When My Enemies Began to Regret

“What can we do? Are you going to fight in front of people? I heard that someone from the Marquis family is coming soon.”

“…’

“If we stay still… it would look like she was appropriately mourning Aloken,” said Purson, glancing in the direction of Fanora.

Even at this moment, his arm where she had hit was throbbing. The quiet Fanora suddenly beat him up? But he didn’t know what kind of accident would happen if he messed with her carelessly in a place like this.

“Madam, you must begin your toast soon.”

“…”

Hanar took a deep breath as she listened to her son and the butler in turn.

Fanora seemed to stand still without a word after coming down the stairs.

“I’ll be there soon.”

Her son is right. This would be better than making a big fuss in front of people. Hanar eventually gave up his intention to kick Fanora out. Soon, Purson’s birthday banquet began.

“Thank you all for gathering. Today…”

But even at this moment when the organizer’s words began, some nobles glanced at the corner of the venue. At the end of their gaze stood a woman with a haggard atmosphere like winter.

“Why does Lady Celsius look like that…”

“I guess she’s still mourning the duke’s death.”

“But isn’t that why she shouldn’t leave her room? She’s wearing black clothes and attending her brother’s birthday banquet.”

Fanora quietly watched as the nobles around her continued to fuss. They were usually anxious that they couldn’t talk to her. But now they just looked at her as if she was an animal in the zoo.

“…”

Obviously, this was caused by the death of Duke Aloken Jalier.

Right. What she had was so insignificant. Unless she gained power to the fullest and decorated herself, this is how she would ultimately turn out. Who would look kindly on the helpless Celsius?

She looked out the window, avoiding the nobles’ glances.

When she walked out the door in this dress, she thought she would no longer be afraid of what others would think. Because now she would break off ties with Celsius. Since she no longer needed fame, she felt she could proudly achieve what she wanted without worrying about others. But it didn’t happen like that.

She wasn’t born to be confident by nature. Her weak character of the past, which had been overshadowed by revenge, was always creeping up.

The nobles look strangely at her. They covered their mouths with a fan and whispered.

Fanora burst into a cold sweat when this situation came. It was just a color. But she felt it was unfair to be treated like this when she was just wearing her favorite color.

She adjusted her posture while trying to think of something else. As she moved her body, the opaque mesh of the hem of her dress swept the floor like a black snake. Looking at these beautiful waves made her feel a little relieved.

Getting herself together, she took a deep breath. It was at that moment.

“A guest from the Marquis’s family has arrived.”

“Ah, I guess the Marquis family was invited too.”

“Madam Celsius is very sociable.”

Finally, the person Hanar had been waiting for arrived at the venue. As the servant at the entrance announced the guest’s entrance in a soft voice, people turned their heads one by one.

“Uh?”

Contrary to the expectations of the guests, only one Andras appeared. A neat-looking young man with bright red hair. He was the third son of Marquis Andras.

“

”

“…!”

However, when they saw him appear at the entrance, the nobles held their breath one by one. This was the same for Fanora, who knew in advance that Carl Andras would come.

“…?!”

There was one reason why the people in the banquet hall were so shocked. Carl Andras appeared, dressed in pitch black from head to toe.

“Why…”

A man who had no interest in dressing up. But now he combed his hair neatly and buttoned his suit up to his neck.

Every time Carl took a step, the metal jewelry on his ears sparkled. Also, when he raised his hand to adjust the choker-shaped collar that clung to his neck, his black silk gloves caught your eyes.

He had a well-trained body that couldn’t be concealed by a smooth satin coat. This was because he devoted most of his life to training, and in return, he obtained a body as refined as a sculpture from an old era.

The nobles watched the man who had already appeared, holding their breath. Carl strode to the center of the hall with long strides and raped the black fur cloak he had been wearing over his arm. He didn’t know that the nobles’ attention would focus even further due to the splendor of the cloak.

“I apologize, Countess. My carriage slipped on the way, so I was inevitably late.”

“Huh, how come…”

“Instead, I have brought you a precious gift from the Marquis. I hope you will forgive me.”

Carl greeted with a straight face to Countess Celsius, whose face turned white.

As soon as this greeting was over, the quiet banquet hall became noisy. Now, no one looked at Fanora strangely. Compared to Carl’s extravagant outfits, her clothes were plain.

“…”

Far away, the man who had come to the center of the commotion instead of her looked up. Fanora slowly changed her complexion from the moment her eyes met his. She narrowed the space between her eyebrows and twisted the corner of her dry mouth as if she were about to cry.

Fanora didn’t know what expression she was making right now.

* * *

Human organs, insect faces, rotten food. Why do ugly and gross things remain deep in my mind at first glance?

“How can he be so rude?”

“Didn’t he kill someone on the way here? Black clothes are only used at funerals.”

“Well… there may be some unspoken words about black, but there’s no official prohibition against wearing it at the banquet…”

“I know it’s weird, but even black clothes can look quite…”

The nobles whispered at the sight of Carl. Among them, half of them cursed at Carl, saying he was strange, and surprisingly, some nobles showed interest in his outfit.

“…”

However, even amidst the chaos, there was someone maintaining composure. The black-haired woman leaned against the white wall and silently watched him. As she remained silent, a little while later, Carl approached her and struck up a conversation.

“Hello, Lady Fanora.”

He continued to touch the back of his neck while greeting her as if the suit he was wearing made him feel uncomfortable.

“Carl, in the past…” Fanora looked up at Carl and slowly opened her mouth. “You said you don’t button your clothes because you don’t like feeling stuffy. But you look neat today.”

“Yes.”

“… That’s cool.”

When she faced Carl, she didn’t know what to say, so she said something conventional. Then Carl answered her with a soft smile on his lips.

“I told you. If you’re confident, you definitely look cool.”

“…”

“As expected, Lady Fanora looks really cool today.”

Carl praised Fanora’s black dress, saying it looked good on her. The more he acted like this, the more distorted Fanora’s expression became.

“You’ve been wearing clothes you’ve been wanting to wear for a long time. Is there anything else you’d like to do with this outfit?”

“…”

“Boasting your cool appearance to your friends. If not…”

Her mouth was twisted, so Carl thought maybe she was upset. He made several suggestions to cheer Fanora up.

Then Fanora brought it up. “I want to dance.”

The performance to celebrate Purson’s birthday had begun as they talked. The nobles danced hand in hand with happy faces. However, it would be a different story when two people wearing pitch-black clothes stepped into the center. The cold gaze of the nobles would instantly be focused on their backs.

“Dance?”

Fanora asked for a dance even though she was clearly aware of the situation. Of course, Carl didn’t refuse this. He nodded his head willingly with an expression that showed no hesitation.

“I know how to ask for a dance. This is how you do it, right?”

The man with red hair soon took a half step back and bent down. Then he held out his hand and said, “Lady Fanora of the Celsius family, please dance your first dance with me.”

It was the traditional etiquette of Kasius. However, it felt unfamiliar to see this man, who usually acted like a colt, doing something like this.

“Do you know how to ballroom dance?”

“I don’t know? I learned from looking over my shoulder.”

The two of them, holding hands, soon came to the center of the hall. It felt strange to see two people as black as black swans mixed in a hall with only bright colors.

“Don’t worry. Andras family is good at anything they do with their bodies.”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

After waiting for a few beats, the song for a new dance began. Hearing the sound, Fanora took a step first, and Carl also took a step.

As he had boasted, indeed, the Andras family seemed to be really good at anything they did. Although it was a rough lead, Carl did a pretty good imitation just by squinting at the nobles beside him.

“

…”

They made a graceful turn, ignoring the stiff-faced spectators. Then, the black clothes they wore rippled as if permeating the white floor of the hall.

“…”

Their dance was perfect. There was nothing wrong with their back being straight. Because of that, the nobles filling the hall lost their attention, not knowing what to do.

Perhaps they were even more fascinated because the clothes they wore were of a color that was considered taboo.

The music continued like that, and the two people’s dance was coming to an end.

“Carl, I need to ask you something.”

“Yes! Say anything.”

As the dance ended, Fanora hinted. “You dressed up in black today… is it because of me?”

“A little bit.”

“…”

“I think it would be less embarrassing if there were two rather than alone.”

She had a calm expression, but Carl’s gaze began to waver.

“Did you worry about me?”

Fanora didn’t stop and pulled out the next word. They held hands tightly for dance, and their faces were close as if they were about to touch.

“Because you like me?”

Carl’s steps twitched at her words. He stopped awkwardly, stamping on his own foot. This response alone was enough to answer her question.

“Uh, that’s.”

“…”

“…”

She raised her head with a cold face. Then she saw Carl’s face turning red, the exact opposite of her face.

Carl stuttered in great embarrassment when Fanora hit the nail on the head.

“…”

How could she not know when he’s so easy to read? Fanora was convinced the moment he appeared in all-black attire. What kind of feelings does Carl have for her? However, the moment this fact was confirmed, her expression darkened.

“Lady Fanora?”

She suddenly let go of Carl’s hand, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and ran out of the hall.

Carl hesitated at Fanora’s actions and started to chase her later. “Lady Fanora!”