1.6

“Jacob, wasn’t that rascal just trying to flirt and ended up embarrassing himself? The young lady must have felt sorry.”  

“That’s why they say her glare is no joke. Supposedly, she shoots daggers at any man who approaches her. Haha.”  

“Her wariness must be intense.”  

Max and Logan were quite intrigued and continued discussing the woman who had caused a commotion today. Leon, uninterested in their conversation, nodded a few times and intended to head to the ballroom to find Mia.  

“Do you think you can steal such a woman’s heart this time too, Leon?”  

It was Logan who stopped Leon in his tracks. Logan harbored ill feelings towards Leon.  

Even after whispering sweet words and making efforts, it was uncertain if the ladies would fall for him, yet Leon managed to capture the hearts of many women with just his looks and demeanor.  

That alone was enough to irritate Logan, but what infuriated him further was Leon’s attitude. He seemed completely uninterested in other young ladies, not even sparing them a glance. The more he acted that way, the more desperate the ladies became, clinging to Leon even more.  

What annoyed Logan even more today was that Lady Guilford, who seemed like she might fall for him with just a little more effort, had coldly rejected him. It must have been Leon’s doing.  

Thus, Logan wanted to see Leon get rejected by a woman at least once. He thought this was his chance and decided to provoke him.  

Would the woman, who was currently rejecting every man, also reject Leon? Curiosity arose, and given the current circumstances, there was a high chance she would, making it likely that he would witness the rare sight of Leon being turned down by a woman.  

“I’m not interested.”  

Leon found the trivial remark absurd and ignored it, intending to continue on his way.  

“If you, the noble Sir Guilford, confess your love to Lady Novary and ask her to date you, regardless of the outcome, I’ll grant you whatever you desire. What do you think? You disapproved of me approaching Lady Guilford, right? If you have the courage to confess right now, I won’t loiter around Lady Guilford anymore. What do you say to my proposal?”  

“….”  

He should have refused. That was obvious to Leon. However, it was a good opportunity to deal with a pest approaching Mia, so he hesitated.  

He felt sorry for the woman whose name he didn’t know, but he had a duty to protect his sister.  

When he stopped and turned around, Logan was grinning with a devilish smile.  

It was a sweet yet bitter temptation.  

* * *

“I’m going to get some fresh air.”  

After the recent embarrassment, the number of men approaching Ellen out of curiosity and amusement increased. Their suggestive smiles or raised corners of their mouths made it clear they were speaking to her as a joke.  

Some might genuinely approach her, but Ellen, who had already started on the wrong foot, couldn’t trust anyone.  

Even when Donna pointed out a decent man, Ellen had no intention of talking to him. There were far more men with impure intentions than those Donna pointed out, so she had already lost interest in city men.  

Moreover, as the number of rejections increased, it seemed the noblemen were betting on who she would accept first.  

“Sigh.”  

Exhausted, Ellen headed to the terrace alone to get some fresh air. She insisted to Donna, who offered to accompany her, that she was fine.  

She thought it would be less noticeable if she went alone.  

The short walk felt incredibly long, and Ellen’s steps were heavy.  

“Wasn’t she the young lady of the Novary family? I don’t know much about the family, but it seemed familiar because even two years ago….”  

Ellen sat on a bench hidden from people’s view. It was deep in shadow, so only her silhouette was visible.  

Because one needed to get close to recognize her face, the people around didn’t realize she was there and gossiped about Ellen.  

Ignore it.  

Ellen exhaled a small breath and pretended not to hear the voices. She didn’t want to care about people she didn’t know and wouldn’t see again.  

The cold air brushed her cheeks, easing her frustration slightly, but she still felt that today was the worst ball of her life.  

She thought the ball two years ago was the worst, but today was even more dreadful. If it were two years ago, she would have left immediately.  

No. I can’t leave like this.  

However, she wanted to see Leon’s face, even for a moment, so Ellen hadn’t thought of leaving yet.  

According to Donna, his sister, Lady Mia Guilford, was still at the ballroom, so Leon would come late to protect her from unsavory men.  

If she could just see his face for a moment, today wouldn’t be the worst day. He had changed what could have been the worst day two years ago, so she felt he might change it again.  

When will he come?  

She decided that once she saw his face, she would leave immediately. She didn’t have the courage to talk to him today. So, she planned to take her time getting closer.  

At that moment.  

“Leon, you’re here?”  

Even though the voice came from quite a distance, Ellen clearly heard the name “Leon.”  

Could it be?  

Ellen stood up to confirm whether the man named Leon was the one she had been waiting for. She slowly and cautiously moved towards the direction of the voice.  

Ah!  

After walking a short distance, she could see Leon’s face. 

The man, with neatly slicked-back black hair in a pomade style and wearing a white knight’s uniform adorned with golden threads, was tall and well-built, quickly catching Ellen’s eye.  

His golden eyes still seemed to sparkle even from afar, making it hard to breathe.  

Ellen’s body froze in surprise. Her heart pounded, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe.  

Was it this overwhelming to have the person she longed to meet right before her eyes?  

All of Ellen’s senses were focused on Leon. It was dark as the day ended, but she could even feel his eyelashes blinking.  

Oh, what should I do!  

Seeing him was enough, but to think she had to marry another man without confessing….  

She intended to settle her feelings by seeing her first love’s face before marriage, but now that she saw him, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.  

Did I speak too hastily about marrying Baron Aran? Should I have confessed and then married after being rejected? 

She regretted it at that moment.  

“If you, the noble Sir Guilford, confess your love to Lady Novary and ask her to date you, regardless of the outcome, I’ll grant you whatever you desire. What do you think?”  

Hearing those unbelievable words from Leon’s companion, Ellen was shocked.  

If they meant the young lady of the Novary family, that was me…. What? They’re betting on me?