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IGF 10
“......So, do you think this sapphire would be better, or that emerald from before?”
“.......”
“Roselyn?”
“Ah. I think the emerald would be better. It suits the color of your eyes, My Lady.”
“I thought so, didn't I?”
Though it was a rushed answer, Violet seemed perfectly satisfied. She smiled beautifully until her dark green eyes narrowed, then gestured to the maid standing beside her. Standing before the gold-rimmed mirror, Violet looked every bit the noble lady as she tried on the brilliant emerald necklace.
“Thanks, Roselyn. You may leave now.”
Issuing the dismissal as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Violet didn't look back at Roselyn, as if her business with her was finished. Roselyn, now accustomed to such treatment, gave a bitter smile and quietly left the dressing room.
The hallway had already become crowded with servants busy preparing for the banquet. Roselyn stood for a moment, contemplating. Violet wouldn't call for her again today, and since Cesare was to be handled by the nanny, she finally had some rare free time.
Between catering to Cesare's whims and helping with the banquet preparations at Violet's request, she was exhausted both mentally and physically. She desperately needed time alone. She wanted to escape, if only for a while, to a place where no one could find her.
With a determined look, she headed toward the garden. It was a spot she had noted carefully while helping with the preparations. At the edge of the estate, just past where the maze garden ended, there was a patch of untrimmed brush. Behind that secluded corner lay a space wider than expected, with scattered large trees and a tree stump to sit on, making it an ideal place to rest away from prying eyes.
Avoiding the gaze of others, Roselyn reached the edge of the garden and pushed through the brush to the back. Standing in the silent, empty space, the turmoil in her heart seemed to calm slightly. She walked a bit further and sat on a cut tree stump, hugging her knees. As she lowered her head and exhaled a deep breath, the tension finally began to ease.
The surroundings were quiet. Even the faint sound of music from the banquet hall, which had been audible on her way, could not be heard here. The fact that she had found a place to hide completely, even if only for a moment, gave her a strange sense of security. Curled up, she drifted off into a light nap, failing to hear the footsteps approaching.
“Ho.”
Roselyn, who had been resting with her eyes closed and head tucked, froze at the sudden sound of a man's voice and the unpleasant sensation of something brushing against her arm. She hurriedly lifted her head and sprang up to find a strange man scanning her from head to toe. He stroked his sparse beard irritably, seemingly displeased by Roselyn's instinctive move to recoil.
“You're not wearing a maid's uniform, so you're not a maid. Who are you?”
The interrogating voice carried the characteristic arrogance of a nobleman. Roselyn slowly scanned him with anxious eyes. He was slightly taller than her, looked a bit older, and possessed an unpleasant gaze that reminded her of Isaac. Perhaps because she had never entered society and hadn't interacted with noble families since the age of fourteen, his face was unfamiliar to her.
“I apologize if I was in your way. I will leave immediately.”
Avoiding him was the best course of action. Roselyn lowered her head slightly and tried to hurry past him. However, her action seemed to provoke the man; before she could take two steps, he grabbed her wrist. Roselyn winced instinctively at the strength of his grip.
“Eh? Wait. Isn't this Roselyn Bluebell?”
She had been caught. A look of dismay clouded Roselyn's face. She turned around, struggling to pry the man's hand off her wrist.
“Let go of me.”
“Ha, I heard rumors that you were divorced after spreading your legs for anyone and everyone. I didn't expect to find you here.”
The man ignored her words, scanning her here and there as if she were a curiosity. She struggled to pull her wrist away, but he didn't budge an inch.
Looking around, Roselyn bit her lip in frustration. She had intentionally sought out a quiet place, and that had been her mistake. She was now alone with this man in a place where there was no one to call for help.
“I thought so since the wedding—your face really is stunning.”
She wondered how he recognized her, and it seemed he had been one of the guests at the wedding. The man licked his lips and pulled Roselyn closer. She struggled with all her might, but there was no way to overcome the innate difference in strength. Roselyn struggled and screamed loudly. It was a voice that likely wouldn't be heard, but she did it to cling to a shred of hope.
“Let me go!”
“What's the matter? Since we've met like this, why not have some fun with me? Huh? You're not exactly a high-priced lady anymore, are you?”
Perhaps because there were no eyes watching, he felt no need to hide his instincts. After glancing around and realizing they were alone, the man grinned and pulled Roselyn toward him. The gaze scanning her body became increasingly explicit.
As Roselyn struggled against his strength, she saw the bulge in his crotch. A wave of nausea surged through her.
“Get away! If you don't let go right now—!”
“If I don't, what? What could a bitch like you possibly do? Huh?”
The man chuckled and tightened his grip on the arm he was holding. In an instant, Roselyn was thrown to the ground. As the man climbed on top of her and reached for his trousers, Roselyn bit her lip hard and glared at him with fierce eyes. She would not go down easily. Even if she had to bite off that filthy protrusion, she wouldn't give in. Roselyn braced herself, trying not to shrink back.
“Ack!”
It happened just as the man placed a hand beside Roselyn and attempted to undo his trousers with the other. In the blink of an eye, the man was flung sideways and tumbled across the stone floor. The event happened so quickly that Roselyn was momentarily dazed, and only then did a leather shoe, slightly lifted, enter her field of vision.
“It was getting too noisy to even breathe.”
A heavy yet sweet bass voice tickled her ears. Lifting her head further, Roselyn saw a large palm extended toward her. Without thinking, she took the hand and was lightly pulled up.
“Th-thank you.”
“Don't mention it.”
The man with silver-grey hair tinged with blue smiled leisurely. While Roselyn was momentarily confused, trying to recall the color of the man's eyes she had glimpsed, the silver-grey haired man turned toward the fallen man. Facing the man, whose mere presence exerted an overwhelming pressure, the other man—who had been stumbling up while cursing to himself—suddenly turned pale.
“Count Crompter's Son, I presume.”
“I-I-I...!”
“Now that you recognize me, get lost.”
“M-m-m-my sincerest apologies!”
Count Crompter's Son fled the scene without so much as a glance at Roselyn. He fled so frantically that the sound of him tripping over the brush and falling with a thud could be heard. Roselyn felt a tinge of sadness that a situation she couldn't resolve no matter how hard she struggled was settled so easily by a single word from this man. However, the man before her was effectively her savior.
Remembering this, Roselyn clasped her hands to thank the man once more. Just then, the man turned back to her.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I'm... fine. Thank you, Your Highness.”
Only then did Roselyn look directly at the man's face; she caught her breath for a moment before managing to speak. Golden eyes, a trait possessed only by the imperial family. Given his robust appearance, unlike the frail Crown Prince, he must be the Second Prince, Aiden, who was attending today's banquet. Why was someone who should be in the banquet hall with Violet here...?
“I see.”
The Prince studied Roselyn with an inscrutable gaze, gave a short reply, and walked away without lingering. Roselyn, who had been bowing her head, only let out her held breath long after the sound of Aiden's footsteps had faded.
“Your Highness, where have you been?”
As Aiden entered the banquet hall, Jeffrey approached him with a look of utter exasperation. Where on earth had he disappeared to! Jeffrey had been on edge, terrified that he might be caught.
“Did Dylan get in safely? He wasn't spotted, was he?”
“Yes. He's excellent at hiding himself, so he'll be fine.”
Aiden had a separate purpose for coming here. He had infiltrated Dylan, the leader of the Adamant Guild disguised as a servant, to steal information regarding Marquis Russell's Robert Merchant Guild. Now, while the interior of the Marquess's estate was chaotic due to the crowds, was the easiest time to infiltrate.
“Haa, you were so late that I was breaking into a cold sweat, wondering if something had happened.”
“I stepped into the garden for a moment.”
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