Chapter 6 – At the Crossroads of Choice (1) (Part 16)

Click—.

When the sound of the earrings being secured was heard, Lorraine stood up. She pulled a wallet from her bag hanging on the side. As she habitually rummaged through coins to pull out a gold coin, she paused for a moment, then took out two silver coins.

‘This should be safe.’

“You worked hard, you can leave now.”

When she smiled, the maid’s face lit up like a light had been turned on.

“Oh, thank you!”

When she finally left after saying goodbye, Lorraine could finally sit comfortably. She slumped in the chair for a moment, then glanced at the time.

“…Five twenty-five.”

The wedding was set to start at 6. But now, the wedding wasn’t the issue.

The fact that Diana was coming here.

And—.

“Ian Curtis is here.”

Pretending to be a fairy godmother was unbearable.

Knock, knock—.

For the tenth time. Edwin checked the watch on his wrist. There were only about 10 minutes left. Despite standing in front of the door for quite some time, no one found it odd due to the chaos of wedding preparations.

Fortunately.

Knock, knock—.

He couldn’t hold back any longer.

“I’m coming in.”

After the eleventh knock, he opened the door. Then he felt something hit his chest.

It felt like a head.

When Edwin slowly lowered his head, a neat crown came into view. While he was processing the situation, Lorraine quickly moved her forehead away from his chest and stepped back two steps.

“…I told you to wait.”

She grumbled, rubbing her forehead, wearing a beige halter-neck style dress.

“…I knocked several times.”

Whoosh—.

Despite Edwin’s retort, she turned around without hesitation and entered the room. Following her inside, he saw the disheveled state of the room, as if she had been searching for something.

Lorraine was kneeling, looking under the bed. The hem of her dress was starting to wrinkle, but she didn’t seem to mind much.

“What are you looking for?”

“Gloves.”

After checking under the empty bed, she restored the bedspread to its original state and stood up.

The next thing to search was the travel bag.

“…Gloves?”

At the unexpected retort, he asked back, his gaze falling on Lorraine’s hands. Her long, slender fingers were no different from other women’s.

“The gloves I wore last time got a bit dirty.”

Her actions and gestures were cautious, as if she didn’t want to ruin the neatly folded state.

“…Have you checked elsewhere?”

“Yes, I should have checked earlier… It’s my fault.”

But if you looked closely, you’d see her nails were cut short and rounded to hold a pen for a long time, and the side of her hand was stained with ink.

“Oh.”

While rummaging through the travel bag, she finally pulled out a clean pair of beige gloves.

“There they are.”

“Yes, I thought they’d be here.”

Nodding, she continued speaking as she put on the gloves.

“Madame.”

“……”

“She doesn’t usually skimp on fabric. She says it makes her regret making the clothes themselves….”

“But.”

“She said she cried because even the scraps of this fabric were too precious.”

“…Why?”

With her gloved hand on her chest, she spoke.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s a set.”

“……”

“Yes, yes, I wasn’t expecting anything.”

Such a blank reaction. Lorraine shook her head.

“Just… don’t worry about what I said that day.”

“……”

“To me, it’s now an irreplaceable fabric. Something like that.”

“……”

“I’m satisfied with my current life.”

She glanced at the time. There was no more time to delay.

“Let’s go.”

She took a step towards the door.

At that moment, she felt something settle on her exposed shoulder, and Edwin’s cologne scent drew closer.

“Shoulder.”

Click—.

With his hand on the doorknob, he turned it. Lorraine glanced back to check her shoulder. A thin, summer shawl with a design she had never seen before caught her eye.

“…Where did you get this?”

She didn’t know what to be surprised about. When she asked, seemingly dumbfounded, Edwin shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant face.

“It’s a skill.”

“That’s quite a skill.”

Even as she replied indifferently, she adjusted the shawl several times.

The ceremony was scheduled to take place in a large glass greenhouse at the back of the mansion. Lorraine mumbled as she looked at the brightly lit garden contrasting with the darkening evening sky.

“If only it wasn’t for the partner, it would have been a romantic wedding….”

He asked back with a face as if he had heard a foreign language.

“Romantic?”

Lorraine, who had been looking at Edwin’s face blankly, frowned and replied sulkily.

“…Even if it doesn’t suit me, it’s rude to make that face.”

“Oh.”

Should I step on him? 

Watching him with dissatisfied eyes, Lorraine spoke.

“I must have dreamed of a beautiful wedding at some point.”

“You speak as if it’s someone else’s story.”

Standing by the window, watching the view, she spoke quietly.

“The venue is beautiful, after all.”

Due to the lamps lit in the garden, Lorraine’s face was tinged with a reddish hue. Edwin, who was leaning against the window with his arms crossed, watching her face, suddenly asked.

“So.”

“Yes?”

“What did young Lorraine Wiig dream of?”

His face was also tinged with a reddish hue. Whether it was due to embarrassment or the lamps lit in the garden, she couldn’t tell.

Lorraine looked at his face blankly. 

Since when had Edwin Duncan been looking at me with those eyes?

Then, someone asked.

What kind of eyes.

As if in love….

Unconsciously answering, she pondered for a moment.

No way.

A certain speculation flashed through her mind. Lorraine’s eyes widened. She felt as if she’d been hit.

As she slowly inhaled and exhaled, she opened her mouth.

“…Indeed. What did I dream of?”

In such cases, changing the subject was most desirable.

“That’s frivolous.”

He sighed and replied, as if he had expected something.

“Dreams are inherently frivolous and hollow.”

“Why?”

“So that… you won’t be hurt even if they don’t come true.”

Shrugging her shoulders, she stepped away from the window. The music flowing in the garden had changed from before. It meant they were really late.

“Let’s go now. We’re really going to be late for the wedding.”

Just as she turned to take a step.

“Wait.”

Her hand was caught.

It was a large, firm, warm hand. It wasn’t rough, considering it was meant to hold. If she tried to release it, it felt like it could be easily let go.

Nevertheless, Lorraine stared blankly at her hand held by his.

It was unfamiliar.

Even though it was just skinship like escorting or holding hands, it felt fresh.

Driven by an instinctive aversion, Lorraine took a step back. Then Edwin’s grip on her hand gently tightened.

“I have something to say.”

Then, as he took a step closer, the strength was released.

“Go ahead. But… could you let go of my hand…?”

Just as she nodded and gave strength to pull her hand from his grip.

“I like you.”

“…Pardon?”

Did I hear that wrong?

Despite her ungraceful question, he wasn’t deterred and confirmed the fact several times.

“I think I like you. No, I like you.”

His confession fell like a carpet bombing.

Lorraine stared blankly at Edwin’s serious face.

It was subtle.

The wedding march was playing.

She knew in her head that she had to hurry to her seat now.

Nevertheless, she was concerned with this moment.

Even though it was a situation she couldn’t have imagined or even thought to imagine.

***

Did I hear that right? 

With a dazed face, blinking her eyes, Lorraine cautiously opened her mouth.

“Uh….”

Of course, that didn’t mean she formed a sentence.

“So, um… that is….”

Even during her academy days, she didn’t stammer like this. Lorraine tried to organize her tangled thoughts. Nevertheless, the feeling of facing a block tower that was sure to collapse no matter what she removed didn’t disappear.

Neither stacking nor removing was the answer.

Then, was toppling it the answer?

But at that moment, she didn’t know. The fact that having such a dilemma was evidence of some emotion she hadn’t even realized herself.

Edwin was the first to speak.

“I know.”

He nodded with a calm face.

“You have no intention of dating.”

Knowing too well was the problem. Edwin smiled bitterly.

He hadn’t planned to confess like this, but now he didn’t want to regret it or even try to. How did it come to this? Hiding his troubled feelings, he slowly opened his mouth.

“I didn’t bring it up for you to resonate with my feelings.”

“…Then.”

In response to her question, he replied nonchalantly.

“Just, that’s how it is.”

“…Pardon?”

Am I the only one not understanding this conversation?

Lorraine’s face naturally crumpled at the dialogue structure reminiscent of a comedy skit. Then, as if reading her thoughts, a snicker escaped Edwin’s lips.

“What I wanted to say was… that Edwin Duncan likes Lorraine Wiig… that’s about it.”

He added that he hadn’t hoped for more than that from the beginning.

“The conversation… seems to be going in an incomprehensible direction.”

“Unfortunately, it’s going well.”

Edwin shrugged his shoulders and spoke as he carefully released her hand.

“I thought I couldn’t keep hiding it.”

There was hardly any lightness in his voice.

It was an ironic situation.

She had come here with the man in front of her to stop someone’s wedding. Yet, she hadn’t even entered the wedding hall and was hearing a love confession here.

“I thought I’d have to face it at least once.”

As soon as he released her hand, Lorraine clasped her hands together and cautiously opened her mouth.

“…I’ve never thought about it.”

No matter how much she thought, there was no answer at this moment. Lorraine’s conclusion was that she should at least be honest. Her blue eyes rolled as if choosing words.

“I think it’s an impossible relationship. In the first place, Your Grace, you and I….”

“Have different values.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

She nodded.

After a moment of thought, he took a step forward. Edwin spoke as he removed her clasped hands and held them.

“Do you think people with the same values are automatically good partners?”

“Well, that could be.”

He nodded with a calm face, acknowledging it.

“But that’s not like you.”

It was a sharp critique.

Lorraine couldn’t offer any response. All she could do was stare blankly at his face. Edwin’s golden eyes shone with determination.

“Lorraine Wiig choosing a stable option… I might believe the rumor that lions eat grass.”

He continued speaking with a sneer, as if he had heard a funny joke.

“It would have been nice if I were among the options. But it doesn’t matter if I’m not.”

“……”

“But you’ll never find someone who’s just easy and comfortable without having to adjust.”

Was it a curse?

Lorraine, who was looking at him with a calm face, slowly opened her mouth.

“Is it a curse?”

“…It’s advice.”

Anyway, he was good at ruining the mood. Grumbling, he released her hand and took a step back.

At that moment, she took a step forward.

“What I said earlier… that I haven’t thought about it, I meant it.”

Lorraine spoke as she adjusted his crumpled shirt collar.

“Who dreams of a relationship with interference?”

Her voice was emotionless, but her touch was meticulous.

“…Unless it’s about wanting to kill.”

“…You’re joking, right?”

Ignoring his retort, she neatly adjusted his tie and slowly raised her head.

“I’ll think about it. But….”

At the unexpected answer, Edwin slowly opened his mouth with wide eyes.

“…But.”

“It will take a long time. And it won’t be optimistic. Even if it’s such a vague hope torture….”

The answer came immediately.

“It’s okay.”

“……”

“I’ll wait.”

His voice sounded almost earnest.

‘No way, could it be.’

Lorraine shook her head, surprised by her own thoughts.

Earnestness and Edwin? Isn’t that the most mismatched combination in the world?

It was when she was having such fruitless thoughts.

“We’re from the Imperial Palace!”

– The awaited news had arrived.

TRANSLATOR’S NOTE:

While I would love to finish all my projects without abandoning any, I regret to say that I’m considering dropping this novel.  Out of everything I’m working on, this one is particularly difficult to translate, and I’ve lost the joy of reading / translating it as I progress.

However, if you’re reading this and would like to see how it ends, please feel free to message me on Discord. I’m still open to finishing it, but it will take me longer than usual as I will prioritize more my other works. I hope you can understand.