Chapter Thirty-Two
.Chapter Thirty-Two.
When I suggested to my friends to go there, they refused, but when I asked Diane to join me in the poetry gathering, she said, “If my youth ever fades, I will have to go there, but I don’t really want to go to a boring place like that.”
“There must be something I don't know yet... Is that all there is to it?”
I looked carefully at the folded invitation and checked it left and right again, then checked if there was anything I had missed.
But what I found were some lines written in a completely bitter and elegant way, similar to my own handwriting.
I looked at the invitation hesitantly.
If it was just an invitation to a regular party full of gossip and rumors, I would have turned it down automatically, but Miss Lydia's poetry gatherings were known for their relaxed and elegant atmosphere, so I don't think it would be a bad thing for me to join that gathering.
But I still have some reservations.
Why doesn't that person reveal his identity already?!.
Old memories kept floating in my mind.
It's very similar to what happened in the past. My situation was bad and a man comforted me and then I go back to that stupid past again.
As I thought, the enthusiasm inside me went out a little.
I hesitated again and again, but I still wanted to go and see him again.
But the fact that this situation has happened before and ended in a nightmare terrifies me.
In the end, I couldn't decide, so I put the card back in its envelope and put it in my mailbox.
I don't need to decide right away, there's still some time until that party.
But his words about how difficult it is to trust humans still come to my mind.. In fact, he was right.
Diane's voice came to me: “Carmela, what are you thinking?”
I raised my head as I responded to Diane, who was sitting in front of me, leaning back in a casual manner in her apricot silk dress: “I have just finished preparing for Bernard’s wedding, and I will now go back to being an active member of the social sciences, so I was thinking about joining the poetry gatherings that I used to join in the past.”
As I expected her to gossip and show some gossip... Diane, whose eyes were sparkling, returned her eager gaze to me and said: “Are you going there again? As they say, you have tremendous patience!”
I smiled at her gently and gave her a short answer, but then Diane sighed with some frustration and said: “I hope the royal duel will be held soon. It will certainly be very exciting... Who will be the knight who will take the handkerchief and which of the ladies will you give it to?... Who will be the knight who will take the knight’s oath and who will be that lady?!”
She finished her speech muttering in a dreamy and excited way.
But she gagged boredly: “But there is still some time left for that duel.”
And at that moment something happened to ease Diane's boredom.
She received a gift from someone… When the maid mentioned the gift, Diane stood up eagerly and asked hopefully: “Who could have sent me? Is it Viscount Sacchi, or perhaps Marquis Juan? Come on, tell me quickly.”
But the maid hesitated for a moment and said: “Madam...it is from Count Dano.”
When she heard those words, her once bright crimson eyes suddenly turned cold as the conversation took such a serious turn that the maid trembled.
However, she glanced at me and quickly changed her mood as she tried her best to speak in a cheerful tone, but it was fake: “That's right, Carmella, you didn't guess either. Who knows what will happen!”
Then she ordered a servant to bring the gift she had brought and place it on the table.
She said: “During the previous evening... something unpleasant happened to me, and I could not do anything but be upset when I learned that he had sent me a gift, but perhaps opening this gift and talking to you is a really nice thing. Anyway, let us see the splendor and elegance of this gift.”
But it was actually a little complicated.
Diane and I got married in my previous life at about the same time, but I had my wedding earlier than her.
As far as she clearly knew, her husband was Viscount Daneau.
Viscount Dano was elderly, divorced from his ex-wife, and had children, and was not the type that Diane would choose, who was intelligent and had high standards in the social world.
So I remember that clearly when I asked her why she married him, which was clearly strange, and I was confused.
Her answer was that she smiled broadly and said that she married him because she loved him so much.
I remember her when she was in her wedding dress, she was very beautiful, so I did not expect mentioning his name to be something that would be so unpleasant for her.
So I asked Diane, who was about to open the gift: “Why are you so uncomfortable instead of focusing on the gift?”
Diane was a person who did not judge people easily, but when she hated someone, she hated him very much, and when she loved him, she loved him strongly, but her facial expressions showed that something had happened.
After some hesitation, Diane explained that she had previously danced face-to-face with him at a partner-changing event at a dance party.
Then, with a slight frown, she continued: “He has a bad reputation all the time. Rumors spread, such as that he has bad taste or that he is the reason behind the death of his boss.”
My eyes widened in shock.
Diane never spoke about the unfounded rumours.
Diane, who was deeply in love and married this man, says this?!.
But Diane didn't understand why I was shocked and seemed to think that I was shocked by the rumours… well that's true too.
On the other hand, Diane was confused as she said, “Oh, you didn’t know?! Well, it’s just a few rumors circulating in the social world that no one looks that bad on the outside.”
Then she was speaking as if no one was listening, lowering her voice and muttering: “But I heard a rumor from the men who worked in his office. They said that the women he was dating ended up in a messy situation, and among the men they talked about it, but it seemed like they were keeping it secret among each other.”
I instantly closed my mouth in shock.
Diane continued: “Of course, these rumors alone would not have bothered me, as they were pure gossip that had nothing to do with us, but those eyes of his..”
She tried to control her expression as if she was remembering something disgusting... as if she had taken a bite of a sour lemon and continued: “It was very uncomfortable, really at all... His wandering eyes were scanning you from your head to your toes.”
I made a disgusting sound as if I knew what she meant and said, “He seems crazy. How could he look at you like that with those eyes?”
Diane trembled, her body was twitching, and she spoke slowly, as if she was chewing her words: “That’s right, this crazy old man, after examining me with that suspicious look as if he was licking me, dared to say that his house was very large and that he felt lonely there, especially at night, and suggested that I go with him to his palace.”
A shocked expression appeared on my face and my eyes widened greatly. I could not believe what an unbelievable thing this was doing to her, and this showed in my wondering question: “What?!!”
I repeated my question: "What? What did you say?! You should have slapped him right there at that moment!"
Diane spoke with a strange and complicated look on her face: “Of course I got angry right away. But he said that one day I would consider this offer.”
Then a bit of confusion appeared on her as she continued: “At first I was really angry, but later I thought about it and I felt that it was strange, as if he knew something. Also, if something completely illogical would happen in the future and I would end up thinking about presenting it.”
I said angrily: “This is nonsense. Why would you of all people, with everything you own, ever think about marrying this garbage?!”
In the midst of my anger, I suddenly realized something.
In the past… I married him quickly.
Was she able to marry him honestly despite hearing all those disgusting rumors about him?.
'After hearing those dirty things about him...this is unbelievable.'.
I carefully reviewed the memories of Diane's wedding in my mind. There were many blurry memories that bothered me, but when I thought more deeply, something came to mind.
'Yes, when I asked her about his attractiveness, she talked about how well he treated her and how much he loved her.'.
I furrowed my eyebrows... I didn't care about the age difference, or the children he had with his ex-wife, or his place in society... I didn't care about that, and I thought they had a happy marriage.
In this world, it doesn't matter what happens, but there can be no way people will fall in love with someone who talks to them with bad words.
'What could be the reason?!'.
I looked back at her words about her husband's magic, although it sounded ridiculous, but there could be a clue to what happened.
People rarely tell complete lies.
Her reason for marrying him must be for something compelling.
‘Could her words about helping her family be true?’.
But what could have happened to Rust, a man who had served as a national hero for so long... who had to give up his daughter to such a man?.
“Mila? …Carmella?”
I was startled back to reality when Diane called my name with a worried look.
“Oh, I'm sorry, it's a shocking story. It's uncomfortable. Do you have any doubts about anything at all?”
Diane thought for a moment, her face darkening: “Well, recently business has become good in the family. At this time, my father is pleased that he has included a new mine that they will use as a source of money. It seems to be a good business business, and my uncles are also doing their work, and they are confident that they will become part of the pillars of the empire.”
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