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“Ah!”

She screamed briefly as the wine splashed onto her face. She watched the wine drip down her chin and soak into her clothes, then shouted,

“Are you crazy?”

“You’re the crazy one!”

I was furious at her for not realizing she was in the wrong. And then, it happened. Her eyes filled with rage as she grabbed my hair. Fine, let’s do this. I grabbed her red hair in return, still fuming.

“My Lady!”

“Duchess!”

The women around us finally came to their senses and tried to separate us.

I heard Grace calling my name, but neither of us was willing to let go.

“Stop this at once!”

The Emperor’s stern voice echoed through the room.

“What is this commotion at the Crown Prince’s banquet?”

Only then did the redhead and I let go of each other. I touched my hair, but from the feel of it, I knew it was beyond saving. I should have pulled more of her hair out.

The Crown Prince, Roan, and the other nobles were all staring at us with shocked faces. I saw Roan quickly making his way toward me.

“Duchess, you’re bleeding!”

One of the noblewomen shouted as she looked at me.

Ouch. I hadn’t felt it until she mentioned it, but then I felt a sharp pain near my forehead. Roan’s expression turned serious as he looked at my face.

I touched the stinging area and found blood on my fingers. It seemed that during our tussle, her long nails had scratched my forehead.

Roan was already close by and asked,

“Are you okay?”

I didn’t feel like I could face Roan right now. I felt guilty for making him endure insults he didn’t deserve. A mix of shame, sorrow, and the feeling of having ruined something overwhelmed me, and tears welled up.

Roan tried to touch my forehead, but I turned my head away to avoid his fingers. I felt like I would start crying if he touched me.

“I’m fine,” I said, trying to sound calm to keep the tears at bay.

“What on earth happened here?” The Crown Prince, who had also rushed over, asked.

I stayed silent. I didn’t want to bring up the issue and cause more trouble for Roan.

The redhead also remained silent. She must have realized that telling the truth would cause her even more trouble.

The Marquis of Nocturne arrived, his face full of shame. He apologized to the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness, I apologize. My wife has behaved disgracefully.”

“What exactly happened here?” the Crown Prince asked again.

None of the involved parties spoke up.

“Marchioness! The Crown Prince is asking what happened!!”

The Marquis of Nocturn scolded his wife, desperate to escape this humiliating situation.

I couldn’t stand to look at him either. He was partly responsible for creating this mess.

“Duchess, please tell us what happened.”

“Quiet. Who do you think you’re questioning?” Roan’s cold voice rang out.

The immense pressure in his voice was palpable. The war-hardened aura of the blue knight was overwhelming for the pen-pushing nobles.

The nobles momentarily held their breath, unable to speak. The Marquis trembled under the direct impact of Roan’s aura.

The Crown Prince, more accustomed to Roan’s presence, regained his composure first and spoke.

“Very well. If you cannot speak now, we will hear it later. Duchess, you need to treat that wound first. Duke Roan, please take your wife away.”

With those words, the Crown Prince diffused a situation that could have escalated. Disrupting a royal banquet could be severely punished, and the Crown Prince subtly indicated that he would not press charges.

Roan acknowledged the Crown Prince with a nod, then lifted me into his arms.

Gasps echoed around the room, but I didn’t care. I kept my head down.

Roan instructed a servant to fetch some medicine, then gently placed me in a comfortable carriage. He knelt in front of me.

I still kept my head down.

“Duchess,” he said softly. His voice, though dry, sounded so tender that it made me want to cry.

“Are you all right?” he asked again, not just about the wound but about everything.

“…Yes,” I replied.

I finally managed to speak with a choked voice.

“Lift your head a bit. I need to apply some medicine.”

But my head remained stubbornly down. If I met his eyes, I feared the flood of emotions would be uncontrollable.

When I didn’t raise my head, Roan’s hand gently cupped my chin and lifted it.

“What happened?” he asked, his eyes not filled with reprimand but concern.

As I met his cold yet warm eyes, tears fell from my eyes without me even realizing it.

“Sniff, sob…”

Seeing the tears rolling down my cheeks, Roan’s face hardened abruptly. He seemed unsure of what to do, his hands hesitating in front of my face before he carefully pulled me into an embrace.

Bawling, I clung to him, my tears soaking his shoulder. He didn’t seem to mind, hugging me even tighter.

After crying my heart out, I felt a bit relieved. As I calmed down, Roan gently pulled away. Sniffing, I tried to swallow my tears and snot.

“Don’t cry,” Roan’s low voice resonated.

“When you cry…”

His voice pierced my ears.

“…it feels strange.”

…My face looks strange?

“Sniff, you think… my face looks strange?”

Roan stared at me, then let out a small laugh, a rare sight.

“No, that’s not it… Let’s just put on the medicine first.”

Roan soaked a cotton ball in antiseptic and gently dabbed it on the wound on my forehead. Each sting made me flinch.

“…Does it hurt?”

Roan’s touch became even gentler. He carefully applied the healing ointment. Then, he slowly ran his fingers through my almost disheveled hair, smoothing it out.

My eyelids grew heavy. The gentle rocking of the carriage and Roan’s soothing touch lulled me into sleep.

***

“Your Grace.”

Roan’s calm eyes, immersed in darkness, brightened slightly. The information his loyal aide brought was so banal that it was almost boring.

Except that it involved her.

Roan hadn’t expected Delis to fight because of him. She simply brought up things that were said behind his back.

Roan had never had the luxury to care about idle gossip.

That explained why she had kept silent. He had suspected there was a reason for her silence, but he hadn’t expected this.

So, it was for him that she got angry? Seeing her so upset and even crying was a first.

Realizing that it was because of him made Roan feel a strange emotion.

He recalled her tearful face. Seeing her cry had felt like being stabbed by a thousand spears. No, he might not have felt that way even if he were literally stabbed.

At that moment, he wished he could take her pain, every drop of her sorrow. It would be less painful than seeing her cry.

Roan didn’t understand why her tears affected him so deeply.

***

The next morning,

Sunlight streaming through the window woke me. Memories of the chaotic previous day flashed before my eyes.

Another disaster, Delis.

Sigh, nothing ever goes smoothly, does it? But I don’t regret my actions. Letting it slide would have made me feel even worse. That redhead needed to be taught a lesson.

Adding to Delis’s notorious reputation wouldn’t make much difference. Like adding a drop of water to the ocean.

Oh, I remembered I had a social gathering in the afternoon. D*mn. I cursed inwardly. Seeing that redhead again so soon was dreadful. After yesterday’s events, she had become enemy number one in my mind.

Dear God, please let her not provoke me today. Better yet, let us not meet at all. Maybe she’s too embarrassed by her actions to show up.

And before that, I had a magic lesson. Life as a noblewoman wasn’t as leisurely as I’d thought. I should have burned her hair instead of just pulling it. I felt more determined than ever to master magic.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories