Ariella, too, stared at the last guest with eyes that seemed to have doubled in size.
That night, the pitch-black hair, the face that was beautiful like a statue yet cold and devoid of emotion, and the red eyes shining like the sun drew my gaze.
It was truly Duke Ashbon.
He, who usually hesitated to attend royal banquets, had accepted the sudden and playful invitation to a dinner party from a noble lady.
A sharp sense of intimidation pressed down on all the nobles present. He was that kind of presence. His massive body, honed from battling beasts, seemed to swallow the breath of others, and his indifferent yet fierce gaze overwhelmed the room.
As no one could utter a single word, Catalina, who barely recognized that she was the host, hurriedly stood up.
“How did the Duke come to be here…?”
“I remember sending an invitation. Did I come to a place I was not supposed to?”
His low voice was so cold that one might believe he had received a challenge instead of an invitation. Instinctively flooded with fear, Catalina’s complexion turned pale.
“Oh, no. That can’t be. I was just a bit surprised because I hadn’t received a reply confirming your attendance.”
She forced a friendly smile, but inside, she was anything but calm.
It was good that Duke Ashbon had come. If it became known in high society that he, who even refused the Emperor’s invitations, had attended her party, her reputation would surely rise.
But the problem was that he had come to a gathering where the Crown Prince was present.
How dare she invite both of them to the same place? If the furious Crown Prince declared he would never attend her parties again, she would have no words to counter. It would be fortunate if it ended at that.
If she had known this would happen, she shouldn’t have sent an invitation to the Duke. It was foolish of her to assume he wouldn’t come.
As expected, Aaron’s face was contorted beyond description. Everyone was too busy avoiding the Duke’s gaze to even offer him a word of welcome.
“I omitted the reply because you did not give me the leisure to respond. If that suffices as an answer, I would like to be shown to my seat now.”
“Of course, you can sit over there. The meal is about to begin. Ha ha…”
The Duke, who seemed as if he wouldn’t bleed even if pricked with a needle, flinched and stopped when he confirmed the direction Catalina was pointing.
More precisely, it was when he made eye contact with Ariella, who was sitting next to the empty seat. His well-formed face crumpled in an instant.
Ariella felt the same urge to crumple her face.
The changed attitudes of her friends. The unexpected appearance of Lizzy. The reunion with the stolen item. She vaguely guessed all of this, but she had not anticipated his arrival at all.
“It’s alright. Lord Fletcher will be known to have stumbled due to excessive drinking.”
She recalled the figure that had appeared like a crow at the most critical moment. She also thought of how she had fled without properly thanking the one who had saved her.
A mix of regret for repaying kindness with rudeness and suspicion towards her inexplicable actions crossed her heart.
Ariella silently gazed at him, her lips pressed together. Despite her complicated feelings, her face remained calm. Her long eyebrows trembled slightly, but it was not noticeable.
“Your Grace? Is there a problem?”
Catalina suddenly spoke to Nobert, who had come to a halt.
‘Has he finally noticed the Crown Prince? It would be nice if he could just take the hint and leave now.’
She held onto her last hope, but unfortunately, Nobert shook his head.
“…No.”
He answered in a deep voice and walked over to sit next to Ariella.
Upon noticing Aaron and Lizzy sitting across from him, his long eyes narrowed.
He seemed to question why Aaron hadn’t sat next to Ariella. However, there was no one brave enough in this gathering to explain the situation to him.
“Shall we start the meal now? For the main course, we have specially prepared Ashbon Valley veal steak, so please enjoy it generously.”
The dinner party resumed amidst the taut tension.
Beautiful dishes and fragrant wine were placed on the table. However, the people were too busy observing the situation to know whether the food was entering their mouths or their noses.
In such a situation, it was only natural for the host, Catalina, to step in and lighten the mood. However, she appeared half-dazed with worry about the aftermath.
Huff. The first to muster courage was Lord Wrexham, who let out a small sigh.
“Lady Lizzy takes very small bites. That must be the secret to her slender figure.”
Yes, just as before, praising the new fiancée might improve Aaron’s mood. People thought his judgment to start with Lizzy was quite wise.
