CH 24

Yulia's eyes shook at Iona's polite question.

What the other person said was true.

It was difficult for Yulia to make a proper introduction in this place where, as a rule, a person with high status should talk to her first.

The grandmother of the relative who was indebted to them had stopped participating in social circles for a long time, and the number of families she had been in contact with was also small, so she could not provide any real help to Yulia.

About Jonas...

He took the role of the duke's attendant on the pretext of taking care of his younger sister, but he was not interested in it. He said he didn't even know anyone anyway, so what's the difference if he goes with her?

'My brother didn't know about this at all.'

There was a word used to describe people like her, wallflower, a person who literally stands against a wall and simply observes others at a social gathering, rather than mingle the whole time because they couldn't fit in with people at a party.

Until now, Yulia's situation had been exactly that.

However, the person, she had never ever thought of, volunteered to help.

“I-I’m fine, of course. You don't have to bother yourself so much, how can I repay this favor... … .”

“If I marry the duke, won't I become close to Miss Yulia and Sir Jonas? It’s all about making me look good, so don’t feel pressured.”

Saying that Iona naturally pulled Yulia closer.

Yulia straightened her back against the wall and stared at Iona's back as if possessed.

The ballroom with Iona now felt like a completely different world from earlier.

Before she even could move a few steps, someone came straight to them.

“No, Dame Iona! This is very unexpected, what the hell is this?”

“Why can’t I come here?”

“I've always wondered why a drunkard like Dame wasn't interested in parties. If Captain had liked entertainment just a little bit, our time off work would have been much faster.”

The man who had been exchanging casual conversations with Iona soon turned his attention to Yulia, who was standing next to her.

“Who is this beautiful young lady with you?”

“Ah, this is the sister of Sir Jonas, a close follower of Lord Leroy. Miss Yulia, this is Sir Florian, a member of the Imperial Knights like me.”

“Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Yulia Becker.”

Yulia tried to calm her trembling heart and answered.

Once the conversation started, it became even easier with time. People noticed and started flocking to them.

Iona didn't know many people, but most of her narrow personal relationships were with young and promising knights.

For Yulia, who had to dance with as many men as possible, there was no better opportunity than this.

Yulia danced with the man Iona introduced, and after the song ended, she went up to the ballroom again with a new face, repeating infinitely.

It was the first dream-like moment for Yulia.

'How long has it been?'

“Oh, the time has already come to this.”

Yulia, who was drinking champagne and catching her exhausted breath, said in a surprised voice.

It was already time to go home.

It was an unbelievable experience for Yulia, who always looked forward to returning home.

Iona asked in a calm voice as if calming Yulia.

“Do you have a set return time?”

“Yes, my brother is supposed to come to pick me up. By the way, would you like to go out and say hello too?”

Iona couldn't let Lady go home alone in the middle of the night.

If Jonas was sane, he wouldn't miss out on bringing his younger sister.

Iona nodded her head kindly.

“I see.”

The front door was quiet as the party was still far from over.

Iona and Yulia quickly found Jonas waiting nearby.

“Brother, here you are!”

“Hey, Yulia. There you are...”

Jonas, who had been rapidly approaching them, paused, his words trailing off.

He asked with a puzzled face.

“Dame Iona?”

A strange silence passed for a moment. Jonas's face slowly hardened as he looked at Iona.

He strode in front of them and hid Yulia behind his back with a rough hand.

He asked in a terrifying voice.

“What are you up to?”

He was overly aggressive when it comes to his family.

Yulia also had rabbit eyes, as if embarrassed by her brother's actions.

Iona replied calmly.

"A plan, that's an overstatement."

“Did you investigate my background?”

“Was it that much of a secret that Miss Yulia was your sister?”

“Everyone knows that you don't often attend events like this. Aren’t you deliberately approaching my sister?”

Actually, Iona didn't expect this kind of reaction to come back. It's just that he was a little clumsy because even in her previous life, Jonas loved his family very much.

It was when Iona opened her mouth after struggling to explain the misunderstanding.

-Puck

With the sound of a watermelon breaking, Jonas's head tilted forward.

Yulia hit her brother in the back of the head with her fist.

Yulia shouted with an angry face.

“Brother, why are you blaming people recklessly? You don’t even know her well!”

As if he couldn't believe that he had been hit by his sister, Jonas looked back with a bewildered face.

She had a bloodstain on her neck with a frustrated face.

“Yulia! you really… …!”

After raising his voice, Jonas let out a long sigh.

Quickly controlling his anger, he pushed Yulia to the back and said,

“… …We are done here. Just get into the wagon. It's something you don't need to know.”

“Why can’t I know? Weren't you talking about me? Tell me with my mouth. Then it will work.”

“Yulia! You keep being immature like this!”

Suddenly, the situation turned into a family quarrel.

Yulia stood still in her place, ignoring Jonas' scolding.

Iona didn't know it, but when she saw that stubborn face, she thought that she looked just like her brother.

Yulia raised her chin proudly and said.

“Why, how is it that you know that I'm immature? You act like an only child outside? What the hell is wrong with making this fuss?”

Jonas washed his face dry with an expression that he would be crazy. Seeing Jonas like that, Yulia's voice grew louder, as if she was getting more feverish.

“That’s right, it seems that the Dame came to know that I am a younger sister! so? What did Dame Iona do by approaching me? Do you know what she did for me inside?”

“Calm down first, calm down. I don't know what you're complaining about, but let's go back and talk."

“Look, you have no idea what I’m talking about right now, don’t you? Why would you want to do this all of a sudden?”

Without a chance to refute, Jonas' opinion was blocked at the source. It was because Yulia saw right through his thoughts.

As Jonas flinched as if he had been hit, Yulia's face distorted.

The anger of the past burst out in an instant.

"No wonder you don't know, because you just threw me here and didn't care what I was doing here!"

After the incident that took place seven years ago, the duchy did not go to the capital for a long time.

There was nothing different about his vassal family.

As traffic ceased, the position in the capital naturally decreased, and now even the name of the family has been forgotten.

The poor Becker family couldn't make connections with money like the others. This was because neither Jonas nor Baron Becker was one who would use their friendship with the duke to raise their household.

“I didn't know anyone in the capital, so I was always standing beside the wall. There were times when I didn’t even utter a word until the time I left.”

As if it was miserable to say these words with her own mouth, Yulia bit her lower lip.

Iona thought it was time for Jonas to shut up, but he didn't seem to have any talent for reading the mood.

Jonas spoke gibberish with a puzzled face.

"What? What the hell does that have to do with this... … No, why are you saying that now? If you had told me earlier, I... … .”

“If I said it earlier, then what? If I had explained it clearly, you could have stepped forward personally. That's what you mean?”

Jonas, speechless, shut his mouth.

Yulia glared at Jonas with resentful eyes.

Her voice was getting watery.