I Think My Fiancé Has Regressed

Chapter 42: You are a really annoying person (2)

The way my silver hair and red eyes are treated in the social world is something I was well prepared for before I walked into the ball tonight.

Or, more accurately, I’d already made up my mind that it was okay because I already knew it, and I’d prepared myself so that I wouldn’t collapse if insulted or hurt.

My hair is as white as a corpse’s, and my eyes are blood redder than a ghost’s.

Anyone who met me for the first time would think I was creepy.

So when Ariana asked if she could touch my hair, I couldn’t help but feel that she was mocking me.

“You guys, what did you just say?”

So when I hear Ariana’s voice from the hallway across the room, my attention shifts.

Even though I knew it couldn’t be, from the way she was addressing the young ladies who were laughing at me, she sounded quite upset.

“…Ariana?”

“Why, what’s wrong with you, why do you suddenly look so offended….?”

“Okay, so tell me again, whose hair and eyes are creeping you out because they look like a ghost’s?”

The voice of the ‘annoying person’ turned to the other young ladies and accused them of what they had just mocked me about.

The three young ladies stared at each other in confusion, before the one who seemed to be the highest noble spoke up.

“…It’s honestly true, isn’t it?”

She seemed to have an attitude that she could do no wrong, as if she would not give in to Ariana’s pressure.

“That woman…Charlotte, when I look at her hair and the color of her eyes, I can’t help but feel that she’s like a corpse.

Honestly, with an appearance like that, she should know how to restrain herself, isn’t it embarrassing just to participate in a formal event like this?”

“Oh, you’re right, I’ve been avoiding eye contact with Young Lady Charlotte all day, do you know how hard it’s been for me?

I can’t even keep my eyes off of her because she’s so alien to me, and I can’t help myself!”

“They say her hair has grown white from her illness, but isn’t that Miss Charlotte’s fault for not taking care of herself?

Isn’t that what she’s supposed to be dealing with, instead of being at an event like this?”

As I listened to the comments of the young ladies, one after the other, I felt my heart burning once again.

I thought I had a good idea of what other people thought of me, but once again, what I knew in my head was not the same as what I was hearing with my own two ears.

“You’re offended by the red color of her eyes….”

Ariana began in a cold voice, directed at the young lady, who was the first to open her mouth.

“Can I take that as an insult to me, who happens to have the same red eyes?”

“……!!”

I was about to accept the reality of being judged in this way, when my ears caught a suspicious sound from across the hall.

It was a comment that was quite different from the reaction I thought Ariana would have.

I’d expected her to go along with the other young ladies, or at least grudgingly accept the idea in the face of already biased public opinion.

But to be so casual about it in front of a group of nobles from prominent families, it was an unexpected comment.

“…Yes, eh?”

“I was proud of my eyes, thinking of them as beautiful red pupils like rubies, and you, Ainad, were thinking of them as such when you saw them…so well.”

There was a definite bone in Ariana’s words.

It was clearly meant to insult me, but in a way, it could have been said to insult Ariana as well.

After all, her eyes are red, just like mine.

Of course, her red eyes really shine beautifully against the color of her hair, but that wasn’t the point anyway.

The Countess pointed out the Duke’s appearance.

Suddenly, instead of the insulting comment about the color of my eyes, the scene was left with a twisted interpretation that went in a completely different direction.

“Oh, no, I just thought her hair and eyes didn’t match….”

“Young Lady Ainad pointing out someone else’s hair, that’s not even funny.”

“…What?”

Having said that, Ariana walked up to Young Lady Ainad, who was making excuses, and grabbed the end of her hair with one hand.

“Ah, Lady Ariana, what are you doing….?”

“Ainad’s hair, which has been torn to pieces like this by the owner, is even more unbecoming of a corpse than Charlotte’s hair, isn’t it?”

And it didn’t stop there, Ariana continued her offensive remarks toward Ainad.

“Moo, what kind of words are you saying!”

“You know, you don’t manage your time very well, and you often dry your hair with fire magic in a hurry. I don’t mind you doing that once or twice when you’re in a real emergency, but when it becomes a habit, you end up with mummified hair like this, drained of all nutrients.”

“…….”

“If you’re going to call yourself an aristocrat, you should at least always let your hair air dry, even if it takes hours.

I’m surprised you even bothered to show up to the ball in the first place with this kind of frizzy hair, you’d look much better bald.”

“……!!”

Hearing this unspeakable insult, Ainad’s face contorted with all sorts of emotions.

Leaving the Countess at a loss for words, Ariana immediately shifted her gaze to the other young lady.

“Young Lady Silica?”

“…Mu, what is it?”

“Didn’t you say that Young Lady Charlotte stood out like a sore thumb, and you had a hard time avoiding her eyes?”

“That’s…….”

“Well, tell me about that piece of rock in your ear, and how I almost got in trouble for trying to hold back my laughter every time I saw it.”

Turning to Silica, who hastily brought her hand to her own ear, Ariana tirelessly pointed it out to her.

“There are degrees of blindness in this world, and how can you show up wearing earrings with stone chips in them because you can’t tell the difference between gold and pyrite?

Or was that a choice you made to spread laughter to everyone at the ball? If that’s the case, you’ve done a great job.”

“…….”

“Still, I wouldn’t recommend wearing it for too long. There’s a rumor that the Enchild family is so broke they wear iron pyrite earrings instead of gold. It wouldn’t do well among the other nobles, right?”

After hurling relentless insults at Young Lady Silica, Ariana didn’t even pause before turning to the next young lady.

“You’re Velia, right?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“I never thought I’d hear the words ‘self-care’ coming out of your mouth, that’s the most surprising thing I’ve heard today.”

Ariana grabbed Velia’s hand and pulled her in front of her, then crossed her arms over her own, before speaking again.

“This is what self-care looks like.”

“Yeah….”

“It’s not wearing a cowhide corset to hide your bulging belly, or hiding your thigh fat with a frilly dress.

It’s about eating well-balanced meals on time every day, exercising consistently to keep fat from sticking to certain areas, and staying in perfect shape so that you’re not embarrassed to show your loved ones your body at any time.”

“…….”

“When I saw you earlier, you had a plate full of cookies? Do you even think about taking care of yourself, Velia?

I’m sure your mangled organs are screaming at each other from under that corset. You’re at a ball, after all, and dancing would be good exercise.

Oh, by the way, you haven’t been asked to dance by anyone so far….”

“Hmph…!”

Before Ariana could finish her sentence, Young Lady Velia swatted her hand away and ran off.

“Miss Velia!”

“See you later!

The other two young ladies pretended to follow Velia, hurrying to get away from Ariana.

Only after the three of them had disappeared down an unseen hallway did Ariana relax her scowl and return to her gentle self from earlier.

…Encountering Ariana’s refinement firsthand, which I had only heard rumors about, sent chills down my spine.

She looked like the epitome of ducal elegance and self-confidence, a 180-degree difference from the Ariana I had just greeted.

Just as I was feeling a little grateful to Ariana for taking the heat on my behalf, I caught a glimpse of her from across the hall.

“…….”

Another angle. Another. Another.

As soon as she spotted me, Ariana was walking in a straight line toward me, her face serious.

Thoughts of running away immediately swirled through my head, but the aura she exuded kept me on my feet.

I froze in place, waiting for her to approach, and it wasn’t long before Ariana was standing directly in front of me.

“…My dear Charlotte Francis.”

Her voice was serious enough to make me tense up, even though I was terrified.