Chapter 3 - Book I: Chapter 3 (1/2)

Book I: Chapter 3

Edwin, who listened quietly to the Count, nodded his head once. Then the count took the lead with an excited face. Those who were mumbling around them retreated back with regretful expressions.

“This way.”

Harrieta stood absent-mindedly and saw Edwin following the Count. Strangely enough, the Count was leading him to where she was standing. With each step they took, the gap between him and her gradually narrowed.

Ten steps closer.

Seven steps closer.

….closer

Both her legs seemed to have been rooted and lodged in the ground. She couldn’t even move a single step. Her train of thought stopped, and the world seemed to have also stopped. Many of the people standing around her in the large ballroom, slowly disappeared from her sight, leaving only him and her there.

Two steps apart.

They were so close that if he had taken one step closer, she could have easily reached him.

Harrieta’s eyes trembled violently. Her heart was pounding like the gills of a fish that had been thrown out of the water. Her both hands trembled with an uncontrollable tension. She was so nervous that she could not even tell whether she was inhaling or exhaling.

Everyone cleared the way for the two men. However, Harrieta stood still like a rock, as if she didn’t know what to do. Edwin’s eyes, following the count, turned towards her.

It was only for a moment that his eyes met hers. But that short moment alone was enough. An intense thrill, as if struck by lightning, spread throughout her body. His eyes were deep blue in colour akin to the dark sea waters. His blue eyes with long eyelashes were breathtakingly enchanting. Her legs shook and became completely soft.

~Flop

Suddenly, she felt her knees give way, and at some point, Harrieta found herself sitting on the floor. Because she was extremely tense, all the strength drained from her two legs, making it difficult to support her light body.

People saw her sinking to the floor, but they didn’t care a dime about her. They only paid attention to Edwin. In a world that had turned black and white, he was the only one in colour. She was utterly fascinated by him.

Edwin’s gaze that had glanced past her, again fell back on her.

“Ah… Well, that.”

Harrieta’s jaw trembled. When she realized he was again looking at her, her mind became blank. Like a fool, she just sat there, lost in his appearance. She couldn’t even think of anything.

“We.. well, then that…”

Just at that moment, Edwin stopped walking and looked at Harrieta for a moment.

As soon as he stopped, everyone held their breath. For a short moment, he looked at Harrieta with a strange gaze, making it difficult to know what he was thinking.

Then he turned around and approached her. Standing right in front of her, he leaned down and reached out his hand towards her. Harrieta looked at his long fingers covered in white gloves. ‘Maybe I’m dreaming with my eyes open. Or maybe I have fallen into the world of my imagination.’

The distance between them was so close that she could feel the other person’s breath. Edwin had a subtle musky scent. Harrieta held his hand as if she was possessed by something. His comforting warmth passed through the thin gloves to her hands.

At that moment, she was terrified. It was because she was afraid that he would mock or despise her. However, the moment she looked into his eyes, she realised all her fears were for naught. His eyes neither held any contempt or despise in them. They also didn’t contain any pity or scorn. In fact, there were no emotions at all. He was looking at her, but also at the same time was not.

Indifference. His perfect face held only indifference, even towards others.

Thud!

Harrieta felt like she was hit hard in the head with a big hammer. At the same time, it felt like something that was trying to sprout deep in her heart was brutally trampled.

Edwin helped Harrieta to get up. Like a puppet hanging from a thread, she moved as his hand led her. She was standing on her two feet but she still felt as if she was floating.

“Are you all right?”

Edwin looked into Harrieta’s eyes and asked in a low tone. However, it did not seem as if he was asking for an answer. As soon as he confirmed that she could stand on her own, he retrieved the hand he had reached out to her. After giving her a perfunctory nod, he walked towards the Count, who was waiting for him.

She didn’t even have time to say thank you.

Dum! Dum!

His heavy footsteps moving away from her sounded unrealistically loud in Harrieta’s ears. She looked at his back, standing still like a stone. The warmth of his hand still lingered in hers.