IDIBC Chapter 54

Julian and Sabrina

Only then did Julian extend his arm toward me inside the carriage. Of course, his honey-colored eyes remained fixed on Sabrina.

“Young Duke Rochester has asked that you wait in the third-floor lounge. He said it would be difficult to maintain the order of entry, but he requested that you enter together.”

The moment my feet touched the ground, Sabrina’s melodious voice rang out.

“My, how thoughtful of him.”

“And he also asked me to escort the ladies.”

It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered Sabrina’s escort, but it was common for one man to enter with two women. So I had vaguely assumed that Ricardo would escort both Sabrina and me…

“Oh my, I hope I’m not being too much of an inconvenience.”

Sabrina. Didn’t you just say you were going to hide somewhere inconspicuous? And now you’re so delighted about entering with one of the most eye-catching men at this ball.

“An inconvenience? It’s an honor for me.”

As if following a predetermined script, their conversation flowed as naturally as water.

Suddenly, I recalled the first time I saw Julian. Back then, I thought he resembled someone. Setting aside the intense colors and slightly exaggerated gestures compared to others, the way the corners of his eyes and mouth turned up just enough to be pleasing…

I looked back and forth between Sabrina and Julian.

“Ha…”

The way they wrinkled their noses delicately when speaking, as if a butterfly had landed on the bridge of their nose, the way they looked at people slightly askance rather than directly, and even their soft voices that seemed to soothe the listener’s ears—they were remarkably similar.

They were too alike.

The two of them gazed intensely into each other’s eyes as if they were the only two people in the world.

Seeing that, I finally understood.

Ah, a master has recognized a proper master.

“Then I’ll first guide you both to the third-floor lounge, and then escort the young lady to the ballroom.”

At the sickeningly sweet tone, I shuddered briefly. Of course, in their private world, there was no problem.

As he extended both arms, I tried not to show my reluctance as I linked arms with him.

As we entered the corridor that exuded splendor from the entrance, people glanced at us. Of course, in Sabrina and Julian’s solid world, there was no problem.

“What should I call the lady?”

“What do you… want to call me?”

“Pardon?”

He paused for a moment but then let out a hearty laugh that didn’t quite suit him.

“It would be rather difficult to call you both Lady Fennel…”

“Sabrina. Please call me Sabrina.”

Sabrina’s clear tone, falling like staccato notes, continued its performance.

“Of course, I’ve never allowed anyone to use my name before, but given the current unavoidable situation.”

“Then please call me Julian.”

“Oh my, may I dare to address the Young Duke Paquin so informally?”

“I too don’t easily allow anyone to use my name, but somehow I feel it would be acceptable to be called by name right now.”

I bit the inside of my mouth to suppress a hollow laugh as I watched the two-person play without an audience. It was the moment when the ultimate adversary met a formidable opponent and exchanged names.

****

The third-floor lounge Julian guided us to was completely empty. He left me with a word to wait for a moment and departed to their private world with Sabrina.

Outside was bustling with the ball, but inside the lounge, stillness prevailed. On the sofa table where I sat, there was only a glass of champagne brought by an imperial maid.

Though it was well-organized without a speck of dust, there were no signs of life. I felt the unique coolness of a place usually untouched by people and briefly rubbed my chilled shoulders.

By the time moisture dripped down the surface of the champagne glass, leaving a semicircular water mark on the table, I had the leisure to look around.

‘So this is what an imperial palace lounge looks like.’

It was peaceful. So much so that I might as well stay hidden like this and just return to Rochester.

As my mind relaxed a bit, the front of my feet began to throb painfully. It was because I was wearing higher heels than usual. Since they said not just anyone could enter this lounge, I thought it would be fine to take off my shoes for a moment.

Even if someone suddenly visited, I could hide them under my skirt and quickly put them back on without any problem.

I didn’t have the courage to take off both, so I removed the right shoe that hurt more severely and examined my foot. Wiggling my reddened toes, I thought of Ricardo, who must be meeting with the Emperor.

“I hope everything’s alright?”

But at that moment, external noise invaded the silent space. Because the well-maintained door opened soundlessly, I wasn’t prepared to encounter anyone.

“Uh…?”

Startled by the turquoise eyes I faced, I reflexively stood up. My body tilted slightly toward the side where I’d removed my shoe.

I succeeded in quickly planting my foot to avoid revealing that I’d taken off my shoe, but the problem was the shoe that had flown off in the distance, kicked by my dress hem as I stood up abruptly.

My gaze, which had been directed at the shoe, quickly shifted to Walter. He was bowing his head deeply, completely covering his mouth with his hand. He was clearly barely suppressing his laughter.

Damn, a small curse slipped through my tightly clenched teeth.

He and I couldn’t say anything for a moment, fixing our gazes only on the innocent shoe. It was a beautiful silver shoe I’d ordered to match my water-colored dress.

Walter broke the silence first as he strode inside.

“Lady Fennel seems to… frequently have problems because of her possessions.”

“…”

“Yellow, white, and now silver. I wonder what color you’ll use to delight me next time.”

At this point, I felt an urgent need to correct the rumors circulating in Resotia about the heirs of the three great ducal houses of the Dermeier Empire.

There was a saying that Walter Shaw Chaplin was a gentleman sent from heaven. Justice, righteousness, faithfulness. It was said that the three principles that sustained the Chaplin family were all perfected in his generation.

But looking at him now, the young master of the Chaplin family didn’t seem much different from Julian Bow Paquin. Ah, perhaps the difference was in how easily they granted use of their names?

“If I’ve inadvertently brought you pleasure, then that’s quite an honor for me.”

A true gentleman should have properly pretended not to notice this situation. Wasn’t it partly his fault that I’d experienced embarrassment because of my possessions? My eyes naturally narrowed.

Ignoring my disapproving gaze, he approached the shoe like the heaven-sent gentleman he was supposed to be. Realizing what he intended to do, I hurriedly stopped him.

“It’s fine!”

As he bent down to pick up the shoe, he only turned his head slightly to look at me with puzzled eyes.

“As you said, since problems arise because of my possessions, it would be better if you didn’t touch it.”

Based on past experience, nothing good would come of it.

However, he had already picked up my shoe and was holding it in his hand. I faced him as if we were in a standoff for a moment.

“Just leave it there like before and I’ll go put it on. It’s not a difficult thing to do, right?”

I really didn’t want to experience moving through space together with him while he held the shoe. A flicker of doubt crossed Walter’s eyes.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes?”

“Is contact with me so repulsive to you?”

“Wh-what are you saying?”

How could such a twist in reasoning occur? Walter’s gaze was so sincere that excuses tumbled out of my mouth involuntarily.

“I’ve never found contact with anyone particularly unpleasant. I simply don’t want to fly somewhere again with the shoe as a medium.”

Contrary to my judgment that my additional explanation would make things better, Walter’s face crumpled even more painfully.

“Are you saying that I’m an incompetent heir who can’t even properly handle my family’s authority? Is that what you mean?”

“No, not to that extent…”

Is that how the conversation goes? Now that I hear it, I suppose it is… But is that what’s important right now?

Walter didn’t seem to care much that I knew about his authority.

“That’s quite a leap.”

From my perspective, it wasn’t entirely wrong since I’d had unwanted experiences due to his carelessness. Normally I would have denied it, saying that wasn’t what I meant, but a petty feeling took precedence.

“Anyone can make mistakes.”

For a moment, resentment and self-blame flickered in Walter’s eyes.

“Do you… really think that?”

Seeing it directed entirely at me made me reconsider whether I’d committed a great discourtesy.

“L-last time I had that experience, so it’s natural to have such concerns…”

Then external noise rushed back into the quiet space. Walter and I naturally turned our gazes toward the door.

Ricardo was there.

“What are you… doing here?”

Ricardo leaned obliquely against the door, tilting his head to one side.

His cool gaze moved from Walter’s face to the shoe he was holding. Soon his jet-black eyes lingered on my bare foot slightly revealed beneath my dress hem. And then back to my eyes.