’t describe how surprised she was to see Dominic at the ball. Unlike his usual self, his elaborate formal wear caught everyone’s attention. And that included Karina as well.

Letting out a long sigh, Karina shook her head. If she had known Dominic would come, she wouldn’t have come here today.

No matter how thick-skinned she might be, it’s impossible not to feel awkward when they haven’t been in contact after such a meeting.

‘I guess I went too far.’

Though she did it to send Dominic away when he was being extreme about cutting off his hand and such, her actions had been excessive.

Now that things had fizzled out this way, nonsense like helping with his romance with Olivia was over too.

But it would take more time before they could return to being just Lucas’s sister and Lucas’s friend, exchanging dry greetings, rather than Karina Crawford and Dominic Winchester.

Just seeing Dominic standing far away made her stomach churn, making it impossible to act as if nothing had happened.

It’s strange. What she had done with Dominic Winchester wasn’t even more significant than her ‘promiscuous’ past with men in her previous life.