<Chapter 6> Her Place (Part 2)

“We meet often, don’t we?”

Austin reacted casually and welcomed Elizabeth. The chair was soft and comfortable. But the seat next to Abigail, despite being uncomfortable, felt more at ease.

Elizabeth watched the chaotic atmosphere with unease. The table was silent as if cold water had been poured over it.

In the place where the unspoken rules had been broken, only awkward laughter occasionally mixed. Then Abigail, who had composed her expression, spoke to Kiern.

“Sir Kiern, if you wanted to sit next to me, you should have said so.”

“…….”

“Why take Lady Lua’s seat and make her feel awkward?”

“This seat seemed particularly appealing.”

Kiern replied with a faint smile, looking at her steadily, and Abigail lightly smiled back.

To an outsider, they might have seemed like a beautiful couple, but both Kiern’s and Abigail’s eyes looked at each other with indifference. As if they had touched something they shouldn’t have, they stared at each other coldly.

But those unaware of this fact relaxed at the sight of the affectionate couple and began chattering again.

Elizabeth, too, couldn’t read the glances exchanged between the two. The fact that they were soon to be engaged clouded her judgment.

Elizabeth tried to move as little as possible to avoid Kiern’s gaze. Quietly, as if she were invisible.

But her efforts didn’t last long. James, sitting across from her, spoke.

“Did you get home safely that time?”

“What?”

“You know, that time.”

Elizabeth was dumbfounded by James suddenly speaking so amiably. Moreover, it wasn’t a question to ask someone who was clearly the victim of his advances.

Anyone listening might think they had spent the night together.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, was it a secret? Hahaha!”

Is he crazy?

Elizabeth was exasperated by James’s misleading statement. And the ladies wouldn’t ignore such bait.

“Sir James, were you meeting Lady Lua separately?”

A lady next to him asked curiously, and James glanced at Elizabeth.

“Who knows?”

“No, we weren’t.”

“She says no.”

James echoed Elizabeth’s words, making his answer ambiguous. Elizabeth drew a line with an annoyed expression.

“We’ve never met privately.”

“Oh my, denying it so strongly makes it more suspicious.”

“Both of you are members of the Ingrid Club, so you must have had many interactions.”

“You look good together. Are there two couples here, then?”

“My, how enviable.”

Their reactions were surprisingly active for those who had ignored Elizabeth earlier. Elizabeth lost her words and let out a hollow laugh.

She was annoyed with James for leaving room for such ridiculous misunderstandings. Yet she resented her situation, where she couldn’t properly refute.

James smirked, oblivious to Elizabeth’s distress caused by the stone he threw. Or perhaps he deliberately threw the stone, knowing full well.

Staying here seemed only to add to the misunderstandings. But it was impolite for an invited guest to leave first.

Elizabeth endured the situation, holding back her frustration, when it happened.

Crash—!

“Eek!”

“Sir Kiern!”

The sound of glass breaking and someone’s surprised scream rang out. Following that, Abigail’s voice calling Kiern was heard.

Elizabeth forgot about glaring at James and turned her gaze towards the sound.

“Oh, dear.”

At that moment, Kiern let out a light sigh with a nonchalant voice. He acted as if he had nothing to do with the incident, but it wasn’t the case. Red blood, brighter than the roses on the table, dripped from Kiern’s hand.

‘Kiern!’

Elizabeth swallowed the words she almost let out and looked at Kiern. He refused the attendant’s support and took out a handkerchief.

While wiping his hand as if it were nothing, he didn’t let out a single groan. His demeanor was so composed that people forgot what they had been discussing and fell silent.

* * *

The meeting ended in disarray. Kiern accidentally broke a vase, making it impossible to continue.

Unfortunately, the glass shards embedded in his hand caused a deep wound. He gracefully exited the chaotic party venue, showing no signs of injury.

In the carriage returning to the castle after first aid, Elizabeth glanced at the silent Kiern.

They rode together as they were heading the same way, but there was no conversation between them.

Due to the commotion, she couldn’t even speak with Abigail. But instead of feeling empty, her mind was occupied with Kiern’s injury.

The image of Kiern with his bleeding hand and cold expression lingered in her mind.

Kiern clenched his fist, stemming the bleeding with Abigail’s handkerchief, staring only at the floor. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, he breathed heavily, reminiscent of their time in the carriage amidst the rain.

However, unlike then, the psychological distance between them was vast. Elizabeth couldn’t discern his expression. The blood-stained handkerchief kept catching her eye.

The red seeping through his tightly clenched fist was like a splinter in her vision.

Amidst the background noise of clattering hooves and rolling wheels, Kiern spoke.

“I didn’t know you were meeting James separately.”

“I told you it wasn’t like that.”

Despite Elizabeth’s explanation, Kiern merely chuckled. As if he already knew and just wanted to provoke her.

His self-mocking tone, indifferent to her response, pained Elizabeth. After a moment, he looked directly at her and asked,

“Why did you go there?”

He seemed surprised too. He hadn’t expected her to be there. After all, it was an unwritten rule that only young ladies of Earls or higher gathered there.

Naturally, Elizabeth, who didn’t belong, was unexpected.

But Elizabeth hadn’t wanted to go either. It was Abigail’s coercion to imprint her status. Her voice gained strength in response to his reproachful tone.

“I was invited by Lady Prairie.”

“You could have refused.”

“You’re in a position to refuse, but I’m not. As you said, I’m just a maid’s daughter.”

“Only a maid’s daughter when it suits you.”

Kiern let out a faint laugh at Elizabeth’s resigned answer. His upward gaze seemed somewhat sulky.

She didn’t know what had angered him. He hadn’t seemed in a good mood throughout the meeting.

Kiern wore a false smile throughout the gathering. It was a smile only Elizabeth recognized. A feeling she could identify immediately after observing it for so long.

A false smile known only to those who had seen the real one. Perhaps she’d never see that genuine smile again.

“Did you know what kind of seat you were sitting in?”

“There just weren’t enough chairs.”

“No. There just wasn’t a seat for you there. There probably won’t be one next time either.”

“…….”

“Anyway, it’s not a place for you to be, so why go there? Foolishly.”

After coldly spitting out those words, Kiern cursed lowly as if dissatisfied and sprawled across the carriage. His forehead furrowed deeply as if everything displeased him.

Elizabeth, at a loss for words, pressed her lips tightly. His casually spoken words left her at a standstill.

It was a one-sided conversation without even giving her a chance to respond. A trivial spat between a foolish man and a foolish woman.

Kiern covered his eyes with his arm, as if trying to sleep. Elizabeth kept glancing at his injured hand.

‘Who’s the fool here?’

Elizabeth secretly guessed. Perhaps he helped her.

If Kiern hadn’t been hurt, she might have been swept away by James’s mischievous behavior.

As he said, she was just a maid’s daughter, so she couldn’t easily say anything in that place.

What was he thinking when he helped me? Surely he must hate me to death.

No.

Even this might just be her own wishful thinking. She might have unknowingly projected a futile hope onto a coincidental event. Nevertheless, feeling grateful was truly foolish.

Elizabeth watched him quietly. His pomaded hair, revealing his forehead, made his features appear sharper.

Her gaze naturally followed the straight bridge of his nose to his lips. The memory of their kiss surfaced, and Elizabeth bit her lower lip.

Feeling unnecessarily tense, she opened the window for some air.

It was frustrating that she still liked a man who only spewed harsh words whenever he opened his mouth, and it was heartbreaking that she couldn’t fully devote her heart to the person she liked.

A gentle breeze lightly tousled her stray hairs. In the soft wind that tickled even her heart, Elizabeth quietly closed her eyes.

She wished for the current peace to last for a long time. To stay calmly like this and then disappear like a wind when the time comes. Elizabeth also wanted to disappear like the wind from his life.