Violet Zerotta's Hasty Marriage - Chapter 40
“Countess Lambert is likely in the ladies’ resting room.”
“Oh, there’s such a place?”
“Yes. It’s a space where noble ladies can rest their feet during long balls.”
“I had no idea. If she’s been there all along, it’s no wonder I couldn’t find her.”
“Did you say you’ve just come up from the provinces? Might I ask what brings you to the capital… and which family’s young lady you are? To think I’ve never been introduced to someone so beautiful until now. It’s truly a tragedy.”
Violet brushed off his flattering words and answered straightforwardly.
“I’m—”
“Yes?”
“I’m Aldrick Winter’s wife. He hasn’t been titled yet, but in today’s conferment—”
Just as Violet began to speak, a crowd passed between them. Her voice was drowned out, and she couldn’t be sure whether he had heard her properly. But since he was still smiling gently, she assumed her words had been understood.
“Oh goodness, it seems I’ve led you the wrong way, my lady. It appears the resting room isn’t in the west wing but the east.”
“It’s fine. We can just go back.”
“Would you mind stopping briefly somewhere else before we head there?”
“Of course. That’s fine.”
Violet didn’t doubt the kind man in the slightest. She never imagined someone would try anything untoward in such a crowded place.
So even when he led her near a secluded terrace, Violet assumed she was simply being overly cautious.
But the gentleman, who had promised to take her to the resting room, kept leading her the wrong way, and in the end, Violet never found Countess Lambert.
“I’m sorry, Your Ladyship. I wasn’t able to help you.”
“It’s alright. It’s not as if you did anything wrong.”
Though she was a bit irritated, Violet tried to remain polite until the end.
The man smiled apologetically.
“Meeting you today has been such a fortune. I feel terrible for having inconvenienced you—I’d like to properly apologize. Would you grant me the honor of joining me on the terrace?”
Violet had no idea what kind of space a terrace was, or why going there together would be considered such an ‘honor’ or ‘fortune’.
Still, a sense of instinctive discomfort made her resist slightly as he tried to guide her into the darkened area.
“Your Ladyship?”
“I’m sorry, but I’d rather not go somewhere so dark. I’ll stay here in the ballroom.”
“There’s nothing in there, truly. I just wanted to show you the garden while we got a bit of fresh air—”
“Violet.”
Just as she was starting to grow genuinely angry at the man’s insistence, a familiar voice called out, and Violet quickly turned her head.
This time, it was unmistakably Aldrick. Flooded with relief and joy, Violet immediately shook off the man’s hand and ran to him.
“Who are you?”
Aldrick pulled Violet into his arms and asked coolly.
“How rude. I am a Viscount. And who might you be to demand my identity?”
“I am Sir Aldrick Winter. Trying to lead a married lady out to the terrace—your intentions are highly suspicious. Are you looking for a duel?”
Aldrick wore an expression Violet had never seen before. She hadn’t known that he carried such commanding force. His voice alone exuded a pressure that overwhelmed his opponent.
Realizing Aldrick was clearly a skilled knight, the Viscount raised the white flag.
“I didn’t know she had a husband. I assumed she was the daughter of some rural noble family… Well, in any case, my apologies.”
Realizing he couldn’t win in rank or strength, the man who had introduced himself as a Viscount quickly fled the scene.
Violet was left somewhat dumbfounded. She didn’t even fully understand what she had nearly gotten herself into, but it was clear that she had narrowly avoided something deeply unpleasant and uncomfortable.
“Aldrick…”
Without thinking, she called his name and leaned into his still-stiff arm as she slipped hers through it. Aldrick looked down at her.
He looked like someone who was both angry and had a great deal he wanted to say. His brows were furrowed so tightly that if they weren’t in the middle of a ball, Violet would have wanted to press her finger between them to smooth them out.
“Dear.”
“…I couldn’t see you anywhere. I searched for quite a while.”
“I couldn’t find Countess Lambert… That man offered to help, but then he suddenly said we’d gone the wrong way and tried to take me to the terrace—”
“Do you not know what such a suggestion implies at a noble’s ball?”
His tone was so stern that Violet’s heart shrank a little.
“Have you forgotten where I’m from? I was born in the countryside. I’ve never even properly been to a village festival, let alone a noble’s ball.”
Snapping back in a slightly irritated voice, Violet saw Aldrick let out a deep sigh.
“In that case, I’ll make sure you learn properly today.”
Then Aldrick took her hand and led her into a darkened area.
In an instant, the two of them slipped into a hidden space just beyond the ballroom.
“This is what that suggestion means. In the ‘city of love’, when a man and woman go together to the terrace, it’s implicitly understood that they’re consenting to… everything.”
As he shut the heavy glass door and drew the curtain, the space became separated from the ballroom like an isolated chamber. The sounds of the hall faded into the background like a distant dream.
