Sorry 9

Chapter 9

    ****

    "Hello, Mater Chaint."

    Kylan's forehead was slightly sweaty. He looked like he'd been walking in a hurry. He gave Chaint Eridov a dry greeting and turned his attention to Euris.

    "Euris."

    "I thought I told you not to come here."

    She said sharply, despite herself. She could feel Chaint's eyes on her, startled by the sound of her voice.

    ・・・・・・ Ah. One must always watch one's tongue in a place like this.

    Euris looked up at Kylan. Red, pleading eyes turned toward her.

    His chest was rising and falling as he tried to catch his breath, but he was biting his lip to keep his ragged breathing from being heard, as if that would be rude. His face was tense.

    There was the sound of other people chatting happily, the sound of cricket sticks colliding with balls, the sound of trees swaying in the wind.

    Kylan stood there, looking at Euris like a lost puppy, as if he were being punished. She pushed him away, but as he approached, she was reminded of her last life.

    It was a cruel act, to be sure, but not to the Kylan of today..........

    Weakened, she softened her face.

    "Is there something you want to tell me?"

    Kylan's lips curled at her question. He looked like he might cry at any moment, and she was taken aback by that.

    She'd never seen him cry before, not even once in her last life.

    She was also surprised to see Chaint standing next to her and watching the scene with a bewildered expression on his face. Kylan answered shortly afterward.

    "I'm sorry for breaking my promise not to come over. But, Euris, I can't believe you're in a place like this................ Are you okay now?"

    Sensing his concern, Euris nodded her head with a stony expression.

    "Yeah, I'm fine now. I don't really want to talk about it."

    With that, Kylan’s worried face turned to a cheerful one as he continued.

    "You've been acting different lately, and I'm worried. You don't mean to leave all of a sudden…?"

    "Yes."

    She replied, somewhat impulsively. She didn't mean it, of course, but Kylan's eyes narrowed.

    "You're leaving?"

    But the voice didn't belong to Kylan, it belonged to the man standing next to her.

    Euris turned her head to look at him. There was impatience on Chaint's face.

    "Yuris, tell me, where are you going?"

    His blue eyes were wavering. Flustered by his unexpected reaction, she didn't answer easily, and as she stammered, Kylan called out in confusion.

    "Euris・・・・・・!"

    The two men stood possessively by her side. A woman sandwiched between two men who looked like they were courting.

    As if on cue, other Young Lords and Young Ladies gathered around them, glaring at the three.

    Of course, it was natural for people to be interested in the movements of two men who were the envy of many women.

    The situation was ripe for misunderstanding. But the two men didn't seem to mind the stares.

    Kylan, she understood, but Chaint---what was with him? Euris couldn't figure it out.

    Chaint leapt to his feet and stalked over to her. He looked like a man who had lost his world.

    "Wait a minute."

    She was overwhelmed by this situation, and the crowd was growing around her.

    She should probably get out of the room now to save herself some gossip.

    But Euris couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with Chaint, so instead of fleeing the scene, she turned her back on Kylan and looked at Chaint.

    "Is it important to you that I leave............? We just met for the first time today."

    Their eyes met. At her question, Chaint's brow narrowed slightly. As if he'd made a mistake by not being able to control his emotions.

    "It's......"

    He trailed off.

    And with that, everyone in the room gasped.

    "I've been admiring you, ......, and I want to ask you to marry me."

    Euris’s jaw dropped. Behind her, Kylan was equally stunned.

    A murmur of surprise rose from the crowd that surrounded them.

    "Did I hear that right?"

    "Didn't she say it was the first time they met?"

    There was silence. Even the chattering stopped, as if waiting for her answer.

    A soft spring breeze blew across the room, her hair fluttering across her face. But she didn't even think to remove it.

    "Yes, I've been thinking about it, but............... I should have said it a long time ago."

    Chaint muttered quietly, almost inaudibly, his expression relaxed as if he had regained his composure. More than relaxed, he smiled and gently brushed a stray strand of hair away from Euris’s face.

    The look on his face reminded her of when they were married, and the tip of her nose twitched unexpectedly. But this was no time for sentimentality. She had to make some sort of response. First, she needed to get out of the situation before she could make a judgment, so Euris opened her mouth to say something vague.

    But it was a voice other than hers that broke the silence.

    "What does that mean?"

    A woman stepped out of the crowd with a graceful gesture. It was Euris’s mother, Frelona Either.

    All eyes were on her now.

    "Master Chaint Eridov. Have you proposed to my daughter?"

    Frelona asked, her tone sharp and commanding, but still dripping with dignity. People swallowed hard and waited for the next response.

    "Yes, madam. Long time no see. Countess Either.”

    Chaint replied with a polite curtsy.

    "Have you been seeing Yuris?"

    The mother asked in a kindly tone, and the daughter instinctively shook her head from side to side. The crowd grew even more alarmed.

    Euris’ eyes met Kylan's as she turned again at her mother's entrance. He looked just as puzzled as she did.

    The crowd was getting bigger. At this rate, it would never end. Moreover, being surrounded by people made her stomach churn.

    Euris realized she needed to get away. She needed time alone to think.

    "I, uh, I need to use the lady's room."

    With those words, Euris turned and walked away. The people gathered around her parted ways as she approached.

    The tea party was a mess. For the rest of the day, she was careful to avoid running into Kylan and Chaint.

    She didn't want to draw attention to herself by talking to them again. Of course, she also tried to keep a low profile with the others, avoiding talking to them as much as possible.

    Feeling overwhelmingly tired, Euris skipped dinner and fell asleep as soon as she got home, not even bothering to think about the day's events.

    The next day, after waking up, she absentmindedly searched the table. There was always the daily newspaper there, and she used to read it mindlessly in the morning to wake up.

    It was a newspaper, but it contained junk news, such as gossip and scandals of the nobility.

    But today, there was nothing where the newspaper should have been. Suddenly, Euris felt a tug at her heartstrings as she remembered yesterday's events. Rune appeared, looking somewhat nervous.

    "Miss, you've called."

    "Rune, where's today's paper?"

    At her question, Rune gave her a look that told her it was coming. Euris saw it and was sure. She had put it away on purpose. There was sure to be an article about yesterday's events.

    She urged Rune to fetch the paper, and Rune fumbled for it.

    Flipping through the paper, Euris rubbed her eyes at the big headline and looked again.

    ****

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