CH 10.2

Of course, aristocratic young ladies like her weren’t allowed to come and go so casually, but there would be no problem if she hid her status to some extent.

“My Lady. Wouldn’t the Grand Duke and Marquis be back soon?”

“I’ve been waiting for them for a few days, but there’s still no news. Let’s have a quick drink and return upwards. My heart beats are too fast I think I’m going crazy.”

Lucy had put down the fabric.

She had given in to Cherryl’s request upon seeing her clutch her chest.

“Then you’d better have a refreshing drink.”

“All right. We can come back before dark.”

Cherryl climbed into the carriage with Lucy wearing a cape that covered her head down t o her toes.

Shortly after, they arrived at the village where Cherryl had visited several times.

Rather than a residential village, it felt like a downtown area developed mainly for businesses such as restaurants, cafes, and bars.

The bar located at the center of the village looked good from the outside and the interior was spacious and decorated with such elegance.

She thought she already heard quite a few rumors since a few customers had started chatting while drinking.

She found the place more sophisticated than the common taverns since she hadn’t heard coarse swear words so far.

“Wow, it’s so good!”

Lucy sipped the cocktail in admiration.

The non-alcoholic cocktail that Lucy chose seemed to suit her taste.

Cherryl also sipped her share of the flower wine with a smile.

“This wine is good, too. I want to take a bucket of these when I leave for the North.”

Elder flowers, lemons, and cherries made the wine delicious and fragrant.

Cherryl didn’t enjoy drinking this much, but the alcohol tasted especially sweet when she was craving one.

She felt the exact same feeling tonight.

Lucy stopped drinking the cocktail and looked at Cherryl’s countenance.

“You seemed conflicted even if you don’t say so.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m getting married.”

Cherryl poured the remaining flower wine into her mouth and ordered another drink.

“The marriage hadn’t been finalized yet. I swallowed my own words with the Grand Duke to fight my father and stepmother’s plans to strike a bargain with Count Maxon. Still, I had no idea how the Grand Duke would take it.”

“He wanted to marry you, so of course he’ll like it.”

“That’s what I don’t understand. Why did he pick me in particular? It wasn’t like he was in love with me.”

“Um… Maybe she fell in love with you at first sight?”

“Oh, that’s the most plausible reason I’ve ever considered.”

Cherryl nodded in acceptance.

For a moment, she heard someone laugh behind her.

“What is this?”

Cherryl glanced around, searching where it came from.

She couldn’t feel whose eyes were watching her because people were drinking in groups.

Lucy, who heard nothing, believed the ‘love-at-first-sight’ argument with eyes twinkling in delight.

“No doubt, he fell in love with you at first sight! My friend who lives in the Capital had seen you once. She said she had never seen such a beautiful person in Hindel before!”

“You’re making me shy, so keep your voice down.”

“I’m telling you! I had been to countless places with my friend. You must have looked that stunning when you visited Hindel. She said that there’s no beauty like you!”

“All right. Shhh! What if someone hears  you?”

“I want to brag about you, my Lady. It’s not just my friend, you know? I feel the same way every time I see you. No matter how bad my day is, I feel better when I see your face.”

“You must have liked me very much.”

“No, it’s not just me. It’s like that for everyone. You don’t have to be humble.”

The excessive compliments were like arrows shooting into her heart, making Cherryl embarrassed.

She laughed it off instead, but deep inside. She believed them to be true.

Her golden hair glittered like silver under the moonlight, and if she stood alone in the background, she would shine like a jewel.

The weird combination of her beauty in this lifetime made Cherryl want to look at herself constantly in the mirror.

The dense features in her small face and the apricot shade lingering on her white cheeks added to her fairy-like mien.

‘Is this face really worth falling for?’Cherryl thought as she examined her face in a glass of pink flower wine.

Soon, she shook her glass to get rid of her reflection.

“This isn’t the time for this ridiculous, idle thought.”

Planning to marry a man who had recently left their Mansion made her feel restless that she often sighed without thought.

Cherryl finished the rest of the drink with a sip.

“Please drink slowly, My Lady.”

Lucy said anxiously as she watched her order another bottle of flower wine.

“I can’t help but drink.”

It was the first time Cherryl had drank too much since her first dinner with Cade.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell her off.

Lucy wasn’t happy seeing her tipsy mistress pour alcohol one after another.

Then, the man at the following table, who had been observing them, spoke to her.

“Excuse me.”

“…….”

“I guess you had a bad day today.”

He grinned and held out his glass of beer in a toast.

When Cherryl completely ignored him, the man didn’t give in and mocked her instead.

“It must have been pretty bad. There are three of us here, but shall we sit together if you don’t mind, shall we sit together?”

Lucy rolled her anxious eyes, but Cherryl kept ignoring the man as if she had never heard him in the first place.

She drank a few more sips of flower wine with hesitation.

Embarrassed, the man looked at Lucy and Cherryl back and forth.

“Excuse me? Are you listening to me? Why don’t you pull your cape back so that I could see your face?” He said as he tried to sit next to Cherryl.

Cherryl quickly picked up the bottle and dropped it on the chair the man was trying to sit on.

“Yikes!”

The man, who almost sat down with his butt close to a thin shard of the wine bottle, jumped up like a spring.