Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 166
As Nigel disappeared, Christian, who had been covering his face with both hands, slowly lifted his head at those words. Caroline, who hadn’t understood why Christian had been so tense due to Nigel’s visit, fidgeted beside him, furrowing her brow.
“Dally…? What does Viscount Lope mean by that?”
“Haah…”
Christian let out a sigh that was a mix of relief and resignation before turning to Caroline.
Now that his disciplinarian, Nigel, was at the party, he couldn’t roam around the hall as freely as before. If luck wasn’t on his side, he might actually have to duel him.
‘That bastard just went upstairs, didn’t he?’
To go looking for the woman who had vanished like smoke and head to the second floor now would be like walking straight into the lion’s den.
‘Cecilia Lasphilla is off-limits now.’
He wiped the most beautiful woman at the party from his mind, knowing she was out of reach thanks to his superior’s arrival.
However, if you attended a party, you were supposed to leave with something in hand.
Fortunately, there was another pretty woman sitting right next to him.
“Caroline.”
He placed his hand over Caroline’s on the back of her hand and spoke.
“My grandfather’s words… What he meant was that I’ve been searching desperately.”
“Huh? For what…?”
He gently stroked the back of Caroline’s hand, giving her a tender look.
“For the woman of my destiny.”
“…”
“And I’ve finally found her.”
Caroline’s mouth opened in surprise at the sudden change in his tone.
Though she was a young lady from a provincial noble household, she wasn’t entirely naive.
Christian Pierce had a reputation as a playboy.
The series of events had made that much clear to her. So she knew that rejecting him was probably the safest choice for her overall well-being.
But… what had playing it safe ever gotten her?
She had always been the dutiful and modest eldest daughter of the Lasphilla family. A perfect young lady who had never once disappointed her father.
And yet, what had she gained in return? Nothing but breakups and losses. Born into wealth and power, she had lost her mother, lost her place as the lady of the house, lost her fiancé, and now she was on the verge of being pushed to the fringes of society.
‘Because of that woman, Cecilia.’
Caroline bit the soft flesh inside her lip.
Safety. What had it ever given her? The very idea of living cautiously, as if crossing a stone bridge, suddenly felt meaningless.
‘It doesn’t matter if this man is a playboy. In the end, as long as I’m his final destination, that’s all that matters, right?’
This man was a more fitting match for her than someone like Cecilia. The only son of a Duke, and she, the eldest daughter of a Co’s family—there was nothing lacking in their match.
‘No matter what, I won’t let Cecilia have him. This man fell for me first!’
She was still young, still beautiful, still charming, and even kind. Surely, she could win him over. Perhaps she could even be the first woman to teach him the meaning of true love.
The first and last woman.
The only woman he ever truly loved among the many that had passed through his life, Caroline Lasphilla.
…It had a nice ring to it.
As Caroline considered him as the partner for her first adventure, Christian squeezed her hand tightly, urging her.
Caroline looked into his eyes. He was a beautiful man. This gesture could be the first chance to make such a beautiful man fall in love with her.
She lightly squeezed his hand in return. She could feel the attention that had momentarily been on Nigel now turning back to them. The thrilling excitement she had felt upon entering the party washed over her again.
Caroline answered.
“Yes. I believe you.”
Whether you’re a playboy or not.
“Chris, today was our destined meeting.”
Because I will eventually become the Duchess.
The two of them stood together in the hall, hand in hand. The dance that had stopped because of the commotion resumed.
* * *
Nigel, with eyes sharp as a beast’s even in the dark, scanned the hallway.
Cecilia was nowhere to be seen.
But there was no way his eyes had deceived him. Unless she had jumped out of a window, she had to be on the second floor.
‘Ten rooms in total, including guest rooms and sitting rooms.’
Without hesitation, he knocked on the door of the first guest room. A woman’s startled scream answered him. It wasn’t Cecilia.
Next, and then the next. He checked each empty room, listening for any sound within the silence. Finally, he reached the end of the hallway.
One side of the wall was blocked by a decorative cabinet. On the opposite side was a library.
“…”
Nigel stopped knocking. With a sense of certainty, he grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
The warm yellow light inside made his eyes glow even brighter. His pupils contracted instinctively, but he stubbornly kept his eyes open.
He raised an eyebrow as he spotted the woman sitting on the sofa by the candlelit desk.
“Well, I’ve been looking for you for quite a while.”
Facing Cecilia as she abruptly stood up, he flashed a menacing smile.
“It’s rude to summon someone and then disappear. Don’t you think so, half-breed?”
The door closed behind him.
The click of the lock echoed ominously, much like it had in the room at the Coffret Manor that one day.
