Chapter 2.5

Having recently shared too many risqué stories at the cathedral, even a simple suggestion to remove her gloves now felt suggestive to her.  

Regardless, walking away after he had made such a suggestion would have been impolite.  

The social formalities of noble society felt particularly burdensome today, weighing heavily on her shoulders. 

‘I just want to go home.’  

Determined to wrap up the situation quickly, Erta nodded. 

“You’re right. Taking them off would be better.” 

She answered briefly and transferred her champagne glass from her wet right hand to her left.  

But then, a small problem arose. 

She couldn’t remove her right glove while still holding the champagne glass. 

Erta frowned slightly. To take off her glove, she would need to put the glass down.  

Normally, there would be tables scattered throughout the ballroom where one could set their glass, but in the secluded corner where they stood, there was no such convenience.  

In the end, removing her gloves here seemed impossible. But perhaps that was for the best.  

“As you can see, I don’t have a free hand, so it might be a bit difficult. I’ll just head back to my estate now.”  

Seizing the opportunity, she made her excuse to leave. But for some reason, the man wasn’t ready to let her go so easily.  

“Since it was my fault, I’d like to help you.”  

He even went so far as to offer his assistance.  

‘Why is he being so persistent?’  

The man’s insistence made her uncomfortable.  

But rejecting him without a valid reason wasn’t easy. And since Erta didn’t outright refuse, the man took it upon himself to grab her damp hand.  

It was an impolite gesture. Yet, Erta didn’t pull her hand away. She found herself captivated by his movements.  

She didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because he seemed so virtuous, just as he had appeared when she first saw him.  

Erta blankly watched as he began removing her glove.  

Swish—  

With a gentle touch, the champagne-soaked glove was slowly peeled away.  

The lace, which had covered her arm up to the elbow, was gradually pulled down to her wrist.  

A rush of heat flooded Erta’s face. She felt strange.  

This was nothing significant, yet it felt as if she were committing some great sin.  

It wasn’t virtuous—it felt secretive, almost intimate…  

‘No!’  

Suddenly, the scar on her wrist flashed through her mind.  

If the glove were pulled down any further, the marks would be revealed.  

She had let her guard down, her judgment clouded by the alcohol.  

It had only been a week since the marks had been made, and the traces of the bindings had not yet faded.  

With her sensitive skin, it would take several more days for them to disappear completely.  

“Wait…”  

The gloves had been worn specifically to hide those marks, and Erta instinctively tried to pull her hand back.  

But his grip was firm, and her hand didn’t budge.  

‘What kind of strength is this?’  

Her face twisted in discomfort. Despite her clear display of rejection, he didn’t let go of her hand.  

His movements didn’t stop either. He continued pulling the lace down until it was fully removed, exposing her wrist.  

Finally, the red marks on her wrist, which she had desperately wanted to hide, were revealed.  

“…!”  

Erta froze. At the same time, the man’s hand also stopped moving.  

Both of their gazes were now fixed on her wrist.  

It was obvious what he must be thinking as he looked at her wrist.  

Erta’s face burned with humiliation, as if her deepest secret had been exposed. This was a first for her.  

Taking advantage of the moment when his grip loosened, Erta quickly yanked her hand away and drew her arm back.  

“How rude of you. Surely you must have noticed that I wanted you to stop.”  

Erta shot back with a cold expression.  

She had rarely shown such emotional reactions before, but at this moment, it was hard to conceal her displeasure.  

“I apologize. It’s just… are you hurt in any way?”  

The man, however, didn’t seem fazed by Erta’s sharp response. Instead, he expressed concern.  

“Could it be that you’ve suffered some kind of hardship in secret…?”  

His words were unexpected.  

Contrary to her assumptions, he seemed to think that she had gone through some sort of difficult experience.  

‘Phew.’  

Erta let out a sigh of relief internally.  

It seemed that most people wouldn’t associate the scars on her wrist with anything improper.  

Even so, his actions had been undeniably rude. Erta’s stiff expression showed no sign of softening, as she was still rattled from the sudden encounter.  

“Questioning someone about personal matters without even introducing yourself? Do you lack the most basic manners?”  

Her icy response continued.  

Yet, the man appeared unaffected by her sharpness.  

Instead of reacting to her tone, he seemed more surprised by the fact that he hadn’t introduced himself yet. His eyes widened in realization, and he stepped back from her before bowing politely.  

The movement was brief, but it was executed with such flawless etiquette that it made her earlier criticism of his lack of manners seem unwarranted.  

“You’re right. To speak with you without introducing myself first is a grave oversight. I must apologize once again for my repeated rudeness today. My name is Reitan Ephelmar.”  

“…!”  

Erta’s pupils visibly trembled upon hearing his name.  

‘E-Ephelmar?’ 

Reitan Ephelmar. He was the very man involved in the marriage talks her family had arranged, and the subject of the noblewomen’s gossip that had left her so agitated earlier.  

‘I’m doomed.’  

She had just shown an uncharacteristically sharp side of herself to the man who was likely to become her fiancé. 

This was the worst possible first meeting.  

Now that he had introduced himself, it was her turn to state her name.  

Once she did, he would surely be just as surprised, his face reflecting the same shock. 

“Although no formal marriage talks have been held yet, be mindful of your behavior until then. Of course, our daughter, you have always conducted yourself impeccably.” 

Her mother’s voice echoed in her mind, warning her to be cautious in her actions.  

But it was already too late. If things continued like this, her reputation with the Duke of Ephelmar’s household would be in shambles.  

‘Mother, I’m sorry. I truly didn’t expect things to turn out this way.’  

Erta pressed her lips together tightly, then forced herself to open them to introduce herself.  

But once again, the man spoke first, his clear voice cutting through the moment.  

“I know it’s impolite to say this, but you’re so well-known that I already know your name. You are Lady Erta Geranion, daughter of Marquis Geranion, correct?”  

He already knew my identity.  

A faint, bitter laugh escaped her lips.  

‘So, he knew who I was all along. What must he think of me now?’  

Having been taught to always be mindful of her words and actions, she could only assume that he had been silently judging her.  

Her heart pounded, but she clung to her composure, smoothing her expression.  

With impeccable grace, she bowed to him and introduced herself formally.  

“I apologize for my rudeness, Lord Ephelmar. It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Erta, daughter of Marquis Geranion.”  

At the same time, she informed him of her intention to leave. There was no point in staying any longer.  

“It was an honor to speak with you, my lord. Regrettably, I’m feeling unwell today and must take my leave. I hope you will forgive my discourtesy.”  

Her lips trembled slightly as she spoke. 

The engagement would likely fall through now. She could already picture her parents’ disappointment, and the thought made her heart sink.  

“…I understand, my lady. Though it’s unfortunate, we can continue our conversation another time.”  

‘Another time?’  

The implication unsettled her, but her mind was too preoccupied to dwell on it.  

Erta bowed to him once more before leaving the banquet hall and boarding the carriage bound for the Marquis’s estate.  

“Haa…”  

Leaning against the soft cushions of the carriage, Erta felt slightly better than before, but her mind still refused to calm down.  

It had been the worst day imaginable.  

Not only had she nearly exposed her private scars to her potential arranged marriage partner, but she had also shown him her sharp, unfiltered reactions.  

In other words, she had revealed a side of herself that was the complete opposite of his humble, disciplined, and ascetic nature.  

She had worked so hard to maintain a flawless reputation in high society, only for it to crumble like a sandcastle in an instant.  

By tomorrow, there would surely be a letter from the Duke of Ephelmar’s household, formally withdrawing from the marriage talks.  

There was no way the Duke and Duchess would accept someone like Erta, who had strayed so far from the three virtues they valued, as their daughter-in-law.  

‘Father’s business… He’ll be so disappointed.’

She worried about how her parents would feel when the engagement fell through.  

‘They looked so happy, thinking about expanding the mining business.’  

How had things come to this? 

Erta squeezed her eyes shut.  

She had originally intended to go through with this marriage, no matter what.  

Even if Reitan Ephelmar’s ascetic lifestyle made him the worst possible match for her, he was the best son-in-law her parents could hope for.  

No matter how much she disliked the idea, there were no alternatives. She couldn’t afford to be stubborn.  

And Erta herself, knowing how important her public image and reputation were, understood perfectly well that there was no better match for her either.  

But in the end, she had ruined everything, leaving nothing behind but disappointment for her parents.  

Even as she tried to steady her emotions by focusing on other thoughts, the memory of what had happened with Reitan Ephelmar kept looping in her mind. 

“It must feel uncomfortable with you wet and soaked like that. Why don’t you take them off?”  

The scene of him removing her glove replayed in her head.  

As the thin lace fabric slipped off her hand, she couldn’t help but feel strangely exposed in front of him, as though she were being stripped bare.  

‘…Could the rumors really be true?’  

A sudden doubt crossed Erta’s mind. According to the rumors, he was the embodiment of restraint and self-control.  

And yet, the sensation she had felt earlier was no illusion. It had been undeniably strange. The way he had touched her glove…  

‘No, I must be overreacting today.’  

Sitting alone in the carriage, Erta shook her head. That couldn’t be possible.  

He was a man with an impeccable reputation in high society, where even the smallest flaws were magnified.  

Moreover, he was a devout and virtuous man who had spent a long time in the Holy Kingdom.  

If his touch had felt suggestive in any way, it was undoubtedly her own imagination.  

Even when he had seen the scars on her wrist, he hadn’t thought anything improper.  

Her recent indulgence in inappropriate thoughts and experiences must have warped her perspective. Erta scolded herself.  

‘Yes. I need to control myself now.’  

She had clearly been letting her desires run wild for too long, and it had started to affect her judgment.  

She resolved to stop visiting Bondridge Cathedral for a while and to avoid having those indecent dreams about the mysterious man.  

Even if the man from that night never appeared again, she told herself she wouldn’t miss him.  

‘I need to return to my true self. I can’t afford to make another mistake like today.’ 

With that, Erta steeled her resolve.  

The next day, however, Erta found herself standing in front of Bondridge Cathedral once again.