Chapter 08
His eyes were filled with my face. Instead of the usual cold gaze that seemed permanently installed whenever he looked at me, a warm light shone beneath it.
“Interesting.”
Is this how he reacts whenever he hears the name Solara?
“Th-That… that can’t be. Haha.”
“No, it can’t.”
I barely managed to catch my breath at his usual calm tone.
Solara, who had been kidnapped at seven, still had a few years before she could meet Jerop. I wanted to let her meet him, but I didn’t even know where Solara was right now. Even if I did, letting them meet would again be “illegal as a possessed person.”
“Yes! How would I know?”
“It shouldn’t exist.”
“I’ll take that as your agreement! I’ll sign it!”
He knew very well that I had no talent for lying. If he pressed me further, I might blurt out something ridiculous. I casually wrote “Diane Haiste” on the paper and quickly handed it back.
“Be gentle! Duke. Good luck!”
“Gentle…”
Jerop muttered the word “gentle” to himself several times. Not tearing up the contract I held in my hands was already a huge success! I enthusiastically waved my arms in encouragement.
My daily life began to find balance. Even the boring cultural classes became bearable. Thanks to the Duke being busy with construction and other matters, the nightly reports I had to submit were postponed until after his return.
Everything was perfect.
Until today arrived.
“All right. Good. One. Two. Three. Turn again.”
Before my eyes, the piano and violin played in sequence. Elegant melodies flowed through the room.
I moved lightly to the rhythm of the dance instructor’s voice. My practice dress spread out around me, rustling as I completed another turn.
I moved with gestures resembling a swan.
My partner opposite me was Cherui Dycus.
“I really hate this.”
“I hate it more.”
The refusal that escaped my mouth made Cherui frown.
“I hate it. More. Even more.”
“I definitely hate it more than you.”
A childish argument ensued.
It was customary to start with the empire’s traditional dance.
Unfortunately, this traditional dance required bodies to stick together like one. After a turn, the finale demanded the man to lift the woman by her waist. A ridiculous dance where the woman had to fully rely on the man’s strength.
The parts of our bodies forcibly touching increased.
“Ugh.”
Cherui grunted as he lifted me, though I wasn’t particularly heavy. He was the dramatic type, his plump face soaked with sweat.
‘Drama…’
“Am I really that heavy?”
“No, you’re light. Like a cannonball.”
He was blatantly trying to “eat me up” in some way. I wasn’t one to submit easily, so I smiled and countered.
“You look so tired, brother. Wouldn’t it be better if you danced with the teacher instead?”
I acted as the gentle little sister concerned for her brother.
“No. How dare I lay a hand on your body, young lady?”
Nominally, Solara, a daughter of one of the empire’s three leading ducal families, could not touch a man outside her family.
Though from a Confucian nation, this setup was absurd.
They were liberal in unmarried interactions but conservative in odd ways.
“Solara has her brother, doesn’t she?”
Just as I felt wronged, I heard Aileen’s voice.
Cherui and I were in a temporary truce. It was hastily arranged because Aileen wanted to watch her daughter’s historical first dance.
How could I stop her from coming all the way here with her frail body?
True to form, sneaky Cherui couldn’t make a move against Aileen. Until Jerop, now the Duke, married, the Dycus household’s lady was indisputably her. Aileen was also my benefactor.
We circled the room with forced smiles.
“Cherui.”
“Yes, Mother. Of course it’s only natural I’m the partner since it’s your brother.”
How shameless. Anyone would think it was real.
“Solara.”
“Yes. I’m so glad you’re here, brother.”
For Aileen. Instead of patience, I mentally repeated “E” for her.
‘Three Es can even save a life.’
“Hey. Hey. Stop sulking. Relax that face.”
“Your words are crude. Must be nice, huh?”
Even through gloves, his warmth reached me. Tit for tat. Cherui gripped my hand tightly, clearly displeased with my response.
“I can’t sleep because of how angry you make me.”
“I regret it too. I should’ve yanked your hair out completely.”
We clenched our teeth and maintained a silent war behind smiling faces. Our feet still moved to the rhythm.
“One, two, three. Two, two, three.”
Ugh. I really hate this. I need to ask Lucy to sanitize my hands tonight.
“You two are really a sight. Jose.”
“Duchess, this is rare. It’s no wonder the young master requested personally.”
“Really? Our Jerop even requested it? He’s especially fond of the youngest.”
Unlike us at war, elegant conversation floated in our ears.
The instructor Jerop personally invited was famous.
“The dance to conquer society. Every breeze that blew upon you was a path toward dance.”
—Jose Fernando
Lucy said he was the empire’s top dance instructor, adored by every noblewoman.
Wild appearance, deep skin tone, jet-black hair, muscular body visible through a loosened shirt. In contrast, his legs were sleek and tightly clad in leggings.
Flashing obvious sex appeal—who could ignore that?
Still, he wasn’t my type. I preferred cold, handsome men over exotic looks.
Bzzz-Bzzz-
“What’s wrong?”
My little secret friend, the bee, moved frantically behind Jose. It seemed to have discovered something, flying up and down. Though we couldn’t communicate, I had begun to understand the bee’s movements little by little.
“Hey. Foot.”
Following the sparkle, it accidentally stepped on Cherui’s foot. Very lightly, but he instantly got annoyed.
“You could step on it. Were you perfect from birth, brother?”
“Ugh. Always with the mouth.”
We whispered so Jose and Aileen wouldn’t hear. Our dance was more like a war.
When Cherui got annoyed, he gripped my hand, and in those moments, I would lightly step on his foot under the pretext of a mistake.
“Shall I smash your head one more time?”
The bee now moved in patterns. A triangle? No, something more complex. Maybe a language. I squinted to see the shape clearly. The bee descended from near Jose’s head, moving downward.
A little more…
It shone and hovered between his thighs. It circled, trying to convey something.
“Where are you looking?”
After a few more accidental steps on his foot, Cherui frowned. Then, following my gaze, he closed his mouth.
“It’s piercing.”
“Huh? What is?”
Jose blushed because of my staring. Our dance stopped. The music keeping rhythm stopped too. With the room silent, Aileen looked at Jose.
Where my eyes fell: his legs in leggings.
And between them.
“Solara Dycus!”
Aileen shouted my name loudly.
‘Huh? Between them?’
“Where… exactly are you looking?”
Aileen rushed over and covered my eyes with her delicate hands.
‘The bee. I was looking at the bee.’
“Jose. Sorry. That’s enough for today.”
She stopped the lesson and even apologized to Jose.
It took a moment for everyone to understand the situation.
I saw the bee. Others couldn’t. The bee flew between Jose’s legs, and I saw it. Others thought I…
‘I looked at… his crotch.’
A huge misunderstanding. I became the shameless girl staring at a man’s private parts.
“No, it’s a misunderstanding. Why would I look there?”
I was too frustrated to speak properly.
“From the next lesson, wear slightly looser clothing.”
Jose eventually stopped the lesson and left. The bee was at fault! The performers gathered their things and followed. They’d surely say: “The youngest Dycus lady is exhibitionist!”
“Mom. It’s really not true! I just… just—”
“Exhibitionist…”
Cherui shook his head at my frustration.
Bzzz-Bzzz-
The bee, apparently in a good mood, flapped energetically as if nothing happened.
You’re demoted from secret friend to just a known bee!
Late at night
Bzzz-Bzzz-
The repeated sound tormented my ears.
‘Alarm? What time is it?’
No calls were expected. Probably the alarm I set. Half asleep, I groped for my phone on the bedside. I set the first alarm early on purpose. Need to push it later.
I felt nothing under my fingers.
Did I toss it away in my sleep?
I pulled the covers over my head, knowing it would stop eventually.
Bzzz-Wooosh-
The sound grew louder, as if someone held it to my ear. Squinting, a flash of light appeared.
“What… ah! Too bright!”
An angry bee flapped right in front of my eyes. Not a vibration, but the wings’ sound. The glowing bee’s presence was blinding.
‘Ah. I’m possessed. There’s no way a phone could be here.’
“Is something wrong?”
The sparkling bee danced in a figure-eight pattern. Though we’d been together for days, this was the first time. The bee’s frantic movements meant something was up.
“Follow it?”
Bzzz-Bzzz-
It moved up and down repeatedly.
“Where? Why like this?”
Just waking up, I was barefoot. I looked for my shoes but couldn’t find them.
The bee slipped first through the door crack. My secret friend was impatient.
“Hey, friend! Wait a moment!”
