Chapter 66
“I think this is tastier than the chocolate itself,” Aiden remarked, lightly licking Raylenne’s fingers, which were smeared with melted chocolate. The sticky chocolate disappeared quickly.
Raylenne stared blankly at him, too stunned to speak or even react. She was so shocked that the thought of stopping him didn’t even cross her mind. After finishing, Aiden looked at her with a nonchalant expression, as if nothing had happened.
“Now that your hand is clean, there’s no need to wash it,” Aiden said, his gray eyes as calm as ever, seemingly unaware of the audacity of his actions.
Raylenne snapped back to reality and shouted at him, “You… how could you say that?!”
Her hand, still tingling from the unfamiliar sensation, hung awkwardly in the air. Aiden remained unfazed.
“You brought the chocolate for me, didn’t you?” he asked, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I meant for you to eat the chocolate from the wrapper, not lick it off my hand!” Raylenne retorted.
“Then I’ll eat this too,” Aiden replied, taking the chocolate from the wrapper and chewing it indifferently before swallowing it. Then he said, “As I thought, the chocolate from your hand tastes better.”
* * *
The next day, Raylenne visited the Beltvis Marquisate’s mansion where Lavita lived. It was her second visit. Lavita’s mother, the Marchioness of Beltvis, had written in a letter that she wanted to host dinner for Raylenne.
The Marchioness had warmly welcomed Raylenne during her first visit, seemingly amazed and pleased that her shy daughter had invited someone over, especially the daughter of a duke. When Janie, who had accompanied Raylenne, excused herself to wait in the drawing room, Lavita led Raylenne to her room.
“Please come in, Lady Raylenne,” Lavita said, ushering her inside. The room, decorated in soft yellows, was quaint and cozy.
As soon as they sat down at the table, Lavita spoke with a slightly apologetic expression. “I hope my mother didn’t make you feel uncomfortable.”
Raylenne shook her head. “Not at all. I’m grateful for the invitation and the meal.”
“Thank you for understanding. I rarely invite people over, so my mother is quite happy to have you as a guest,” Lavita said, smiling with her eyes, which curved gently and gave her a pure and serene appearance.
‘She’s truly beautiful,’ Raylenne thought. Lavita’s beauty was not just in her features but in her aura, which was delicate and quietly captivating.
Curious, Raylenne asked, “Do you have any thoughts about getting married, Lavita?”
Lavita’s hand, which had been pouring tea, froze for a moment, causing some tea to spill. Raylenne calmly wiped the spill with a napkin.
“You don’t need to hide away because of those rumors, you know,” Raylenne continued, recalling that there were indeed men interested in Lavita despite some unkind gossip.
[I heard that the Earl of Roch recently proposed to you and was turned down. He should have known better than to confess to you.]
[Well, she once had her sights on Crown Prince Harbian; it’s no wonder other men don’t appeal to her.]
Despite the unfavorable rumors involving Harbian, Raylenne believed Lavita was a decent person who deserved to overcome such gossip. However, knowing that Lavita had a hidden child made Raylenne wonder if that was the reason behind her reluctance.
After a moment of hesitation, Lavita answered in a small voice, “I haven’t really thought about marriage yet.”
So it was because of the child, Raylenne surmised. In this world, it was difficult for a woman to live alone and unmarried, and the pressure from her family must have been considerable. Lavita was likely in a difficult position, unable to reveal her secret.
‘But someday she’ll have to tell her family…’ Raylenne thought, knowing Lavita couldn’t hide the child forever. It was not her place, but she couldn’t help feeling a tightness in her chest from worrying about Lavita’s predicament.
Sensing the need to change the subject, Lavita slid a plate toward Raylenne. The dessert was neatly wrapped in yellow paper. “Lady Raylenne, please try this chocolate. I noticed you enjoyed the chocolate last time, so I brought a different variety for you.”
“Oh…” Raylenne murmured, immediately recalling the embarrassing incident from the day before. The thought made her momentarily forget her concerns about Lavita.
‘This is serious,’ Raylenne thought, realizing how bold Aiden had become. When they first met, he was as innocent as a pious priest, blushing at the slightest eye contact. Now, he seemed more intent on flustering her than being flustered himself.
As Raylenne scowled at the chocolate, Lavita asked cautiously, “Is something wrong, Lady Raylenne? Don’t you like the chocolate?”
“No, it’s not that,” Raylenne quickly reassured her, finally taking a piece and popping it into her mouth.
They continued chatting pleasantly, and soon it was about 30 minutes before dinner. From downstairs, the aroma of food wafted up, signaling preparations were underway.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Lavita turned her head. “Is dinner ready already?”
Rising from her seat, Lavita opened the door to find a maid with an uncertain expression. “What’s the matter?”
“Miss, there’s a visitor downstairs.”
“A visitor?” Lavita tilted her head, puzzled. She hadn’t been expecting anyone else.
Raylenne was also surprised, as she thought she was Lavita’s only guest. “We asked who they were and what their relationship with you was, but they wouldn’t say much,” the maid continued.
Lavita’s expression tightened, as if she had an idea who it might be. “They don’t seem to be a noble, judging by their appearance… and they look quite old,” the maid added.
With a quickened pace, Lavita headed downstairs, her urgency making Raylenne follow suit, curious and concerned.
As they approached the door, they saw the Marchioness already arguing with the middle-aged woman who was supposedly Lavita’s guest.
“I’m asking you, who are you to be looking for our Lavita?”
“You can hear about that from Lady Lavita later… It’s urgent, so I need to speak with her first…!”
The middle-aged woman was flustered in front of the stern Marchioness.
As Lavita approached, the Marchioness raised her eyebrows.
“Lavita, you’re here! Who on earth is this person looking for you?”
Lavita seemed to recognize this middle-aged woman who had arrived without warning. However, she couldn’t readily answer who she was, her mouth gaping as if she’d seen a ghost.
Watching from behind, Raylenne realized that Lavita was in a difficult situation. Though she didn’t know what was going on, Raylenne felt she needed to help Lavita.
Raylenne quickly approached and stood beside Lavita. Glancing at the middle-aged woman, she said, “Marchioness, there seems to have been a misunderstanding. This person has come to see me.”
As Raylenne intervened, the Marchioness looked bewildered.
“Pardon…? This is your guest, Lady Raylenne?”
“My brother said he had an urgent message to relay through someone. It seems the messenger got confused when they heard I was at the Beltvis mansion.”
Raylenne grabbed the middle-aged woman’s wrist and headed outside before she could say anything else.
“I’ll go out for a moment to talk and come back.”
The Marchioness blinked, seeming slightly dazed by the quickly unfolding situation, but then nodded.
“Of course. I apologize for my rudeness, not realizing she was Lady Raylenne’s guest.”
“It’s alright.”
Before leaving, Raylenne looked at Lavita.
‘Hmm…’
This middle-aged woman seemed to need an urgent conversation with Lavita. So, Raylenne needed to naturally bring Lavita along…
After pondering, Raylenne spoke to Lavita.
“Lavita, if it’s alright, could you come out with me and show me where the flower shop is? I feel bad for coming here empty-handed, so I’d like to buy some flowers while we’re out.”
The Marchioness waved her hand dismissively.
“No, Lady Raylenne. Flowers aren’t necessary. It’s fine.”
“It’s for my peace of mind. I’ll take a walk around the neighborhood with Miss Lavita.”
“If you insist… Alright. But dinner will be ready soon, so please return quickly.”
With the Marchioness’s permission, Raylenne and Lavita went out to the garden.
Once the Marchioness had completely closed the door, Lavita let out a big sigh.
“Lady Raylenne… thank you. It would have been very awkward to explain to my mother…”
“Go ahead and talk. I’ll be somewhere out of earshot.”
Raylenne walked around the vicinity to give Lavita privacy to speak quietly with the middle-aged woman.
As she slowly circled the garden, Raylenne glanced at Lavita.
Though she couldn’t hear what they were discussing, Lavita’s expression grew increasingly grim. Eventually, she squeezed her eyes shut and staggered as if about to collapse.
Alarmed, Raylenne quickly approached Lavita.
“Lavita, are you alright?”
Lavita opened her eyes with difficulty and steadied herself, swaying like a newborn foal.
Then, as if in a daze, she became restless.
“Lady Raylenne… I… I think I need to go quickly…”
Though uncertain where Lavita intended to go, Raylenne felt she needed to stop her for now.
“Lavita, calm down first. You can barely walk.”
“But…!”
Raylenne supported Lavita as she was about to stagger again.
“In this state, it wouldn’t be surprising if you collapsed somewhere without anyone knowing.”
At Raylenne’s firm words, Lavita blinked weakly. Tears like dewdrops formed in her eyes.
“Then what should I do…”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but you need to regain your composure first.”
Lavita lowered her head like a scolded child. Soon, her shoulders shook as she burst into tears.
Feeling sympathetic, Raylenne leaned closer to Lavita and asked, “Lavita, is there anything I can do to help?”
Lavita slowly raised her face. Pitiful tears were streaming down her delicate eyes.
“Lady Raylenne…”
Her thin fingers tightly gripped Raylenne’s clothing.
“Please help me.”
As if it were a lifeline.
* * *
Raylenne first sent the middle-aged woman away and seated Lavita, who looked like she might faint at any moment, on a nearby bench.
“Lavita, tell me. How can I help you?”
Lavita barely managed to open her eyes properly. It seemed more like a mental shock than physical pain.
“Right now… There’s somewhere I need to go urgently.”
“Alright, I’ll tell the Marchioness that something urgent has come up for me and we need to leave.”
“Thank you… Lady Raylenne.”
Raylenne shook her head.
“Save your thanks until after we’ve dealt with everything.”
