Chapter 15 (1/2)

“It may be too late, but I still wanted to make a formal apology.”

She lifted her head and saw him. She could see his deep, serious eyes through his soft hair.

He had clear and beautiful eyes like the ice of a lake. The more she looked, the more helpless she seemed. At one time, he was a person whom she could not even stand side by side with, let alone exchange a single word with. She felt thrilled and even terrified to think that his eyes would contain only her image now.

Edwin ruthlessly trampled Herietta’s attempt to jump over with a blank expression. She didn’t know if she would rather see him smile. She was perplexed by his iron-like attitude. No, she was more than embarrassed, she was insanely embarrassed.

Eventually, Herietta closed the book and placed it on her lap. She set her gaze down, creating a gloomy atmosphere. After being silent for so long, she helplessly opened her mouth.

“You don’t like me being around?”

She asked gloomily.

“If so, please tell me. As I said before, if that’s your will, then I won’t bother you anymore.”

Herietta looked away anxiously. Because she was afraid that Edwin would answer yes even if she had said it herself.

Edwin looked at her without saying a word. He thought that if she had ears like puppies, it would have drooped down already. He stood at an angle with his arms crossed and his back against the wall of the warehouse.

‘Is she bothering you?’

To say no would be a lie. Whenever there was a chance, her presence, sneaking up and clinging to him, made him feel heavy at times. Still, for some reason, he didn’t say yes to her willingly.

“Aren’t you afraid of other people’s gazes?”

Instead, an odd question arose. Then Herietta looked at him with big eyes.

“People? Who?”

“Your family, the workers of this mansion, or the villagers.”

In a word, it meant everyone. But even so, Herietta continued to blink. She turned her head to the side.

“What would those people do?”

“They would think it’s strange.”

“What?”

“A noble girl being close to a mere slave. Your reputation will be ruined.”

It was a world where even talking with the bastard of a plausible noble family would create rumors. She was not a commoner, and yet this woman, who was from a noble family, wants to hang out with slaves. Half of the people who hear about it would be unable to believe it, and the other half would despise her as lowly and filthy.

‘If I had said this much, she would have understood.’

Edwin thought silently. But contrary to his thoughts, she burst into laughter, hahaha.

“What about my reputation? Not anywhere else but this Philioche? No matter how unusual it is, my parents would be the only ones nagging at me.”

Herietta shrugged and waved it over insignificantly.

“You don’t have to worry. My reputation in the social world is not very good. So there is no need to panic and worry about such useless things.”

In the first place, her reputation wasn’t good enough to lose, so she didn’t have to worry about her reputation going down. It was a simplistic way of thinking. The daughter of Count Bolero, who was known for being a great tomboy and ruthless in social circles, was not even like this.

Edwin observed the woman sitting in front of him slowly. She said that she was already seventeen. She was a little too young to be called mature, but she was also too feminine to be called a girl.

Herietta, with her dark auburn hair and pale brown eyes, was taller for a woman. Her skin was clean but not as white as white jade, and her features, which were in perfect harmony with her, boasted an elegant beauty but were not so glamorous as to stand out in his eyes.

In other words, there were no particularly ugly corners, but that didn’t mean she was a great beauty either.

Edwin was always surrounded by outstanding beauties. Including his family, who was said to be all born with great looks, the women who approached him based on his background and appearance, and even his ex-fiance, who is considered to be Brimdel’s most beautiful woman. His eyes must not have been set high, but it could not be helped that his expectations were set to such a standard.

To him, Herrieta’s appearance certainly did not impress him strongly either at first glance or now. Had she mingled among the many noble maidens, he most likely would not have found her at her first glance.

And to prove it, she said she had met him before, but he had no memory of her.