SGC 18

CHAPTER 18

Translator: Rae

***

“Hah, even back then, you were a traitorous b*st*rd who didn’t care if your cousin was humiliated, as long as you could take that girl’s side.”

That day, after a cricket match, Delroy came out of the shower to find his clothes had vanished without a trace. Left naked and panicking, he was caught by the maids and suffered a complete public humiliation.

The thief had been so thorough that not a single scrap of fabric remained, leaving him without even the slightest chance to preserve his dignity.

Fuming with shame, Delroy tore through the entire villa before finally tracking down the vicious criminal, intent on delivering a punishment that would never be forgotten.

But the one who defended that wicked little culprit was his gentle cousin.

“Don’t touch that child, Delroy.”

Delroy could never forget the moment when that kind young master hid the girl behind him and issued a firm warning.

That someone who had never so much as blinked, no matter how cruelly he was provoked, would change so completely just because the fact that a maid’s daughter was about to be punished was utterly shocking.

“The reason I’ve turned a blind eye your rudeness until now is because such trivial matters were never important to me.”

Gripping the girl’s hand as if he had no intention of yielding even an inch, Edmund pressed Delroy with a sharp expression he had never shown before.

“But this child is different. If you lay a hand on Rose, I will not let it slide this time.”

At that moment, Delroy trembled with betrayal. Threatening his own cousin just to protect that shameless thief, he thought Edmund must have gone mad.

Yet crushed by that unfamiliar sharpness, all he could do was shout, “Fine! Then live well together!” before fleeing. As Delroy recalled the bitterness of that day, he dropped his feigned seriousness and broke into a wide grin.

“I thought you’d grow tired of her in less than a year. But how many years has it been now? Even after all this, do you still like her that much?”

Everyone went through a phase of being drawn to girls like that. Compared to noble ladies who were either demure or aloof, lowborn girls whose actions were unpredictable could sometimes be far more enticing.

But like cheap snacks that look tempting yet harm the body after a while, no matter how much one indulges in a moment of lacked reasoning, the time eventually comes to turn away. Deep rooted noble blood would inevitably sound an alarm against such excess.

Even Delroy knew this conventional truth, so there was no way this perfect head of the family, the very model for all noble youths, would be ignorant of it.

Nevertheless, the fact that he carried out such a crazy marriage could only be because of love.

“Right, how could anyone stop love? In operas, powerful figures who fall in love and leap straight into the fire with their own feet are everywhere.”

Love was naturally a corrupt emotion capable of turning even sane people into madmen. Though Delroy had never experienced it himself, the endings of powerful figures lost to foolish love were usually miserable.

Without even recalling the countless male leads in he operas, Edmund’s own father was practically no different, having met his end due to being obsessed with a lowborn woman.

“Does it look that way?”

Edmund’s lazily posed question came with an unexpectedly blank expression. His eyes, fixed on Delroy, were calm, as though he was not truly seeking an answer.

Delroy raised an eyebrow in puzzlement as he looked into those placid, or rather ominous, eyes.

They did not look like the eyes of a man in love.

"If it's not love, then what is it?" 

"Not sure." 

Edmund’s gaze, overshadowed by such a vague answer, drifted past the reddish wine. His green eyes, bathed in the bright light of the chandelier, strangely seemed untouched by any light at all.

"You can interpret that however you like.”

Delroy raised both hands and took a step back from Edmund.

“Forget it. Seeing that gloomy face makes me not want to find out anymore.”

He no longer wished to dig into what dark side might be hidden beneath that fine-looking face. Quiet types, once they snapped, were the ones with no limits.

This marriage alone was enough to turn the world upside down and provide ample entertainment for the year. Love or not, he could handle it himself.

“Even if it’s not me, there will be plenty of people who want to pry into you. You should think about what you’ll say when that time comes.”

At Delroy’s subtle reproach, Edmund merely tilted his lips faintly.

“There will be good news for you soon as well, Delroy.”

"Good news? I already have more than enough.”

Delroy set his empty glass on the table and shrugged his shoulders gracefully.

“Look, thanks to you, the old men’s attention has shifted elsewhere for a while. I just happened to have something I wanted to hide, so that is worth it.”

For a long time, Delroy Gauthier had always been the common enemy of the family elders. Their anxious eyes, once fixed on what scandal Delroy might cause next, were now turned toward this flawless head of the household.

As Delroy grinned, a woman who appeared to be the head maid approached Edmund and conveyed a message.

She informed him that the lady had finished changing and he could go escort her.

“Oh, finally! The moment I’ve been waiting for has arrived.”

It was time for the other protagonist of today to appear. Leaving behind Delroy, who looked ready to whistle, Edmund followed the head maid and moved forward.

Delroy took another glass from a passing servant and swallowed the wine in one go.

All the while eagerly anticipating how the faces of the tedious old men would twist in various ways at the appearance of the ducal couple.

*** 

Rozella, wearing a pale pink evening dress, sat on the sofa with an awkward expression.

The satin dress was soft and smooth. Unlike the uncomfortable wedding dress layered with countless corsets.

Yet her heart felt anxious and stifled, like a lamb being led to the slaughterhouse. Once she appeared before a gathering, which consisted of only the ducal family, unlike the wedding ceremony, she would have to exchange light conversation and clink glasses.

Would she really be able to do well? No, to begin with, would there even be anyone who wanted to speak to her?

As she let out a deep sigh over her many worries, someone knocked on the door of the dressing room. Before she could hurriedly rise, the door opened first.

The one who appeared beyond it was Edmund.

“Your… Your Grace.” 

Rozella rose fully, staring at him in hesitation. The man who had approached with unhurried steps stopped in front of her.

For the reception, he also had shed his white officer’s uniform and changed into a black tailcoat. The neat formalwear, fitted perfectly to his already large frame, made him stand out all the more.

To the point that she felt small at the thought of stepping into the banquet escorted by such a perfect man.

"Are you nervous?" 

His low voice lifted her trembling gaze. Rozella forced herself to shake her head.

"No, I’m fine.”

Actually, she was nervous enough to want to run away, but she did not want to speak frankly to him and seem as though she were complaining.

Had she not already received his help once when panic overtook her at the wedding?

She did not want to lose his trust any further. This marriage had been formed through a clear contractual relationship.

After taking a gentle deep breath, Rozella carefully looked up at him.

“But is it really all right for me to attend the reception? I’m worried the guests might feel uncomfortable seeing me.”

Edmund brushed against Rozella’s fingertips, then soon clasped them fully. His large, warm hand enveloped hers completely.

“No one would dare do such a thing. As long as I am by your side.”

And he gently drew Rozella to his side. Though the force was not strong, she was easily pulled along and nearly bumped into his chest.

At a distance close enough that their bodies nearly touched, Edmund whispered softly.

"Don't worry. I will never leave your side." 

At the same time, he lightly wrapped his other arm around her shoulder and stroked it down. Rozella stiffened for a moment, but the gentle touch carried no intent, only soothing her in a steady rhythm.

Just as Ed had frequently done long ago.

“So just focus on me, like before. That is all you have to do.”

As though telling her that in this unfamiliar and frightening world, he was the only one she could rely on.

Rozella, listening to his words blankly, nodded her head like she was possessed. 

The two soon left the dressing room and headed for the hall where the guests were waiting. As they passed the railing draped along the upper part of the central staircase, the lukewarm noise of the reception’s center came into view.

After descending about halfway down the stairs and stopping at the landing, the two offered formal greetings to the guests.

As Rozella gently bowed, she tightened her grip on the hand resting on Edmund’s arm. Drawing closer to him, the fear filling her heart seemed to recede slightly.

The calm music shifted its flow. A beautiful melody announcing the meaningful day welcomed the two as they descended the stairs.

The guests approached them one by one and offered words of congratulations.

“Your Grace the uke, and Madam. We sincerely congratulate you on your marriage.”

“It is a meaningful day. May God’s blessing rest upon your future together.”

Contrary to her expectations, most people showed Roxella courtesy as well and began the conversation with light congratulations.

However, throughout the conversation, they seemed to deliberately avoid looking in Rozella’s direction.

Due to that, Rozella had no chance to join the conversation at all. In any case, the discussion continued on matters of governance and business, topics she could not contribute to.

As long as she nodded appropriately and offered reactions, the receiving of guests came to an end. 

True to his promise, Edmund did not leave her side. Even while attending to others, he occasionally turned back to meet Rozella’s gaze, nodding as if to say she was doing well.

***

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