TMC 15

CHAPTER :15

14. I Must Leave

Stella walked down to the dining room.

Adrian was already waiting for her in the downstairs dining room.

Dressed impeccably, he pulled out a chair to help her sit comfortably as soon as he spotted her.

Guided by his escort, she sat down and beheld the lavish spread of food laid out on the table.

Countless dishes were arranged before her, from meats like turkey to light, easy-to-eat fruits.

Almost like a last supper.

Once Stella was seated, a maid standing nearby placed some turkey on her plate first.

“Please, eat. If there is anything lacking, I will have them prepare more.”

“This is more than enough.”

Stella smiled, politely declining.

If they prepared any more, the servants of the duke’s mansion might have to take a collective day off tomorrow.

Especially when she was already at a loss as to how she would finish what was already prepared.

The clink of cutlery rang out exceptionally loud. Watching the dessert being served at last, Stella spoke with the cake set before her.

“I have something to tell you.”

“Is something about your stay uncomfortable?”

Having finished his meal, Adrian gently dabbed his mouth and gave her a worried look.

Stella quickly shook her head at the absurd notion.

“No, not at all. Thanks to you, I’ve been very comfortable. It’s just…”

The words wouldn’t come easily.

She thought she had steeled her resolve before coming downstairs, but perhaps she wasn’t fully prepared yet.

She took a deep breath.

“Lord Castillo.”

“Yes.”

“I must leave now.”

Adrian covered his mouth with his hand.

His gaze fell as if in brief thought, and he slowly spoke.

“But didn’t the doctor say it would be difficult for you to walk for long periods?”

“I’m fine now.”

*Because I am ready.*

Stella felt she finally understood why Leah had told her this.

If she were told to leave this mansion without any preparation, she wouldn’t have been able to do it.

“Actually, she said my heart was more important than my feet. I just wanted to spend some time with you, Lord Castillo. That’s all.”

Stella’s cheeks flushed like ripe apricots.

“I am glad.”

He touched his lips.

“To hear that you wanted to spend time with me…”

As if unable to control the rising corners of his mouth, Adrian bit his trembling lips to suppress them.

Then, lowering his eyes, he spoke in a slightly—just a tiny bit—wistful voice.

“It is a pity, but I suppose we must prepare for your departure.”

Seeing Adrian accept it so calmly made Stella the one who felt disappointed.

Perhaps she had secretly wanted to hear him ask her not to go.

As Stella stared down at the table with eyes full of disappointment, he called her name.

“Lady Bronte.”

Tension hung in the air.

Forgetting even to breathe, she looked up.

She didn’t know what he was about to say, but she couldn’t hide her racing heart.

In her flushed ears, even the sound of her swallowing echoed loudly.

“Before you leave the capital, would you like to go out with me?”

“Go out?”

“Yes. Just the two of us.”

Stella’s eyes wavered widely.

As she struggled to think of an answer to his sudden proposal, he brought up something even more surprising.

“I was thinking of going to the shopping district.”

“Going out is…”

Stella lowered her head.

Her face had been widely publicized because of the weekly tabloids.

Going out to a shopping district in a situation like this—would it be alright?

Unable to readily accept his offer, Stella gave a troubled smile.

Meanwhile, Owen placed a piece of prepared black fabric in front of her.

“If you are worried about your face being recognized, you can wear this.”

“Is this a veil?”

Her hesitant fingers reached toward the veil.

It felt incredibly soft against her fingertips.

“Yes, you wear it like this.”

Adrian draped the veil over Stella’s face.

Perhaps because it was thin, she could see the outside clearly, yet in the mirror, her own face was obscured, giving her a mysterious air.

If she wandered outside wearing this veil, it felt as though no one would recognize her.

Perhaps that was why.

“How fascinating.”

“Then we shall go out together.”

The thought that *maybe just for a little while, it would be fine* lingered in her head.

She vigorously shook her head at her own weakening resolve, reminding herself not to be a nuisance.

“Still, wouldn’t going out be dangerous? As you know, my face is famous because of the weekly papers. If we happen to run into someone, it will be troublesome for me, and of course, for you as well, Lord Castillo.”

“If my discomfort is the only issue, you need not worry. What matters to me is making memories with you, Lady Bronte.”

“Memories…”

“Do you dislike the idea?”

Adrian’s bright, piercing gaze fell directly upon Stella’s face.

How could she possibly refuse?

She only hesitated because she hadn’t realized a single word like ‘memories’ could feel so painful.

She forced a smile.

“No. Let’s go out together.”

“I will take that as your consent and make preparations so we can head out tonight.”

* * *

As darkness fell, the lights of the shopping district colored the surroundings.

The colors of the street, which had been hidden under the bright sun, revealed themselves as if they had been waiting.

Turning toward Adrian, Stella wore a bright smile.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yes.”

He furrowed his brows.

“Is there something wrong with me?”

Dabbing his lower lip, Adrian toyed with the edge of Stella’s veil and shook his head regretfully.

“It is nothing.”

Contrary to his words that nothing was wrong, his red eyes wavered intensely.

She looked around, trying to find whatever was disturbing his peace of mind.

Looking around, she noticed everyone stealing glances at them.

“We seem to stand out a lot.”

“That we do.”

“Was going out with just a veil a bad idea after all?”

Stella slumped her shoulders in dejection.

Adrian met the dejected Stella’s gaze and glanced sideways toward someone else.

“Look. There are many people on the street wearing veils besides you, Lady Bronte. What I worry about is that even with the veil, you cannot hide your beauty.”

Stella turned her head, pretending not to hear.

At the same time, her face flushed hot.

She had never thought of herself as easily embarrassed, but hearing such playful remarks on the street made heat spread through her entire body, starting from her toes.

When she turned her head back, her eyes met Adrian’s, who was staring intently at her.

In the end, forgetting she was even wearing a veil, she covered her face with her hands.

“Th-that’s… didn’t you say it covered everything so nothing could be seen?”

“Nothing can be seen.”

“Then why…”

“I do not know if I should say this, but…”

Stella tilted her head as she looked into his red eyes.

Then, Adrian whispered embarrassing words into Stella’s ear.

“There is such a thing as a silhouette that shows through even a veil. It seems Lady Bronte’s beauty cannot be hidden by a veil alone.”

“That makes no sense!”

“My, everyone is looking.”

Stella’s voice drew everyone’s attention.

Adrian placed his index finger against her lips and chuckled.

Why was his smile so beautiful again?

The pounding of her heart grew louder and louder.

“We must be more careful than originally planned. Or, how about trying a disguise?”

Adrian said, pointing to a shop lined with various makeup tools and wigs.

Looking at the shop, Stella’s eyes met those of the smiling owner head-on.

Flustered by the stranger’s gaze, she quickly turned her face away and whispered.

“What if the owner recognizes me?”

“Then we can just buy the whole shop. It is not that difficult.”

As expected of the Castillo family, whose wealth was second to none in the empire, Adrian was remarkably casual about it.

While she hesitated, a child promoting a shop on the street approached them.

The child looked up at Stella.

“Miss, we have a lot of good things.”

“I, I…”

“Come give it a try. I’ll make sure to style you so it looks perfect on you, Miss.”

The exceptionally bright child shrugged and puffed out their chest proudly.

Drawn in by the child’s innocent smile, she found herself walking into the shop without realizing it.

The child chatted endlessly while leading Stella inside.

Unlike the outside, the interior of the shop exuded an antique atmosphere with long hanging strings woven from five-colored threads.

The child leading the way patted the best chair.

“Here, please sit down.”

“Me?”

“Of course. Come on, hurry!”

Stella sat in the chair, dazed.

At the same time, Adrian, standing beside her, handed a few gold coins to the person who appeared to be the shop owner, gesturing for everyone except the child to leave.

Receiving the gold coins, the owner exchanged a silent look with the child and quickly scurried away.

“You have to take off your veil to get made up.”

“I…”

“It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone. I can keep a secret. Will you trust me?”

Stella looked at Adrian with a helpless smile.

He nodded, telling her to trust him and ease her mind.

The black veil slowly slid off her face.

Even under the dim lights of the shop, her beauty shone brilliantly.

Seeing this, the child covered their mouth with both hands and whispered in a voice only Stella could hear.

“Miss, you’re really beautiful.”

“I was already having a hard time because of that.”

When Adrian, who had been quiet, suddenly answered, the child’s eyes crinkled into crescents as they giggled.

“You’re in luck, Miss. Making people look plain is what I do best. How would you like it? Should I make you look like a tomboyish girl with lots of freckles? Or a slightly older, middle-aged noblewoman?”

“Just enough to look ordinary.”

“Ordinary?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, let’s do this.”

With a look of determination, the child rolled up their sleeves.

Though flustered at first, Stella soon entrusted herself to the child’s careful touch.

Working diligently, the child suddenly seemed stuck somewhere, tilting their head left and right in frustration.

The child, lost in deep thought, looked quite adorable.

“Is it not going as well as you hoped?”

Stella asked the child playfully.

“It’s not that, it’s just so hard to make you look ordinary. Do you want to see?”

The troubled child put down the brush they had been playing with and handed Stella a hand mirror.

Stella’s reflection in the mirror resembled a freckled, tomboyish girl.

But unfortunately, even freckles could not fully hide her beauty.

The child let out a sigh of disappointment.

“I don’t think I can do any more.”

“It is indeed difficult.”

“Right?”

“Give it to me.”

“Are you going to do it yourself?”

Adrian nodded.

Without hesitation, the child handed over the brush.

Startled, Stella asked the same question as the child.

“You aren’t seriously planning to do it yourself, are you?”

“Indeed. Will you allow me to actively help so you can walk the streets with peace of mind?”

Adrian lowered and raised the tip of the brush slightly, the corners of his mouth curving up smoothly.

Seeing his highly playful expression, she was left speechless.

“Alright. But we do it together.”

Stella picked up a brush as well.

Inside the shop, the laughter of a man and a woman mingled with the chattering of the child, echoing softly.

* * *

Meanwhile, amidst the bustling shopping district, a man sat alone.

With copper skin and long black hair braided into a single strand, he possessed the appearance of a foreigner rarely seen in the empire.

Perhaps because of this, simply watching him pore over a weekly tabloid with a fierce gaze made him seem unapproachable.

“Where on earth could she have hidden?”

“Do you think she might have already fled to another country?”

Balthazar tapped the tabloid and swept his eyes across the brightly lit shopping district.

Just as his subordinate, Paul, said, she might have fled to another country.

However, Balthazar’s gut told him otherwise.

He pointed ahead with his finger.

“No, she’s nearby.”

“How do you know?”

“My instincts are telling me so.”

Balthazar tapped the corner of his eye.

That so-called instinct of his had only been right once by pure chance, yet he had been boasting about it for years.

Paul gave up on talking to him and settled down on a large rock.

Then, he noticed a shop owner looking around warily.

“Boss, looks like something’s going on over there.”