My Engagement Got Broken, But I Don’t Remember Getting Engaged in the First Place - Chapter 40

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Nora couldn’t eat anything, so she’d been sipping the glass of juice which was the only thing Elias had taste-tasted himself before he left.

But because she finished it right away, the call of nature arrived before Elias could return. She went to the toilet with Flora, but Allan could only accompany them so far, so they separated when they reached the end of the hall.

She should have anticipated it.

As soon as she left the toilet, she was cornered by a flurry of peculiar young ladies.

“What’s your relationship with Marquis Callum’s son?”

She didn’t know her name as she hadn’t introduced herself, but this black-haired lady seemed to be the leader of the lot.

Six young ladies had surrounded her, eyeing her silently. No matter what answer she gave them, she reckoned they wouldn’t leave her alone.

“…Merely a friend.”

She couldn’t bring herself to be honest and tell them they were temporary lovers; it would’ve been too embarrassing, and possibly not a very good idea. With that in mind, she had answered as such, and the ladies looked relieved for a moment but collectively frowned soon after.

“Then why is your dress the same color as Lord Elias?”

It had been Elias’ doing, but she couldn’t very well tell them the truth, so she donned a puzzled look.

“Well, what a terrible coincidence, don’t you think?” She couldn’t find the right words to say and figured being ignorant would be best as she tried to express displeasure on her face.

“It is generally most disrespectful for someone as prestigious as the marquis’ son to associate and be together with the likes of you.”

“I’d love to be escorted by Lord Elias and Lord Allan, too!”

“Just how many young ladies do you think will come knowing that both of them would be attending?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. You aren’t even pretty.”

“I know right.” Nora could only mutter as much after getting barreled by so many disdainful remarks all at once.

“What’s with that impudence! No wonder why you could do something so outlandish like singing at a restaurant frequented by commoners.”

“As a nobility, have you no sense of shame?”

They apparently disapproved of her phatic expression.

It’s been quite a while since she had a conversation with other ladies, but she found it still as taxing.

If they found her unpleasant, then they should’ve left her alone. She pondered for a moment if she should keep her manners and treat them with respect, or ignore them all and run away. But considering how His Majesty himself had invited her and how Elias had kindly been her escort, doing so would be unwise.

She glanced at Flora, who nodded at her in understanding.

She couldn’t do anything so she just listened to them in silence and waited for them to feel better after airing out their grievances, but somehow things turned for the worse.

“In the first place, why would Lord Elias escort someone like her?”

“Oh, Lord Elias, how unfortunate of him.”

“Rumor has it that the Azure Nightingale had hoodwinked him. He must’ve been threatened.”

“Oh, Lord Elias, how unfortunate of him.”

“I’m sure he must feel uncomfortable being with her.”

“Oh, Lord Elias, how unfortunate of him.”

“By the way, it seems like a lot of people have seen Lord Elias go in and out of the royal castle recently. Rumor has it that he’s meeting someone.”

“Oh, who could it be?”

In Nora’s mind, she wanted to ask the lady, “Well, who are you?”

Could there be more uninteresting than listening to strangers gossip about other strangers?

Possibly nothing.

The only thing that bothered her was how poor the vocabulary of that lady who kept saying, “Oh, Lord Elias, how unfortunate of him.” as though she were an idiot. What was funny was that the more she heard her say it, the more it sounded like “Oh, Lord Elias, it serves him right.”

In any case, their conversation was still worthless gossip. Nora pretended to listen intently as her mind wandered into thoughts of how to save money in preparation for the toll increase.

“I heard she was very feminine.”

“Then, does Lord Elias have a secret lover in the royal castle?” The young ladies turned their heads and looked expectantly at Nora, whose face had a frosty expression.

“Well, don’t you think you’re looking at the wrong person?” After telling them so, the group scattered away immediately.

Only the strong scent of perfume lingered in the air.

Nora and Flora looked at each other and let out a sigh at the same time.

“That was tiring.”

“I’ve been saying this all this time, but I truly am not suitable for Elias, am I?” Nora knew that best. The poor baron’s daughter and the highly esteemed marquis’ son were like world’s apart.

“Whiny losers, the lot of them. Don’t pay them any mind… Oh, I might have dropped my handkerchief earlier. Hold on.”

As she waited for Flora to return from the toilet, Nora moved her shoulders around to loosen their stiffness. She had only been listening to the young ladies but she felt so weary and exhausted.

“My, how inelegant of you.”

One of the young ladies from earlier had returned, the black-haired one, and stood in front of her.

“There are several rooms at the end of this hallway. Have you any idea what they are for?”

“No.”

“I suppose people like you hardly come to the royal castle. Well, those are retiring rooms.”

Retiring rooms were generally used for people who are sick or tired so they can rest.

“At soirees and balls, they are often used by men and women of close acquaintances.”

In other words, it was a place for clandestine meetings.

But why would she make an effort to come back and tell her such a thing?

“I chanced upon Lord Elias walking towards this hallway earlier. What do you reckon he would do here?”

Nora didn’t answer but simply gave her a curt smile.

Flora returned, standing at the same spot the young lady earlier had stood before she left. Now all they needed to do was return to where Allan was waiting.

But she couldn’t shake the unease she felt.

“I think I might’ve dropped my handkerchief too.”

“All right, I’ll wait for you here. Or do you want me to accompany you back?”

“No need. It’s just right there. If we go any later, Allan might be worried, so go on ahead without me. I won’t be long.”

“Well, we sure were held back by those troublesome young ladies. But it would be indeed quite a sight if the rumored marquis’ son were to be seen loitering in front of the ladies’ room. All right then, go on ahead and come back soon.”

“Of course.” She said before turning back towards the toilet.

The aforementioned room was supposed to be beyond that.