An Early Engagement - Chapter 40
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Thud.
Another innocent rose was crushed under Shirley’s hand.
Beneath Shirley’s feet, scattered petals had already piled up in heaps.
“Ouch.”
While grabbing the flower, she was pricked by a thorn, leaving a scratch and a trail of blood, but she didn’t care and reached for the next flower. The bright red petals fluttered down to the ground under Shirley’s hand, spreading like bloodstains.
The summer roses were suffering harshly, having caught Shirley’s eye by mistake after she went out for a casual walk after breakfast.
Even after a while, her anger hadn’t subsided.
Damian had gone to the capital.
Without a single word to me.
There were two unchanging facts. And these two things had never happened before.
Damian had always told her everything. Where he would be, where he was going, and what he would do.
Even if Shirley didn’t ask, he would always tell her everything first.
“Damian must have forgotten, Shirley.”
Her mother’s words echoed in her ears. It was said in a tone that suggested it was nothing serious. The Duchess of Elpart’s reaction was the same.
Since the trip to the capital was decided so hastily, they concluded that Damian likely didn’t have the chance to tell Shirley.
It was such a trivial matter that it was mentioned even less than the spices used on the meat served this morning.
At the dining table, the only one who seemed to care about it was Shirley. Damian had never done this to her before.
He had never gone anywhere or done anything without telling her. If she were to bring it up, she would likely receive strange looks from both mothers.
She was no longer a little girl. She had now become a proper lady, having even celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony. She was of an age where she could formally have a wedding.
But the resentment she couldn’t express to anyone kept piling up inside her, leading her to sacrifice innocent flowers.
“……”
Shirley swept away the petals that had fallen beneath her feet with her foot.
The crushed petals looked so much like blood that it made her feel uneasy.
Realizing how childish her tantrum had been, her mood sank even further. She was about to cover the crumpled petals with soil when—
“Terban!”
A sharp voice called out from somewhere.
“Melissa?”
Shirley immediately recognized the owner of the voice. Come to think of it, Melissa was long overdue to arrive. She had been so absorbed in her walk that she hadn’t noticed her friend’s arrival.
Shirley brushed the dirt off her hands and stood up from her crouched position. Then, she saw a scene she had never witnessed before.
“…”
Melissa and Terban were standing face to face.
For some reason, Melissa looked like she was about to cry, while Terban, as always, wore his usual calm and indifferent expression.
It was almost the first time Shirley had seen such an expression on Melissa.
No matter how much she tried to recall, she had never seen Melissa with a face that looked like it would crumble at the slightest touch.
But what on earth could have happened? No, actually, this was the first time she had ever seen the two of them standing face to face with such contrasting expressions.
They seemed to be having some kind of conversation, but perhaps because of the distance, she could barely hear anything. The only thing she could tell was that Melissa seemed emotionally agitated.
For some reason, it felt like she had witnessed a scene she wasn’t supposed to see, so Shirley quickly hid herself behind the rose bushes.
“Ouch.”
She hastily covered her mouth to stifle the cry that escaped when a rose thorn pricked her.
Did they notice?
Her heart pounding, she cautiously peeked in their direction.
Suddenly, Terban turned sharply, causing Shirley to nearly collapse on the spot. She thought she had been caught and would be dragged out, but Terban simply turned in the opposite direction and left.
Melissa, now alone, quietly wiped her eyes. Shirley could even see the tears falling, drop by drop.
Should she go over and comfort her? Shirley took a step forward but then stopped. It didn’t seem like a good idea.
Melissa had a lot of pride, and she probably wouldn’t appreciate showing such a vulnerable side to her friend.
Usually, Shirley was the one who cried, and Melissa was the one who scolded or comforted her.
Realizing that trying to console her might only hurt Melissa more, Shirley changed her mind.
Fortunately, Melissa soon stopped crying, wiped her tears, and left the spot. Watching this, Shirley unconsciously let out a long sigh of relief.
“What on earth happened?”
For a moment, she was so bewildered that she even forgot about the turmoil Damian had caused.
Could there be some kind of problem between the two, who had always seemed like the perfect, mature couple? Shirley felt uneasy for no reason and absentmindedly rubbed the spot on her arm where the rose thorn had pricked her.
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