Chapter 18

“… Why is your Grace here?“

I lowered my voice and whispered. Then, I glanced around in a hurry. Fortunately, no one seemed to have yet noticed that Cedric was present.

“Can’t I attend?”

“… No, I don’t mean that …”

Of course, this wasn’t a place Cedric couldn’t take part in.

However, it honestly didn’t suit him. Cedric Evans, attending an event where young men and women rushed to dream of a night’s fantasy …

“May I ask the same to you?”

“What?”

“Why is the lady here?”

I was dumbfounded by his question.

‘Do you see the man in that direction, wearing a fancy butterfly mask? I meant to contact him while wearing this petal mask. Butterflies and flowers, haha, romantic, isn’t it?’

No. I closed my eyes tightly. No matter how shameless I was, I wouldn’t be able to muster enough courage for such a statement.

In the end, I decided to answer as briefly as possible.

“I have someone to meet. What is your Grace doing in a place like this?”

“…”

Cedric remained silent for a while.

I glanced up towards him, puzzled by the strange silence. His gaze crossed over the mask he wore, which was made of a plain but luxurious material.

“I have someone to meet.”

“… Oh, I see.”

It was a cumbersome answer compared to what I had been expecting.

Well, it does make sense. He couldn’t have come to enjoy a masquerade like this alone.

It occurred to me that for a while now, he was trying to avoid eye contact with me.

“The person your Grace wishes to meet hasn’t arrived yet?”

“… That’s not the case.”

“Is that right?”

I mustered a curious look. If they arrived, why won’t he leave to meet them?

It was then the sound of a viola rang in my ears. Everyone raised their heads. The first waltz had proceeded playing. This marked the beginning of the masquerade.

The men and women surrounding me began to pair up with each other. Even those who had yet to find a mate held hand with the opposite sex without any hesitation.

The only man and woman who weren’t holding hands were Cedric and I.

‘Goodness, this timing …’

To hide my awkwardness, I tightened my grasp on the glass of champagne which had been emptied.

A large hand approached and held the top of the glass.

Startled, the glass slipped from my hand. Cedric picked up the glass that rolled on the floor as swiftly as flowing water, placing it on a silver platter carried by a waiter which was passing by.

He turned towards me.

“How is one song?”

It was a very simple request.

In contrast to the men who had been flirting with me since the beginning of this ball.

I looked up towards Cedric. A piercing scarlet pair of red eyes faced me through the black mask. Now that half of his face was covered, his gaze seemed more like that of a beast than a man.

I can never show him my back.

‘It’s only one dance, so it doesn’t matter much.’

I nodded slowly.

This place was a masquerade. Now that we were wearing masks, no one could easily tell who we were.

Here, we weren’t the scandalous Cedric Evans and Ariel Winston, we were simply a masked man and woman. I lifted the corners of my mouth and held Cedric’s hand.

“I’d be delighted.”

I could feel Cedric drawing a curved line under his mask.

He pulled me gently.

I had to raise my head even further, so I could now observe him at a closer distance.

Cedric slightly knelt before me. I took that chance and gently whispered in his ear, “Your Grace, I beg your pardon.”

Cedric stared at me silently, waiting for my mouth to continue. I belatedly confessed the fact.

“Well, I’m not good at dancing.”

“…”

Young children born and raised in such luxurious places all their lives could dance with their eyes closed; however, I wasn’t one of them.

Although I frequently practiced in order to readily enter society, I still remained a beginner in the waltz.

“I’d appreciate your understanding.”

The viola proceeded to the beginning of a bolder melody.

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

We nodded to each other politely after the dance had finished.

I spared myself a short breath.

I shouldn’t comment this to myself, but what we just presented was a pretty perfect waltz.

It was surprising. I glanced at Cedric with admiration. I finally realized why a man’s lead was so important when dancing.

‘He doesn’t even seem interested in that …’

It was an unexpected aspect. As expected, a noble is a noble.

Cedric returned the stare, perhaps due to my atypical gaze which seemed burdening.

I turned my head in awkwardness while facing the deep scarlet eyes hidden over his mask.

‘A handsome man remains good-looking, even if half his face is covered.’

Cedric stood out even though he wore a plain, unmatched mask. His slender and smooth nose, sculpted chin, and slender yet handsome figure was enough to catch all the young men and women’s attention.

I spoke with a sigh.

“Wouldn’t the person you are supposed to meet be waiting now?”

“Is that an order?”

“What? No, it’s not like that …”

I gazed at him, confused. I was just asking. What is it with that sharp answer?

I swiftly turned the subject; my lips curled upwards.

“Aside from that, how did you recognize me? It seems like hundreds of people alone are gathered here.”

Honey hair was not that rare of a color. There were already three women I had witnessed with similar hair color at this masquerade.

Cedric replied, as if I were asking the obvious.

“The lady can be distinguished even if a thousand people gather, more than a hundred.”

“How?”

“Scent.”

“… Yes?”

Sce…nt?

Cedric shrugged.

“You are the only one with that scent.”

“You can tell from the scent?”

Even if it’s a simple meaning, it’s still different … This is about my perfume.

I bluntly murmured and insinuated.

“Do you like it, this scent?”

“I didn’t say I favored it.”

Oh, I see.

I snorted, “Yes, then.” How could a man who knew nothing but acting as a public figure realizes the beautiful art of perfume?

“It smells unusual.”

That was what happened before Cedric leaned closer to me.

My whole body hardened at that moment. He lowered his head towards the back of my neck and whispered, “Musk, Jasmine, … Bergamot?”

“… That’s right.”

I retreated from Cedric and gazed at him with strange eyes.

He was a man with tremendous skill. All the names Cedric had recited were the correct ingredients to the perfume I had chosen today.

“You seem to know this very well?”

“This is a basic skill.”

‘I don’t think that is basic knowledge.’

I restlessly glanced over Cedric who was still standing still but couldn’t resist my curiosity and asked.

“There’s another ingredient. Can you also guess that?”

“Well.”

Cedric tilted his head slightly.

I could hear him breathing closely near my ear.

“Ah, this.”

Cedric smiled lightly. It was a confident grin.

“That is Alona.”

“Oh my God, how did you know?”

My mouth opened wide.

Alona was a herb which grew only in this world. It was a common weed that spread on the side of the road, just like dandelions and grass. However, it was a herb holding an extremely fragrant and refreshing scent.

When I first took a stroll amid Count Winston’s garden, I sniffed my nose for a long time, deeply containing the scent of alona within myself. The butler observed me silently, as if I were a crazy madman.

Anyway. I didn’t realize the Duke knew the scent of these weeds.

Cedric shrugged in response to my stare.

“My grandmother used to grow an alona field while she owned a flower field.”

“Really?”

I blinked in surprise.

No matter how fragrant the scent was, Alona was, after all, a weed. A field made up of weeds!

I shouted unconsciously.

“I’d like to go.”

Damn it. As soon as I finished speaking, I had come to regret acting the way I had. This sounded like me asking him to invite myself for a visit.

Don’t tell me you misinterpreted what I just spoke after our breakup? I anxiously stared up at Cedric.

Cedric laughed bitterly.

“The flower farm was sold after my grandmother passed away. It was my grandfather’s decision, as he thought there was now no one to manage the place, in addition to the fact that it wasn’t worth keeping.”

“… Ah.”

I lowered my voice.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it is an old story. By the way, Lady. The next delivery date is just around the corner. Do you remember?”

The story turned again. I nodded my head. This man sometimes showed this obsession, feasibly thinking I might run with the Anixia scent.

“Yes, of course I remember. If I happened to forget, Your Grace would surely charge me, so how could I?”

“I wasn’t speaking with that intention …”

“Oh, here you are! My Lady!

Cedric stopped speaking as someone abruptly shouted.

… Oh, don’t tell me.

Only then did I think of someone I had completely forgotten for a while. An ominous foreboding swept over my back. Unfortunately, however, my hunch wasn’t wrong.

Rupert burst from nowhere as he opened his arms towards me. It seemed like he had recognized the petal metal sticking from my pouch.

“Lady Ariel. Do you know how much I’ve been searching for you? My flower!”

… My God.

I chewed my lips in shame. I glanced at Cedric. Whether it was fortunate or not, I wasn’t able to recognize his expression due to the mask which covered his face.

Rupert glanced at Cedric.

“Lady, this is …?”

“Ah, this person … well, he is a business partner. I managed to bump into him by chance.”

I roughly equivocated Cedric as I couldn’t reveal his identity. It was not wrong for me to claim so as I did supply him perfume.

“Oh, I see …”

Rupert scanned Cedric up and down with his vigilant eyes. Then he reached out to me.

“I’m sorry I’ve come late, my lady. Shall we go now?”

“… Uhm.”

I uttered a hesitant sound.

“I’m very sorry, Sir Rupert. I’m not feeling well today, so I think I best head back.”

“Oh! Where does it hurt, my flower? I will water all the withered petals. I’ll bring you a glass of wine …”

“No, no. I apologize, but I am not in the mood for entertainment tonight.”

I quickly cut off Rupert’s shocking lines. I feel like I can hear Cedric silently snickering from the side.

The last time we met, it wasn’t this bad, but isn’t this inhaling the butter instead of drinking it?

“I’m very sorry Sir Rupert. Good day.”

I curtsied and turned my back, proceeding to leave the ballroom.

Even if he was a bit greasy and in bad condition, the cover seemed plausible enough; thus, I thought it would be okay with the title ‘temporary lover’. However, he wasn’t. The moment I compared him to Cedric as he stood by his side, I realized my judgment was wrong.

‘Thank you for being a playboy until now, Lord Rupert.’

You don’t have to feel regretful, winding up in this position.