Chapter 39 (2/2)

The party’s organizer Marquis Eloque’s wife was the chairman of Celestine’s book club. So Celestine was probably going to attend this party.

When Annette thought of facing Celestine again, her heart throbbed. She was anxious and afraid, but on the other hand she was also looking forward to it. It would the first time she would encounter Celestine since her ‘kidnapping‘ incident. Annette wondered if she would again pretend to be the victim before her eyes.

Raphael didn’t know why Annette looked so grim. He looked at Annette’s eyes looking down at the invitation. She looked like a rabbit who had decided to fight a rattlesnake. So Raphael asked her with half curiosity and half anxiety.

“Are you going? This party…”

“Well… yeah, I’m thinking about it.”

Annette answered frankly. Raphael, who carefully opened the invitation, looked quite displeased. He swept his glance over the place and time written on the invitation.

“The opening time is too late. What if it ends up quite late in the night and you encounter some strange people on the way? Not only that, the place is also outdoors. What if you catch a cold? Would  Marquis Eloque take the responsibility?”

Annette wondered why Raphael suddenly started finding faults with the party. Summer outdoor garden parties were usually held at night. It was because it was too hot during the day. Annette blinked her eyes a couple of times and replied calmly.

“But it’s summer now. It will be a little cool at night, so one will feel better. And since it’s an evening party, I think it should end up before 9 o’clock. So it will be okay.”

Annette’s answer was very reasonable. But it wasn’t the answer Raphael wanted. He furrowed his dark eyebrows and bit Annette’s ears, as if he was complaining

“I mean, it’s dangerous. It’s dangerous to catch a cold and it’s also dangerous on the way back. Anyway, it’s too dangerous to have a party at night.”

“……So you’re telling me not to go?”

Annette, who had been silent for a while, turned her head and looked at Raphael. The Marquis Eloque’s evening party was a perfect place for Annette’s re-debut after marriage. In addition, there was a high possibility that Celestine, who was busy preparing for the coronation, would come.

Such an opportunity was rare to come. Annette wanted to attend this party as much as possible. But if Raphael kept trying to stop her this way, she had no choice but to fight him. Anticipating the impending fight, Annette’s eyes drooped gloomily.

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

Raphael, who saw this, raised his voice without realizing it. Then Annette’s body, which had been held in his arms, shrank in surprise. She was frightened because he suddenly screamed harshly in her ear. Seeing this, Raphael frowned and chastised himself for his behavior.

‘What’s wrong with me these days?’

He realized that he was being overly clingy towards Annette these days. Today again, he wandered around her without any work and then tried to find opportunities to talk to her. He even took away the invitation like a child. All this was really unacceptable behavior.

He was like this because of Annette’s words that he heard while following her last time. She kept praising him as a good husband, so he wanted to be that person. But he felt like a clown. Anyway, even after seeing Annette’s wary expression, he couldn’t stop. Raphael gently softened his voice and spat out.

“I mean…. it’s dangerous, so I’ll come with you.”

“You will come with me?”

Annette doubted her ears. She and Raphael had never attended a party together in their previous lives. It was because their marital life was really bad.

In addition, Annette had some sort of fear at that time. Even though her family had suppressed all the rumours, still there was no eternal secret in this world. She was afraid that people would pretend to be oblivious in front of her, only to gossip behind her back. So, Annette could not afford to go outside the mansion. Because of this, they didn’t attend a single party as a couple.

“Why, don’t you want me to go?”

Seeing that Annette was silent, Raphael’s handsome eyebrows wriggled as he looked at her. If it was like before, he probably would have sarcastically asked her if she was ashamed of her illegitimate husband. But now that he had seen Annette defend him several times, it was a little different. He knew she wouldn’t be ashamed of him.

However Raphael’s twisted personality was sometimes expressed in this way. It was his way of pressurising to answer quickly that she would like him to come with her. Annette, who knew this well, shook her head and laughed.

“No way. It would be great if I could go to the party with you. I would be really happy.”

Raphael flinched at Annette’s friendly words, and then turned his head slightly. The area around his temple was slightly red. Perhaps Annette listened to his thoughts and relieved him with a single word.

Merry Christmas Guys