Chapter 17

Evelyn briefly stopped by her room to put away the books she had borrowed. She had to carefully hide the books in her arms so Dyffrin wouldn’t see them.

She couldn’t let him know that she had borrowed basic books on social dance.

The titles of the books were quite intuitive, like ‘First Steps in Social Dancing’ and ‘Understanding the Waltz’. If Dyffrin saw them, he would know she couldn’t dance at all.

‘……Though it’s bound to come out anyway.’

She couldn’t back out of practice now.

Evelyn looked at the wall, imagining Dyffrin waiting for her.

Quite a bit of time had passed while she was lost in thought.

‘Well……. Let’s just give it a try.’

Maybe this body would remember the dance steps, and she would move as if by magic.

Boosting her confidence, she headed to Dyffrin’s room. He was sitting by the window, reading a newspaper.

Evelyn apologized to Dyffrin, who had probably been waiting for quite some time.

“I’m sorry, I took a bit longer to change into more comfortable clothes.”

In reality, she had been hesitating, but Dyffrin didn’t seem to mind. He quietly approached and stood before Evelyn.

“If you have nothing else to say, let’s begin.”

Dyffrin extended his hand.

Evelyn silently looked at his outstretched hand. Seeing her hesitation, Dyffrin spoke again.

“You need to take my hand to start the practice.”

‘Ah, right.’

Evelyn finally placed her hand in his palm. Dyffrin wrapped his other arm around her waist.

As their bodies came into close contact, the startled Evelyn involuntarily drew in a sharp breath. The warmth of his firm chest made her neck flush.

On the other hand, despite his general dislike of physical contact, Dyffrin didn’t seem to mind while dancing.

While Evelyn was still tense, Dyffrin started the phonograph.

A gentle dance tune began to play.

Dyffrin moved first. Evelyn tried to follow his steps but quickly reached her limit.

“Ah…!”

In her haste to match his footwork, she mistepped, causing her to sway.

As she stumbled, Dyffrin quickly supported her waist.

“What are you doing…!”

Dyffrin seemed quite shocked. It was the first time Evelyn saw his usually indifferent face contorted with such emotion.

But Evelyn had no time to marvel, as a sharp pain shot through her twisted ankle.

“Ow…”

Her swollen ankle throbbed.

“I think I twisted my ankle.”

Even she found it ridiculous – before even attempting the dance, this had happened. Dyffrin must be equally exasperated.

“Evelyn.”

To her surprise, his voice had a concerned tone as he let out a sigh.

“Is it badly twisted? I’ll call the physician if it’s serious.”

Hearing his unexpectedly kind voice, Evelyn looked up. Dyffrin had relaxed his furrowed brow and was looking at her.

He actually looked somewhat concerned.

‘Huh…’

Evelyn stared blankly at Dyffrin without answering, and he asked again.

“Can you walk?”

Evelyn carefully placed her sprained ankle on the floor. Her ankle still throbbed.

‘This is bad…’

She thought she should ask him to call a physician since it was hard to move right now.

Just as she was about to make the request, Evelyn suddenly found herself lifted off the ground. Dyffrin’s face was now uncomfortably close.

He had scooped her up in his arms, cradling her like a princess. Evelyn’s face turned red in an instant.

A flustered voice escaped her.

“I can walk on my own…!”

“From the looks of it, you’ll have trouble walking. You can’t just keep standing here.”

Dyffrin spoke calmly as he carried Evelyn. He headed towards the bed.

“If you’re going to take me somewhere, at least put me in my own bed!”

“This is closer, so just stay here for now.”

But Evelyn could only gape in surprise, unable to say anything further to Dyffrin.

Dyffrin gently laid Evelyn down on the bed. Contrary to her expectation of him roughly tossing her, his movements were surprisingly gentle.

“Lie down for a while. I’ll tell them to call a physician.”

Evelyn could only manage a nod. Dyffrin then left the bedroom.

Left alone, Evelyn had to cool the heat that had risen within her because of him.

So many unexpected things happened today.

‘Well, that’s what social dancing is like…’

When Evelyn’s body was pressed close to Dyffrin’s, she could clearly feel his firm physique. She also remembered the sensation when he had lifted her earlier.

Evelyn tried to forget the well-shaped body that kept appearing in her mind by looking around the bedroom.

The room was quite tidy, just like Dyffrin’s personality. There was plain white silk wallpaper, mahogany furniture, and hardly any decorations.

The only decoration was a portrait hanging next to the window.

The portrait depicted a beautiful woman. Evelyn knew who she was.

‘The late Chloe Liwonoc, Dyffrin’s biological mother.’

She had passed away when he was young.

After Chloe’s death, Duke Dunswell of Liwonoc remarried Amelia, the current Duchess, who was very strict with Dyffrin.

Because of this, Dyffrin had vague memories of his biological mother, yet he often longed for the kind mother he remembered.

Chloe, who was gentle and lovely, was not only cherished by Dyffrin but loved by everyone. Her husband, Dunswell, was so devastated by her death that he couldn’t pull himself together for a while.

So, in a way, it was a bit regrettable. If Chloe had raised Dyffrin, he might have grown up to be someone who could feel love and express sadness normally like others.

As Evelyn spent time thinking about Dyffrin’s life, the sound of a knock came, and the door opened. 

It was Dyffrin and the physician.

Evelyn sighed at how often she had to see the physician these days and greeted him. The physician carefully took her ankle and moved it around.

After a few tests and simple questions, the physician gave his opinion.

“Your ankle is a bit swollen from the sprain, but there’s no need to worry too much. Some cold compresses should have it feeling better in no time.”

That was a relief. It would have been quite inconvenient if she couldn’t walk.

After the physician left, Evelyn told Dyffrin, 

“Thank you for calling the physician, Dyffrin. The pain has lessened, and I think I can return to my room on my own.”

As Evelyn tried to get up from the bed, Dyffrin pushed her shoulder down.

“Just stay. I’ll give you a cold compress.”

Evelyn blinked rapidly as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have.

“What…?”

When she asked in surprise, Dyffrin answered.

“The physician said cold compresses would help it feel better, didn’t he?”

“Well, yes… but you don’t need to do it yourself. I can ask Merrilyn to do it.”

“Merrilyn looked busy writing the household ledgers.”

“Then one of the other maids can…”

“They all seemed busy.”

“That can’t be…”

“Evelyn.”

Dyffrin’s blue eyes turned towards her.

“I mean, I can do this much. I’m not so cold-hearted as to ignore an injured person.”

“……”

“So please, just stay still.”

Reluctantly, Evelyn nodded her head, sensing his slightly weary demeanor.

Dyffrin called a maid to bring ice and a towel. He skillfully wrapped the ice in the towel and pressed it against Evelyn’s ankle. The cold sensation made her shiver.

She felt a bit embarrassed to show him her bare foot.

Dyffrin spoke with a low gaze.

“Even if it’s cold, bear with it for a bit. You’ll get used to it soon.”

As he said, the cold sensation gradually faded over time. Dyffrin applied the cold compress more delicately than expected.

He pressed Evelyn’s ankle with just the right amount of force to reduce the swelling.

The embarrassing feeling gradually subsided at his serious expression. Strangely, this moment felt comfortable.

Lying still while receiving the cold compress, Evelyn realized her eyelids were slowly closing.

‘…I shouldn’t fall asleep here.’

This was Dyffrin’s bedroom. But against her better judgment, Evelyn was powerless against the overwhelming drowsiness.

Her vision gradually faded to black.

* * *

Dyffrin watched as Evelyn battled against sleep.

Since a while ago, she had been repeatedly closing and opening her eyes, seemingly trying to resist the drowsiness.

Eventually, she fell asleep, and her steady breathing could be heard.

Dyffrin quietly continued the cold compress, and thinking it was enough, he placed the towel on the nightstand.

His gaze turned back to the sleeping Evelyn.

‘…….’

Lately, watching Evelyn, he had been overwhelmed with various feelings he had never experienced before.

He sometimes felt so angry that his mouth tingled, his heart raced as if he were seeing something precarious, and at times…… he felt a warm sensation like a spring breeze, making his heart beat more strongly than usual.

These emotions were truly unfamiliar to him.

It had always felt as if there was a barrier around him. So he couldn’t sense changes in his surroundings or emotions as well as others.

He found it strange that, unlike others, he reacted dully to any emotion, but at some point, it had become comfortable for him.

After all, he could always focus solely on his work.

The livelihoods of tens of thousands of landowners rested on his shoulders, and the honor of the esteemed Liwonoc family was at stake.

He could never afford to make mistakes or fall.

He had heard these words so often since he was young that they were ingrained in his mind. He believed it himself and tried to conform to that life.

By always looking ahead, at some point, he had stopped noticing the changing seasons and felt no excitement even as flowers bloomed.

Perhaps that’s why Evelyn’s presence had such a powerful impact on his hazy life. Seeing her bright face made him realize the flowers in bloom around him, and that today was warmer than yesterday.

Whenever that happened, an instinctive sense of unease would creep up on him. It felt like a large hole had opened in the unwavering path he had followed, and he was falling into a completely unknown world. That was not part of his plan.

But the problem was, he didn’t entirely dislike that threat. Instead, he grew increasingly curious.

He often wonders what would become of him, if the life he had so steadfastly maintained crumbled.

Seeing Evelyn’s lively face and hearing her cheerful voice, he thought maybe that future wouldn’t be so bad.

But at the same time, watching her made his chest feel tight.

Her vibrant appearance made her seem like a canary in a cage that would fly away soon, unlike before.

He didn’t know why. Maybe it was because her eyes, which always followed him, were now often directed elsewhere.

In fact, separating cleanly from her was what he had hoped for since the arranged marriage was decided. Yet, feeling this heaviness in his heart……

Unable to overcome the irritation of this inexplicable rebellious feeling, Dyffrin turned his gaze away.

The ice on the nightstand was melting and dripping down.

Sighing, Dyffrin exhaled.

‘……I guess I should go down and have a glass of cold water.’