Chapter 61
Chapter 61. Heart-Pounding Summer Vacation!
Milena, startled by the quite cold voice, opened her eyes wide. They say strong negativity is positivity. However, Henelone’s face with her mouth tightly shut looked quite unusual, so it was embarrassing to make fun of her too. Milena looked at her cold sunken eyes, her heartbroken cheeks, and her hand nervously touching the glass. She then shrugged her shoulders and opened her mouth.
“Well, you haven’t seen him since we got off the carriage. Still, why are you looking so serious? You’re so scary.”
“I didn’t show a serious face…….”
Henelone, with a shy look on her face, purred her lips and tilted her glass to her lips. She gulped down the sweet l*quid, and it went down her throat. Perhaps the alcohol was stronger than she thought, her stomach fluttering and heat creeping up her face.
***
‘I’m tired…’
It was a day that consisted of riding in a carriage for a few hours at most and just leisurely looking around on her boat. Yet for some reason, she felt like her body was drooping. Henelone leaned on the railing, her face burning and intoxicated, staring blankly below the deck.
She came up to the second floor deck because she didn’t like the busy atmosphere, but when she looked down, she felt much better. Brightly shining lanterns, red-faced faces with moderate intoxication, and the sound of giggling, wondering what was so funny, were crossing the dark sea.
As the music, which had been playing softly for conversation, soon turned into a lively dance song, the people gathered in groups of twos and threes formed a circle in the center and began to dance together. Tang, tudang. Footsteps in time with the music tapped the deck.
“And……….”
As the women holding the gentlemen’s hands spun around in unison, the hems of their colorful dresses bloomed like flowers through the twinkling lights. Henelone let out a blank exclamation at the dreamy and beautiful sight.
‘I think it was a good idea to come…’
It may not seem like it.
Her mind was at a loss. Henelone, looking down with her blurry eyes, tilted the glass in her hand and took a sip of the sweet cocktail. Her vision was a little dizzy and she thought she drank too much.
‘Shall I go back to the room?’
But Milena was down there. The sight of her stomping her feet among the noisy crowd looked so exciting that she found it difficult to ask her to go back to their rooms.
She felt like she had to stay here until the dance song ended. Henelone let out a sigh of dismay and leaned against her railing when someone called out to her from behind.
“Young lady.”
Henelone’s body flinched and jumped at the familiar name.
But the one who called her was not the one she expected.
An unfamiliar female voice. What on earth did she expect? Henelone, smiling, slowly looked behind her.
“…Are you calling me?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Why me? Henelone, perplexed at seeing her face for the first time, tilted her head and straightened her upper body, which had been leaning against her railing.
Silver hair shining brightly under the full moon. Clear, black eyes. Although she still looked young, she was a dazzling beauty. However, no matter how hard she tried to remember, it seemed like they were not acquainted with each other.
“You came down to Berner today with Duke Woodward, right?”
“Huh? How…?”
“As expected. Brown hair is common, so it took a bit long. What is your name?”
Henelone’s eyebrows rose slightly at the slightly rude tone of voice. Her brown hair is common, but she doesn’t dare say it out loud in front of others. Moreover, it was very rude to ask her name right away without even revealing her name.
“… Wouldn’t it be polite to introduce yourself to her first?”
“Oh, that’s right, by the way. I’m Marie-Jose. What is the lady’s name?”
Marie-Jose.
Henelone muttered the woman’s name and slightly tilted her head. Since she did not have an imperial name, she was probably from a foreign country. Well, if there was a beauty like this in the empire, Henelone would have recognized her right away.
Henelone, who looked at her wealthy dress and upright posture without any gaps, reluctantly revealed her name.
“I am Henelone.”
“Aha, Henelone…….”
The woman muttered Henelone’s name and slowly approached her with a grin on her face. Her heart was pounding uneasily at her mysterious smile. She was smiling with her big eyes wide open, but she couldn’t sense her goodwill. The woman stopped in her tracks and leaned lazily against the railing, looking intently into Henelone’s eyes.
‘She didn’t have black eyes.’
It was hard to see because it was dark around her, but at first glance it seemed to have a blue glow. If she had seen it under the light, it would have glowed more blue.
But what caught her eye even more was the beautiful face that looked like a moon goddess. Unlike her gorgeous dress, even her bare face without makeup was dazzling.
“Hey, Lady Henelone.”
“…Yes?”
Hearing her voice calling her, she suddenly came to her senses. Perhaps she had had too much to drink, she thought, and she needed to come to her senses. However, she could not come to her senses at all due to Marie-Jose’s continued words.
“What is your relationship with Duke Heinz Woodward?”
“Pardon…?”
“You seemed quite intimate.”
Henelone’s mouth was tightly shut. She was asked the same question and she told Milena that she had no relationship with him. But now she couldn’t open her mouth. It was as if her mouth was glued together.
