The resting area prepared in one corner of the banquet hall was structured to divide one large living room into several smaller spaces with thick curtains.
With two glasses of cold sparkling wine in hand, I was looking for Danae and Leonard when I found them in the innermost space. It was a modest and cozy area with a large door and windows leading to a balcony adjoining the garden. There, Danae was sitting, almost lying down, on the armrest of a long sofa, and Leonard was leaning against her side.
I held out a wine glass to Danae, who was lying down, and said:
“Drink this for now, Danae.”
Danae snatched the wine glass from me and downed it in one gulp.
Sighing as if in exasperation, she looked at me and burst out with anger she hadn’t been able to fully express earlier.
“It’s so annoying! That insignificant viscount’s daughter, just because she wore a gift from Duke Haven, acting as if she’s become a princess! And those who were all on my side until just now!”
“…Danae. Calm down.”
“How did that detestable Duke Haven even know to come here? If he wanted to see someone, he should have just seen that person and left, why did he have to give a gift to that girl? Does the Duke’s family have money to spare? To the point of readily giving such an expensive dress to a girl like that?”
“Danae. I understand how you feel, but lower your voice. Others might hear.”
I leaned against the curtain dividing the space, pretending to soothe her.
It was to detect when the Duke would come here with Viscount Miles. Unaware of my intention, Danae flared up even more at my words and said:
“So what if they hear? Do they dare to get angry at me?”
“True. Others wouldn’t dare to get angry at you. But Duke Haven is different. He’s still out there.”
“Yeah, Danae. Christine is right. Calm down.”
As I warned her with a stern expression, Leonard also supported my words. Danae bit her lower lip resentfully.
It was typical of her to act arrogantly towards those of lower rank and grovel to those of higher rank. As I was trying to suppress a sneer at this sight, I felt the curtain dividing the space move slightly.
It was a signal that Duke Haven had come here with Viscount Miles.
I grasped the curtain with both hands to hide the movement. After the movement stopped, I turned to Danae and said:
“…Honestly, I don’t understand why you’re so angry, Danae. Is it really that infuriating that the nobles are more interested in Lady Emily than you?”
“…Sister!”
“And, strictly speaking, you should have apologized to Lady Emily. Isn’t that right?”
“Ha, me? Sister, are you talking nonsense? Why should I apologize to that girl?”
Danae raised her upper body, losing her temper. I continued speaking with a deep sigh:
“You must have noticed, right? That the dress you bought from the seal of Castle Rinket was actually made for the Viscount’s daughter.”
“So what?”
“Because you insisted on taking that dress midway, the Viscount’s daughter couldn’t come out wearing a new dress. Not only that, you even subtly tarnished the lady’s honor with rude words.”
“So, are you saying that I’m completely in the wrong?”
As I continued speaking, Danae’s expression grew increasingly fierce. I answered her sharp question, which she asked with an indifferent expression:
“I never said that. I just said that your attitude today was a bit rude, and you might need to apologize for that.”
“Isn’t that the same thing? Ha, this is ridiculous! Why should I apologize to that girl? I only committed the crime of buying a dress I liked for a higher price! If she was so upset about having the dress taken from her, she could have offered more money to the seal than me and taken it back. Is it my fault that that girl didn’t have enough money to do so? If she didn’t want to lose it, she should have protected it somehow!”
“Danae!”
“And in the first place, is such a flashy and expensive dress even appropriate for a mere viscount’s daughter? This happens because she covets things beyond her means. I bet even the seal was glad to sell the dress to me, a duke’s daughter, rather than to that disgusting mixed-blood girl?”
“You, really! How can you say such things? You’re not just insulting the viscount’s daughter, but all mixed-blood people living in this empire. Do you understand?”
I shouted in genuine disbelief at Danae’s words.
I had expected her to get angry if I objectively pointed out her mistakes, as she never apologizes for her faults. But I didn’t expect her to spout such rude words.
Danae snorted at me and said:
“What? Are you uncomfortable hearing words that don’t meet your grand moral standards? Sorry, but I’m more uncomfortable and annoyed because of you. Do you have to pretend to be nice even when it’s just us? Why don’t you be honest?”
“Be honest? Alright, then I’ll speak honestly. Your attitude today was really awful. Because of your rude behavior, I, uncle, and the Yusten ducal family are likely to be in trouble. So right now, go to Viscount Miles’ daughter and apologize for snatching her dress and for your rude words.”
“No! Why should I do that? If you want to apologize so badly, you do it! Isn’t that why Dad keeps you, who’s not even his real daughter, by his side and dotes on you so much? If you’ve received grace, you should repay it in kind. Right?”
“Ha, what? What do you mean by that?”
I shouted, truly angered by her increasingly rude and inappropriate words.
Then Danae glared at me with a face full of irritation and shouted:
“Ah, really! I’m so annoyed, so please just stop it!”
At the same time, Danae pulled out her hairpin and threw it at my face.
I hurriedly covered my face with my right arm. However, the jewels and sharp platinum decorations of the hairpin left a large gash on my skin before falling to the floor. I clutched my arm, which was bleeding from the torn skin, and curled up.
“Christine!”
Then Leonard, who had been cowardly observing until now, hurriedly approached me.
I gently pushed him away as he tried to embrace me. Then I glared back at Danae, who was glaring at me and breathing heavily while standing up from the sofa.
Danae, still seemingly not satisfied, nervously brushed up her slightly disheveled hair and shouted at me:
“So why do you provoke people? Ah, I’m so annoyed! I’m going back to the mansion first! You can call a separate carriage or whatever!”
Then Danae pushed aside the curtain and went out. While I was in pain from the irritating sensation spreading throughout my body through my arm, I let out a laugh of disbelief.
Leonard looked alternately at me crouched on the floor and Danae going out, and sighed heavily. Then he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wrapped it around my bleeding arm, saying:
“Are you alright, Christine?”
“…I’m fine.”
“…Sigh, why did you have to pick a fight? It’s not like you.”
“What did you say?”
I looked straight at him and asked back. Leonard, seemingly realizing he had misspoken, stammered out an excuse:
“…Well, you know. It’s not like this is the first time Danae has acted like this, right? You know that when she’s that angry, it’s only to your disadvantage to confront her about her mistakes. If you had just endured it as usual…”
“So, Leonard, are you saying it’s my fault?”
“…Honestly, you did bring it upon yourself to some extent. It would have been better if you had soothed her with kind words after she had calmed down a bit.”
“I see. Maybe you’re right.”
I responded to his words in a deliberately calm voice.
Leonard glanced at me, trying to gauge my reaction, then let out a deep sigh and stood up.
“I’ll tell a servant of this mansion to bring some medicine. So don’t untie the handkerchief wrapped around your arm until I return.”
“Alright.”
Soon, Leonard pushed aside the curtain and went out. When his footsteps could no longer be heard, I untied Leonard’s handkerchief that was stuck to my arm with blood and threw it on the floor.
Then I let out a cold laugh with a snort.
‘…What medicine? While he’s gone to find his beloved Danae, who’s so upset, to comfort her.’
I hadn’t expected anything from him from the beginning anyway.
I tried to slowly raise my body, supporting my bleeding arm with the other arm. I was planning to go outside and call a carriage to return to the mansion. I thought I would ask the Duke through a letter later, after treating my arm first, whether Viscount Miles had overheard all of our conversation and what had happened as a result.
It was then. The curtain opened carefully, and Duke Haven came in.
I asked in a surprised voice towards him, who was looking around at me and the surroundings with a hardened expression:
“…Your Grace?”
The Duke stared coldly at me, or more precisely, at my arm dripping with blood, without answering. He clicked his tongue as if displeased, then held out his hand to me and said:
“Your arm is bleeding a lot. Can you get up if you hold my hand?”
“…Yes. I’m fine.”
I answered, trying to get up on my own instead of taking the Duke’s hand. But I lost my balance and ended up sitting down again. The Duke let out a laugh at this and said:
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
