Chapter 19
“And you?”
But the man showed no intention of revealing who he was.
“Golden hair and golden eyes… The hallmark of the Siollier direct line.”
At the mention of the Siollier family, Evina’s body went rigid.
“Aren’t you proud?”
“…”
She didn’t answer.
“Good.”
The man’s fingers, which had been wrapped around her lower belly, gradually moved upward.
Starting from her flat stomach, they crept slowly, slowly, and stopped just beneath the soft swell of her b****t.
Evina, so tense she could barely breathe, sucked in a short breath.
“You don’t seem to be in a very good situation.”
Her golden brows twitched.
“Have you ever dreamed?”
“…Dreamed?”
“Yes.”
Just as his large hand was about to grasp her b****t, Evina slipped out of his arms. She clutched her dress and panted.
The man took a step closer.
She glared at him with eyes sharp with tension.
“A dream of escaping your wretched, miserable life.”
Her golden eyes trembled faintly.
The man let out an amused laugh.
“I see you’ve imagined it.”
“…”
“If there were a chance to escape this life.”
He drew a little closer.
“Hah.”
He grabbed the waist of the woman stepping back and met her eyes.
Close enough that their noses nearly touched.
“Would you take it?”
Evina nodded slowly.
“No matter the price?”
She nodded slowly again.
Though her eyes, looking up at the man, were full of wariness, they were also full of certainty.
A brief silence passed.
The man stared quietly into her golden eyes, searching deep as if trying to pierce through to the very depths of her soul, for a long, long time.
“No matter the price. …Are you sure?”
She felt as if she were under a spell.
Normally, Evina would have avoided the conversation or run away. But courage came from somewhere, and she parted her lips with a resolute face.
“Yes… even if it means selling my soul.”
As if it was the answer he wanted, the man smiled brightly.
He was devastatingly handsome.
She frowned slightly, thinking she had definitely seen his face somewhere before.
The man pulled away.
“Good.”
He looked thoroughly excited and pleased.
“We’ll see each other again soon.”
And then, before she could catch him, he turned and walked out of the fitting room.
It was as absurd and sudden as his entrance had been.
The strength drained from her body, and Evina barely made it to the sofa and collapsed onto it. Just then, a commotion arose outside.
She turned, half afraid the man might reappear, but the door swung wide open and a familiar face appeared.
“…Kepine?”
“Good evening, Viscountess Derise!”
Kepine entered with a beaming smile, and behind her, a grinning Therese followed, pulling a rack laden with dresses.
And behind her stood the rude employee who had guided them to the fitting room, wringing her hands with a restless expression.
“What is all this…”
“My lady, I heard first that my employee committed a grave discourtesy. I don’t know how to begin to apologize. I am truly sorry.”
Kepine gracefully bent her knees in a slight curtsy and bowed her head.
“Solyn?”
At her call, the employee standing behind Therese shuffled forward hesitantly.
“Viscountess Derise.”
All the viciousness from earlier was gone from the woman’s face. She knelt, looking so pitiful she seemed about to cry.
“My lady, I have been discourteous. I didn’t know my place and acted insolently toward a noble person. I am deeply reflecting on my actions. Please forgive me.”
Flustered by the sudden apology, Evina looked at Kepine as if to ask what was happening. Kepine smiled gently and stepped closer.
“If the Viscountess does not forgive her, I will cast this rude, arrogant employee out of this place.”
“My lady, please…!”
The woman named Solyn shuffled on her knees to Kepine and clutched the hem of her skirt.
“Then why did you act so arrogantly, Solyn? You should be begging the Viscountess, not me.”
At that, the weeping woman shuffled back to Evina on her knees and bowed her head low.
“My lady, I was discourteous. I am truly, deeply reflecting. I will correct my attitude and be more careful, much more careful from now on. Please forgive me. I… I’ve worked here for over ten years. I haven’t even finished a single dress book of my own yet. If I’m cast out, I have nowhere to go. My lady, please…!”
Evina, now grasping the situation, spoke.
“You’ve worked here for ten years?”
“Yes, my lady. I have committed a sin worthy of death. Just once… please forgive me, just this once.”
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