Chapter 59
The eyes of the two women widened in surprise at the unexpected intruder who had eavesdropped so shamelessly.
The woman who suddenly joined the conversation continued as if she had been part of the group from the start.
“I saw it up close, and the portrait is prettier.”
The woman speaking was a stunning beauty with a pale face like a flower under her hat and eyes resembling blue coral.
“W-who are you…?”
Hermia smiled gently at the startled women.
“Just a passing…an illegitimate.”
She failed to say “person,” but stood up, straightened her wrinkled skirt, and dusted off the handkerchief she had laid on the floor with a composed gesture. She paid no mind to the gazes directed at her.
A woman who might be an ambitious villainess.
To ordinary people, this was how they perceived her. She nodded indifferently and picked up her parasol that she had set aside.
Since she had decided to marry, public reactions were something she would have to endure. Whether it was scorn or encouragement, it didn’t matter.
If being insulted could fill her stomach, she could eat for a lifetime without worry.
What did it matter? Let them think what they want.
“Let’s eat.”
She concluded clearly and thrust her parasol forward, opening it vigorously.
“Lady Hermia!”
At that moment, a familiar voice came through the fabric of the parasol, reminiscent of a bright summer sky.
The sounds of water splashing from the fountain, wheels rolling as carriages passed by, and children playing faded away in an instant.
Hermia slowly lowered her arm. Standing alone like a painting against the backdrop of busy passersby was a man looking at her.
“How did you end up here, Duke…?”
Walter smiled slightly at her dazed words.
“Because you called for me.”
He looked both shy and apologetic but didn’t avoid her gaze.
“You said you had something to tell me.”
“Ack.”
Hermia almost blurted out a proposal right then and there but quickly realized all eyes were on them and pulled Walter’s arm without thinking.
It wasn’t the right time for leisurely greetings; leaving quickly was the best course of action now.
As she dragged him along briskly, she glanced back to see the two women still staring at them like statues.
‘Darn this mouth of mine!’
She had just mocked the Princess in front of those women; if they recognized Walter, they would also figure out who she was, which would be disastrous.
The grip she had on his arm shifted from her hand to his wrist as she widened her stride, escaping the square like she was fleeing.
“……”
Walter, being pulled along with a somewhat dazed expression, thought about Hermia’s busy back.
She doesn’t even realize we’re holding hands right now.
“…..”
As they entered a narrow alley between buildings, Hermia exhaled sharply and then looked back at Walter. He stood there as if he had always been there, watching her without any sign of disturbance in his breathing.
At least it was fortunate that Walter wasn’t wearing his uniform adorned with gold trinkets like he did at the Duke’s residence; otherwise, everyone would know he was Colonel Rockford.
Upon closer inspection, he wore a three-piece suit typical for noblemen: a shirt with a tie, a vest, and a dark jacket.
She almost asked why he was dressed so nicely when he could have just thrown on rags but stopped herself. He said he came because she called him; that made sense after all.
It was somewhat surprising that his subordinate had heard her terrible whistling and brought him here. But that wasn’t the issue right now!
“Your back! Is it alright?”
Her sudden question brought an expression of confusion to his neat face.
“You hit the wall really hard. Don’t you remember?”
When she corrected herself while frowning at him, he seemed to understand and silently mouthed “Ah.” Walter’s face showed signs of deep contemplation as he shook his head slowly.
Could it be that he hit his head too? Remembering how hard he had slammed into the wall made Hermia feel uneasy all of a sudden.
“What about before that? Do you not remember what you did before?”
Walter knew exactly what Hermia meant by “before.” It referred to the embarrassing behavior he exhibited due to the curse manifesting itself—something too shameful to even speak about.
His gaze shifted away from hers as he looked down awkwardly.
“…I don’t remember.”
Knowing it was cowardly, Walter lied.
He couldn’t say that everything felt as vivid as just yesterday or that it remained imprinted in his mind even in dreams.
It must have been an accident that happened unconsciously. It had to be something done by another entity rather than himself. He couldn’t admit that his instincts took over while his self remained intact.
It wasn’t because of pride or face as an heir from a prestigious family; he simply feared lying to Hermia would make her detest him even more.
“I don’t remember anything specific, but I do know I… took off my clothes and committed an offense.”
Fortunately for him, Hermia accepted this seriously without suspicion.
“I kind of thought so. You seemed like such a different person.”
“……”
Walter bit down on his conscience. Seeing this made Hermia think he was feeling downcast.
How despairing must it be not to even know what kind of trouble you caused?
She felt an overwhelming sense of pity for him.
“It’s okay. It was a curse, right? I was a bit surprised, but I didn’t think it was rude.”
Hermia caught his gaze with her clear voice.
“Don’t worry too much. As I said before, I understand. You know about my curse too, right? I can’t lie.”
Instead of answering, Walter simply looked at her silently, prompting her to speak firmly.
“If you don’t believe me, trust my truthful mouth. I really didn’t hate it.”
Walter must have been quite flustered as well. Hermia pondered how to comfort him further and quickly added,
“Honestly, I’m glad it happened with me. If it had been another woman…”
As she spoke, she suddenly realized and widened her already large eyes.
“Wait, did this happen with someone else too?”
“……?”
“Did you hug and say you loved another woman? Did you kiss her?”
“Hermia.”
His voice rose slightly, revealing a hint of anger. Walter leaned forward to meet her gaze.
“I didn’t do anything. No hugging, no confessions, no kisses. To anyone.”
“How can you be sure? You said you don’t remember.”
“That’s because the conditions of the curse weren’t met…”
He tried to dodge the question, but Hermia looked even more confused.
“Does it only happen to me?”
“Well…”
Walter had to tell another lie to the increasingly anxious Hermia.
“…Not exactly.”
“When does it happen?”
Feeling guilty again, he let out a deep sigh and replied quietly.
“It happens when I’m in a confined space with a woman alone. When the door opens or someone else appears, my mind comes back.”
A confined space with a woman alone…
Hermia slowly mulled over his words.
Thinking about it, there didn’t seem to be many occasions when Walter would be trapped alone with a woman. When they were at the Duke’s residence, the maid and Emily always entered the bedroom with him, and other women like Nora were around too.
Could it be that something happened with Lady Nora…?
She shook her head vigorously. Feeling jealous of kind and gentle Nora was getting close to paranoia at this point.
An ambitious villainess.
If that ambition included possessiveness, then perhaps what the women had said wasn’t entirely nonsense.
With her ambition burning brightly, Hermia wanted to hear more about his curse. She also had so much to say herself. And above all, she was very hungry.
“Let’s go somewhere and talk slowly again.”
“That sounds good. I have news to share as well.”
“I have things to tell you too—quite a lot!”
She spoke enthusiastically and tried to walk away when she suddenly felt something unusual compared to usual.
As she tilted her head in search of the strange feeling, Hermia focused on one spot. Then she realized with surprise that she was still holding onto Walter’s hand from when she pulled him along earlier.
Even during their conversation, she hadn’t let go of his hand.
Once she became aware of it, the presence of his large hand felt overwhelmingly significant. The sensation of his firm palm was quite different from hers.
While she felt a strange sensation holding hands with him, what was even stranger was her desire to keep holding on.
‘…Should I just pretend not to notice this?’
But she was openly looking at their hands now. What should she do?
Noticing her restless movements, Walter glanced down at their intertwined hands and naturally led her with his arm.
“Ah…”
A short sigh escaped her lips filled with disappointment as he looked at her; flustered Hermia quickly covered it up with a smile.
He’s so polite… so overly gentlemanly…
Her murmured complaint was drowned out by the clock tower chiming noon nearby.
The tall gentleman and the lovely lady stepped into the bustling street side by side. Like an upper-class couple casually enjoying a date, they blended seamlessly into the scenery.
Hermia pretended to adjust her hat while glancing at Walter’s profile.
Even though his eyelashes were as long as hers, did he seem manly because of his prominent nose? Or perhaps it was his strong jawline? Maybe it was his pronounced Adam’s apple?
As she watched quietly, an impulse arose within her to touch each feature of his face. After all, since he didn’t remember anything, she could have touched him freely while he was under the curse.
Walking slowly beside him as he escorted her in time with her steps, Walter asked in a gentle tone,
“Have you had lunch yet?”
“Next time, I’ll… I mean, not yet.”
“Then we should go to a restaurant.”
“You haven’t eaten either?”
“Not yet either.”
Walter, who had only had a light snack earlier, delivered that final lie with the most composure.
