TCBCVF 79

~Chapter 79~

Gregory, watching Larit, suddenly realized something.

When she was with him, Larit had always cowered, carefully watching his mood.

…Never once had she looked at him with eyes like that.

No. Impossible.

Gregory bit his lip so hard it drew blood.

Larit has no one but me!

Obsessively, he followed her every move.

Then he noticed the Duke stepping away for a moment.

Larit, left alone, walked toward a quiet window.

Now’s my chance.

Gregory moved quickly.
He just had to speak to her, somehow.

Whether by persuasion or manipulation—
he had to drag her back to his side.

“….”

But the instant she saw him, Larit recoiled in disgust and tried to slip away.

The emotion glimmering in her rosy eyes was unmistakable—

Hatred.

You dare…?!

Gregory’s eyes widened.
His pace quickened.

Just as he was about to close the distance—

“Ah!”

He gasped.

The Duke appeared out of nowhere, slipping neatly between him and Larit.

The Duke glanced back.

Gregory froze involuntarily.

Those piercing blue eyes were aimed directly at him.

“….”
“….”

He was merely staring—
yet the pressure was suffocating, as though Gregory’s throat were being squeezed.

Then the Duke subtly shifted, blocking Larit from Gregory’s view,
and escorted her away.

Damn it!

Left alone, Gregory wanted to scream.

Larit Ansie.

The childhood friend he’d known since they were young.
The stupid, drab fiancée who had done nothing but trail after him.

He had always believed she would remain in the palm of his hand.

Why?!

Why had she suddenly flown somewhere so far beyond his reach?

Seething with rage, Gregory ground his teeth when a noblewoman approached him.

“Um, Young Lord Gusto?”

“….”

He turned with a scowl.

The oblivious woman asked softly,

“Did you not come with Lady Lopez today? I haven’t seen her in quite some time.”

“How would I know?!”

He snapped harshly, then stormed off.

The lady was left blinking in bewilderment.

“My, why so touchy all of a sudden? He used to be with Lady Lopez all the time.”

“Indeed. And he’s been staring at Lady Ansie this whole evening.”

Another noblewoman clicked her tongue.

“He should’ve treated her well back when they were engaged.”

“Exactly. What good does it do him now?”

The ladies murmured amongst themselves.

“By the way, isn’t it strange that Lady Lopez hasn’t been around lately?”

“Well, tonight’s a university party, so it’s not really her scene.”

“True, but she hasn’t shown up at other events either. It’s unusual.”

“Yes… she used to make sure to appear at every major gathering.”

While they whispered, Gregory stormed out of the hall, seething with defeat.

To flaunt her closeness with the Duke right in front of me?!

Madness flickered in his eyes.

“Just wait, Larit. Did you really think I’d let you go?”

His vow was chilling.

At that same time—

Seraphina sat hunched in her small apartment room, chewing her lip furiously.

What is happening?

Ever since her quarrel with the lady at the Temple of Deputies,
she had been enduring an unbearable humiliation.

“We’re sorry, Lady Lopez.”
“Our establishment cannot accommodate you any longer…”

Every business tied to Claudius had barred her entry.

How dare they treat me like this!

Seraphina could hardly believe it.

She had always been the purest lily of high society—
never once rejected anywhere.

Everyone had vied for her attention, desperate for a single smile.

And now?
They were turning her away?!

Her shoulders shook with fury.

Worse still—

If this continues… I’ll truly become an outcast.

Art galleries, concerts, exhibitions—
the very events where she’d been banned were the most coveted in society.

Without attending them, she couldn’t even join the conversations.

And as one of the most prominent figures in the social world,
keeping up with trends was essential.

Meanwhile, that wretched Larit shows her face at every event—always on the Duke’s arm. And I…!

Seraphina nearly lost her mind.

And now Gregory?
He had pushed her aside entirely, trailing only after Larit.

There had been events she could attend solely because of Gregory—
but no longer.

So infuriating!

She briefly considered other gentlemen she could call upon… then gave up.

They were all worthless.
Gregory had been the best of the lot—
and even he had been barely tolerable.

Breathing heavily, she stared down at the invitations in her hand, her eyes dull.

In the past week, only three had come.
Two of them irrelevant to society altogether.

Once, she had received so many that replying to them all had been exhausting.

So… this is the only invitation left for me.

A dinner gathering.

Two days from now, a handful of ladies would meet at a fine restaurant for companionship.

She had been there before.
And since it had no ties to Claudius, there would be no one to bar her entry.

Good.

She leapt to her feet.

It would be her first social outing in a long time.
She resolved to spare no effort—dress, jewels, shoes—everything perfect,
so no one could outshine her.

The next day.

I visited the Claudius townhouse for the first time in a while.

The Duke’s sister had invited me for tea.

“Lari!”

The young lady, seated in the parlor, flashed a mischievous smile as soon as she saw me.

“I heard you finally wore the earrings yesterday!”

“…And how, may I ask, did you find that out?”

“I have my ways.”

Of course—if anyone could gather such gossip with ease, it was her.

I sighed and sat across from her.

She giggled slyly.

“They say you and my brother were so affectionate yesterday.”

“….”

“So? Isn’t my brother fairly useful?”

Useful?

Remembering how the Duke had shielded me from Gregory the day before,
I felt warmth bloom deep in my chest.

But that wasn’t why I’d come today.

Narrowing my eyes, I studied her.

“W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

She fidgeted nervously under my gaze.

“Eva. You asked the Duke to look after me, didn’t you?”

“Ugh.”

Her shoulders stiffened.

I let out a heavy sigh.

“I told you many times—he’s a busy man. You can’t just take up his time like that.”

“Well, I just thought—”

“You don’t know how guilty I felt when I found out.”

“B-but still…”

She peeked at me, pouting.

“I just hated seeing Young Lord Gusto hovering around you.”

“Then you should’ve told me beforehand.”

“But you’d have refused, wouldn’t you?”

“….”

She’d struck right at the mark.