Chapter 4

“Oh… Kamil, Oppa.”  

“It’s been a while, Karina.”  

When Karina turned around, she saw a man approaching her. It was Kamil Melbourne, the eldest son of Duke Melbourne’s household.  

His slightly curly dirty blonde hair matched his naturally languid expression.  

“Sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?”  

Kamil spoke casually. It wasn’t just because he had known Karina since childhood.  

When Karina was ten years old, Duke Melbourne’s household had proposed an engagement to Duke Edelin’s household.  

At that time, Karina had no intention of getting engaged and naturally rejected the proposal, as did her parents.  

But two years later, she became engaged to Phyllis, so it was only natural for her to feel uncomfortable around Kamil.  

“No, it’s just that I had a headache and was resting for a bit.”  

“How long are you planning to rest?”  

“Well… until my headache eases a little…”  

Karina trailed off and glanced to the side. Fortunately, the entrance wasn’t too far away.  

She planned to make an excuse and head to a lounge or somewhere else. She was starting to grow tired of avoiding Phyllis and Cornell.  

“Then may I stay with you until you feel better?”  

Karina stopped in her tracks at Kamil’s suggestion. His hand reached out toward her.  

“I’d like to have a dance with you. It’s been a while since we last met, and somehow, today feels…”  

The more Kamil spoke, the stiffer Karina’s expression became. Her gaze dropped to her heels, hidden beneath her dress.  

Finally, her gaze landed on something sharp and high—her shoe heel.

‘A foot…?’  

It was someone else’s foot that was being stepped on.  

Frozen in place, Karina slowly turned around. She found herself face-to-face with a pair of clear blue eyes that seemed almost transparent.  

The eyes blinked slowly, following Karina’s gaze down to the ground. Startled, Karina flinched and stepped back.  

“Karina… who is that behind you?”  

Kamil asked sharply, his tone slightly tense. Karina didn’t even think of turning back and instead immediately lowered her head.  

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize someone was standing behind me.”  

She didn’t dare look at the person’s face again, overwhelmed by embarrassment.  

Even the front of the shoe she had stepped on was visibly dented. It was likely bruised underneath.  

‘I’m sure there was no one near the pillar earlier.’  

Her face burned hot with shame. Watching her, Kamil stepped forward and pulled Karina’s arm toward him.  

“It seems my partner made a mistake.”  

“…”  

“I’m not sure which noble family you belong to, but I hope you’ll let this go generously.”  

The man, who had been silently blinking, suddenly lowered his head and tapped the tip of his shoe against the floor.  

Watching this unfold right in front of her, Karina squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment before opening them. But when she looked up again, the owner of the foot was gone. All she could see was his figure walking away leisurely, his back lingering in her vision.  

“How rude, leaving without a word. Karina, are you okay?”  

Clicking his tongue as he watched the man’s retreating figure, Kamil softened his tone and asked gently.  

Karina brushed off the hand that was subtly resting on her shoulder and held her head. In that brief moment, a real headache had started to form.  

“I’m fine. It was my mistake, after all.”  

“It happens. Let’s head over to that table for now.”  

Perhaps because of her uncharacteristic mistake, Karina felt utterly drained. Unconsciously, she began to follow Kamil.  

But before she could take a step, murmurs began to spread among the crowd. Curious about the commotion, Karina slowly stopped walking.  

In the center of the party hall, Celine and Phyllis were standing face-to-face.  

Celine extended her hand gracefully, while Phyllis looked around awkwardly, his expression troubled.  

“Celine… and Phyllis?”

Kamil muttered, frowning. Karina continued to stare intently at Phyllis’s profile from afar.  

After hesitating for a moment, Phyllis finally took Celine’s hand. But instead of leading her to the center of the hall, he bent down and kissed the back of her hand. It was a polite yet clear rejection.  

As soon as Phyllis let go of Celine’s hand, the crowd began to murmur.  

“Oh my, did Lady Celine just get rejected?”  

“It seems so. How embarrassing.”  

“That’s Phyllis of Earl Herwin’s household, isn’t it? I heard he’s engaged.”  

“Still, it’s just one dance. What’s the big deal?”  

The murmurs grew louder with the crowd’s collective energy. Karina kept her eyes on Phyllis as he left the scene.  

Celine, who seemed to come to her senses belatedly, also disappeared into the crowd, her face flushed.  

As everyone said, sharing a dance at a party wasn’t a big deal. And Phyllis had even rejected Celine’s invitation.  

Yet Karina’s mood sank to its lowest point. She felt like a fool in front of everyone.  

Kamil leaned closer as if to say something, but Karina turned away.  

“I’m going to take a walk for a bit. Alone.”  

She no longer had the energy to be swayed by her surroundings. At her resolute attitude, Kamil couldn’t stop her and stepped aside.  

Before stepping out of the party hall, Karina glanced at her reflection in the glass window. The jeweled pin in her hair sparkled brilliantly.  

Karina loosened it with her hand and walked into the empty hallway.  

***  

“The lounge is just down that corridor.”  

The attendant who guided her smiled kindly before turning away. Karina headed in the direction he had pointed.  

‘I should’ve asked for directions earlier.’  

She had left the party hall without much thought and wandered aimlessly, making her legs ache. Her uncomfortable dress and shoes didn’t help either.  

If it weren’t for the person she had just encountered in the opposite hallway, she wouldn’t have wasted so much time. In a way, she was unlucky.  

‘Why was Phyllis out in the hallway?’  

Phyllis had been wandering around as if searching for someone, which forced Karina to take a detour down an unfamiliar corridor.  

Now that she had confirmed he had returned to the party hall, it was fine. Letting out a small sigh, Karina finally spotted the lounge.  

But just a few steps away from her destination, she stopped in her tracks.  

“Oh… Lady Karina.”  

Cornell, coming out of the lounge, spotted her and also stopped in her tracks. Although Karina was the one avoiding her, Cornell looked more startled. The reason soon became clear.

“Honestly, tact must be something you’re born with, just like your background.”  

A mocking voice drifted through the open door. It was loud enough for someone to hear intentionally.

Karina glanced between the inside of the lounge and Cornell. The situation became clear in an instant.

“You need to have some shame. Even if you were invited, how could you brazenly attend the party with Young Lord Phyllis?”  

“Exactly. Especially when his fiancée, Lady Karina, is also here.”  

“If I were her, I’d be truly disgusted. How shameless.”  

The sharp words were clearly targeting Cornell, who was still standing outside.  

Karina, more frozen than Cornell, couldn’t even breathe.

She hadn’t thought much about Cornell and Phyllis attending the party together. After all, they were staying at the Earl’s residence.  

She had guessed that it might not look good to others, so she wasn’t particularly surprised.  

‘It’s something that will come out sooner or later anyway.’  

Since the two had promised to be engaged and had already confessed this to Karina, it was only a matter of time before everyone found out.  

“Do you think she did it on purpose? To show off?”

“With that woman, it’s entirely possible.”  

Yet, for some reason, hearing it directly from so close made her mind go completely blank.  

Cornell seemed to be trying to say something, her lips moving slightly, but Karina couldn’t hear a word.  

“If that’s really the case… then it’s only Lady Karina who’s pitiful.”  

The feeling of being pitied by someone was, unexpectedly, the worst. Karina clenched her fists tightly, then released them as she regained her composure. Before she realized it, Cornell had stepped closer to her.  

Cornell, her face still unbothered despite the situation, pointed to the hallway Karina had walked down.  

‘I’m sorry, Lady Karina.’  

Mouthing the words, Cornell lowered his head apologetically. Karina bit down hard on the tip of her tongue on purpose.  

“Pitiful? There’s nothing pitiful about her. At best, she’ll end up as his mistress.”

“That’s true. Considering her opponent is Lady Karina, Young Lord Phyllis should at least have the decency to…”  

Their sharp tongues showed no sign of stopping. Karina walked past Cornell toward the source of the voices.  

When she stopped directly in front of the open door, the voices abruptly ceased. A cold silence filled the air.  

After a brief pause, Karina turned her head without any change in her expression. Inside the lounge, several women were seated on a couch.  

At the center of the group was Celine, who flinched when her eyes met Karina’s.  

It was a situation as obvious as it could get. Without saying a word, Karina walked straight past the lounge.  

‘Disgusting. It’s disgusting, but…’  

Her bitten lips began to sting painfully. Though she hadn’t run away, in the end, she hadn’t said a word to them.  

When she reached the end of the hallway, Karina turned in no particular direction and walked with her eyes closed. When a light breeze brushed against her, she opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the terrace on the first floor.  

“L-Lady Karina.”  

A clear voice called out to her from behind. When she turned around, Cornell was standing a few steps away.  

What should she say? Her mind was still a mess, though not as much as before. In the end, it was Cornell who spoke first.  

“I’m really sorry. You had to hear such rude words because of me…”