An Early Engagement - Chapter 44
“That can’t be.”
Absolutely, it couldn’t be. Even if he hadn’t visited the ducal residence since the vacation, she believed he wouldn’t ignore her birthday when he knew it so well. No, even before that.
Resentment toward Damian, who had driven her to think this way, rose to her throat.
“Perhaps sending someone to invite him would be a good idea?”
As Sophie’s words came to mind, Shirley began pacing restlessly around the room.
Yes, he could be busy. Damian was in the middle of his heir training, so of course he was busy. Even Terban often went to Raychen in place of his father, the Duke of Lafez.
She had long known, from watching Terban, that the lives of heirs destined to inherit their families were never idle.
That’s why his meetings with Melissa were infrequent.
So, the fact that Damian had been stuck to her side like chocolate on almonds all this time was actually quite miraculous.
It was something she could understand.
Shirley closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Getting angry would only make her lose more weight, as the dressmaker had said.
After calming herself down, Shirley went to her desk and sat down. She took out a piece of paper and dipped her quill in ink.
“……”
But she was stuck right from the first sentence.
What should she write?
“To my dear Damian?”
Just the thought of it made her cringe, and Shirley shook her head vigorously.
“To my beloved friend, Damian?”
This sounded like she hadn’t seen him in years.
“To my fiancé, Damian.”
This seemed somewhat normal and formal, so Shirley reluctantly moved on to the next sentence. But then she got stuck again.
<Hello? It’s been quite some time since we spent the summer together. I hope you’ve been well…>
“Ugh! Argh!”
Shirley slammed her fist on the desk, letting out a frustrated scream. All it did was hurt her hand.
This felt like a woman desperately clinging to a man who had rejected her.
It wasn’t uncommon for letters written after being dumped to be copied and spread throughout high society, becoming the subject of gossip and ridicule.
And what she was doing now was no different.
“Sigh…”
While she hesitated, the ink on the paper began to spread into a dark stain. Even as she watched it, there was nothing she could do.
The truth was, there was only one thing she wanted to ask.
“Damian, have you forgotten me?”
*Plop.*
A teardrop fell onto the blackened ink, causing the stain to spread even further.
***
The birthday party for Shirley, the only daughter of the Lafez Ducal House, began as splendidly as ever this year.
The children of the most prominent families in the capital had been invited, and the ducal residence was decorated with all kinds of flowers.
Looking at those flowers, Shirley couldn’t help but feel depressed, as they reminded her of the birthday gift Damian had given her early at the villa during the summer.
Because Damian still hadn’t shown up.
Despite receiving countless congratulations and piles of gifts, she felt no joy.
The one face she wanted to see most, the one person she needed to see, was missing.
“Dear? Shirley. Why are you sitting there with such a gloomy face on your birthday?” The Duchess of Lafez, busy welcoming the flood of guests, looked at her daughter with worried eyes, noticing how lifeless she seemed, like a flower without roots.
“It’s just… maybe the corset is too tight.”
“Oh, is that it? No wonder. It must be cutting off your circulation. Go and have it loosened.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s an important day, so I need to look pretty.”
Shirley replied in a dull tone. Her attention was solely focused on her fiancé.
When will he come? He’s supposed to be the fiancé of today’s birthday girl. He must have received my invitation. Shirley kept fidgeting with her dress, smoothing it out repeatedly.
“Oh, Damian. You’re here?”
In an instant, Shirley’s head shot up. And there he was—Damian, standing before her.
Damian, dressed more handsomely than ever, my Damian.
“……”
“Happy birthday, Shirley.”
In his hands were a bouquet of flowers and a gift box.
“…..Thank you.”
Shirley had to try her hardest not to show how much she had been waiting for him.
This is the first time we’ve seen each other since the summer vacation. Why did it take you so long to come? No matter how busy you were…
The questions she wanted to ask felt like they would spill out the moment she opened her mouth, so Shirley bit her lip hard. It wouldn’t be appropriate to ask such things here… right?
“You’ll hurt your lips like that.”
Damian gently smoothed out her bitten lips with his thumb.
*Thump.*
Shirley’s breath hitched at the sudden closeness.
“Now that the partner of the birthday girl has arrived, it’s time to dance, isn’t it?”
The Duchess of Lafez clapped her hands together with a *clap*.
When Damian extended his hand, Shirley placed hers on top of it.
Damian’s manners were impeccable as he escorted Shirley to the dance floor. They looked like the empire’s most admired couple, just as everyone always said.
Moreover, the way Damian looked at her hadn’t changed at all—neither in the past nor now.
As they danced to the gentle melody, Shirley met his warm gaze and smiled brightly.
Everything was perfect.
A handsome, affectionate fiancé and a birthday filled with everyone’s congratulations. Shirley couldn’t have been more satisfied.
It wasn’t until after a few dances that Shirley finally got some alone time with Damian.
To cool off from the heat of dancing, the two headed to the garden with the fountain.
Shirley finally brought up the question that had been on her mind all along.
“Why… did you leave without saying anything?”
“Huh?”
He looked completely clueless about what she was talking about. His reaction made Shirley’s mood plummet.
“At the villa, the day after… you left for the capital without a word to me.”
“Ah.”
