Chapter 79
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79
He stepped down from the carriage, and Seo-ah followed. Abel waited for her to descend before closing the carriage door. After a brief word with the coachman, Abel turned back to her, his signature smile playing on his lips once more.
With the unfamiliar man gone, the strange sense of unease vanished with him.
"Shall we go, darling?"
Of course, that didn't mean she was comfortable with this side of him either.
"You promised not to call me that if I called you Abel."
"Ah, right, right. My mind went blank again."
"...Shouldn't you say 'I forgot' in a situation like this?"
"You don't even know how to say 'have a safe trip,' yet you seem to know all sorts of other things," Abel retorted with a broad grin.
He started toward the department store, and Seo-ah followed.
Eyes were drawn to them from all directions, and the more they stared, the straighter Seo-ah held her shoulders.
As they reached the plaza in front of the department store, her wrist began to throb. No visible mark remained where the mysterious man had grabbed her, but even without a physical trace, she could still vividly feel the brute force that had dragged her away.
Seo-ah massaged her wrist with her other hand.
If the person who had snatched her wrist and dragged her away back then was indeed him…
A sudden chill ran down her spine.
He had to be here.
Hiding somewhere, watching her.
Exhaling slowly, a firm resolve gleamed in Seo-ah's eyes.
Though she walked through a plaza whose scenery had changed since that day, her spirit was already treading the paths of the past. Countless people brushed past her, and amidst them, the unknown figure dragged her away—and she, hot on his heels.
He had vanished as if he were never there, but she knew they would meet again. And on that day, she would never let him go.
As her soul relived this fierce determination, she froze mid-step.
"Ugh… why…"
Her heart plummeted, an icy dread seizing it.
"That's what I'd like to ask."
A cold, angry voice.
Again… it was him again.
Even though it was only a memory and not reality, her heart seemed to stop whenever Oscar appeared.
Oscar, who had pulled her from her daze in an instant, had looked furious even then.
Why had he been there all alone that day?
Just as her mind, detached from her body, was lost in thought, a voice called out.
"Seo-ah."
Seo-ah.
To an Outsider whose name had long since vanished, hearing her name spoken in such a gentle voice was like a spell—even if it only served to remind her of her sins.
Snapping back to reality, Seo-ah turned her head toward the sound as if possessed.
Her clear, transparent eyes, still holding a trace of that fierce resolve, met Abel’s.
Abel had stopped walking, and Seo-ah had stopped with him.
The sunlight of the day after an autumn rain poured down on her.
Autumn sunlight was different from the blinding, sizzling heat of summer, different from the feeble breath of a sickly person in winter, and different from the dizzying haze of spring.
It was sunlight for those who, having bid farewell to brilliant days, were preparing for the end that would soon arrive.
Thus, autumn sunlight was more splendid than the scorching summer sun and more sorrowful than the sickly breath of winter.
Splendidly sorrowful and achingly detached.
And so was Seo-ah's face, bathed in that brilliant light.
As if their brief eye contact had meant nothing, she quickly turned her head away. Abel, who had been tracing the soft, flawless contour of her face and her forehead framed by wisps of stray hair, spoke softly.
"Shall we hold hands?"
For some reason, the smile that usually came so easily to him was hard to summon. Offering his hand to escort her felt just as difficult.
Abel clasped his hands behind his back. As Seo-ah lowered her head slightly, his own head tilted with hers.
He didn't even realize he was holding his breath.
Her neat eyebrows twitched.
"No."
With that single word, she left him behind and walked toward the department store alone.
Watching her retreating figure, a playful grin finally spread across Abel's face. Catching up to her in a few long strides, he spoke in a teasing tone.
"Look around. All the ladies and gentlemen are holding hands. Plenty of them are walking arm-in-arm, too. It's proper etiquette here, you know."
"There are plenty of people who aren't. Don't lie to me."
"Even if I'm lying, you could at least pretend to fall for it. Besides, you might not know this, but everyone else is dying to hold my hand."
"..."
"Darling?"
"..."
"Aw, are you mad?"
People passing through the plaza watched with intrigue as an incredibly handsome man—enough to make anyone's eyes widen—followed an exotic-looking woman.
"Oh my, look at that man."
"He's so handsome. And the woman next to him… she's unusual, but you can't help but look."
The curious glances followed them even after they entered the department store.
And among the countless eyes fixed on the pair were those of Sabine von Jerome.
"Oh?"
On the top floor of Vies Department Store, an exhibition for the painters she sponsored was scheduled to open today for a ten-day run. The exhibition was named ‘Sabine’ after her, and she had personally handpicked every piece on display.
Sabine had arrived early for the event.
The attention showered upon her was immense. She had inherited the looks of her mother, who was rumored to be the most beautiful woman in East Norfolk.
The purple halter-neck dress she wore today, paired with a gold shawl as thin and sheer as dragonfly wings, perfectly suited her luscious hair and figure. The cut of the dress made a necklace impractical. Instead, Sabine wore large, dangling diamond earrings, having deliberately swept her hair up to reveal her straight, slender neck.
As she walked gracefully, escorted by a young nobleman, Sabine suddenly withdrew her hand from his and moved to the railing.
"My lady, is something the matter?" the young man asked as he approached, but Sabine did not reply. Her eyes narrowed.
Out of the countless things around her, her gaze had locked onto something that uniquely caught her eye—something rare, intriguing, and somehow precious.
Her life was one of wealth, honor, and a single, hidden contradiction.
When everything surrounding you is priceless, the true mark of distinction comes down to one detail. Just one.
Something unique, rare, mysterious, and therefore precious.
That one detail served as the crowning touch.
It could be something to wear, a piece of art to contemplate, an animal like a horse or a dog, or sometimes, even a person.
Such a thing often served to conceal the sole contradiction in her life.
Today, too, that peculiar red ribbon was tied to the end of the woman's hair. A smile bloomed in Sabine's violet eyes as she watched it.
"I'll be away for a moment."
"Where are you going?"
"Don't ask. I'll be right back."
Sabine dismissed those who tried to follow and headed down the stairs. Even as she gathered her skirts and quickened her pace, her gaze remained fixed on the woman with the red ribbon and the man beside her.
They were coming up the stairs while Sabine was going down.
The pair stopped on a floor lined with women's boutiques. Sabine rounded the railing and followed behind them. Boutique owners who recognized her rushed out, but she gestured for them to stay back and remain quiet.
"Where are we going? Didn't we come to pick up the clothes we ordered last time?"
"That will take at least a week. Just follow me."
The conversation between the two reached Sabine's ears. The man's station was clearly higher than the woman's.
He guided the woman into a reputable boutique, and the two disappeared inside.
Sabine's smile deepened.
Holding her head high, she walked toward the boutique they had entered.
Tap, tap.
The elegant sound of her heels echoed softly against the walls of the luxurious department store.
"Welcome."
As Seo-ah followed Abel into the boutique, the staff approached with warm smiles. She had asked Abel where they were going, but the moment she stepped inside, she understood.
Unlike the solemnly decorated shops where they had bought Abel's clothes, this one was bright, airy, and charmingly decorated.
"Are you here to look at some clothes for the young lady?" a nearby clerk asked.
Seo-ah turned to Abel and whispered, "I don't need any clothes."
Abel, pretending not to hear, walked further into the shop.
"We're here to look at some clothes for winter."
He turned back to look at her standing frozen by the entrance and flashed a grin.
"How about a dress and a coat?"
"Abel, I..."
Seo-ah's words were cut short. The quick-witted staff had already begun bustling about, picking out clothes that might suit her.
"I think the clothes here will look good on you," Abel said, looking over a row of garments with pleated frills.
Seo-ah approached him and whispered with a flustered expression, "I didn't bring much money today."
"I brought some. The clothes you're wearing now are for autumn. Winter is coming soon. Though I suppose a bag is the most urgent priority."
Seo-ah truly could not understand the man in front of her.
"You're going to buy me clothes?"
Abel didn't answer. Instead, he pointed to one of the outfits the staff had brought over.
"That one is pretty. Why don't you try it on?"
But the response came from somewhere else.
"Don't try that one. Try this on instead."
Unlike the warm, friendly tones of the clerks, a soft yet undeniably imperious voice sounded from behind Seo-ah.