‘Would it be okay to dress up like this?’
Annette looked carefully around her dress. The dress made of high quality blue fabric sprinkled with diamond powder, sparkled like a star in the night sky. Her blonde hair was braided to the side and was decorated with a blue velvet rose hair corsage to highlight her golden tresses. The overall color tone was calm, but the details made it look rather colorful, so it seemed a suitable dress to meet Raphael’s benefactor.
After finishing her final inspection, Annette entered the party with a smile on her face. After a formal greeting with the host of the party, Count Lucini and his wife, she looked around, but she couldn’t find Raphael. Annette looked around with a puzzled look.
‘I told you to go first.’
Although she had agreed to attend the party on Raphael’s request, she found it burdensome to be alone with him in the carriage. Annette always became weak when it came to affection and became even more weak when it came to Raphael, with whom she had been married for five years in her previous life. If he hadn’t taken good care of her when she was sick in her previous life, she would have left him long ago. Annette was afraid that if she became close to Raphael again, she would fall for him.
So that’s why Annette encouraged him to attend separately. Fortunately, Raphael had no experience attending a couple’s party, so he readily accepted her request. He wasn’t the type to stray away without informing, so he must have arrived at the ball first. But she couldn’t see Raphael at all. A man with such a prominent appearance like him should be easy to find.
“Annette Bavaria?”
Just then, someone called out Annette’s name. Annette blinked and looked at the strange gentleman. The man wearing a dark blue suit with a mahogany cane in one hand looked quite old. Nevertheless, his well-kept short beard and solid body frame made him look very sophisticated.
“Oh, I see you don’t know who I am. I usually stay abroad a lot. I am Count Harold Evans. It’s my pleasure to meet such a great lady like you.”
The old gentleman, who introduced himself, was very polite despite his age. Annette became quite fond of Harold because of that. She happily smiled and gently holded Harold’s hands.
“Oh, so you’re Count Evans. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Annette Bavaria Carnesis.”
Harold Evans was once considered as the most mysterious man among Annette’s previous generation. No one knew exactly about his life in detail or what business he did abroad. But all the rumors about Harold were amazing. It seemed like hearing about beans sprouting in drought. He had tracked down traitors, caught many people who had escaped to other countries after committing felony and so on.
Although Harold was now retired and confined to his estate, the mystery around him did not fade. So Annette looked up at the old legend with twinkling eyes. Seeing this, a chuckle almost escaped out of Harold’s mouth.
“You are more lovely than what I thought. If I was now my twenty years old younger self, I would have given Raphael a good competition. Alas! It’s quite unfortunate.”
“Do you know my husband?”
“Hmm I know. I’ll let you in on a secret.”
Looking around, Harold lowered his voice and gestured to Annette. Annette was captivated by his mysterious behavior and unknowingly leaned closer to listen to him. Then Harold, with a serious look on his face, whispered in her ear.
“It’s a secret I’ve never told anyone. I’m the person who had changed the blankets that he peed on.”
“What? Raphael peed on the blanket. I’m sorry?”
“He was pretty cute back then. He couldn’t even say that he peed, but he cried and held on to the bottom of his pants. In those times, I really tried my best to hold back the corners of my mouth from rising. Haah! I didn’t expect that cute little thing would change to such a bad and boring guy. Who would have known?”
Harold pretended to be disappointed. At first, Annette was alarmed at the shocking revelation of Raphael’s childhood. But soon a smile came on her face. In Annette’s memory, Raphael had always been a big, violent, and mean man. She couldn’t believe Raphael had peed on his blankets when he was young.
Annette, who was listening to Harold, smiled and realized something. Looking around, she lowered her voice and asked Harold.
“Sir Evans, you must be Raphael’s benefactor, right?”
Instead of answering, Harold smiled and placed a finger on his lips. Annette quickly became more comfortable with him. She somehow ended up unintentionally meeting Raphael’s benefactor first, but it was a party that she had attended to meet Harold anyway. Annette felt like she had achieved today’s task early, so she became more mentally relaxed. Harold, who was analyzing Annette’s expressions, suddenly changed the subject.
“Isn’t he a very bad person?”
“What?”
“He’s not honest, he’s very proud and he’s too arrogant. He’s almost like a hedgehog. He will hurt others first so that they won’t hurt him. What an ugly, bad guy.”
Annette was at a loss for what to say, so she just smiled. Raphael’s own benefactor suddenly began to badmouth him. But she couldn’t refute anything because it was all true. Harold, who glanced at Annette’s quivering pupils, shrugged and said.
“If he makes you upset, just divorce him. You’re still young and pretty. You don’t have to live with such a nasty guy. If I were in your position, I’d throw him away without looking back. Once he’s abandoned, he’ll come to his senses.”
Annette didn’t know that it was Harold’s specialty to deliberately exaggerate his words and test people’s reactions. Harold watched Annette’s facial expression change in seconds while cursing Raphael. He saw her delicate eyebrows furrow a little. Soon, Annette spoke in defense of Raphael.
“He’s not a bad person. He’s just…. just a little stubborn.”
She didn’t know why she felt so bad when she heard other people badmouthing Raphael. Annette recalled Raphael’s sincere face as he told her, ‘He’s my benefactor that I want to introduce to you.’ Harold was so important to Raphael that he had even bent his pride and said ‘please’ to her. However, when she met Harold, he bad-mouthed Raphael a lot. So Annette was very upset.
But fighting with Harold here wasn’t a good choice either. After all, Raphael considered him as his benefactor, so he would be hurt if she fought with him in front of Raphael. Annette decided to rather end this uncomfortable conversation quickly and move away from Harold. She smiled gracefully and asked in a soft but determined tone.
“Do you happen to know where my husband is? I want to say hello to him first.”
Harold did not answer immediately and simply smiled. Annette knew how to avoid unnecessary conflicts without being influenced by her own emotions or thoughts. It was a wise attitude which was quite not suitable for her age. At least that was what it seemed to Harold. Harold slowly stroked his sharp chin and pointed somewhere. It was a balcony covered with thick curtains.
“Thank you.”
Annette responded politely and turned around to go there. Just as she was about to move, Harold’s advice came from behind.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t go in there now.”
Only
‘What is he talking about now?’ Annette looked back at him, but Harold just smiled vaguely. It didn’t seem that asking him would get her answers. Annette headed toward the balcony where a bomb was lurking.
Usually, at parties like these, people would come to the balcony, so the hosts would put out curtains to prevent others from disturbing them and give them some privacy. And sometimes in such places there usually would be secret meetings between a couple or secret lovers. Or sometimes even passionate encounters between men and women.
Of course, it was unlikely that Raphael would do something like that, but it was also something that she couldn’t say for sure. He was after all a very handsome and attractive man. A man, who shone on his own with just his face and tall and muscular body, sure would attract many women’s attention. Annette became more determined to go to the balcony where Harold had pointed. Hearing the sound of conversation leaking through the curtain, it was clear that Raphael was in there.
However, he was having a hot’ time’ in a way that was quite different from Annette’s expectations.
“……in the past, she’s my wife now. So please get your hands off my wife. Every time Your Highness wanders around her like a rutting dog, my loyalty towards you keeps turning upside down.”
Raphael’s voice coming from the inside was as cold and hard as steel. Annette’s mouth opened on its own when she heard the vulgar remarks. Someone who Raphael would call ‘Your Highness’ and tell that person to get his hands away from his wife….. There was only one person in the whole Deltium who could meet these two conditions.
‘Is he with His Highness, Prince Ludwig ?’
Annette’s face turned pale from shock.
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