Chapter 80
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80
“I think this would look good on you.”
A voice chuckled as someone suddenly appeared in front of Seo-ah.
Seo-ah, who kept her eyes lowered out of habit, glanced up at the speaker. It was immediately clear this was no employee.
A heavy scent of flowers and powder drifted from the woman who had approached so suddenly. She had swept-up blonde hair, a slender face, a beauty mark just beneath the outer corner of her right eye, and striking, unique violet eyes.
She was, in a word, dazzling.
“I have quite an eye for these things, you know. Go try this on.”
The stunningly beautiful woman spoke with a hint of amusement, handing the clothes she held to a nearby clerk. She then claimed the long couch as if she owned the place, sitting down and gesturing with her eyes toward Seo-ah, who stood frozen in bewilderment.
“What are you doing? Just trust me and try it on.”
Just then, Abel, who had been observing the woman’s sudden appearance, stepped forward with his signature gentle smile.
“My lady, we appreciate your kindness, but…”
“Oh, now that I think about it, I haven’t introduced myself.”
Cutting Abel off smoothly, the woman smiled like a flower in full bloom. She addressed Seo-ah, completely ignoring him.
“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Sabine von Jerome.”
Seo-ah’s gaze shifted from the smiling woman on the couch to Abel, who now stood rigid. Even in profile, she could see his expression stiffen slightly. A moment later, as if nothing had happened, he flashed a bright smile and spoke in a polite tone.
“Greetings, Lady Jerome. It seems you’ve come to look at clothes, so please, be our guest. We’ll look around elsewhere in the meantime.”
Only then did Sabine look at him. Abel offered her a polite, social smile before turning back to Seo-ah. Just as Seo-ah was about to follow his lead and leave, Sabine spoke.
“No need,” she said, rising to her feet with a laugh. “I didn’t come to buy clothes today. Besides, I don’t buy my clothes here.”
Then why on earth is she here, telling a complete stranger what to wear…?
The question forming in Seo-ah’s mind was cut short. Sabine approached her and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
“Actually, I came looking for you. I happened to spot you earlier.”
Her directness was as baffling as her sudden appearance. Seo-ah raised her eyes, finally looking the woman straight in the face.
“You came looking for me?”
A strange gleam flickered in Sabine’s eyes.
Seen head-on, the woman’s face exuded a peculiar aura. Her neat features weren’t flashy, yet they provoked a sense of curiosity—a mysterious quality that made one feel that, the moment they looked away, they would struggle to grasp her fading, blurry afterimage.
It was the same feeling one got when trying to choose a single masterpiece from a gallery of countless works of art.
Some called it having an eye; others called it habitus.
Sabine had been feeling uneasy, as if something were missing from her otherwise perfectly arranged exhibition. That nagging discomfort—like a puzzle with a single missing piece—vanished the moment she saw this woman’s face.
“On the day of the festival. I saw you then, too. It’s not every day you run into someone twice like this. How fascinating.”
Sabine smiled, her gaze shifting between the man and woman before her.
At first, she had wondered if they were a nobleman and his lover. The man’s clothes were clearly expensive, and the woman’s attire was decent enough. But watching them up close, she decided that wasn’t the case.
The man hadn’t even introduced himself after she’d given her full name. The woman was obviously just tagging along with him. Neither seemed offended when she spoke down to them, nor did they show any displeasure at her casual address. They weren’t journalists—they had no camera—and the bag the woman carried was incredibly crude. In other words, this foreign woman was someone she could push around as she pleased.
“My exhibition is being held on the top floor of this department store today.”
All the prominent nobles of Vies would be there. They would smile warmly and shower her exhibition with praise, but Sabine knew what they whispered behind her back.
‘To think a daughter with a different name than her mother is the Queen?’
‘The world is changing. In our day, no matter how good your bloodline was, a bastard was still a bastard. They were married off to humble families.’
The nobles of Vies were all incredibly wealthy. Fine jewels, dresses, and villas were things they all possessed or could easily buy. To erase the stain of being a bastard, she needed something that set her apart. Since money couldn’t differentiate her, she needed something that couldn’t be bought, no matter how rich one was.
The reason Sabine searched so frantically for works of art was to prove that she was different.
In an instant, she envisioned the exhibition hall and exactly where the woman before her belonged.
“I’d like to invite you to my exhibition. Today is a special event, so only invited guests can—”
Her words were cut short as the man suddenly stepped in front of the woman. Half-shielding her, he began to speak.
“I am sorry, Lady—”
Slap!
In a flash, Sabine slapped Abel across the cheek.
Seo-ah was left speechless. Her gaze, which usually lingered on the floor, widened in shock as she stared at the two of them.
Yet, neither Sabine nor Abel showed any change in expression. Since both the one who slapped and the one who was slapped remained perfectly unfazed, Seo-ah almost wondered if she had hallucinated the entire thing.
“You startled me,” Sabine said softly, breaking the bizarre silence.
Abel merely smiled.
“It’s rude to interrupt when someone is speaking.”
Stepping around Abel, Sabine approached Seo-ah again. “Do drop by. It’s not that difficult, is it? In fact, isn’t this a good opportunity for you?”
But before Seo-ah could answer, Abel blocked her path once more.
“My apologies, Lady Jerome. We are quite busy today. While we appreciate the offer, I’m afraid we don’t have time to visit the exhibition.”
“By the way, you. What is your name?”
“…”
“Really. I shared my name, so why aren’t you sharing yours?”
“…Aaron. My name is Aaron.”
Sabine laughed. “I see, Aaron. But I wasn’t asking you.”
Her bright smile vanished instantly.
“Why do you keep answering for her?”
Glaring at Abel with overbearing eyes, Sabine took another step toward Seo-ah. When Abel blocked her path yet again, she didn’t hesitate to swing her hand.
Slap!
A cold, sharp blow struck the handsome man’s cheek once more. Yet, Abel remained completely still. His head didn’t turn. He didn’t even blink.
Only Seo-ah let out a sharp gasp.
Adjusting her disheveled shawl, Sabine commanded coldly, “Move.”
“…”
Despite having been slapped twice, Abel did not budge. Angered by his defiance, Sabine raised her hand to strike him again.
At that moment, the woman who had been standing quietly beside them took a hurried step forward, placing herself in front of the motionless man.
“!”
Both Abel and Sabine, who had been about to punish his insolence, turned their gazes toward her.
Abel’s brow, which had remained expressionless throughout, furrowed. Just as he was about to grab the arm of the woman shielding him—
“Thank you for the invitation. But may I ask why you went out of your way to find me just to invite me?”
Her calm, concise voice reached Abel’s ears. The serene tone, devoid of any emotion, seemed to gently arrest the hand reaching for her arm.
Her slender shoulders, her small frame. Though he couldn’t see her face from behind, he knew that if he could, her timid gaze would be fixed somewhere on the floor. A shy, naive Outsider. His target, who seemed to wander the city without purpose.
Perhaps it was because he couldn’t see that timid face, but her absurd attempt to protect him felt strangely reassuring, even amidst his unease.
Sabine rolled her eyes as if she had heard something bizarre, then laughed softly. “Hmm… because I want you to be there?”
“You wish to invite me simply because you want me to be there?”
Once again, Seo-ah’s calm voice drifted to Abel, and his eyes narrowed.
Stripping away the data in his head and the assumptions before his eyes, he sensed something solid underneath. A flash of brown eyes, bathed in brilliant sunlight, flickered through his mind.
“Yes. Do you have any idea how many nobles practically beg for my invitation? Normally, I just send a card. I don’t go out of my way to find people like this.”
Abel grabbed Seo-ah’s wrist. Staring at Sabine, Seo-ah finally turned to look up at him.
There stood a woman with a completely unfamiliar face.
With not a single trace of her usual terrified, tearful demeanor, Seo-ah looked like an entirely different person.
The strength in his hand slipped away without him realizing it.
And just as Abel found her unfamiliar, Seo-ah found him unfamiliar as well. With his smile completely gone, his eyes seemed to warn her not to accept the invitation.
But there was something Abel did not know.
The reason why Han Seo-ah had been endlessly wandering through markets and department stores—places she had absolutely no interest in.