IDIBC Chapter 116

Robert Visits the Paquin Residence (2)

“As I told you then, I haven’t yet acquired the refinement to invoke my honor over men’s light jesting… So I’m not particularly concerned about that matter, and I hope Lord Henson won’t dwell on it either.”

He nodded and placed the hand that had been holding the teacup on his knee. She thought the gleam in his eyes as he looked at her seemed somehow familiar.

“Then I’ll speak directly to the point.”

“I’d prefer that.”

“As you heard in Lethon last time, Julian is not serious about this engagement.”

Sabrina’s chest stung as if she’d been struck by a surprise attack. Though she felt as if her shame had been exposed, she maintained a natural smile while biting down harder on the soft flesh inside her mouth.

The familiar look she sensed from Robert was exactly like the gleam in the eyes of men holding good cards at a card table. He seemed to be making some base wager all his own.

“Surely you didn’t visit at this late hour just to remind me of that fact, in case I’d forgotten?”

Robert hesitated for a moment, unable to speak easily.

Then, just as Sabrina’s patience was beginning to run out, he started pouring out unexpected words.

“Of course not. Lady Fennel, no—Sabrina.”

“……”

“You haven’t even had a proper engagement ceremony, have you?”

Though the words were clearly meant to insult, Sabrina held her head up higher. She told herself these were just the words of someone who didn’t know the circumstances.

“Such things aren’t particularly important to me.”

At those words, Robert shook his head with a regretful expression.

“There isn’t a woman in the world for whom such things aren’t important.”

“Think what you like.”

“In the Dermeier Empire, a woman’s chastity is prioritized over any history of betrothal or marriage.”

“Chastity… you say?”

At these contextless words that suddenly appeared, Sabrina’s expression crumpled mercilessly.

Though she couldn’t fathom Robert’s intention in bringing up such an awkward topic to discuss with his friend’s fiancée, her mood grew increasingly twisted with foreboding.

“That’s right. As I mentioned earlier, for Julian this engagement is nothing but a wager.”

Despite her unpleasant mood, curiosity arose. Why on earth did Robert keep spouting such useless words?

Sabrina suppressed her rising anger and narrowed her eyes briefly, trying to find the meaning hidden between his lines.

“And so?”

“How you lived your life previously in Resotia doesn’t matter. The problem is simply the engagement with Julian.”

“So what you’re saying is, even if I break off my engagement with Julian, as long as I’m chaste there would be no problem with my next marriage proposal… Is that the Empire’s custom you’re referring to?”

“Precisely.”

He nodded and even displayed a somewhat proud smile.

Having grasped Robert’s intention, Sabrina felt absurd, yet she wanted to pay respect to his indiscreet honesty. She returned his smile faintly.

“So now I should thank you for giving me such useful information?”

“No, no. That’s not all.”

Sabrina thought she should revise the relatively generous evaluation she’d made of Robert. He was not only a man who acted lightly with a flippant attitude, but someone utterly lacking in tact.

“It seems there’s something even more surprising.”

“I’ll wait.”

“Wait?”

On his face was a smile of joy that one might only see on a man whose marriage proposal had been accepted.

“Yes, once Sabrina breaks off the engagement with Julian, I’ll propose to you immediately.”

Ha—an involuntary sigh escaped her. It was the kind of sigh that revealed her absurd feelings so clearly that even someone completely oblivious couldn’t miss it.

“A proposal? To me?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“I like you, Sabrina. Until recently, my family was in no position to propose marriage, but now… you’ve changed your circumstances, haven’t you?”

Sabrina decided to believe that even Robert himself didn’t know what he was saying. Otherwise, she would have slapped him right then and there.

How could he so blatantly say that her family had been beneath his family’s status because it was insignificant before?

She doubted whether the man before her had truly lived a proper noble’s life. His lightness and vulgarity were beyond description.

“What part of me do you like? Are you still curious whether a woman from the Principality would be mysterious even in the bedroom?”

“Ah……”

He let out a sigh mixed with admiration and sent Sabrina a burdensome, burning gaze.

“Exactly this. This honest, unguarded attitude. I’ve met many young ladies from distinguished noble families. But they were all boring without exception.”

Sabrina was so dumbfounded she couldn’t properly respond.

“You’re different, Sabrina. Moreover, you’ve now become the daughter of a count’s family, haven’t you?”

“So now you can marry me?”

“Exactly.”

At that moment, the drawing room door burst open without permission.

Since Sabrina knew without looking who in this mansion could behave so rudely, she didn’t bother to turn her gaze toward the door.

She had already heard Julian returning from his outing through the crack in the open window.

However, Robert before her was spouting such absurd nonsense that she hadn’t had the capacity to calculate the time it would take for Julian to burst into this room.

“What’s going on here?”

He was breathing slightly heavily, as if he’d hurried. When Sabrina turned her head to give him a slight nod of greeting, Julian irritably swept back his fallen bangs.

“I asked what you were doing.”

At his urging, Robert hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“Ah, I came to see you… and just asked your fiancée to keep me company for a bit.”

Company? Sabrina involuntarily shook with a brief, derisive laugh. He couldn’t possibly mention the fact that he’d shamelessly proposed to that “company” in such a short time.

When their eyes met again, she had perfectly concealed her mockery and smiled demurely like a dutiful fiancée.

Even though she knew Julian might be displeased by her visibly twisted behavior.

She was furious at her own narrow-mindedness. Though she’d deceived herself into thinking she didn’t care, Sabrina was still angry about the wager Julian had made over her. Realizing this made her heart heavy.

She suppressed her complicated feelings and spoke as lightly as possible.

“Julian, did you have a good time? Wherever you went.”

Both men only looked at Sabrina without saying anything in particular.

“Then I’ll leave you two to talk.”

She rose lightly from her seat and lifted her skirt slightly. She no longer wanted to remain here.

“Lord Robert… it seems you have nothing more to say to me, so I’ll return to my room. Many things happened today, and I’m rather tired.”

“Please do.”

Having finished her parting nod to Robert’s response, Sabrina approached Julian, who was still standing by the door.

She was just about to lift her skirt politely again and step outside the door being opened by a maid.

Thud—Julian grabbed her wrist. Sabrina looked at Julian with surprised eyes, but he was keeping his gaze on Robert.

“Robert, get out of my house immediately.”

****

After Robert left, Sabrina sat back down in the chair she’d been sitting in just moments before, watching Julian pace before her. Late at night, time passed slowly.

“Didn’t you ask me to stay here because you had something to say to me?”

Eventually, lacking patience, Sabrina broke the silence. Julian was angry right now. Even knowing that, she didn’t want to back down.

“That’s right.”

After a moment of silence, he answered lowly. Julian suddenly approached, extending his arms to grip the chair Sabrina was sitting in with both hands. The distance between them narrowed sharply.

Sabrina drew in a sharp breath and tried not to show her tension.

“Speak then.”

“What did you talk about?”

She knew whose conversation he was referring to. Sabrina looked into his eyes, then turned her head away.

“From beginning to end, everything?”

“Don’t leave out a single word.”

Sabrina reached out and pushed his chest away. Though he obediently moved back, he didn’t take his eyes off her.

“This isn’t like you, Julian. Even if you change, change in moderation. I can’t adapt to this.”

She spoke lightly, but he said nothing. Sabrina continued speaking while still avoiding him, thinking that in relationships between men and women, the one who cares more is clearly at a disadvantage in the game.

“You were right, Julian. My position has indeed changed, it seems.”

“What… do you mean?”

Sabrina sighed. Whatever the process, Julian was now her fiancé. She shouldn’t hide from him what had happened to her.

“He proposed to me.”

“Who?”

“Your dear friend, the young master who was just thrown out of this mansion.”

Glancing sideways at his expression, he was furrowing his brow as if he’d heard something unbelievable.

She didn’t want to say more, but he urged her to continue with his silence. Sabrina’s sigh deepened.