Chapter 80

 

A rough and strong knuckle lightly touched Iona’s forehead, then swept her hair back before swiftly pulling away.

 

His actions were so natural that Iona felt no discomfort. Perhaps it was because her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts, leaving her little room to be concerned about external circumstances.

 

Iona bit her lip and began her confession.

 

“Well, actually, I have something to tell you,” she started and looked directly at Leroy with solemn eyes.

 

He had already set the tone with his earlier actions, but Leroy sat half-reclined, seemingly unperturbed by any sense of urgency.

 

Although she failed to create the ideal atmosphere, she could no longer delay revealing the truth. Iona reluctantly began to speak.

 

“Do you remember what I told you before I left? That the Crown Prince had asked me to be his partner in exchange for this vacation?”

 

“Of course, I remember.”

 

“I received a message from the palace this morning. Richard has...”

 

“Asked you to attend the royal ball with him?” Leroy interrupted as if he had anticipated this.

 

He didn’t seem particularly perturbed by Richard’s imposition. Nor did he seem flustered by this unexpected development.

 

Confused by his reaction, Iona clamped her mouth shut.

 

If he had anticipated the Crown Prince’s decision, there was no need for him to have ordered custom outfits in the first place.

 

“...Should I decline?” Iona clenched her sweaty palms, questioning whether the invitation implied that she should attend as Leroy’s partner regardless of Richard’s offer.

 

To her surprise, Leroy countered, “Do you think the Crown Prince’s offer is so easily refused?”

 

“Not easily, but... there could be an excuse. I could say I had prior commitments.”

 

“Then the Crown Prince would take it out on you like a petty man,” Leroy casually speculated.

 

Though it was a careless assessment, Iona found herself agreeing. The partner proposal itself seemed to be a kind of spite from Richard.

 

She doubted that he would gracefully step aside if she declined.

 

As Iona lowered her gaze with a troubled expression, Leroy met her eye level.

 

He asked with a slightly playful tone, “Do you feel sorry for me?”

 

“Well, all things considered, isn’t it appropriate for me to attend as your partner?”

 

“In that case, wear the dress I gave you as a gift.”

 

Leroy spoke as if to comfort Iona and pulled the red ribbon attached to the shoulder line of her dress.

 

Since it was simply for decoration, the clothes didn’t become loose when he unfastened them, but even so, she could feel some strange intention in his careful hands.

 

Rubbing the end of the red ribbon, Leroy looked into Iona’s eyes and added, “If we wear clothes of the same colors, we’ll look like the true pair to any onlooker.”

 

It was then that Iona finally understood why he had chosen the same color outfits for the ball.

 

People are often most influenced by what they see.

 

Even if Iona were to make her entrance holding Richard’s hand, she would still appear to be Leroy’s true partner if they began to hang out—especially since their clothes would proclaim it.

 

Impressed by his cunning, Iona suddenly had a practical concern.

 

“What if His Highness also wears red?” she asked.

 

Smiling lightly, Leroy replied, “It won’t quite be the same fabric, will it?”

 

“Still, my first appearance will be alongside the Crown Prince. People might start whispering about you as well, considering that the Crown Prince already has a fiancée.”

 

“I’ve got that accounted for.”

 

“What’s the plan?”

 

“That’s a secret for now. It’s the kind of topic where timing is everything,” Leroy deflected with an enigmatic tone.

 

Baffled by his cryptic statement, Iona chose not to press him. She believed he had good reasons for keeping secrets from her.

 

As they talked, Iona suddenly realized that they were standing quite close to each other.

 

Leroy, with his arm resting on the back of a chair, was still fiddling with the ribbon on her dress. He seemed to relish the soft touch of the silk.

 

Offering a thoughtful suggestion, Iona said, “Would you like me to cut it off for you?”

 

“Cut off what?”

 

“The ribbon you’re playing with.”

 

After a moment of silence, Leroy asked, “Did I make you uncomfortable?”

 

“No. You seemed to like it.”

 

“It’s fine. It looks pretty where it is,” Leroy answered, seemingly incredulous, as he retied the ribbon.

 

She thought it would be obvious that he had fiddled with the ribbon, but a quick check revealed that it had returned perfectly to its original state.

 

It was then that Iona felt a strange sense of disappointment.

 

Leroy gazed at Iona with narrow eyes and said, “Whenever I look at you, I feel both uneasy and, at the same time, quite reassured.”

 

“What makes you uneasy? I will correct it if you tell me.”

 

“That’s exactly it. The fact that you can put me at ease so quickly is reassuring in itself.”

 

His answer was ambiguous, difficult to categorize as either praise or criticism.

 

Based on his words alone, it sounded like the former, but his eyes strangely lacked emotion as he spoke.

 

Feeling the need to defuse the awkward atmosphere, Iona reached into her handbag and pulled out a small box.

 

She’d received a dress from Leroy; it seemed right to reciprocate with a handkerchief she had just finished making today.

 

Seeing the gift box, Leroy’s eyes lit up. Accepting it with a puzzled expression, he asked, “What’s this?”

 

“It’s a gift,” Iona replied, a slight tension in her voice.

 

She hadn’t given it much thought while pulling it out, but now that he was about to unwrap it, she felt strangely anxious.

 

Even though it was her first time gifting something she had personally crafted, it was not like she had ever given him anything else either.

 

Nervously, Iona awaited his reaction.

 

Finally, Leroy opened the box, pushed aside the tissue paper, and lifted the handkerchief out. Unfolding it, he examined it for a while, then held it up to the light coming through the window.

 

His furrowed brow and focused expression suggested he was about to deliver a professional assessment.

 

After a lengthy silence, he suddenly exclaimed, “It’s indescribably wonderful. Extremely artistic.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes, the variety of colors makes it very dynamic. Especially the cute face of this raccoon depicted here…”

 

“It’s supposed to be a lion.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Leroy, who had been waxing eloquent, suddenly closed his mouth.

 

There had been a minor issue of his misidentifying the embroidered animal, but Iona thought he had good reason to be confused. Even she had felt it looked more like a raccoon than a lion upon seeing the finished product.

 

Leroy, once again staring intently at the embroidered pattern, eventually let out a soft chuckle.

 

It seemed the surprise gift had notably lifted his spirits.

 

Holding one end of the handkerchief, he said, “I’m touched. I had no idea you’d even hand-stitch something for me.”

 

“How did you know I made it myself?”

 

“It just felt like it was made with care,” Leroy replied, avoiding Iona’s eyes as he tucked the handkerchief into his pocket.

 

Iona felt a quiet sense of pride that her gift had been so readily accepted.

 

However, attributing this solely to her own efforts felt somewhat guilty, so Iona made sure to clarify the origins of the work.

 

“To be honest, I had some help. I originally intended to complete it myself, but it wasn’t easy. There are these two friends, Erna and Claudia, who I met at an embroidery group, and they’re both extremely skilled.”

 

“You’ve been going to an embroidery group? For me?”

 

“No, not exactly for you.”

 

Leroy, who looked surprised, immediately withdrew at Iona’s denial.

 

Iona looked into his face, hesitating for a moment before speaking her next words.

 

The embroidery meeting was scheduled for the afternoon, so she could have technically arranged to meet Leroy earlier than that.

 

The reason Iona had delayed their meeting until after the embroidery group was that she had something else to confirm beforehand.

 

She needed to know what choice Viviana had made to decide whether or not to inform Leroy of her existence.

 

And this time, Viviana had finally mustered the courage.

 

Iona spoke after a brief, deep breath.

 

“Lord Leroy, I’ve found Miss Viviana.”

--- End Of The Chapter ----

 

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