An Early Engagement - Chapter 16
“Oh my, she left her fiancé all alone here? What if someone tries to take him away?”
“Maybe that’s what they agreed on today?” Giggles followed.
“Honestly, those two were arranged since before they were even born. Does that even make sense?”
“Well, that’s just a promise between their parents, right? It’s not like the two of them agreed to it.”
“What’s the big deal about a fiancé? Even married women have their fun. Didn’t you hear? Baroness Cont’s lover changed again. I saw someone wearing a nightingale mask walk by earlier. Even with the mask, it was obvious who it was.”
“Really?”
The gossip went on and on, and Shirley’s mood grew worse by the minute.
*Why do they have to talk about others behind their backs like this? So tasteless.*
But she didn’t have the courage to confront them. Shirley quietly clutched the hem of her dress, waiting for them to leave the lounge. However, once the chatter started, it showed no signs of stopping. They busied themselves with fixing their makeup and adjusting their outfits.
“By the way, when is *he* supposed to arrive?”
Amy, who had been reapplying her lipstick while looking in the mirror, spoke up. Her voice was oddly excited.
“You mean the one from the Reichen Empire? The Emperor’s nephew?” Another voice chimed in, equally excited.
“I heard he’s quite handsome.”
“I wonder what kind of mask he’ll be wearing?”
“Reichen is so romantic, don’t you think? The pronunciation, though… If only it weren’t so hard to learn.” Amy grumbled. It was the only thing Shirley agreed with in Amy’s entire speech.
Shirley had once ambitiously tried to learn the language when Damian suggested they travel to Reichen together, but she quickly regretted it. The pronunciation was excessively difficult.
It felt like her entire voice had to change just to pronounce things correctly. While grammar, reading, listening, and writing were manageable, speaking was a whole different challenge.
Despite managing to get a handle on grammar, reading, listening, and writing, speaking the language felt like trying to move her mouth through glue—it just wouldn’t come out right.
Even with Melissa’s help, it was still a struggle.
“Is he definitely attending tonight?”
“Absolutely. My sources are reliable.”
Amy pulled out a compact and began patting her face quickly.
“Oh my, someone’s eager to make a good impression.”
“Aren’t you?” Amy snorted, clearly unimpressed.
“Do you think Shirley knows about him?”
“Shirley already has a fiancé. Other men probably don’t even register to her.” The friends burst into laughter, and Shirley’s mood soured even further.
She had heard countless times that Damian was the most desirable groom in society. And for the most part, she agreed.
But was it really that simple?
To spend a lifetime with someone who had been chosen as her partner before they even saw each other as individuals.
“You could always take a lover after marriage.”
At someone’s comment, Shirley shook her head. She didn’t want that. Spending her life loving one person was the perfect ideal she had always dreamed of.
But what about Damian?
“Can we really become husband and wife?”
She had no way of knowing if Damian felt the same way.
The last time she had asked him by the pond, Damian had looked like a frog struck by a stone. And she had been the one to throw that stone.
It was her, not him.
Even though she was acting as if nothing had happened, there was no way to completely erase what she had done without turning back time.
“With Damian by her side, how could any other man catch her eye?”
“Well, they’ve known each other since they were kids. Don’t you think they might be bored of each other by now?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“That’s probably why they’re wandering around separately even here.”
Struck by the accuracy of their words, Shirley had to press a hand to her chest, afraid they might hear her pounding heart.
“I used to envy them when we were younger, but not anymore,” Amy said, adjusting her corset with a dramatic tug.
“Being tied to someone since childhood? How boring. Do they even see each other as a man and a woman anymore?” The group erupted into laughter at the snide remark.
“If I were Shirley, I’d at least flirt with someone else. What a waste, being stuck with just one man for the rest of her life.”
“Careful, someone might hear you.”
The conversation grew bolder, and the sound of someone slapping an arm in warning followed. But the giggles and laughter didn’t die down easily.
“……”
Shirley had heard rumors about *him* before. He was said to be a handsome man from the Reichen Empire, with a charm that could captivate any woman’s heart in an instant.
And as the Emperor’s nephew, it was only natural that women would be drawn to him. Of course, it had nothing to do with Shirley, who was already engaged.
After Amy and her friends finished their primping and left the lounge, Shirley cautiously rose from the sofa where she had been hiding.
Just the fact that she had been hiding, as if she had done something terribly wrong, left her pride deeply wounded.
It was better to leave early today. Listening to people talk about her like that made her feel sick.
The comment that having a fiancé made parties like this no fun at all was, unfortunately, true. She had no choice but to accept it.
She needed to find Damian. And then leave. If she said she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go home, Damian would surely agree.
Shirley put on her mask and stepped out of the lounge. By now, the hall was even more crowded, and the noise of music and chatter was deafening.
The dazzling masks and colorful costumes made her eyes swim.
Finding her fiancé in a hall full of masked people was proving to be an impossible task.
“Where on earth is he?”
Clutching her dress, Shirley pushed through the crowd.
“My, it’s Psyche. Care to dance?” Someone reeking of alcohol reached out to her.
“Let go!”
Shirley recoiled and slapped the hand away. The man, with a protruding belly, clicked his tongue at her rejection and backed off.
After that, Shirley had to fend off dance requests from men wearing all sorts of masks. The thought that this was happening because Damian wasn’t by her side made her anger toward him flare up.
“Where did he go?”
No matter how much she looked, there was no sign of Damian.
With his Eros wings, Damian’s striking looks should have made him easy to spot. The fact that she couldn’t find him anywhere made her wonder if he had even stayed.
Shirley’s eyes were starting to hurt from searching. The room was unbearably hot, and her throat was dry.
The constant laughter, the lively music, and the people dancing along with it, pressed against the walls—what was so fun about all this?
