Chapter 03
The mischievous smile didn’t match his polite behaviour, which annoyed her.
But what bothered Elisa the most were his ash-grey eyes.
Those eyes were her favourite part of him.
In bright light, they even had a slight blue tint—just the same.
This man was Ethan.
Finally realising this, Elisa clenched her jaw tightly and gripped her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white.
She was furious at his shamelessness for asking her to dance after abandoning her.
At the same time, she felt ashamed for still loving a man like him.
Her anger grew with the depth of those feelings.
She wanted to punch his smooth face right then, but there were too many people watching, so she held back.
She couldn’t be the shameless noblewoman who hit the hero who led the allied forces to victory.
“I refuse. Giving such an honour to a man like you is too much.”
That was the best she could say.
She didn’t have to accept a dance invitation, but sometimes refusing was difficult.
For example, when the other person was much higher in status or power, or if they were the guest of honour or the host.
And the rumoured ‘K’ was the main guest at today’s party.
Although the royal family held the banquet to honour Prince Howard, ‘K’ was the real star.
So it was natural that the nobles were surprised when Elisa rejected his invitation.
The fact that “K,” who was supposed to be upset, was grinning broadly startled them even more.
“Why are you smiling…?” Elisa asked incredulously.
Almost slipping into informal speech out of habit, she corrected herself with a raised tone at the end.
His smile grew wider, clearly mocking her, and Elisa’s cheeks flushed deeply.
“Elisa Lesley.”
Ethan called her name in a flat voice, as if nothing had happened.
Though it was a name she was used to hearing, it felt strange coming from him, and she squinted one eye.
“I….”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Before Ethan could say anything, a polite but firm voice interrupted.
It was Derek Grenville, who had appeared extremely unhappy ever since “K” asked Elisa to dance.
He no longer showed any signs of that displeasure, though, and instead smiled kindly.
“On her behalf, I apologise.” With a generous heart, please pardon my fiancée for her rudeness.
Derek emphasised “my fiancée” and pulled Elisa closer by her shoulder.
She glanced at him in surprise but did not fight.
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Derek Grenville, the fiancé of Elisa Lesley.
Every guest looked at the letter “K” when Derek extended his hand to shake hands.
He’d been at the banquet for a long time, but nobody had yet heard his name.
Most were unaware of his identity, while some surmised that Howard had introduced him.
The audience watched him expectantly since it was easy to tell by someone’s name whether they were a noble or a commoner.
Elisa gave Ethan a fixed look.
Even though she was certain that this man was Ethan, she still desired to speak with him directly.
Even with all the attention, Ethan didn’t appear anxious.
This man did not appear uncomfortable in the presence of the crowd, in contrast to the young man who used to shyly scratch his neck when people stared at him.
“My name is Ethan Esteban.”
When they heard the name, the nobles muttered.
His family name indicated that he was a nobleman.
Most had thought the rumoured ‘K’ was an ordinary man; the shock was even greater.
“Nice to meet you, Sir Derek Grenville.”
Ethan smiled gently and shook Derek’s hand.
Even then, his ash-grey eyes were focused not on Derek but on Elisa’s face, which was full of confusion.
***
After returning to the Leslie family estate, Elisa became very ill.
Her fever was so high that her whole body felt like it was burning, and cold sweat poured down her skin.
Yet strangely, a smile never left her lips.
〈I love you, Elisa.〉
She was dreaming of spending sweet time with the person she loved.
The passion burned as hot as that night.
The heat spreading across her body felt like proof that he loved her.
Pathetically, this wasn’t the first time Elisa had a dream like this.
Every time she missed Ethan, her dreams would fill with him.
In her dreams, unlike in reality, Ethan never abandoned her and stayed responsible until the end.
It was the future she truly wished for.
Even though she had a happy family with Ethan in her dreams, her heart remained empty.
She told herself never to have such dreams again, but she couldn’t stop and laughed bitterly at herself.
Back then, she still had hope, believing there must be a reason Ethan left without a word and that he would someday return and explain everything.
That hope lingered faintly beneath her anger like mist.
… But not anymore.
Buried beneath the muddy waters of her thoughts, a sharp awareness finally surfaced.
Blinking her eyes to focus, Elisa sat up weakly.
The cold cloth on her forehead slipped off.
It was still cold, so it had just been put there.
Ethan also had a cold hand.
Even now, it seemed absurd to think of him.
Elisa lowered her head and chuckled dryly.
Her long hair hung like curtains, hiding her shame-filled face.
Had she finally given up false hope after meeting Ethan at the victory banquet?
She was relieved, but it hurt to think of that relief as a gift.
She looked down at the now-warm cloth in her hands, and her eyes turned slightly red.
Knock, knock.
Suddenly hearing a knock, Elisa rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up.
The door opened even though she hadn’t invited anyone inside.
“Oh! You’re awake, Miss!”
It was Marie, Elisa’s maid.
“I thought you were still sleeping… I apologise, Miss.
“No, everything is fine.”
As Elisa stretched her feet out of bed, Marie placed the tray she had brought on the sofa table and hurried over to support her.
“After lying down for two days, standing up suddenly can cause dizziness. Please be careful.”
“Two days I’ve been lying here?”
“Yes. You were unconscious the whole time, so we were very worried.”
Elisa sighed softly, surprised she had been unconscious for not just half a day but two full days.
She washed her face quickly.
“You were quite anxious, weren’t you?”
Marie nodded and smiled awkwardly, obviously knowing the name Elisa was unable to say out loud.
“Maybe it’s because the little lady stayed by your side, but you didn’t fuss or cry and stayed calm. The little lady is still taking care of you. Oh, and if you caught a cold, the little lady took you away to avoid spreading it.”
“I see. That’s a relief.”
But was it a relief?
Elisa swallowed the sudden doubt and sat on the sofa, eating the soup Marie brought.
After two days without food, she should have been hungry, but strangely, she wasn’t.
Her stomach felt upset, and even eating the clear soup without any chunks was difficult.
Still, she forced herself to eat because she knew everyone would worry if she didn’t.
While focusing on eating, she gradually forgot Ethan’s name.
After seeing the doctor, taking medicine, and washing her whole body clean from sweat, dusk had already fallen outside the window.
“Oh, by the way, Prince Grenville came to visit this morning,” Marie said, drying Elisa’s wet hair as if she suddenly remembered.
“Sir Grenville? Why did he come?”
“What else? He came because he was worried that you were sick.”
Marie quickly ran to the dressing room and came back with a small box.
“The prince brought this as a get-well gift for you!”
Inside the box were shiny blue earrings.
Derek Grenville often gave Elisa accessories with blue gems because they reminded him of her eyes.
“They’re really pretty earrings! They will suit you well!”
Unlike Marie, who kept admiring the earrings, Elisa looked at them with no feeling at all.
Besides Derek Grenville, others also sent gifts wishing for her quick recovery.
Elisa was a bit surprised to see Celine Montesh among the senders.
While looking at the gifts from acquaintances, Elisa’s eyes stopped on a bright yellow rose bouquet.
Yellow roses were Elisa’s favourite flower, but only one person knew that.
Ethan.
The barely forgotten name came back, and Elisa clenched her makeup table tightly, as if ready to smash it.
The fast pounding of her heart filled her head.
“No way…”
“Who sent the flower bouquet?” she asked.
“Someone named Estevan sent it, wishing you a speedy recovery.”
But as always, the things she desperately wished for did not come true.
