Chapter 8

The Viscount of Wintlet’s mask came off the moment they left the banquet hall.  

“You ungrateful wench.”  

Shoving Sabrina into a dimly lit space at the end of the corridor, he unleashed his pent-up anger.  

“How dare you not show your face even once!”  

Sabrina replied in a calm voice,  

“You were the one who said you wouldn’t care whether I lived or died.”  

“Indeed. So, how’s life outside the house treating you?”  

“Fine.”  

“From what I see, it doesn’t seem like you’ve managed to rise above mediocrity. You can’t even stand by His Highness’s side, yet you strut around with your head held high. It’s laughable.”  

Without giving Sabrina a chance to respond, the Viscount continued spewing his words.  

“Do you even know what people are saying about you?”  

“Yes, I do.”  

“And you still act this way?”  

The Viscount’s voice echoed loudly down the corridor.  

The sudden roar was so deafening that Sabrina’s body stiffened instinctively—a natural reaction to a threat.  

“Because of you, I can’t hold my head up at social gatherings. Is it so hard to live an ordinary life? What makes you think you can act out like this? You’re just a girl, after all. Ugh!”  

Just as Sabrina was about to speak—  

Step, step.  

Footsteps echoed in the previously silent corridor.  

The Viscount, who had been fuming, quickly regained his composure as if nothing had happened.  

“…Live quietly, like you’re dead. That’s the only way you’ll have a chance at a decent marriage.”  

The Viscount was a man who valued reputation and appearances above all else.  

Seemingly nervous at the thought that someone might have seen his outburst, he hurriedly left the corridor.  

“Haa…”  

Leaning against the wall, Sabrina let out a long sigh.  

She had expected this when she was dragged out, but hearing such harsh words to her face still left her drained.  

As the sound of the Viscount’s footsteps faded, another set of footsteps approached.  

These were heavier, more deliberate.  

They stopped right in front of Sabrina.  

“Are you alright?”  

The low, gruff voice made Sabrina lift her head.  

“…Yes, I’m fine.”  

As she tried to see the man’s face, her head tilted further and further back—he was strikingly tall.  

When she finally saw his face, Sabrina’s eyes narrowed slightly.  

‘Who is he?’  

Dark red hair and silver eyes that resembled a wolf’s.  

The man had a cold, strikingly handsome appearance.  

His sharp eyebrows, piercing eyes, and straight nose gave him the air of a finely honed blade.  

Judging by his height and build, he seemed to be a knight, though he wasn’t one of the guards who accompanied Chase daily.  

Sabrina felt a small sense of relief knowing he wasn’t someone she recognized.  

This wasn’t a moment she wanted anyone to witness.  

‘I should return to the banquet hall quickly.’  

The man furrowed his eyebrows slightly.  

“Are you sure you’re alright? I heard loud voices…”  

“Really, I’m fine. It was nothing.”  

“…”  

“Thank you for your concern. If you’ll excuse me.”  

With a light curtsy, Sabrina grabbed her dress and hurried away.  

The red-haired knight silently watched Sabrina’s retreating figure until her slender silhouette disappeared completely into the banquet hall.  

***

Fortunately, the Viscount remained quiet after that.  

It seemed his temper had cooled after his outburst.  

Given his usual nature of flaring up and calming down just as quickly, this was not surprising.  

However, the venomous words he had spat lingered with Sabrina for three whole days.  

Though she told herself they weren’t worth paying attention to, it was hard to completely ignore words meant to wound.  

Sabrina tried to keep herself busy to shake off such thoughts.  

‘Haa. I’m tired. I just want to return to my normal routine.’  

Matching her pace to Chase’s slightly quicker steps as they crossed the garden, Sabrina winced at a sharp pain.  

“Ah…”  

Her steps slowed.  

After three days of walking in new shoes, her heels felt raw and torn.  

With no time to rest, her wounds had reopened and worsened.  

Just as Sabrina gritted her teeth and tried to take another step—  

Chase, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around.  

“What’s wrong? You’ve been limping for a while now.”  

“It’s nothing.”  

“Then walk straight in front of me.”  

Sabrina hesitated briefly before slowly taking a step forward. Sharp pain shot through her heel, bringing tears to her eyes.  

“Ah…”  

“Don’t say it’s nothing.”  

Clicking his tongue, Chase knelt on one knee and leaned down before Sabrina could stop him.  

“Your Highness!”  

“Let me see.”  

“….”  

“Hurry.”  

At Chase’s urging, Sabrina reluctantly lifted her skirt slightly to reveal her ankle.  

Her heel was a mess, with open wounds and dried blood mixed with fresh crimson stains. The sight alone was enough to make one wince.  

“What on earth…”  

“It’s just a little blood, not a serious wound. It’ll heal soon.”  

“Why didn’t you say anything until your foot got this bad? Why?”  

Chase’s usually composed face twisted with frustration, and his voice grew louder.  

He sighed deeply, then turned his back to her.  

“Get on.”  

Sabrina flinched in surprise, trembling as she waved her hands in protest. Even if her feet were completely broken, she couldn’t let Chase carry her.  

He was the Crown Prince!  

“No, absolutely not. I can walk.”  

“Absolutely not.”  

A tense standoff ensued, with neither side backing down. In the end, it was Chase who relented first.  

“At least change into more comfortable shoes.”  

After a moment of hesitation, Sabrina nodded. While making him move for her or being carried on his back felt equally disrespectful, changing shoes seemed like the lesser evil.  

Before long, Chase returned with a pair of soft fur-lined shoes from a servant. Placing them at her feet, he stood and extended his arm toward her.  

When Sabrina hesitated, he extended his arm further and said,  

“Don’t refuse. My arm is getting awkward.”  

“Yes.”  

The fur-lined shoes were surprisingly soft. Her feet, which had been tortured all day in sharp heels, finally felt relief.  

As Sabrina began walking slowly, Chase matched her pace and spoke.  

“I feel like I’ve hurt you somehow.”  

Sabrina widened her eyes at his words.  

“How could this be your fault,  Your Highness? It’s because of the new shoes.”  

“But I gave you those shoes. They didn’t seem uncomfortable at first glance.”  

Sabrina shook her head with a smile.  

“That’s just how new shoes are, Your Highness.”  

Chase frowned slightly at her explanation.  

“What kind of nonsense is that? It’s like a torture device.”  

“Hasn’t that ever happened to you, Your Highness?”  

“Never.”  

Well, it made sense. Someone like Chase likely had someone break in his shoes beforehand or had them perfectly tailored to his feet, eliminating the need to adjust.  

Nodding slightly, Sabrina carefully stepped forward and said,  

“When wounds bleed, scab, and bleed again, they eventually heal… Eventually, your heels adapt, and the shoes break in, too.”  

Chase’s gaze fell on Sabrina’s profile. She paused briefly, seemingly lost in thought, before continuing slowly.  

“This is just a temporary pain to break them in. So it’s really nothing. Please don’t worry about it, Your Highness.”  

Sabrina looked up at Chase and smiled brightly. Her large eyes curved like crescent moons, glowing warmly.  

Chase, who was about to return her smile as usual, found his expression stiffening awkwardly. For some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.  

‘What’s wrong with me?’  

Feeling a strange flutter in his chest, Chase dropped his gaze to the ground. His attention was caught by the single shoe dangling from Sabrina’s fingertips.  

The sight of the bloodstains on the shoe’s heel made his chest ache as if he were the one injured.  

Fixating on the shoe’s back, Chase’s lips slowly parted.  

“Next time, I’ll make sure you have shoes that don’t hurt from the start. No more bleeding like today.”  

His gaze shifted from the shoe to Sabrina’s feet, then to her face.  

“So don’t consider pain a given, Sabrina.”