Aubrey 40

 Chapter 40

****

She had accomplished nothing, and time flew by. It was the day of the ship's ball. Aubrey stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Looks like that bath I used yesterday worked, or was it the oil?"

Trin applied the cream, marveling at her lady’s unusually soft skin. Yesterday, she had indeed spent the entire day scrubbing and polishing her. Strangely, it was more preparation than usual. She might as well marry as her aunt wished. Aubrey thought to herself.

A loveless marriage is not such a strange thing, and it will be all right, she thought, and the feeling of weakness vanished with a shiver down her spine. Marriage was out of the question, at least as long as the stigma was alive. No, she wondered if it was possible to love someone, and if she could show her true self to anyone.

"Look, lady. What do you think?"

Trin asked, holding up a hand mirror to her reflection. Aubrey stared blankly at her face in the round mirror, then smiled after a few moments.

"You like it? I saw it in a magazine and tried to copy it."

Trin smiled shyly. Aubrey noticed that her hair was shaped a little differently than usual. Her hair was in several thin braids, rolled up and decorated like a flower. This made her thin neck and white shoulders stand out. She wondered if it was her mood that made her look like a bride about to be sold.

"...... Good."

She stammered, and Trin laughed. She hesitated for a moment, then picked up the silk shawl she'd packed.

"Wrap this around you, Miss. The ship's ball is outdoors, so it'll be colder."

"It's okay, I've been running a bit of a fever lately, I'm hot even when I'm still."

Aubrey laughed and refused, but Trin was stubborn.

"No, you don't. Keep this on."

"......Trin?"

"Put it on, Miss."

She was embarrassingly adamant, and all thoughts of distraction vanished. Aubrey glanced down at the white silk shawl wrapped around her, then back up at Trin, who was looking away and smiling awkwardly.

"Oh, come on. That....... It might be cold at night, and you were suffering from a cold a few days ago."

Her heart, which she hadn't realized was beating, began to race. Aubrey saw where Trin's gaze landed. Trin was looking at her back. The dress Barbara had given her had wide open sleeves, exposing her neck and shoulders, and a deep plunge in the back. She'd worn it without thinking, without realizing it, and Trin had seen it. A branding, clearly etched on one side of her back.

"T, Trin. There...... so......."

She needed to spit out something right now, but her mind was a mess. Aubrey gripped the silk shawl tightly, even as she fumbled. Spit out anything, just say you're hurt. Tell her it's stupid and someone tattooed it! While contemplating, she heard a shrieking voice. Finally, Aubrey looked up.

"Miss."

By now, Trin had lowered her stance so that she was eye level with her in the chair. The freckled girl looked as serious as ever.

"I didn't see anything.”

"...."

"I didn't see anything, so keep it on."

Trin gently brushed Aubrey's forearm as if to calm her. A heavy lump hit Aubrey in the throat at her gentle touch. For a moment, tears welled up in her eyes. Aubrey managed to swallow them back and nodded, and Trin smiled at her for a job well done.

***

Two hours after setting out, dozens of carriages were pulling into Edset Harbor. Each carriage spewed out similarly dressed people and pulled away.

At last, the Count of Ravant’s carriage approached. The door opened, and as she was ushered out, Aubrey took a moment to marvel at the scene before her. The emerald sea stretched out behind the towering cruiser, and beyond it the sun was slowly setting, casting a reddish glow on the azure waters. Aubrey couldn't tear her eyes away from the mesmerizing colored border.

Glancing down a bit, she saw a gentleman and a lady walking down the neatly manicured path. They entered a lounge off to one side, pausing to freshen up or drink tea. 

Over the sound of music, not too loud and not too soft, and people greeting each other as cheerfully as if reunited with long-lost family members, Aubrey spotted Barbara waving at her and started walking. Then, among the familiar faces, she spotted a strange man. Aubrey looked at him curiously, his fist-sized nose twitching as he stared at her.

"This is Sir Murfrio Hemburg, the host of the party, and this is......."

Murfrio interrupted Jeffrik and took a step forward.

"You must be the Miss Aubrey Sandalwood I've heard so much about."

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. The feel of his damp, thick lips, despite her gloves, was so vivid that Aubrey involuntarily squeezed her hand, but Murfrio didn't let go.

"Nice to meet you."

"It’s nice to meet you, Miss."

She felt the man's dark-lidded eyes. Only after he let go of her hand did Aubrey hesitantly step back and stand at Barbara's side.

"You look a lot like Countess Ravant."

Murfrio said, licking his lips with his tongue. Aubrey turned her head away involuntarily as she watched those thick lips glisten with saliva.

"If my sister and I look like twins, then Aubrey, her daughter, looks like me."

Barbara replied, inwardly pleased by the fact. It was a bonus, of course, that Emily, standing next to her, didn't look so pretty.

"The Count must be happy to have such beauties in residence."

Jeffrik shrugged as if it was no big deal. Murfrio strode away with his horse, saying goodbye to the party, but he glanced at Aubrey one last time. He looked unsteady as he walked away, his stomach threatening to spill over the sides. Emily saw it too, frowned, and whispered.

"Mother, he’s about to roll."

"Shhh. Emily, don't talk like that."

Then something surprising happened.

"Aubrey."

Jeffrik, who had never called her by her first name before, gently placed his hand on her back. Aubrey gasped and gripped the shawl tightly around her upper body.

"Today is a very important day. Please."

"..."

"Please behave yourself."

Behavior was not a request. Aubrey nodded at Jeffrik, who was giving her a cold stare, not sure what he was worried about, but she was going to behave. 

***

It wasn't until they started boarding that Aubrey realized something was fishy about this party. The cruise ship that would be hosting the ball, the Crews and Werals, was an ambitious undertaking for a world-class cruise line. If you counted the floors, there were five floors on top of the ship. 

There were restaurants, lounges, cabins, a palm-fringed promenade, and even a gambling hall. Aubrey reread the brochure she'd been handed before boarding, then stared at the giant ship in front of her.

“They brought this huge ship just for a ball. Lord Hemburg is no ordinary person.”

"Yeah. Why does it seem to get bigger and bigger every year?"

"It’s good though."

A group of women in similar dresses passed by her, giggling. Yeah. This was what was weird. There were an awful lot of women on this cruise. As far as she could see, women made up the overwhelming majority of the passengers, and with all the dresses they wore, the deck looked like a sea of flowers.

Perhaps it was because it was an onboard ball across the ocean, and there was no better luxury to show off to others than this. One moment, dancing and drinking on the ocean. Aubrey shook her head at this unheard-of nobleman's pastime. 

- In a few moments, a passenger reception would be held in the Royal Byrne Hall.

A cheerful voice made the announcement, and everyone headed inside. Aubrey watched, then walked in the opposite direction. Her stomach felt like it was going to explode. 

When Aubrey reached the deck, the loud music could no longer be heard. She could hear Murfrio's voice, greasy and muffled. Aubrey ignored it all and focused on the landscape before her.

The reddish sunset had long since vanished without a trace. The ship was moving forward through the pitch blackness, but the brilliant lights behind her made the surrounding light up. Aubrey closed her eyes, letting the cool breeze blow across her face for a moment. How long had she been doing that?

"Miss Sandalwood."

Her heart dropped to her feet. Aubrey mumbled, "Please," under her breath.

"How's it feel to be out at sea?"

But the man standing next to her echoed her earlier sentiment. Aubrey opened her eyes involuntarily. The firelight brought Murfrio's face into sharper focus. His large nose was already beaded with what she couldn't tell was sweat or oil. He took another step toward her as he scanned her form. As if he was going to press in.

"......Thank you for the invitation."

Aubrey took a step back and bowed. She tried to act as casual as possible. She wasn't sure why this man was doing this, but she figured she should be touched that he'd invited her after hearing about her situation, so she'd just have to do as Jeffrik had said and spend the time doing what a lady would do.

"By the sounds of it, you've been staying at the Count of Ravant's manor for five years now, so perhaps you could tell me the story?"

Aubrey nodded calmly. She realized that Murfrio's interest was no different than anyone else's.

"My story is nothing special, just that I was lucky enough to meet my aunt again."

She tried to end the conversation as briefly as she could without breaking decorum; there was no way she was going to get away with punching him in the face here, but Murfrio didn't seem to read the room. He closed the distance Aubrey had opened by stepping back as he approached.

"Perhaps the gods have fallen in love with Miss Sandalwood's beautiful face."

As he said this, he looked her up and down. Under his naked gaze, Aubrey clutched her shawl tighter. There was a moment of wordless silence. There was only the gaze. When Aubrey couldn't meet his lust-filled eyes, she turned her head to the left. Then she thought she was seeing things. A man was walking briskly toward them.

The man's already chilly face was hardening even more. He walked with his back to the light, which made his extraordinary physique stand out even more. When he finally stood in front of them, Khaled glanced at Aubrey , then turned to Murfrio.

"Look who it is, the Count of Lavonne."

As if they were old acquaintances, Murfrio greeted Khaled quite pleasantly. Aubrey's suspicions about the relationship between the cold man and the terrible man were soon answered.

"How are you, and what brings you here?"

"I was doing well, and then I had a headache and I found myself here."

"Did I ever invite the Count to come?"

"I'm sure you've invited me in an unconventional way."

Aubrey studied Khaled's face again and again. The hard lines of his face and the coldness of his voice told her he was angry enough. Murfrio's face wasn't much better now. His eyes were filled with unpleasantness at the young businessman's unannounced arrival.

"Shall we speak of this later, Count, since the lady is present?"

"I don't think you're in the mood for flirting with a lady after the mess you've made."

And just then, Khaled lowered his gaze.

"The lady will have to excuse herself."

Aubrey flinched, and then doubted her ears. Khaled spoke once more, his voice clearly exasperated.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Lady."

"......Ah, yes."

There was no hesitation. Aubrey stepped out of Murfrio's line of sight, hoping this was the time. Only when she was far enough away from the two men did Aubrey look back. The man standing there, staring down at her, was like a spear on the deck. He stood erect, his body seemingly rigid, and his jaw moved as if he were grinding his teeth.

Behind him, the black sea stretched out. A light breeze blew his jet-black hair around. Khaled Karnus stood there, rigid, watching her with impassive eyes. Just like that day.

A sudden realization struck Aubrey, and she jerked away. She sucked in a quick breath as she moved.

***

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