Chapter 15
“A gentleman asked me to deliver this to the lady.”
“Oh my, for me?”
Chloe’s large eyes flicked over to Hayden for a moment.
With a bright smile, Chloe took the gift box. It was common for gentlemen to send gifts to ladies who caught their interest, and, as Chloe was already a celebrity, it had happened to her more than once.
“Hurry and open it, Miss Chloe.”
Whenever someone received such a gift, curious gazes from those around would naturally gather. Chloe, delighted by the attention, lifted her chin and smiled widely.
She untied the ribbon on the gift box with exaggerated movements, as if performing on stage.
“Who could have sent something like this?”
She created a dramatic atmosphere as she slowly opened the box.
The neatly tied ribbon unwound into a long string and fell to the floor—
“Kyaaah!”
Chloe screamed, flinging the box from her hands.
The contents of the box spilled out… directly onto my dress.
It was torn rose petals and the head of a dead mouse.
In an instant, the banquet hall descended into chaos. People scattered, trying to avoid the mouse’s head that had bounced off me and fallen to the floor.
On the fine marble floor of the palace, the scattered rose petals and the mouse’s head looked like some grotesque ornament.
My eyes met those of the dead mouse. The sensation of its head brushing past my arm returned vividly.
“Are you alright, Madam?”
“To think it was thrown at the Marchioness of all people…”
I heard concerned voices from behind me.
Chloe, who had opened the gift box so cheerfully, was now ashen and trembling. Suddenly, all strength left her body and she crumpled to the floor.
“Chloe!”
Hayden, who was standing beside her, quickly caught her as she collapsed.
I swallowed a piercing scream back down into my mouth. The murmurs of the crowd around us grew louder. Everyone was staring at us.
“I need to take Chloe somewhere she can rest.”
Hayden looked over the crowd with a sigh in his voice.
Dazed, I just nodded.
“T-To the private room…”
Before I could finish, Hayden, his face twisted in concern, left the banquet hall carrying Chloe. I was left standing there, watching his retreating back.
Palace attendants soon rushed over to clean up the mess on the floor. I wanted to look away, but my gaze kept returning to the remains of the mouse against my will.
The empty, lifeless eyes that lay pathetically on the ground kept staring at me.
I stood there, barely able to breathe, unable to do anything. Alone, I didn’t know what I should do next.
“Winter, snap out of it.”
A firm voice snapped my drifting consciousness back. Eugene turned me around with his large hand, blocking my view of that horrible scene.
Instead, his face filled my vision.
“Eugene…”
I squeezed his name out, my voice trembling. Eugene frowned, looking irritated.
“Madam, what should I do with this?”
A palace attendant holding the box with the corpse asked me. I stared at him, not understanding why he would ask me that.
“Haah. I’ll take care of it. Hand it here.”
Eugene took the box and handed it to a man who had been standing off to the side. The man, with neatly slicked-back light brown hair, took the box from Eugene and gave me a small nod.
“Don’t worry, Madam. I’ll report the incident to the Metropolitan Police.”
Ah. Only after hearing his words did I understand what the box was for.
“And, I’d like to meet the attendant who brought this gift earlier.”
Eugene, still frowning, spoke to the attendant in front of him, who nodded and went off.
“Winter, you…”
Eugene, who had handled the situation for me since I was so out of it, turned toward me. I felt like I had already caused him more than enough trouble.
“I… I think I’ll go to my husband.”
Eugene’s frown deepened, if that was even possible.
“…Alright. Go ahead.”
He looked at me intently for a moment, then indicated the direction Hayden had gone with a tilt of his chin.
I managed to walk, my legs trembling, out of the banquet hall. Only then did my tense breath finally escape.
“How could… nobles… Winter… It’s horrible…”
Even from outside the closed door of the private room, I could hear Chloe’s sobbing clearly. She was so shocked, she was wailing like a child.
Hearing her cry, I was suddenly gripped by worry.
When I stepped inside, I saw the two of them sitting side by side on the sofa.
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