Secret Love Affair between a Former Saint and a Dark Hero - Chapter 29
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- Secret Love Affair between a Former Saint and a Dark Hero
- Chapter 29 - I Would Rather He Be Like Everyone Else
“…”
The eyes that stared quietly were an incredibly vivid shade of purple. How many people had truly looked into those eyes of hers? Jane was momentarily surprised by the innocent and beautiful hue of her eyes, but then she cleared her throat and fired back.
“Even if Lady Arcanda is kind and calls you a friend, shouldn’t you have a bit of awareness and consideration to not intrude? What kind of petty act is it to wedge yourself between lovers who have just begun their relationship?”
“Are you saying I’m being petty right now?”
“Yes! Of course. Someone as great as the Crown Prince should be accompanied by someone dazzling, beautiful, clever, and noble like Lady Arcanda. Not someone as plain and ugly as you!”
Jane felt a strange emotion. She had only spat out vile and harsh words that shot up to her throat, yet strangely, her heart twinged. Looking into those quivering purple eyes intensified the feeling. It was as if she was bullying a child who didn’t know any better.
“Hmph! Remember this!”
With a vigorous shake of her head, Jane slammed the door with a loud thud and hurried away.
How dare she speak such words to a high-ranking noblewoman. With her chest pounding heavily, Jane dashed off. Now, even if Arcanda were to call for her, she wouldn’t dare to show her face here again.
* * *
Quietly brushing through her flowing golden hair, the girl smiled brightly. Her neat white teeth and cherry blossom pink lips were truly charming. Very appealing indeed. She ran her fingers across her smooth skin, laughing with a melodious tone.
“But it’s quite strange, isn’t it?”
With a clink, she set the comb on the dressing table.
“Why are you not what I expected?”
The fact that her shining hair was as beautiful as hers bothered her deeply. The unexpected response when she spoke to here was equally unsettling.
She had become a common ornament to them, looking more needy, more tacky, and therefore more precious. However, she needed to be meaner, more vicious, more detestable.
“That’s how it should be.”
Arcanda, the lovely heroine from the novel, whispered with a glossy smile.
“I’ll help you become like that, Iora. So that you can be faithful to your role.”
* * *
She staggered. The harsh words of that little maid still echoed in her ears. Was Arcanda actually suppressing her anger at Iora?
But she didn’t want to involve herself in their conversation. She had no such intention. Swallowing the words she wanted to spew out, Iora swallowed hard. It was the first time anyone had ever insulted her in public, even if it was less vicious than what her family had ever said.
‘Was I really that pathetic?’
It was so cold. Shaking her shoulders, she spotted the garden beyond the pillars in the hallway.
Yes, I’ll feel better in the sun.
Muttering absentmindedly, she was about to slip through the gap in the pillar when suddenly, swoosh! Something cold splashed on Iora.
“Ugh, what is this?”
The water that splattered down was murky. It smelled foul. Grimacing and trying to comprehend what had happened to her, Iora saw the maids screaming and shouting from the window sill on the second floor. Looking up, she recognized a familiar face. She had seen her among the group of maids praising Arcanda. Even though their eyes met directly, they giggled and shouted, “Sorry!” in playful voices before disappearing.
“Huh?”
Iora stood still for a while, too astonished. Her expensive dress was soaked in dirty water, and her hair was drenched. Following her mother’s command to wear heavy makeup, it was hard to imagine what her face looked like now. Feeling miserable, her nose tingled. Her father’s slaps were much worse than a little mop water, but this was a different kind of sorrow. It felt as though she had become rotten water herself.
That’s when she heard a voice from behind her.
“…My Lady?”
For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Iora was terrified to look up to see if the voice she heard was the one she remembered. Her hands and feet were cold with tension, and her dress seemed to weigh her down like a mountain.
“My Lady, what is this?” But the voice was his, the Crown Prince Ovid.
“Gasp.”
Feeling too flustered, Iora didn’t even turn her head, wanting desperately to flee. She couldn’t think of a single noble courtesy to offer the glorious little sun. It would have been less embarrassing and disgraceful to be caught talking to him than to be witnessed in her current state.
“Lady Ribandt!”
However, her body wouldn’t even respond. As she attempted to move, she felt a dizzying vertigo. Her vision blurred, and her legs buckled. It felt like she might collapse right onto the blackened water pooled beneath her feet.
In the blink of an eye, just as she tightly shut her eyes, a large hand gripped Iora’s elbow and shoulder firmly, preventing her from falling.
“What on earth is going on here?”