~Chapter 28~
“What the hell is this?!!”
Cecilia’s scream of anger echoed through the restaurant.
At the sudden loud noise, all the guests turned their attention toward us, and Cecilia, regaining her senses, flinched.
“What? What happened?”
“Isn’t that Lady Cecilia Aristia?”
“Who’s sitting over there?”
As the murmurs grew louder, Cecilia panicked and tried to turn her body to cover her face.
“Oh my, get me a towel, quick!”
“Here’s mine…”
The maids beside her tried to clean Cecilia’s dress, but as they wiped, the red wine only spread further, making the stain worse.
Seeing the stain grow, Cecilia slapped the maids’ hands away and glared at me.
“Are you out of your mind because of your marriage? Do you think I’ll just let this slide?”
“It’s wet.”
I casually sipped water and glanced over Cecilia’s dress.
“What?”
“Don’t you remember? The main feature of Lady Aileen Stewart’s dresses.”
Without hesitation, I tilted the glass with the remaining red wine toward my own dress.
“Waterproof, right?”
The wine formed round, bright-red droplets that slid down my dress and fell to the floor.
The designer’s catchphrase had been: “Don’t worry if a waiter spills champagne at the ball!”
And true to that, not a single drop of wine stained my dress.
“And Aileen Stewart always engraves her initials, A.S., on the sleeves, with a star beneath it.”
I showed Cecilia the sleeve of my dress.
There, the initials A.S. were embroidered with a shining star beneath them.
“No, that can’t be… wait, just a second…”
Cecilia desperately flipped over her sleeve to check.
While there was the A.S. initials, the star was missing.
“Didn’t you ever wear a genuine one, so you didn’t know?”
At that single line, the maids and guests at nearby tables fell silent.
Cecilia, who had boasted about receiving the highest quality Aileen Stewart dress from her lover and mocked my dress, had instantly turned into a poor, uncultured woman who couldn’t recognize the value of a real piece.
“That’s okay, though. And I’m sorry for dirtying the dress.”
I pulled out a coin pouch from my handbag.
It was a small part of the cash Damien had given me at the start of our marriage.
“This should be enough to buy a few dresses like that.”
I pulled out three gold coins and extended them to Cecilia. Losing all composure, she lunged at me in anger.
“You, an illegitimate child, dare to insult me?”
But her hand was stopped by a shadow that appeared out of nowhere.
“Step aside.”
The middle-aged man, with gray hair and a Maledictus family crest on his chest, blocked Cecilia with one hand.
‘Damien must have sent a guard with me.’
He spoke with a voice that didn’t falter, even as Cecilia struggled violently.
“No matter how much she’s your blood relative, I can’t allow you to touch the Duchess. If you resist any further, I’ll use force.”
“You damn—”
Cecilia spat out a vulgar curse and slapped the guard’s arm away.
The maids, stunned by the sight, were silent, unsure of what to do.
“How dare you buy me fake clothes! Ha!”
Cecilia, ignoring her companions, cursed the lover who had gifted her the fake dress.
With a scowl and her chest stained red, like ketchup was splashed on it, Cecilia stormed out of the restaurant.
“Wait! Lady Cecilia!”
The maids hurried after her, calling her name as they left.
Meanwhile, the guard began explaining the situation to the restaurant owner, who had come running in response to the commotion.
“Sorry, I made a mess with the wine and dirtied the floor. I’ll compensate for it.”
I pulled out a pouch of gold coins and handed them to the owner.
The owner tried to refuse, but when I said it was for the disturbance, he eventually accepted the coins.
The people who had witnessed the scene started whispering among themselves.
“So, Lady Cecilia Aristia wore a fake dress? Her sister was wearing a real one and didn’t even recognize it.”
“I heard she’d been bragging about how her dress was from Stewart. What a joke.”
“And that sister of hers, what was her name again? Didn’t she just marry into Maledictus recently?”
“Yeah, I never expected that to be true. I mean, she just dropped gold coins like it was nothing—”
They probably thought I wouldn’t hear them, but I did.
‘Once Damien finishes, we need to leave quickly.’
I decided that next time, I would definitely eat in a private room. As I was thinking that, Damien walked in.
“Sorry, Ruby. I tried to get back as soon as I could.”
“No, it didn’t take long at all.”
“Really? I’m glad.”
Damien took his seat and picked up his knife.
“By the way, I saw your sister when I came in.”
“Oh really?”
I pretended to be surprised and covered my mouth, acting nonchalant.
“Yes, she was furious and left cursing. Her dress was stained red, and it was all over.”
“Oh my, how did that happen?”
“I think it worked out for the best.”
Damien spoke with a graceful and composed motion, cutting his steak.
“I didn’t like how she treated you. What happened today is just cause and effect.”
I smiled and agreed with Damien’s words.
“Exactly.”
With 20 minutes left until the author’s signing event, Rubyana excused herself to the restroom, leaving her maid behind.
In the meantime, Damien had a conversation with the bodyguard stationed at the restaurant.
“So? Why didn’t you stop Cecilia Aristia immediately?”
“My apologies.”
The bodyguard bowed deeply, maintaining a formal posture.
“I was going to stop her right away, but to be honest, Lady Rubyana’s response was so satisfying.”
“……”
“Watching her, I found myself waiting to see how she would respond.”
The bodyguard, still bent at the waist, raised his head to continue.
“I thought she might be a bit weak due to her kindness, but today, I saw she’s quite strong-willed and interesting.”
“……I see.”
Damien had already been briefed about the interaction between Rubyana and Cecilia right before entering the restaurant.
He had been slightly worried about Rubyana’s tendency to be kind to the curses and whether she could express dislike when needed, but what he had observed had reassured him.
‘Rubyana seems to know what she likes and dislikes.’
The bodyguard saw her response as not just firm but even bold.
‘I wonder if her ability to remain calm in front of the curses comes from this kind of character.’
Damien’s curiosity about Rubyana grew even more.
“If you decide to punish me, I’ll accept it gladly.”
“No, it’s fine. Next time, just stop her right away.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The bodyguard lowered his head again and was sent back to his post.
Rubyana Returns
“Damien!”
“Ruby.”
Rubyana came running toward Damien, her steps quick and light.
Damien thought she looked like a hamster or a squirrel, and he reached his hand out toward her.
“Shall we go now?”
“Ah, yes…”
Despite having held Damien’s hand all morning, Rubyana still hesitated and fidgeted before holding his hand.
Damien gently grasped her hand as she shyly avoided his gaze.
‘Her cheeks are red.’
At that moment, Damien found himself thinking that his wife was incredibly cute.
“Ha, what’s this?”
Crack.
As Cecilia clenched her teeth in anger, scratching the wall in frustration over the recent humiliation, her eyes caught an unsettling sight.
Rubyana was in line at the signing event, laughing happily, while a strange man smiled down at her.
This man, with stunning looks and captivating silver hair, was holding Rubyana’s hand in a friendly manner.
“You were so confident earlier, and now you’re out here cheating on your husband with another man?”
