Chapter 44
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The Baldomer banquet that everyone in Baldomer had worked so hard to prepare finally arrived.
A banquet where all four great houses, Baldomer, Heister, Silverstel, and Marcelino, gathered together.
The four houses took turns hosting this banquet every quarter.
And this time, it was Baldomer’s turn.
No matter how fiercely the great houses competed with one another, it was also a day when each house sent at least one member to offer formal congratulations.
If they were lucky, a member of the Imperial Family would sometimes attend, but since the Imperial bloodline was notoriously difficult to see in person, that rarely happened.
Dressed in the crimson gown Kate had prepared to match the color of my eyes, I calmly surveyed the banquet hall.
Unlike the head butler, who had been terribly anxious, everything from the food to the decorations and ornaments had been prepared without a single thing out of place.
The Vas Guild had played a large part in that.
Not long ago, I had also received a letter from Jared through the Vas Guild. It contained little more than a brief exchange of pleasantries, but that was enough.
If we stayed in contact from time to time, perhaps one day I would learn who was behind everything when they approached Jared.
Vas had also said that the guild was purchasing large quantities of the Bendel pine bark I’d instructed them to acquire.
In many ways, I was glad I had started doing business with the Vas Guild.
As I watched the banquet proceed without any problems and began to relax, someone moved close beside me.
It was Kallion, dressed in a pitch-black tailcoat that suited his appearance perfectly.
“Smile, Juliana.”
He spoke with a false smile.
Only then did my gaze shift toward the middle-aged man staring directly at us.
It was Darkin, the head of House Baldomer and my father-in-law.
He had also returned from the separate residence where he had been staying in order to attend this banquet.
I placed my hand familiarly on Kallion’s arm and smiled.
“Don’t worry about me. You should worry about yourself.”
I said it deliberately while looking up at him as he stiffened at even that slight touch.
The corner of his mouth tilted.
“Don’t use this opportunity to satisfy your personal desires.”
“I believe I told you last time that I don’t like you anymore. Didn’t you hear me?”
“Yes, I know. I heard you.”
Watching him answer so shamelessly made me want to kick him in the shin.
Why does it feel like he still didn’t understand even after I told him outright? Was what I said that difficult to understand?
Just then, a familiar voice reached me.
“Madam, you look absolutely beautiful.”
Layla, dressed elegantly in a pale aqua gown, was smiling demurely.
“And Lord Kallion, you look radiant as always.”
Her words were formal, but there was an edge beneath them. Kallion responded indifferently.
“You must be tired. Stay for a while, then go rest.”
At his concerned words, Layla smiled softly.
“I’m not tired at all. I like banquets too.”
“Don’t make yourself sick drinking alcohol that doesn’t agree with you.”
“Lord Kallion, sometimes you treat me like your little sister from childhood rather than your secretary.”
Listening to the two of them made my stomach churn.
I was already wondering how long I had to endure standing beside him when the attendant guarding the entrance raised his voice loudly.
It was the signal announcing the arrival of the first great house.
“Lord Lloyd de Silverstel, second son of House Silverstel, has arrived.”
My expression stiffened before I could stop it.
Why is he here?
In the past, it had been Silverstel’s eldest son, not him, who attended Baldomer’s banquet.
So why had Lloyd come this time?
I could feel Kallion staring at me, apparently noticing my stiff expression. I deliberately ignored his gaze and tried to act composed.
Soon, Lloyd approached to greet the hosts of the banquet.
Don’t be shaken, Juliana.
The Lloyd of this life doesn’t know me. He’s only the second son of Silverstel, not the man who loved me.
Despite what I told myself, I couldn’t bring myself to meet Lloyd’s eyes.
For some reason, I felt like someone who had been caught cheating on two men at once.
Before I knew it, Lloyd had come close and greeted us politely.
“It’s been a while, Kallion. And…”
After a brief pause, Lloyd looked at me and gave me a charming smile.
“It’s been a while, Madam.”
The way he called me ‘Madam’ sounded exactly like the way he had addressed me when I was his wife in my previous life, and my heart dropped.
That can’t be. He shouldn’t know me in this life, so how…
I could feel Kallion watching me suspiciously as my agitation became obvious.
T/N:
It doesn’t translate well, but the term ‘Madam’ here is also the same word as ‘Wife’ in Korean (부인) that husbands use in this worldview.
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