Chapter 73

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Chapter 73

“What?”

Fionel closed the door behind her instead of answering.

‘Men?’

That was unexpected.

‘Men, men…..’ Selena wandered around the lounge, fumbling with her thoughts.

Irelle with men? It didn’t seem to add up.

How could Irelle, who was known to be timid, be with men?

“She became impatient because she couldn’t seduce men,” Selena recalled Juna’s gossip. She felt bad every time she heard about it, so she thought Juna had a grudge against Irelle. But wasn’t Juna just cursing because she thought Irelle was going to damage the Duke’s reputation?

“I would go to any lengths to protect the honor of the family,” Mrs. Janet’s stern face also came to her mind.

Irelle was supposed to be engaged to Kalcion, but she also got to know the taste of the Capital’s society in this process. She might have developed some kind of relationship with another man.

It was a political marriage without the play of any emotions. Having a lover before marriage could be pointed out as a flaw, but it was not a reason for the breakup.

Then, more than just having a lover, something worse happened, and Mrs. Janet killed her because she couldn’t see it?

All the alibis in the room were pointing towards Mrs. Janet. But Kalcion was determined that she could never do such a thing.

Was it a murder or a suicide?

Either way, it’s true that she died in her room.

Given the premise that Mrs. Janet witnessed the scene, it could be narrowed down to one of the two.

‘Either she was a cooperative or a bystander.’

If it was a murder, either she pretended not to see the killer or she might have helped. If Irelle was creating a scandal with a man, she might have been sincere about removing her.

The same was true for suicide as well. She might have been a spectator waving a hand at Irelle as she perished.

“Men, huh. I should speak about these men first……”

Since she was attending a gathering, Selena needed to get a little closer to the men who knew Irelle more accurately than anyone else. She could meet Mrs. Janet any time she wanted, but it was hard to see precious people in society.

“Let’s go back to the party.”

Thinking she had found a clue, she opened the lounge door to follow the sound of music to get back to the hall.

“…..Huh?” But there was nothing in the hallway she could see or hear. No music, no lights from the party hall.

It was just the crackle of the lanterns that lit the hallway.

“……I came that far?”

Unlike her arrival, there was no end to the hallway.

The deserted hallway remained silent like an ancient bomb.

Selena stepped into the hallway, stretching out her hand to grab one of the many lanterns. It fluttered dangerously when she picked it up. If the fire went out, she would be stuck here forever.

Wasn’t this a perfect place for a person to be murdered? In such a dark hallway and without a single witness?

“Screw you, Fionel. You knew I wouldn’t be able to find my way back, so you left me alone, right?”

Selena deliberately spoke aloud, her steps making loud strides as well.

Even so, she was bluffing. If someone shoots an arrow from behind, it’s a game over.

She was walking twice as slow, fumbling in the dark. However, she was afraid of stumbling in fear of the danger lurking around.

She reached the end of the hallway only to be faced with a forking hallway.

“Oh, which way, which way is it?”

She also tried to listen carefully in case she heard the music from afar. But the soundproofing was perfect. Was it because it was a palace?

She stopped walking as she heard footsteps at the end of a hallway.

‘Is that a servant? Perhaps another guest on their way to the restroom?’

Or an assassin.

At that time, the person who appeared at the end of the hallway spoke first.

“Who’s there?”

His voice was heavy. If Kalcion’s voice was an ice cave, this man’s voice was a damp cave that was an escape from the hot sunlight.

Just by hearing his voice, Selena felt a refreshing breeze blowing in from the end of the hallway.

He sounds like a good person!

With that, she approached the man.

“Ah, I……..!”

As he discovered Selena’s splendid beauty, the man walked the rest of the distance to her.

“Are you one of the guests?”

“Ah, yes, I am!”

“What are you doing here? This is not a place for guests to visit.”

The man seemed troubled.

“Uh……,” Selena opened her mouth in surprise at the appearance of the man whose shine did not fade even in the fluttering light.

Compared to Kalcion, he had a sleek and hard physique, smooth jawline, deep blue eyes, and soft lips. He was a blonde—his hair yellow like ripe grain fluttering under the autumn sun, and his eyes—deep blue yet glistening like the sun floating in the sky.

Kalcion was not human based on his appearance. He was perfect enough to be evaluated, but how could this man be so handsome? He had an admirable face that could give rise to a thousand emotions.

Did she move to another level to encounter him? His charming face was enough to make everyone fall in love with him. No matter what he did for a living.

“Lady, are you all right?”

As Selena blankly stared at him, the man leaned closer to her face with eyes filled with concern.

“Yes! I’m okay! I was frightened, and I was wandering in the hallway because I was lost, but luckily, you showed up……,” Selena answered the man as she came to her senses.

She lived thinking that she had seen all the attractive people in the world, but it was more than that at a cosmic level.

“Ah, I see. The banquet is being held far from here in the opposite direction.”

No wonder she found no end to the hallway.

“How did you come all the way here?”

“I came to use the restroom, and I was in a hurry. But when I tried to get back, the person who came with me disappeared.”

“I see. Is this your first time at the palace?”

“Yes, this is my first time……..”

“Hm, people often wander around during their first time. There is a restroom beside the hall, not this way. It would have been better for you to be guided there.”

As expected, Fionel was to be blamed for this.

But Selena wasn’t very angry. She was able to relieve herself, and she also met a handsome man like him.

“Let me show you the way to the hall.”

“Oh…… You’re not attending the party, it seems. Perhaps you’re working in the palace?”

The man blinked before he smiled and nodded at her words.

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve been working because my work was delayed.”

“Are you not going to the party after work? I heard that most nobles were invited to this party……”

“I harbor that thought as well. As it seems I found you, My Lady, when I left the room to get ready.”

She left a hallway as she chatted with the man. In the distance, she could see the shining lights of the hall and hear the faint sound of the music.

Looking around, she saw that it was the end of the corridor where she was walking hectic.

“I believe you can go alone from here, right?”

“Yes, I know the way from here. Weren’t you on your way to the party?”

“I’ll have to get prepared first. We still have time before the main event of the founding festival.”

“Then the dance wasn’t the end.”

“Of course. There’d still be a long way to go, so I hope you stay until the end and enjoy yourself before anything.”

The man explained kindly as if he was the host of the party.

Selena was glad to have met a person who knew how to deliver a polite greeting for the first time in a long while.

“I will, thank you. I was able to find my way back safe without any trouble, and for that, you have my gratitude.”

“It’s also an honor for me to help the Lady.”

Armed with perfect manners, the man placed a light kiss on her hand before he turned around.

Selena stared at the man’s back for a while, before shivering and turning herself around.

He had the right personality as well as the right face.

Come to think of it, people here introduce each other starting with their names, but the man neither revealed his name nor he asked hers.

‘I guess he forgot,’ she shrugged it off. She forgot about the man as she neared the hall.

“Selena!”

Kalcion’s voice startled her as soon as she entered the hall.

“Oh, Duke.”

“Where were you? Didn’t I warn you about the palace!”

Her eyes widened at the sight.

Kalcion looked like he was worried sick for real. It was not an act.

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