Chapter 49

Phyllis closed the book and swept back his disheveled hair.

The sky outside had long since brightened. It seemed like it was time to return to his room. As he stepped into the hallway, Derrick, who was walking toward him, approached with a startled expression.

“Were you in the library until now?”

It seemed the morning meeting had already concluded. Derrick’s face was heavy with concern.

“You’ve been overworking yourself lately. You need to get some sleep.”

“I’m fine. I’ll head up now.”

Phyllis responded with a faint smile and made his way to his room. Although Derrick was right that he had been overdoing it, he didn’t feel particularly tired.

He just felt blank. It was as if, at some point, he had forgotten what he was moving for.

“Young Lord, should I have breakfast sent up?”

Once he entered his room, a maid asked him with a worried tone.

“I’ll eat later. I’m a bit tired right now.”

After the maid left the room, Phyllis sat on the bed as if collapsing, staring straight ahead. Then, he suddenly reached for the notebook sitting on the side table and opened it.

Flipping past his complicated schedule, he came across a date from around this time last year. Among the entries, one particular day caught his eye. It was a date that wasn’t far off now.

“Does she even know?”

A small smile appeared as he recalled her usual indifference to anniversaries. Phyllis set the notebook down and reached for the drawer. Inside was a familiar-looking hairpin.

‘Is there anything you’d like for your birthday?’

‘Hmm… a hairpin?’

‘Again? I feel like I’ve already given you dozens.’

He couldn’t even remember when that conversation had taken place. Karina, who wasn’t interested in dressing up, had at least shown a liking for the hairpins the maids used to style her hair.

Without much thought, he had bought one for her. Even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to give it to her.

The sparkling jeweled pin shifted slightly in his hand, catching the light and drawing attention.

At that moment, a knock came at the door. Phyllis quickly slipped the pin into his pocket and told the visitor to come in.

“You’re awake. That’s a relief.”

Cornell entered the room carrying a tray with soup.

The savory aroma of the soup filled the room. Phyllis sat up properly.

“I heard you stayed up all night. And now you’re skipping breakfast too.”

“I’m not very hungry.”

Cornell, shaking her head firmly, unfolded the tray table onto the bed. Phyllis had no choice but to accept the spoon.

“Thanks. I’ll eat well.”

“I’ll stay and make sure you eat it all.”

“Did you have breakfast?”

“Of course. Now hurry up and eat before the soup gets cold.”

As Phyllis brought a spoonful of soup to his mouth, Cornell rested her chin on her hand and stared at him.

Her persistent gaze, as if she were watching over him, made Phyllis diligently move his spoon. It wasn’t until he had eaten more than half that Cornell, seemingly reassured, began to speak.

“Eat and then get some rest. You look like a skeleton right now.”

Cornell tugged at the skin under her eyes with a pouty expression.

As Phyllis attempted a smile, the pin in his pocket slipped out and fell to the floor.

“…A hairpin?”

Cornell, noticing it, stared at the floor and asked. Phyllis hesitated for a moment, unable to explain.

In the brief silence, Cornell bent down and picked up the pin. Her small hand fidgeted with the pin before handing it back to Phyllis.

“It’s not really my style. Did you buy it for your mother?”

“Ah… Yeah. I saw it while passing by.”

“Keep it safe, or you’ll lose it.”

With a bright smile, Cornell picked up the tray and stood. Phyllis placed the pin back in the drawer and followed her.

“That’s enough. You must be tired, so get some sleep.”

With those words, Cornell left the room. Left alone, Phyllis took a step back, unable to follow her.

He could only hope that the unusually quick sound of her retreating footsteps was just his imagination.

***

“A party?”

Laura asked, her expression one of disbelief. Karina nodded.

“I just thought it might be nice to try it once.”

“There’s no reason not to… but are you sure you’re okay with it?”

Her face was clearly marked with concern. Karina could guess what she was worried about. Even counting her childhood, Karina had rarely thrown birthday parties.

‘I don’t really have anyone to invite, and it’s a hassle.’

Those reasons were trivial, but they were significant to Karina.

Since she didn’t have many close acquaintances in social circles, the very act of sending out invitations felt burdensome.

However, for this birthday, she was determined to endure that hassle.

“Yes. There’s no reason not to.”

When Karina answered nonchalantly, Laura’s expression shifted noticeably.

Karina met Laura’s gaze with an even firmer look.

She wanted to host a party. Not to show off to anyone else. She wanted to do it to feel confident in herself. Above all, that was the biggest reason.

“Then go ahead. Let’s tell your father together.”

Laura no longer questioned her and agreed to Karina’s request.

“Thank you. I’ll take care of sending the invitations.”

“Who are you planning to invite?”

“Anyone I’m acquainted with, really.”

“What?”

Laura asked again, flabbergasted by Karina’s ambitious response.

She wasn’t joking. Karina shrugged and said,

“If I’m going to do it, I want to go big. Who knows if I’ll ever do it again.”

Some might call it reckless, but for now, that’s what she wanted.

Seeing Karina so uncharacteristically excited, Laura eventually gave in.

“Then you’ll need to get a new dress for the occasion.”

At the mention of a dress, Laura’s eyes lit up for the first time. She, like Becky, was genuinely enthusiastic about dressing Karina up.

Karina felt a slight sense of foreboding but didn’t resist.

“Even shoes and accessories. We’ll need to completely redo your wardrobe.”

“…Alright.”

“Really? Promise me?”

Laura even extended her pinky finger, showing her determination.

“But I have one condition.”

Karina, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. She hadn’t come up with such a grand plan without any strategy.

“Let’s hear it.”

Sensing something unusual, Laura leaned back and crossed her arms. Karina seized the moment and pulled something out of an envelope under the table. Then, she bent forward and placed it on her face.

When Laura finally saw Karina’s appearance, her eyes widened.

“…A mask?”

A silver butterfly mask covered more than half of Karina’s face.

“We’ll make it a masquerade ball.”

A masquerade ball. That was the idea that had convinced Karina to throw the party.

‘A masquerade ball?’

‘You said it felt overwhelming. Isn’t it fine as long as your face isn’t visible?’

When Kaya suggested the idea, Karina was shocked in two ways. First, because it was clear Kaya hadn’t thought deeply about it. And second, because, despite that, it was the best solution she had heard.

‘It’ll disperse attention, and you can move around freely just by switching masks.’

As Karina took off and put on the mask, her eyes sparkled. Laura burst into laughter. The only thing left was to send out the invitations.

***

Celine, seated on a luxurious sofa, looked disapprovingly at the woman across from her.

“What exactly do you want to hear from me?”

Cornell set down her teacup and met Celine’s gaze. Despite her haughty posture, Celine was the first to avert her eyes.

‘This won’t take long.’

Having assessed her, Cornell smiled faintly and began to speak.

“It’s not so much about what I want to hear. I just heard you attended the recent hunting competition.”

“And what of it?”

“I heard that you, as the young lady of the Russell household, received the most game from the participants.”

Despite the overly flattering remark, Celine’s face quickly showed signs of pride.

“Well, yes. Has word of that already spread?”

She was such an easy person to handle. Cornell maintained her polite smile.

Of course, it was all a lie. Cornell didn’t care in the slightest who received the most game. She had only chosen Celine because she seemed the most suitable.

“To be honest, I’ve always wanted to speak with you, Miss Celine. You seem so cultured.”

Someone who could provide her with the necessary information with minimal effort. And, more importantly, someone who shared an adversarial stance against the same person.

Calling her an enemy might be a stretch, but it wasn’t entirely wrong.

“It’s an annual event, so it’s not particularly special.”

“I see. Still, it must have felt nice.”

“Not really. That girl—no, an uninvited guest ruined it.”

“An uninvited guest…?”

Feigning ignorance, Cornell trailed off, prompting a dissatisfied look from Celine.

“Lady Karina, of course. She acted like she wasn’t going to come but showed up anyway.”

Hearing Karina’s name, Cornell deliberately darkened her expression. Seeing this, Celine seemed to decide that her story would resonate with Cornell and continued.

“Then, on the last day, she caused a scene and ruined the entire event.”

“A scene? Lady Karina did?”

Cornell asked at the perfect moment, prompting Celine to elaborate.

Since she harbored ill feelings toward Karina, her explanation was detailed. Cornell carefully extracted only the information she needed.

The incident involving Karina and Noah, as well as those connected to it.

‘Kamil Melbourne. What’s his relationship with Lady Karina?’

As she thought back, she vaguely recalled seeing them together.

What was certain was that their relationship wasn’t a good one.

‘Perhaps this might be the better approach.’

Having made her judgment, Cornell nodded and organized her thoughts.

Celine seemed to have more to say, but Cornell had heard enough.

“Miss Celine, it seems an invitation has arrived from Duke Edelin’s residence.”