Chapter 12

Catherine felt burdened by the gazes directed at her.

Especially Hugo’s gaze, which was the most burdensome. His gaze was hot and sharp, as if it could pierce through her.

Not only his gaze but also Hugo’s expression was problematic.

His expression was, how should she say, like a child waiting to see what snack their mother would bring.

Catherine tried hard to ignore Hugo’s pitiful expression and gaze as she opened her mouth.

“Well, I’ve never thought about it.”

“That’s not the only thing I asked.”

Today, Lillie was particularly persistent. Or perhaps she is always this persistent.

Catherine let out a long sigh and glanced at Hugo’s expression. He somehow looked tense.

“Hurry up and tell us. I’ve already told everything. And you’re friends with Mr. Paul here. And Sir Hugo is…”

Lillie hesitated, unable to bring herself to say the word “ex-husband.” Catherine decided it was time to wrap up the conversation.

“I don’t think this is the place to talk about it, Lillie.”

Hugo’s eyebrows went up and then drooped down. He seemed relieved and disappointed at the same time.

“Alright. Then what do you think about a woman confessing her love first?”

Lillie asked.

Honestly, Catherine didn’t care either way.

If someone she truly loved appeared, she would courageously challenge, -excluding Hugo- and if someone passionately courted her, she would be happy in her own way.

“What I think isn’t important.”

“It is important, Catherine.”

Hugo said, his voice growing serious. Catherine’s eyes showed confusion.

It shouldn’t matter to him which side she preferred.

“Let me change the question, Catherine.”

It was Paul.

“Who feels more familiar to you, someone you see often or someone you meet after a long time?”

“Of course, it’s someone you see often, right?”

Lillie answered before Catherine could.

“So it seems, Sir Hugo.”

Paul looked at Hugo with a satisfied expression.

“The question was wrong. Who do you feel closer to, someone you’ve known for a long time or someone you’ve recently met a few times?”

Hugo looked at Lillie, urging her to answer. The conversation was heading in a strange direction.

The two of them would sharpen their words whenever they had the chance.

Catherine, who felt it was time to end not just the conversation but also the gathering, grabbed the small bag she had placed beside her.

Politeness had been observed since Paul and Lillie’s teacups were empty for quite a while.

“I think I should go now.”

“The conversation isn’t over yet.”

Hugo quickly added to Catherine’s words. If the conversation needed to end, it should just end. Catherine stood up.

“Since Lillie seems hesitant to answer, I’ll do it.”

Catherine wanted to leave this uncomfortable and strange place as soon as possible.

“I don’t feel close to either. You need to see someone for a long time and often. Both are necessary.”

At her answer, the faces of the two men darkened.

Catherine didn’t see it as she turned around, but Lillie saw it clearly.

***

Since the day Catherine, Paul, and Lillie had tea at Hugo’s house, Catherine ran into Hugo almost every day.

They met in places where it was likely for neighbors to run into each other, but also in places where it was completely unexpected, making Catherine very uncomfortable.

‘Why is he coming to a place that sells dress accessories?’

She ran into him so often that his appearances no longer felt awkward.

Even meeting him in front of the banquet hall like this.

“It’s been a while, Catherine.”

“We saw each other this morning, Hugo.”

Hugo gave a faint smile, perhaps embarrassed by his own words.

Then the women around them glanced at him.

Correction. The women had been staring at him since he got off the carriage.

‘Hugo is quite handsome.’

She felt a subtle pride in the fact that this man was her ex-husband.

“I see you have a dance card on your wrist, too.”

Hugo said, glancing at Catherine’s wrist.

Catherine pouted and shook her wrist. The dance card dangled in front of his eyes.

One of the customs Catherine disliked was the dance card system.

‘I hate dancing itself. But everyone wants it.’

At a ball, the only chance for men and women to have a private conversation was while dancing.

So men were eager to dance with the women they fancied.

It was natural for the dance card of a popular woman to have a long waiting list.

Men willingly waited to dance with popular women.

Even if they had no feelings for her, they didn’t hesitate to queue up.

Dancing with a popular woman meant a lot to the men.

As a result, some women were left out.

Thus, the dance card system was created.

If a man wanted to dance, he had to write his name on the dance card attached to the woman’s wrist and get a number.

Thanks to the dance card, men could spend time with other women until their turn came.

Even with the dance card system, there were still women who went home with empty dance cards.

Men didn’t care about the humiliation those women felt. They even made a joke out of it.

Catherine hated that.

“It can’t be helped. It’s a social party.”

At Catherine’s response, Hugo’s gaze fell on her dance card.

‘I just carry it around for appearances.’

As a divorced woman, no one asked Catherine to dance, and she didn’t want to actively pursue a dance with anyone either.

But Hugo seemed to think differently.

“Let’s have the first dance together.”

Hugo reached for Catherine’s dance card.

“Catherine.”

Someone called out to Catherine at that moment.

Startled, Catherine pulled her arm to her chest.

Hugo’s fingertips brushed against her dance card.

“Are you alright, Catherine?”

“Catherine, here you are.”

Catherine didn’t hear what Hugo said and responded to another voice calling her.

She turned stiffly like a broken wooden doll.

Countess Bedwig and Earl Bedwig were getting off a large and elegant carriage.

“How have you been, Catherine?”

With an unusually bright smile, Countess Bedwig embraced Catherine.

“……!”

It was the first time since the season Catherine got married that Earl and Countess Bedwig appeared together during the capital’s social season.

‘Countess Bedwig? Father? Why are they here? They have no reason to be here, do they?’

Catherine stiffened.

The capital’s social season was a time when gatherings to find matches were held.

So there was no reason for Earl and Countess Bedwig, who didn’t have a child to find a match for, to spend a lot of money staying in the capital.

Though Countess Bedwig liked a luxurious lifestyle, she hated Catherine as much as a cockroach.

‘I thought they were ashamed of me?’

They originally disliked her, and after Catherine’s divorce, Earl and Countess Bedwig avoided her, calling her a disgrace to the family.

That Catherine frequented the capital’s social gatherings meant the Bedwig couple avoided the capital’s social season.

Thanks to that, Catherine could spend four years without running into the Bedwig couple, who made her blood boil just by seeing them.

But this year, the Bedwig couple suddenly appeared at the capital’s social season.

‘They must have known I would be here!’

Today’s ball marked the beginning of the capital’s social season.

It was a gathering where people who had been active in last year’s social season met to exchange greetings and information about those debuting in the social scene this year.

So parents or sponsors planning marriages for their children or wards made sure to attend.

Countess Orlando, who had a significant influence on last year’s social scene, had meticulously prepared for this ball.

There were so many people in the ballroom that it was hard to find a place to step, indicating that many families were preparing for marriages this year.

Countess Bedwig must have confirmed whether Catherine received an invitation to Countess Orlando’s ball.

She must have known in advance that Catherine would attend this ball.

So even if Earl and Countess Bedwig whimsically decided to attend the capital’s social season, today, this place was not the right place.

‘But why?’

Countess Bedwig, who had lightly hugged Catherine, stepped back.

She held Catherine’s hand.

“Catherine, you’ve lost weight. Are you eating well?”

Catherine squinted her eyes. The words of concern from Countess Bedwig’s mouth were unfamiliar.

‘What’s their scheme?’

Her actions naturally led Catherine to suspect ulterior motives.

But it seemed Catherine was the only one feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Countess Bedwig went a step further and put her hand on Catherine’s back.

“Our Catherine, you should find a good match this year too.”

With just one sentence from Countess Bedwig, Catherine understood the intentions of Earl and Countess Bedwig.

‘The family must be in trouble.’

Countess Bedwig was very extravagant.

And Earl Bedwig, having lived a comfortable life, was poor at managing the estate.

They only knew how to spend money, not how to increase it.

After Catherine’s brother was born, Countess Bedwig’s spending grew even more.

She tried to maintain the same standards as the Emperor for her son’s clothing, food, and lifestyle, which shook even a financially strong estate.

‘That’s why they used to squeeze Hugo.’

Because of his marriage to Catherine, Hugo had to bring money to Earl and Countess Bedwig every month.

With that money gone, the Bedwig family’s situation must have deteriorated faster.

‘They must be planning to sell me off again. Who do they think will fall for it?’

Knowing what to expect made it easier to deal with. Catherine lifted the corners of her mouth.