Episode 73
“Diana.”
“Cedric.”
The moment Rowina saw the face seated inside, she brightened, and, led by his hand, climbed into the carriage.
“What brings you here? Aren’t you busy at this hour?”
“Today is an important occasion—the first time I’ll be introducing my wife.”
Cedric smiled and kissed the back of Rowina’s hand. Though it was over her glove, for some reason it tickled; Rowina slipped her hand free and hid it without realizing.
“You mean the banquet we were invited to. There’s still plenty of time.”
“There’s somewhere we need to go before that.”
Before she could ask where, Cedric tapped twice on the glass window toward the driver’s seat. The carriage set off at once.
Before long, the carriage stopped in none other than in front of a dress shop. As soon as the carriage door opened, a splendidly dressed woman greeted them outside the shop.
“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“It’s been a long time, Madame Shylo.”
Cedric and the woman exchanged familiar greetings, as though they knew each other, and shared a light embrace. Perhaps it was the difference in culture, but Rowina stiffened slightly in surprise at the two’s unhesitating physical contact. Madame Shylo’s eyes curved as she spoke to her.
“I’ve been rude in front of his wife, haven’t I?”
“Ah.”
Only then did Cedric turn his head toward Rowina and introduce his acquaintance.
“I forgot to introduce you. Diana. This is Madame Shylo, an old acquaintance of mine. She runs Shylo’s Dress Shop, the most famous one in the capital.”
“Oh my, there’s no need to praise me that much.”
Madame Shylo waved her hand shyly and smiled.
“Madame Shylo. This is—”
“I’m a commoner, and I hear madam is a commoner as well, so I’ll skip the formalities. I’m Shylo Islite. As Cedric just said, I run a dress shop. We became acquainted abroad, and we’ve kept in touch ever since.”
Refusing the ensuing introduction, Shylo introduced herself confidently. In the past, Rowina might have faltered at such forthrightness, but having built up a certain immunity thanks to Loren, she smiled.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. It’s an honor to meet the owner of such a grand dress shop, madam.”
“The honor is mine. I read your novel with great interest. And I know roughly about your circumstances, so you don’t need to worry.”
“I see. Thank you.”
After briefly looking her up and down as though assessing her, Shylo seemed a little impressed by Rowina’s equally composed attitude and raised the corners of her lips. Then she guided them inside.
“Now, please come in. Everything is ready.”
“Ready……?”
Rowina lifted her head and looked up at Cedric. Cedric shrugged and quietly took her hand.
“Then let’s go in, madam.”
* * *
The “preparations” Madame Shylo had mentioned were a comprehensive collection of brilliantly colored dresses, accessories, and shoes.
“I prepared only colors that would suit black hair and green eyes.”
Shylo hung the dresses, each beautiful enough to make it hard to look away, one by one on the racks, then selected three from among them.
“I think the green satin dress, the classic black dress, and the bright red dress would suit you best.”
As expected of a dress shop owner’s eye, every one of the dresses she chose suited Rowina. Rowina was startled for a moment by the luxury she had not encountered in a long while, then asked gently.
“Thank you, but I’ll be covering my face anyway. Do I really need such a beautiful dress?”
“Diana.”
Cedric, who had been watching the two women from a step back, came forward and placed both hands on Rowina’s shoulders. Then he turned her toward the full-length mirror. As Rowina blinked at her sudden reflection, Cedric lowered his head and whispered by her ear.
“You don’t need to be beautiful.”
“……”
“I’m not saying you aren’t beautiful. Beauty is something that emanates like an aura. Not from appearance, but from a person’s way of speaking, their actions, their atmosphere. I felt that the moment I first saw you.”
His gaze was calm, yet held a quiet heat. His violet eyes traveled up along the white nape of her neck, then turned to her neat profile.
“These are merely tools to make you shine a little more. That is why I want to lay them at your feet.”
At his unvarnished words, Rowina’s cheeks flushed bright red. Cedric withdrew his hands and suggested,
“Then shall we try them on one by one?”
* * *
For Rowina, who had to hide her identity while standing before many people, it was exquisitely convenient that the banquet they had been invited to was none other than a masquerade ball.
For an hour, guests introduced themselves and mingled freely, and before midnight, the lights went out.
During the ten minutes the lights remained extinguished, men and women searched for their partners in the darkness. The moment midnight arrived and the lights came back on, they would remove their partner’s mask, and the man and woman had to kiss.
It was a tradition unique to Crotia’s social circles, quite popular—so much so that some guests attended specifically for this midnight event.
“Mr. Godwell!”
Though he was a scholar who had lived immersed only in research and papers, Cedric was somewhat well-known among those who loved art and learning. Since free mingling was permitted until the lights went out, Rowina, together with Cedric, became a subject of interest.
“Oh my. You’re an author?”
“I think I’ve heard the name Diana before. A critic I sponsor said he read your work with great interest.”
“I read that book. My niece was enjoying it, so I took a peek, and then I ended up staying up all night. Hoho.”
Beyond their masks, gazes of curiosity, jealousy, and favor swept over Rowina. Black hair, not particularly rare in this country, and a face hidden behind a cream-colored mask.
Compared to others adorned as splendidly as peacocks, she was so plain she might have faded into the background. Yet her vivid blue dress, elegant in its simple lines, and her long, straight limbs naturally drew the eye. Her accessories, too, were decorated with opals of various hues, creating an air of mystery around Rowina.
“You’re Mr. Cedric Godwell’s wife.”
After their curiosity about the wife of the scholar “Cedric Godwell” had lingered for a moment, people gradually began to be drawn in by Rowina’s thoughtful and gentle way of speaking. It was then that a lady who had been watching her from a distance joined in. After briefly introducing herself, the woman went straight to the point.
“I had no idea Mr. Godwell had married. Since he travels here and there so much, I thought he would marry late.”
“Indeed. I don’t believe he was particularly favorable toward the institution of marriage either.”
Waving a folding fan adorned with feathers dyed bright red, the lady smiled with her eyes.
“I thought it would be one of two things. Either his standards were up in the heavens, or the opposite. I never imagined she would be someone who had suffered burns…… Of course, I’m sure you possess charms that surpass your beauty.”
She spoke as though offering a compliment, but there was a clear intent to belittle. Just as Rowina was about to respond to the familiar, childish provocation, Cedric, who had wrapped an arm around Rowina’s waist a step ahead of her, answered in her stead.
“My standards reach all the way to the cosmos. Even the heavens are far too low for her as she is now. I filed the marriage registration before we could even hold the ceremony.”
He was smiling, but there was a strange pressure emanating from him. The humiliated woman snapped her fan shut with a sharp sound.
“……
I see. Then at the midnight event later, you will surely find each other.”
“Thank you for your concern. I’ll send you an invitation later, so I hope you’ll be sure to attend.”
“Gladly. Then I hope you enjoy your evening.”
Her lips twitching, the woman turned sharply and walked away.
“Come with me for a moment.”
“Excuse us.”
Flustered by the series of events, Rowina led him to the lounge. The lounge they entered to avoid people was originally used as a guest room, so it was a separate space. After confirming that no one else was there, Rowina placed both hands on her waist.
“What are you doing? We desperately need every connection we can get right now.”
“That woman would be of no help to our situation, and if we got involved with her in the wrong way, she would be the sort to hinder us instead.”
“Even so, it’s troublesome if you act like that.”
“Rowina.”
Seeing that she had no intention of yielding even an inch, Cedric sighed inwardly.
“I know what you mean. I didn’t come here to play either.”
“Then—”
“Do you know how stiff your expression is right now?”
Cedric placed his index finger against Rowina’s lips as she tried to argue, then calmly indicated the mirror above the fireplace with his eyes.
“……
We don’t know how much time Loren has left.”
Rowina slowly rose and approached the mirror Cedric had gestured toward. His words were true. Even beyond her mask, worry was faintly visible in her darkened expression. As the startled Rowina looked at herself in the mirror, Cedric gently admonished her.
“I know you’re very tense and worried, but the more that’s true, the more we need to take the long way around. If you act too impatiently, you may end up facing an even worse situation instead.”
The person more anxious and desperate than anyone should have been Cedric, Loren’s brother, not her. At his calm yet persuasive words, Rowina relaxed her tense shoulders.
“I’m sorry. You gave me such a wonderful gift, and I haven’t made use of it at all.”
“Don’t worry about that. Even if you wore rags, no one here would shine more than you.”
“It’s embarrassing, so stop saying such ridiculous things.”
She had heard countless praises before, whether insincere or genuine. But every word that came from Cedric’s mouth sounded sincere, and that made her even more flustered.
“I’ve calmed down.”
After steadying her breath, Rowina looked into the mirror with a much improved expression. She looked far more natural and bright than she had moments ago.
“I’ve introduced you to several people, so now we need to act separately. Just as we planned.”
“Since everyone has to remove their masks at midnight, I suppose I’ll have to leave before then.”
She had said there were burn scars on her face, but there was no way everyone here knew that.
“Rowina.”
Unlike a moment ago, when he had touched her waist without hesitation, Cedric lightly tapped the back of her hand and made her turn back to look at him.
“When midnight comes, go to the left balcony. Hide beyond the curtain, and I’ll come find you. All right?”
“All right.”