Night of Eden 63

 Chapter 63

***

Disgusting.

Under a beautiful purple sky, Dana was running down a slope.

It was so nauseating and repulsive.

Ha, ha, harsh gasps of breath, followed by a dizzying spray of white steam.

I hate him, I hate him so much.

So why do I keep letting him do it?

No, it wasn't just permission.

When he sucked on the nape of her neck, she felt the tremor that betrayed her will at the man's words that he wanted to do more than that. It was a terrifying shiver that she couldn't allow.

"Kissing isn't just for the mouth.”

Leah's drunken voice crossed her mind.

"You know how good it is? I can't stand it if I keep letting him do it. It's like my body doesn't belong to me, it's tickling, it's hot, sometimes I feel like I have to pee, it's so weird.”

No one in the room believed her. Dana laughed to herself that it was ridiculous, but now she couldn't help it.

Suddenly, she remembered Theodore eating apricots in the hut.

To Theodore Macmilan, Dana Bordon was the apricot.

He rolled it around in his palm, played with it, took a bite, and threw it out the window.

Dana couldn't like him.

How could she like someone who looked down on her and humiliated her?

And yet she'd let him get away with so much. Not once, but many times.

What's wrong with her, she wondered, was she broken somewhere?

No excuse would work now.

A maid who betrayed her master and played with her fiancé, nothing more, nothing less.

Something hard snagged on her foot, and her body jerked forward. Her body stumbled violently as she was thrown into the air.

"Ah...!"

Dana grabbed the ground with her hands, barely stopping herself from falling. Dirt and gravel splashed up to her face. Dry grass cut roughly at her ankles.

****

On the fourth day of the party, Belvida's main building was noticeably quieter. The men had gone to the polo field for an early morning practice.

Making sure the sky was clear, Stan set up an outdoor table in the backyard. A canopy was set up and the ladies enjoyed a belated breakfast on the pond's gazebo. Thanks to Bruges, the pastry chef sent from the Macmilan family, the table was always filled with fantastic desserts.

"That was a great performance, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I'm still dying of heart palpitations."

"Nicola Richter will be remembered as the greatest pianist in the empire. Alas, I was about to faint!"

The table buzzed with reminiscences of Nicola’s performance the previous night.

"More thanks to you, Liana."

Rosa looked back at Liana with ecstatic eyes and squeezed her hand.

"Because you invited me over that I got to experience this. Now I have no regrets if I die…”

She buried her nose in the white handkerchief she was holding. She'd been wiping her sweat while Nicola played. There were giggles here and there.

"By the way, I definitely felt it yesterday."

Rosa snapped her head up and looked back at her friends.

"Liana's in a whole different class than the rest of us now. I mean, I've noticed it since she started going with the Duchess, but it became more apparent yesterday."

"Why? What happened?"

Angie Miller asked, and Rosa looked envious.

"Nicola approached Liana first, asking if she could talk to him alone in the clock room."

"Really?"

Alexandra's eyes widened.

"Yeah, because after the autograph, when you all went back to your rooms, I saw it with my own two eyes."

Her curious gaze immediately turned to Liana.

"I waited until the end to try to talk to Nicola, but he didn’t even look at me. He only talked to Liana. Well, I suppose it's only natural. Liana's going to be a member of the Macmilan family sooner or later, so she's kind of his sponsor, right?"

Alexandra nodded, then turned to Liana.

"But what did you talk about? What did Nicola say?"

Liana put down her fork and wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"...It was just... It was a courtesy greeting."

"Oh, come on."

Rosa threw up her hands.

"I don't think it was just a greeting. I think you had a letter in your hand when you came out, too........"

"Really?"

Surprised eyes focused on Liana once more.

"....."

Liana didn't answer right away. No, she couldn’t.

She knew she was dithering longer than necessary, and she knew that such a response would lead to a strange misunderstanding.

What was a clockroom?

It was a place where artists flirt with patrons and fans. It was also a place where rumors and gossip were born. But since she had a private conversation with Nicola there, and even received a letter, it was no wonder her friends were gossiping.

The only reason she didn't tell them the truth right away was because of a strange impulse that stirred in her chest.

Liana smiled calmly. Then she opened her mouth.

"Just... stuff. About music and sponsorships and stuff."

Predictably, her friends' faces lit up with lustful suspicion. Liana looked away, pretending not to notice.

It couldn't hurt to be caught up in a bit of scandal with a star like Nicola Richter. Especially when she had a fiancé as cold and indifferent as Theodore by her side.

"Ah, it's a beautiful day."

Liana stretched nonchalantly, looking up at the sky.

"I hope it's this nice tomorrow, too, because the fall walks in Belvida are really something to behold."

Her voice deliberately cheerful, she called out to Willow, who was frolicking in the grass. She pretended to play intently with the dog and waited for her friends' attention to wane.

She didn't feel too good about the childish lie. In her mind, she was mulling over the truth in the clock room.

How flustered had she been when the brilliant pianist had first asked to speak with her for a moment?

Liana had never known Nicola personally. She didn't even like his piano playing, and the only connection they had was a brief exchange of pleasantries at the last Literary Night Salon.

Besides, it was the Duchess who had invited him to this party. Not her.

Nevertheless, Nicola strode up to her, looking very pleased to see her. Rosa could have easily mistaken him for an old acquaintance.

“I have something important to tell you,” he said, and led her to the clock room, and for a moment Liana had the ridiculous notion that he was interested in her.

And as soon as they were inside, he pulled out a letter.

"With all due respect, I wonder if you would be so kind as to give this to Miss Bordon, your handmaiden?"

The moment she heard that, Liana felt as if someone had hit her on the head. The title "Miss Bordon" was so unfamiliar that she had to squint for a moment.

"This letter is from Ms. Celeste, not me. She asked me to deliver it directly to Miss Bordon, not through anyone else, but Miss Bordon refused, so I was wondering what to do. I thought I could trust you with it, young lady, so I thought I'd ask you to do it."

"...Oh, really?"

She accepted the letter, but her mind was filled with questions.

Why would Celeste write to Dana?

Why couldn’t anyone else see it?

"Excuse me... With all due respect......."

Nicola spoke again. His voice sounded even more stealthy and cautious than before.

Liana looked up from the fully sealed lavender envelope to face him.

"..Miss Bordon......"

He looked so strange, unable to open his mouth.

Why was he making that face? Like he was about to confess something?

"Tell me."

Liana urged, and he abruptly shook his head.

"...Oh, it’s nothing."

Just then, Stan appeared with servants to clean up the mess.

"Ah, you two... Why are you here......?"

The conversation didn't go any further.

Nicola bowed politely and walked out, leaving Liana to stare after him.

It felt very strange.

Celeste and Dana, Nicola and Dana.

What was the connection between the three of them?

She couldn't stop herself from wanting to tear the letter open. Part of her was angry at herself for thinking such a despicable thing.

In the end, Liana still hadn't delivered the letter to Dana. No, it would be more accurate to say she 'didn't'.

"By the way, Liana, why don’t I see your handmaiden?”

"Huh?"

Liana blinked as if to clear her eyes and turned to face Rosa.

"Uh... she just seemed a little tired, so I told her to take the day off."

"Tired?"

Rosa raised her eyebrows, puzzled.

"She caught a nasty cold a couple days ago. I don't want to overwork my person."

Rosa nodded, but couldn't hide her disappointment.

"Aww, I thought we could have some iced tea today. It’ll be refreshing from a warm day like this.”

There was a chorus of agreements. Liana didn't like the sound of it for some reason.

"Miss."

The head maid served tea. It was black tea, unblended, and hot.

She bustled between the tables and set the cups down in front of the young ladies. Liana felt her cheeks heat up as she watched the steam rising from the teacups.

"It's a bit hot today, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'd believe it if you told me it was early summer instead of fall."

The ladies waved their fans in unison. No one even paid attention to the hot tea.

Rosi, who had been eyeing Liana from earlier, cautiously approached.

"Hey, lady...."

She leaned in close and whispered so no one could hear her.

“I think we should offer the gentlemen a drink too. What should we do?”

Liana couldn't help but lift her head and look up at the sky.

As her friends had said, it was unusually clear and hot today. By now, the men would be drenched in sweat from riding their horses.

She put her napkin away and looked back at the maid.

"Do you want to fetch .....Dana?"

She was reluctant, but she had no choice.

***

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