Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 159
‘Ah, I feel dizzy.’
The abdominal pain reached her head, giving her a headache.
Cecilia, pretending to be fine, grabbed the table and stood up.
“Sorry, I didn’t know there was someone here.”
She needed to find another room. There would surely be other places to rest…
Just as she turned halfway towards the door,
“Where are you going?”
The short question stopped Cecilia in her tracks.
“Weren’t you here to read?”
“…”
Cecilia glared at Ulysses. His eyes were crystal clear, and his voice was cheerful.
There was no hint of any ulterior motive, and since the initial contact, he had kept a certain distance.
However, Ulysses’s intentions were irrelevant to his actions.
This was not the Lasphilla County’s residence but the Pierce Duchy’s, and he was no longer her sister’s fiancé but just another man.
Spending time alone with an unmarried man in a secluded space during a ball was dangerous for a young lady’s reputation.
Cecilia did not want to ruin the carefully built reputation through a foolish act. And more than anything, she did not want to be with Ulysses.
“No, I just came to rest.”
“Then rest.”
His nonchalant response made her suddenly angry.
“Sorry, but I’m a lady.”
No further explanation was necessary. Cecilia strode towards the door.
But she reached her limit.
“Ugh…”
She felt nauseous.
“What’s wrong?”
Ulysses approached her, inspecting her closely.
“It’s nothing… ugh…”
Gasping for breath, she clutched her stomach. Her vision blurred, and her eyes spun.
“It’s not nothing.”
“…Move.”
Staggering, she pushed Ulysses away. But she didn’t get far before collapsing weakly.
“…!”
She didn’t feel the impact of the floor.
Something large and strong was holding her body firmly. Her vision shook quickly as her eyes closed.
“Damn it.”
She heard a small click of his tongue.
He pushed the half-open door closed and lifted Cecilia in his arms.
* * *
It seemed she had passed out briefly. Cecilia rubbed her tear-streaked eyes and sat up.
The soft surface beneath her suggested she was on a sofa.
Lying down seemed to have lightened her body a bit.
‘…This is insane!’
She didn’t just feel lighter; she was indeed lighter. Wearing only a negligee, she was almost half-naked.
The corset that had been tightly wrapped around her waist was gone, as were the pannier, gloves, and shoes.
As she lay there, stiff with shock.
“Awake?”
The voice of the rude benefactor reached her.
“You…!”
“No need to thank me.”
Thank him? For what?
Cecilia instinctively covered her chest and asked,
“What did you do?!”
“I took care of it.”
“…?”
“I thought of calling a doctor, but considering what today means for you, I figured you wouldn’t want a fuss.”
“So?”
“So I handled it myself.”
“…You quack.”
“Three years of medical training at the academy doesn’t make me a quack…”
If she had to pick the most absurd moment since surviving death, it was now.
“Why am I undressed like this?”
“You were about to suffocate. I couldn’t leave you in those clothes.”
“…”
It made too much sense, which only made her angrier. If she had to pick the moment she lost an argument the fastest since surviving death, it was now.
“Don’t worry. I didn’t see anything.”
“Is that important right now?”
“The door’s locked too.”
“…That’s even more dangerous.”
A young man and woman alone in a locked room on the second floor… One of them half-naked.
“Shall I open it back up?”
“No!”
Reopening the locked door was twice as risky.
“You’re quite fearless.”
Cecilia scoffed.
“What if I use this as a pretext to demand marriage?”
“Marriage?”
His light laughter scattered in the air. Once it subsided, he asked,
“Would you?”
“…”
Insane. Cecilia thought he was completely out of his mind.
“Unless you want to be haunted by scandal for the rest of your life, don’t even dream of it.”
Cecilia clutched the remaining scraps of her clothes to her chest.
