Chapter 43

When Diane tried to return the handkerchief, the Duke said, “If you end up crying alone in the second act, keep the handkerchief with you,” and left without taking it back.

Had the Duke already known that the second act would have scenes and songs so moving they would bring tears?

After gently wiping away the tears she had meant to hold back, Diane folded the handkerchief and glanced toward the box seat where the Duke was.

Just as when he was with her, the Duke was focused solely on the stage.

Even in the dim audience, his beautiful blond hair and elegant features seemed to shine.

‘He really is a beautiful person.’

But at the very moment she was watching him, the Duke’s gaze, which had been fixed on the stage, suddenly shifted to her sitting across the way.

Diane, startled, quickly turned her head back to the stage.

‘Ah, of all times!’

She had consciously tried not to look at the Duke’s box all evening, but the moment she did because of the handkerchief—right after the second act began—he turned his head.

Tonight, her mind and heart were a tangled mess.

She couldn’t tell whether she was absorbed in the performance or in the Duke himself.

She tried to ignore the hot sensation on her right cheek where his gaze seemed to land, and forced herself to focus on the stage again.

‘It must be my imagination. He’s not really looking at me.’

The evening dress she’d never worn before exposed her shoulders and chest more than she was used to, making her feel bare, yet her body flushed with heat, so she gathered her hair from where it had fallen down her back and pulled it forward over her left shoulder.

Even so, she couldn’t muster the courage to check if the gaze she felt was real or imagined, so she kept her eyes glued to the stage.

At last, the long second act came to an end.

During the prolonged applause, she managed to tuck the Duke’s handkerchief into her pouch.

She wondered whether she should return the handkerchief to the Duke in the carriage home, or wash it and give it back clean.

❖

After the performance ended, the crowds pouring out of the opera house turned the front into utter chaos.

When she’d come with Gale before, they’d walked home, so the confusion hadn’t been such a problem. But this time, Diane also had to take a carriage, so she had to wait quite a while in the extreme congestion until the Duke’s carriage arrived.

The Duke was standing a little apart, greeting other nobles and chatting as they waited for their carriages.

They seemed used to this, not bored or impatient at all.

Apparently, it was customary to exchange greetings and brief conversations while waiting for the carriage.

Of course, Diane couldn’t mingle with them, so she stood alone.

It was a strange feeling.

Standing alone in front of the crowded theater, watching the Duke surrounded by other nobles, she was struck by a sense of alienation she hadn’t felt even when denied entry to the Royal Box or watching the second act alone.

She realized that she and the Duke truly belonged to completely different worlds, and felt the isolation of standing alone, in an outfit that didn’t suit her, in a place she didn’t belong, among people she didn’t fit in with.

“Hello, Miss?”

A man’s voice suddenly broke her thoughts.

He was someone she’d never seen before.

Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a noble.

“Yes, hello.”

Diane replied cautiously.

“You’re the tutor of Duke Wale’s household, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

How did he know she was the Duke’s tutor?

Why was he acting familiar all of a sudden?

The questions that popped into her mind made her uncomfortable, and there was something disrespectful in the man’s gaze and tone.

She had no desire to continue the conversation, but since she had to wait for the carriage, she couldn’t leave, and since she’d come with the Duke, she couldn’t risk causing trouble even with a strange noble.

“I’ve heard you’re close to Marquis Wale.”

‘Marquis Wale? Ah, President Wale. But close—what did he mean?’

The President hadn’t even shown up tonight…

His words and the way he looked her over made Diane shudder.

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

She answered with a serious tone.

“Don’t play dumb… acting innocent, huh?”

“Excuse me?”

‘Did I mishear?’

He was certainly unpleasant.

“Anyway, I’m Viscount Anton. If you’re not close to the Marquis, maybe you could get to know me… Miss, uh… what’s your name?”

He paused and asked her name.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t see any reason to introduce myself to you, Viscount.”

“Hahaha! You’re funny.”

The Viscount laughed, but it sounded like mockery.

She felt not just uncomfortable, but increasingly uneasy.

The unpleasantness this man gave off was different from the direct discomfort Edward Wale caused—if the President’s discomfort was straightforward, this man’s was more like the creepy sensation of an insect crawling on her skin.

Diane couldn’t help but glance toward the carriage approach.

Why wasn’t the carriage coming? It needed to come soon.

“Hey, Miss.”

The Viscount called out again, as if to force her attention back. His tone had shifted to that of someone addressing a subordinate.

Diane kept her eyes on the road, pretending not to hear.

She decided ignoring him was best.

“Hah, this is amusing.”

His tone grew rougher.

Was he crazy?

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, the man grabbed her arm.

Diane was so startled she tried to shake off his grip, but his hold was stronger than she expected.

“Let go of me!”

“No.”

He grinned, whether mocking or teasing, she couldn’t tell.

She instinctively looked toward the Duke, but he was still some distance away, turned away and chatting with others.

Suddenly, many people’s eyes turned toward Diane and the Viscount.

But they kept their distance, watching but not intervening in the man’s rude, aggressive behavior.

“Let go!”

She shouted again.

Smack!

Suddenly, a man stepped between her and the Viscount and pulled his arm away from Diane.

She looked up at the man who had saved her from the crazy Viscount.

She wasn’t short, but he was so tall and broad that she had to look up quite a bit.

“What do you think you’re doing, Viscount Anton!”

The man who’d freed her spoke angrily to the Viscount.

“Hey, Lord Jude, what are you doing! Striking people so freely.”

“This lady asked you to let go. Please refrain from rude behavior.”

Apparently, this man was Lord Jude.

He looked down at the much shorter Viscount, speaking politely but with a scolding tone. The difference in size made it look as if an adult were scolding a child.

“Lord Jude, what’s going on? Miss, are you alright?”

Suddenly, the Duke’s voice broke into the conversation.

He had been quite far away, turned away and talking, but must have heard her cry and rushed over.

“Ah, Duke Wale.”

Lord Jude nodded to the Duke, who returned the gesture.

“Isn’t this woman the Marquis’s… you know? I was just trying to ask after the Marquis, just asked her name, and she made a fuss. Acting like some proper lady.”

Viscount Anton started babbling to the Duke.

Just asked her name? Diane was dumbfounded.

“Viscount Anton!”

The Duke’s expression darkened and his voice rose. Diane shrank instinctively—she’d never seen him angry before.

He was angry because of her…

“Viscount Anton, you grabbed this lady’s arm even though she didn’t want you to! Aren’t you ashamed as a gentleman?”

Lord Jude also glared at the Viscount.

“Huh! I just wanted to ask her name. Besides, she’s just a common tutor, isn’t she?”

“Viscount!”

The Duke interrupted again, his voice completely agitated.

“Ah! Your Grace, I was just…”

Perhaps cowed by the Duke’s expression and tone, the Viscount shrank instantly.

Just then, the Duke’s carriage pulled up in front of Diane.

“Miss, please go home first. I’ll handle things here and return with the Earldom family.”

The Duke’s voice was firm.

Diane felt embarrassed and ashamed about the commotion.

She knew she had no reason to feel shame, but reason aside, the situation made her shrink.

She’d been mistreated by the Viscount, heard rude words, and now the Duke was angry, and even Lord Jude had gotten involved.

Everyone’s attention was now focused on her.

She didn’t know if it was right to leave the problem to the Duke and flee the scene, but that crazy man was a noble. There was nothing she could do against him.

As the man said, she was just a “common” tutor.

All she could do was disappear quickly as the Duke had said.

“Yes, Your Grace. Then I’ll go first.”

But as she started to board the carriage, she hesitated.

She felt as if she was missing something.