Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Although it was my first time seeing the man today, I immediately recognized that he was the son of Marquis Howell Smith and his wife.
He resembled the two of them to an astonishing degree.
“Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I’m Barto Smith.”
So he really was their son.
“My name is Aileen. It’s an honor to meet you, Young Marquis Smith.”
I lightly gathered the hem of my skirt and greeted him politely.
It was a greeting method Noah Roheim had quickly taught me on the way to the party.
“The honor is mine, Miss Aileen.”
Barto Smith smiled warmly. When he smiled, he looked even more like the Marchioness.
“After all, Miss Aileen is the hero who saved our Nubiar.”
“Ah, haha…”
The Raed River flooding hadn’t even been completely prevented yet. The construction had only just begun.
Yet they were already calling me a hero, which made me extremely uncomfortable.
“Oh, right. This is my aide, Fabian Nogen.”
The neat young man with dark brown hair standing behind Barto Smith stepped forward and gave a polite bow.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Aileen. My name is Fabian Nogen.”
Since he used formal speech even though he knew I was a commoner, did that mean he was a commoner too?
Of course there were exceptions like Noah Roheim, but generally nobles spoke informally to commoners.
“Fabian Nogen is also a commoner, but he’s very capable, so I appointed him as my aide.”
Barto Smith neatly cleared up the confusion.
“Come to think of it, Miss Aileen is also a commoner who joined the Urban Development Department because of her exceptional architectural skills, correct?”
“Yes… something like that.”
“In that sense, you and Fabian are the same. You’re even close in age, so it would be nice if you became friends.”
“I would certainly like to become acquainted with such a beautiful lady.”
…What is this conversation?
The subtle attempt to pair me with Fabian Nogen made me deeply uncomfortable.
“Miss Aileen, here’s your champagne.”
Just then Noah Roheim returned.
“It’s been a while, Sir Roheim.”
“Yes. It’s good to see you again, Young Marquis Smith.”
The two greeted each other warmly, as if they already knew one another.
After exchanging greetings with Fabian Nogen as well, Noah Roheim turned to me.
“There’s a table over there with some delicious finger food. You must be hungry since you didn’t eat dinner. Let’s go grab a quick bite.”
“How about leaving that to Fabian instead?”
Barto Smith suddenly interjected.
“The two of them are similar in status and age, so they should get along well. Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity for them to become acquainted?”
See? He really was trying to set me up with that aide.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
Noah Roheim drew a firm line with a polite smile.
Well done, Noah Roheim!
“The Lord personally instructed me to escort Miss Aileen carefully. If he learns that I handed her over to another man, I’m sure lightning will strike me.”
While I had been cheering him on internally, his added remark made me pause.
Calix Krauvel had made such a request? I couldn’t believe it.
“Oh, is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”
Whether his words were true or not, they were effective in getting rid of someone trying to pull something strange.
“Then we’ll take our leave.”
With Noah Roheim escorting me, I left the area.
Barto Smith watched us with a disappointed look before disappearing into the crowd.
“Did the Lord really say that?”
After reaching the table with the finger food, I lowered my voice and asked.
“Of course. I don’t lie about things like this.”
The way he said it made it seem true…
Still, I couldn’t believe it so easily, and when I looked at him with a doubtful expression, Noah Roheim let out a small laugh.
“You may find it hard to believe, but the Lord values you greatly, Miss Aileen.”
That was truly hard to believe.
If that man valued me, he wouldn’t have held a sword to my throat or suddenly thrown a sword toward me.
Of course the latter had been to kill the spider monster, but even remembering it now still gave me chills.
“But why isn’t anyone eating the finger food?”
The long table was filled with beautiful and delicious-looking dishes, but no one was touching them.
Everyone was simply holding champagne glasses and focusing on conversation.
“Usually these foods are more for display. If the party continues late into the night, people might pick at them then.”
“Why? Aren’t they meant to be eaten?”
“They are, but for some reason people don’t.”
Noah Roheim shrugged, saying he didn’t know the exact reason either.
“Then what happens to the leftover food?”
“Usually the servants eat it. That’s why they complain about preparing parties but secretly enjoy it.”
That made sense. Servants rarely had the chance to eat such delicious food.
“Then shouldn’t we avoid eating it too?”
“There’s no reason not to. As I said, it’s meant to be eaten. So don’t worry about it.”
If that was the case.
Since I was already hungry, I picked up a few pieces of finger food.
As the saying goes, food that looks good tastes good. Every bite was delicious.
But there was a problem.
Ugh, I feel like I might throw up.
My waist was tightly constricted by the corset, making it hard enough just to breathe. Eating food only made my chest feel even more suffocated.
So that’s why no one was eating.
I didn’t know about the men, but I was certain why the women weren’t eating.
“Miss Aileen, are you alright? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”
“I’m fine. More importantly, I’ll go to the restroom for a moment.”
As nausea started rising, I hurried out of the ballroom.
I had come to the restroom fully intending to throw everything up, but nothing actually came out.
Instead, perhaps because I had moved too quickly, my waist began to ache.
“Damn corset.”
How do other women wear this for hours?
Clicking my tongue, I leaned against the washbasin. The corset was uncomfortable, but the uselessly high heels were also a problem.
I want to go back to my room, throw all of this off, and collapse onto a soft bed.
But unless there was a special reason, it was considered proper etiquette to remain at a party for at least an hour after attending.
And considering the effort the Marchioness had made in lending me such an expensive dress and accessories, enduring that long seemed only right.
Maybe I only need to last another thirty minutes.
I was already struggling. Could I really endure until then?
“Miss Aileen.”
Just as I stepped out of the restroom while swallowing a sigh, I ran straight into Fabian Nogen.
“Hello.”
I gave a brief greeting and tried to pass, but Fabian Nogen grabbed my wrist.
“May we speak for a moment?”
The faint smile on his face felt oddly greasy. A bad feeling crept over me.
“There’s something I really want to ask you, Miss Aileen.”
“Me?”
“Yes. I’m curious about the retention basin and sluice gate construction.”
“Well… if that’s the case, please ask during the next meeting. Or you can send the question through documents.”
Under normal circumstances I would have answered, but right now it felt like I should leave, so I declined.
At that, the corner of Fabian Nogen’s mouth stiffened slightly.
“Do you perhaps dislike me?”
“We only met today. It’s too early to discuss something like that, Mr. Fabian Nogen.”
“You can just call me Fabian.”
“I think that’s still a bit early as well.”
As I continued drawing a firm boundary, Fabian Nogen’s expression gradually hardened.
“We both serve demanding superiors, so I thought it would be nice to become friends by sharing stories… but it seems Miss Aileen has no intention of that.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
It was better to refuse clearly than leave unnecessary hope by giving a vague rejection.
“From the way you speak, it seems you want something more than friendship between us, Mr. Fabian Nogen. That makes this situation quite uncomfortable for me.”
Fabian Nogen looked visibly flustered, as if he hadn’t expected me to say something so direct.
“And I don’t believe men and women can simply be friends.”
Maybe it was possible when people were young.
But not when they were adults.
For a man and a woman to become friends, it was impossible unless at least one side harbored feelings.
“So I’ll be on my way now.”
After giving a polite bow, I walked past him.
I worried he might grab me again, but fortunately that didn’t happen.
Instead, Fabian Nogen simply stared at me with lingering regret in his eyes.