Chapter 36

"Is the 'Sorceress of the Sosie Kingdom' really such a woman? I must say, I'm quite disappointed."

"She must be a witch. She probably has some spell to bewitch men."

The women surrounding Opal laughed maliciously.

However, Opal was not hurt; instead, she found the new nickname amusing.

Glancing around, she noticed a duchess, a countess and a young lady, another countess, and a viscountess.

Whether it was the advantage of numbers or the advantage of the setting, Opal wondered why these women, who should hardly know her, could be so bold. For now, she refrained from arguing and smiled politely.

At that moment, a man's voice interrupted.

"Excuse me for interrupting your conversation, but I would like to ask Miss Holloway for a dance."

"Oh! Baron Prado... You know this lady?"

"Yes. The Duke of Lucel introduced us the other day. Isn't that right?"

"---Yes."

"Then, may I have this dance?"

"With pleasure. ---Excuse me, everyone."

Opal took the hand offered by Erek, greeted the women lightly, and stepped onto the dance floor.

The women were whispering to each other.

It seemed they were saying that Opal had already won over Baron Prado.

In the end, every social circle was the same.

Tired of the gossip and scheming, Opal focused her attention on the man in front of her.

"You're quite quiet, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"To be spoken to like that and not even argue back..."

"---I haven't figured out the power dynamics yet, so I can't say anything rash."

"I see. So you change your attitude based on the strength of your opponent?"

She thought he was helping her, but it seemed he wasn't.

Opal almost laughed at Erek's interpretation but managed to hold back.

Misunderstanding Opal's lowered head, Erek continued.

"Trying to feign hurt to gain sympathy is futile. I know your true nature. Others do too. That's why no one asks you to dance. Yet, it's unbelievable that Claude is the only one deceived. He usually has a remarkably clear mind."

The reason Opal wasn't asked to dance by other men was because Claude had refused. After Claude left, she was immediately surrounded by women, so no one else had the chance to ask her to dance except Erek.

Erek had heard bad rumors about Opal beforehand and only saw what he wanted to see.

He really reminded her of the old Hubert. Opal casually glanced at Alessandro.

Their eyes met instantly.

Alessandro, who didn't dance with anyone except the princess, was sitting and watching the hall, but it seemed to be a common sight, so no one paid attention.

However, the smile on his face suggested he was enjoying various things, especially Opal's situation.

(He really is a mean person. It's as if everyone is being played on the king's chessboard...)

Finding the current situation amusing, Opal tried to distract herself by looking for Claude, whom she found immediately.

When their eyes met, Claude exaggeratedly danced as if reading Opal's thoughts.

"---Claude seems to be having a lot of fun. More than when he danced with you earlier."

"Is that so?"

"You might not want to admit it---"

"It was a very enjoyable time. Thank you."

The music ended, and Opal interrupted Erek's words to thank him.

Erek seemed to realize he had been rude and blushed.

He seemed to remember that making his partner uncomfortable was a problem before even considering dance skills.

"Would you like me to bring you a drink? What would you like?"

"If you don't mind, could you show me to a place where I can have a light meal? There might be some interesting options, and I'd like to choose myself."

"---Of course."

"Thank you."

She had asked Claude to stay away for a while, so he wouldn't return for some time.

Seeing this, Erek seemed to try to treat Opal as a gentleman.

Though a bit condescending, he asked what she would like to drink, so Opal decided to go to a room where light refreshments were served.

She placed her hand on the arm he offered and walked, drawing everyone's attention.

"Do I have horns or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"No one is trying to talk to me. Or is the baron unpopular?"

Opal, being a topic of interest, usually attracts many people eager to introduce themselves, but this time, everyone was just watching from a distance.

She had made a joke, but Erek didn't understand.

He frowned suspiciously but said nothing, leading her to the room.

There, Opal ordered a light drink and a few canapés.

The food was similar to that in the Sosie Kingdom, with only the presentation differing.

"Do you eat that much?"

"---That much?"

Opal sat down and, following Erek's gaze, looked down at her plate.

The room was set up with tables and chairs for sitting and eating.

However, it was still early, and there were only a few waiters, with no other guests. A man had just entered alone.

On her plate were only a few canapés.

"---Drinking on an empty stomach can make you drunk easily."

"Usually, one eats something before attending a ball. Especially if it's a dinner party."

"Usually?"

"Yes. That's why there are no other women here besides you. You probably couldn't manage yourself, so you've been drunk and made a fool of yourself before, haven't you?"

"---Drunk and made a fool of myself? For example, what kind of things?"

Suppressing the rising anger, Opal elegantly took a canapé and waited for Erek's answer.

Eight years ago, when her husband Hubert called her "lewd," she wasn't as angry as she was now.

At the time, Opal had not denied the rumors, and Hubert, being her husband, had the right to criticize her. ---Though Hubert also had a problem for not listening to her side of the story.

After that, Opal disappeared from the social scene and, when she appeared in public during the development of the Mantes land, she lived quietly.

It's said that lost trust is hard to regain, but that wasn't the issue now.

Why did she have to be criticized just for taking a few canapés?

Her anger deepened her smile, as Claude had said.

"That... because you were drunk, you easily... with a man..."

" Easily what?"

"Originally, to make you say such things, don't you think it's embarrassing!?"

"No, not at all. I don't know what you're trying to say, so I'm asking. I've never been drunk from drinking. And I've only been involved in one scandal. I was foolishly alone in the garden during a party and was attacked by a man after my dowry. I screamed for help. I didn't know what the result would be at sixteen, just starting in society. But even if I had known, I would have resisted."

"But the rumors say---"

"Yes, all rumors. No one actually saw the subsequent scandal, but the rumors spread. I didn't want to be defeated by one scandal. That's all. I always acted with dignity. Perhaps that offended people. Women are supposed to be protected by men and not assert their rights. Perhaps women should avoid eating a few canapés at a ball. Because that's the norm."

"No, but---"

As Opal calmly and angrily stated, Erek was speechless and took a step back from her.

His face was full of shock.

He seemed to regain his composure and glared at Opal, opening his mouth again.

"Then why did Duke MacLaud divorce you?"

"---Why, I wonder?"

"Of course, because you were too busy playing to even bear an heir. And you even had to share your fortune---!"

By the time he realized, it was too late.

Opal had already thrown the contents of her glass at Erek.

But when she calmed down, she didn't regret it—she even felt she should praise herself.

She slowly placed the glass down and smiled brightly.