CH 61

I wasn’t the only one whose gaze was drawn to the man.

Aside from me, many women were staring at that men and leaving their partners behind.

The gentleman stood out in a ballroom full of couples for his solitary presence. Because of that, he even stood out more.

‘Those eyes are really high.’

[TL/N: They have high standards for man.]

Yes, even if you only glance in the mirror once a day; your standards will keep getting higher. 

I could see the ladies surrounding the man exchanging even more frantic glances with one another.

They seemed to look at each other to see who would speak first.

‘I’m rooting for everyone.’

Finally, the lady with the seductive blonde hair pulled back above her shoulders was seen walking toward the man.

What would happen? It was a moment when I was so immersed that my fanning accelerated.

“A beautiful lady. We meet again!”

A familiar but strange voice called me.

The voice was that of the same red-haired young man who had earlier asked if I had a companion.

“Ah yes. Hello.”

I was about to return my gaze to the scene I was viewing after greeting out of politeness.

“Are you still alone? Is your companion not coming?”

“Oh, he was away for a while.”

“Haha. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You come alone to a place like this and then leave as two.”

…… What is he saying now?

I looked at the red-haired young man with eyes that were slightly creased in a frown.

As if he hadn’t noticed the change in my expression because of the mask, the young man continued to chatter.

“How are you feeling, Lady? Will you dance with me for the next song?”

“I apologize. My partner will be back soon.”

“Hmm, why would you do this? Oh, are there any hobbies or interests that you have besides dancing? It’s fine to get to know each other in a quiet place.”

The redhead said this while pointing somewhere. As I turned around, I saw large sofas tucked into the venue’s nooks and crannies. The eerie atmosphere was caused by the dim lighting as well as the veil that was covering it.

What’s the matter with this man? I crumpled my brow to the point where it was visible enough to see through the mask.

“No. I’m not interested. I’ll go now.”

I didn’t have to be polite because he didn’t understand, even though I politely refused.

I was about to turn around and walk away, but he grabbed my wrist.

“You’re so arrogant. You’re just playing hard to get, but is this your behavior even when we’re underground? You can do whatever you want here, but you are innocent-“

“How dare you.”

Schwing, I heard the sound of someone drawing a sword. Dame Joan was pulling a dagger out of her arms.

If this continued, the guards would kick us out, and I couldn’t fulfill Rizello’s request.

“Hey!”

I called out to Dame Joan before she could do anything.

“When I am still being polite, just get out of here. Don’t regret it later.”

But my warning didn’t work.

The pervert who looked back at Dame Joan was frightened when he heard the sound of someone drawing a sword.

“No, did that woman pull out her sword just now? Weapons are prohibited here! We need to call the guards right now- Heum! Heum!”

The pervert suddenly found themselves confronted with a hand that was covering his mouth with a black leather gloved hand.

I raised my head, my eyes wide open.

The main character of the hand was a familiar man.

‘Why is this person here?’

He was the main character who had occupied the attention of the beautiful ladies until now.

He was a long distance away, but when did he get here?

No, what brought you here?

My lips fumbled as I tried to cover my embarrassment, but the man lowered his head and whispered something in the pervert’s ear.

The voice was muffled, but I could see the pervert giggling and shrinking his body.

“Wh-What. Who are you to make such a joke out of a threat?”

What were you threatening?

Instead of responding, the man pressed his hand against the pervert’s cheeks and gave him a painful squeeze. The mouth of the pervert was gaping open.

I saw the man who forced me to look at him open his mouth again.

A few seconds later, the pervert’s complexion turned black.

“I, I mean. I know. It’s not like that.”

The pervert, whose voice had suddenly become more subdued, started shaking his legs all of a sudden.

When things started to get awkward, Dame Joan removed herself from the situation.

The pervert collapsed and ran away on her knees when the man let go of her cheek. It was really disgusting to look at.

‘What an ugly backside.’

Tsk, I clicked my tongue and watched the pervert leave for a moment before turning my head to the front and being startled.

A man was looking at me.

“Ah.”

I fumbled with my lips.

I had to say thank you when I thought about it. It would have been hard for me to do without him.

“Thank you very much. Thanks to you, I got out of trouble.”

I showed my gratitude by first raising the bottom of my dress and bending my knees slightly, and then a moment later, I cocked my head to the side.

There was no return response.

When I looked up, the man still looked down at me, but he said nothing.

He had been sweeping the crowd’s gaze since I first saw him, but he still stared at me with all eyes on him.

As a result, I was also in the center of attention.

“Well…”

I opened my mouth to hide my embarrassment.

“Thank you once more. I am in debt.”

I retreated noiselessly, taking a single step backward.

I didn’t want to attract people’s attention any longer, even though I wore a mask and changed my hair color so they wouldn’t recognize me.

Fortunately, the man showed no signs of him trying to grab me. Well, even if it wasn’t me, dozens of women would fit in at this venue alone, and it was natural that he would not want a reward just by looking at his pride, which was full to the brim.

It was time to hurry away from the gaze of that men and people.

“Ah.”

I’m not sure if I rushed too much. The hand fan I was holding slipped out of my hands.

With a light thud, the fan rolled across the floor.

The hollow, feathered wood fan rolled and bounced all the way to the man’s feet.

“Ah. Please excuse me.”

I was about to bend down to pick up a fan, but I immediately opened my eyes wide.

Before I bent down, the man bent down and used his long finger to lift the fan.

“Thank……you.”

I blinked and thanked him once more.

The man did not answer this time. He instead looked at the fan in his hand.

“Any problem with debt…… Do I happen to have any?”

Since there was no sign that he was going to give back my fan, I asked while trying to hide how embarrassed I was.

That fan was just one of many in my cabinet.

For your information, I’ve never bought a fan. As a wedding gift, Ian filled my dresser and closet with things. People say this is the marriage culture of Rehart aristocrats.

Actually, Ian didn’t fill it out. He just told his subordinates to do it, but whatever.

The man, who had been staring at the fan for a moment, grinned.

It was more of a smile than a grin.

“Excuse me. Sir?”

I called the man one more time because I was getting tired.

Only then did the man’s gaze shift away from the fan and back to me.

My skin became itchy in an instant. It was the first time I’d seen a man up close.

Even from a distance, I could tell he was attractive, but up close, I could see that his handsome features shone through despite the mask covering half of his face.

Not only did he have a flawless face, but his body lines also went down there. So much so that when I tried to look down at his body, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

The staring down at me without saying anything made my lips dry for no reason.

‘What’s wrong with me? Me?’

The man was rude.

He’s been staring at me for far too long and won’t answer my thanks or explain what he meant by paying back the debt.

This was rude enough to protest despite the help earlier.

But now, the tickling in my stomach makes me feel embarrassed instead of uncomfortable.

A man standing close by gave off a nice scent. Even though he didn’t look like he was wearing perfume, I could smell it on the tip of my nose.

As soon as I realized this, my heart started to beat faster than usual.

‘Let’s calm down.’

Despite what I was telling myself, my fingertips continued to bend. The man had an overpowering presence. To the point where I’m not sure why he was wasting time in front of me.

The man then moved in closer to me. I realized I was trying to talk at the same time, and the realization shot through my head like a bullet, along with the body scent that approached me.

I’m sure I’ve smelled this scent.

“You are so bold.”

A soft, hushed voice tempted my ear.

I froze on the spot as if I had been struck by lightning.

How the hell was he here?

Did I run into someone I wanted to avoid more than the Grim Reaper?