Chapter 6 – At the Crossroads of Choice (1) (Part 10)

Knock-knock.

She was so absorbed that she didn’t even hear the sound of the door opening.

Startled by the sudden knock, Lorraine turned around. She immediately met Edwin’s bright yellow eyes leaning against the doorframe. Lorraine stepped away from the balcony and awkwardly smiled.

“Oh… when did you arrive? Did the conversation go well?”

“Just now.”

He replied nonchalantly, gesturing with his finger for her to come outside.

He sat at the tea table, gazing indifferently at the scenery of Acté Island, praised for its natural beauty, and said,

“Dunant didn’t come.”

No wonder.

Lorraine narrowed her eyes. Edwin, who didn’t catch the meaning behind her expression, shrugged his shoulders and continued.

“According to Marquis Roben, we’ll meet at a villa near the harbor where the wedding will be held, but that’s not certain….”

“Well… Juliet Roben was jumping around outside.”

Lorraine briefly explained the scene she had just witnessed.

“Considering the news reached the bride, it seems the guests here are roughly aware of it.”

“It was a marriage doomed to fail without intervention.”

Edwin shook his head, perhaps regretting the long journey. Lorraine checked her wristwatch and asked,

“So, what did you discuss with the Marquis? You talked for quite a while.”

Edwin leaned back in his chair and replied,

“Probe appropriately, give some leads appropriately.”

“Is there any hope for rehabilitation?”

“We’ll see… it’s not like we can overhaul the entire founding family.”

Jamie’s orders echoed in his mind.

「I know it’s a bit much to talk about overthrowing the heads of the vassal families including Dunant, but I hope the damage is minimized. Eddie, I’m counting on you.」

The relentless journey to Acté left him exhausted. Edwin ran a dry hand over his face and said,

“There’s a banquet in the evening… the time… there’s about an hour or two left.”

Lorraine stood up.

“Let’s rest until then. You look tired.”

***

The light blue sheath line style dress looked good, even to her, who was hopeless at dressing up.

Moreover, the variously sized jewels attached to the chest shone with their presence even under dim light, enveloping her in unfamiliar emotions.

“I’m living in luxury.”

At her muttering, the maid fixing her hair accessories asked back.

“Pardon?”

“Oh, nothing.”

At least during the Duncan family’s party, she could ignore her discomfort by chatting while preparing. But preparing here without talking to anyone made her think all sorts of things.

She thought she’d hardly ever have a chance to wear a dress in her life. Even if she did, she thought it would be a cheap ready-made dress from a department store.

“It seems absurdly expensive.”

“Pardon? What’s not to your liking?”

The maid was already half-scared.

“Oh, nothing. Is it done?”

“Yes, yes, just one more pin, and it’s done.”

The maid, nodding slightly, seemed to touch her hair a bit more before quickly stepping back. She held up a hand mirror to show Lorraine the back of her head.

“Do you like it?”

Numerous pearls adorned her hair.

It was pretty.

‘Well, they said it was Akoya and Conch pearls….’

Madame Laurent was the one who introduced the pins made of B-grade Akoya and Conch pearls, which someone had given up on, at a reasonable price.

「Someone placed an order but gave up on these pearls… would you be interested in buying them?」

「…Pardon? Oh, I… planned to use what I have this time….」

But she couldn’t finish her sentence. Madame Laurent had grabbed her hand with a desperate look.

「I’ll give you a good deal!」

「…You don’t have to.」

Despite Lorraine’s reluctant tone, Madame insisted, as if she would forcefully hand them over if she didn’t buy them.

「No! They’re such a waste, no matter how you think about it. They’re B-grade, but honestly, they’re almost A-grade… and more importantly, they’d really suit this dress.」

Her words poured out like a rapid-fire, leaving Lorraine staring blankly at the signature line.

Later, Lorraine realized that this was Madame Laurent’s sales technique.

「Um… but….」

「Wow- look at this brilliant color, it’s like it was made for you, Miss!」

It was a bit unfair, but pretty was pretty. Even to untrained eyes, they looked beautiful. She suddenly worried about when she’d ever take out all these pins, but that was a problem for her to face after returning from the banquet.

As she examined the back of her head with a serious look, the maid cautiously asked.

“Is there… something you don’t like…?”

“Oh, no. It’s pretty, thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh, yes, then would you like to stand up, Miss?”

As she stood, the maid quickly adjusted her skirt.

Click-.

Opening the door to the connected room revealed Edwin, who had already changed clothes. He was sitting at the tea table, checking the remaining documents with his honey-like golden hair neatly slicked back with pomade.

He looked different from usual, wearing a dinner tuxedo instead of his military uniform.

‘Oh….’

The dark blue pants and vest, tailored to fit his firm body, perfectly complemented his sharp demeanor.

Yet, perhaps because of his slouched posture, he still looked rebellious.

Having mostly seen his light and sensitive side, seeing him like this felt refreshing.

He’s handsome.

Lorraine objectively acknowledged.

“…Have you finished staring?”

Hiding her admiration, she nonchalantly replied.

“Yes, well… it’s passable.”

“…You’re probably the only subordinate who treats their superior like that.”

Shaking his head, Edwin closed the document he was reading and stood up. He put on the dark ash jacket hanging on one side and walked over to her.

“Let’s go. The timing should be about right.”

Edwin naturally extended his hand to her. Lorraine also took his hand as if it were the most natural thing.

***

As Lorraine and Edwin descended to the banquet hall holding hands, the long table was sparsely occupied. It seemed the banquet time hadn’t arrived yet.

Lorraine slowly observed the people seated at the table. Thanks to receiving the guest list in advance, she knew who was attending, but she recognized only a few.

“The lady sitting fifth from the left end, do you know who she is?”

At Lorraine’s whisper, Edwin, who was calmly observing the seated people, replied indifferently.

“Countess Shole.”

“Oh, and the second to the right of her?”

“Count Russell.”

Ah, Lorraine sighed softly and nodded. At that moment, an attendant standing at the door approached them.

“I’ll guide you to your seats.”

The attendant led Lorraine and Edwin to seats close to the host. Across from them sat Grand Duke Ian of Fontaine. After all, among the invited guests, the two had the highest titles.

At Lorraine’s glance, Ian, who was wetting his lips with wine, nodded slightly.

The sound of waves occasionally came through the open balcony doors.

Unlike the hot and humid day, the night was a bit cooler. To avoid moisture rising from the ground, southern architecture generally featured piloti-style structures.

Because of this, the garden viewed from the banquet hall looked very spacious.

Before long, Marquis Roben, the host of tonight’s pre-wedding party, came down with Juliet. Juliet entered holding her father’s hand, her face filled with excitement as if she hadn’t been angry earlier.

She looked exactly like someone about to get married.

Of course, a bit of sulkiness couldn’t be hidden, but to the ladies, it would seem like a bride-to-be’s tantrum.

Lorraine shook her head in exasperation.

Marquis Roben seated his daughter beside him and tapped a champagne glass with a spoon. Smiling broadly, he began to speak.

“Thank you for attending and brightening the occasion of my daughter’s wedding.”

He cleared his throat and continued.

“I understand some may think having a week-long wedding is excessive.”

“…….”

“But I hope you’ll understand that a father’s heart isn’t at ease sending off his daughter alone after losing his wife.”

Huh, Lorraine snorted.

She had clearly seen the head maid covering Juliet’s mouth earlier. No matter how long the head maid had been with the family, covering the master’s mouth was impossible without the head’s permission.

His attempt to appear candid by acting out fatherly love was evident, but he couldn’t hide his absurd intentions.

She listened to his speech with a disinterested face.

“That concludes the preamble, and I hope you enjoy the banquet.”

As Marquis Roben bowed, the banquet hall doors opened simultaneously.