This Type Of Courtship Is Complicated - Chapter 3

Spilled Lemonade

——♦ ⋄· 🜲· ⋄ ♦——

“Oh, Duke Arzen, seeing you here like this. Helios, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The soft melody of the waltz was interrupted by an unexpected noise.

A man with an empty smile on his face pushed his way through the crowd and approached Helios, who was enjoying his cigarette and port wine, engaged in casual conversation.

Viscount Billiard’s second son. His face was not particularly welcoming.

“Disappointed it’s not a woman, Your Grace?”

Looking at his giggling face, Helios let out a long cigarette of smoke. The thick smoke quickly dispersed into the air.

The man sitting beside Helios Argen picked up a wine glass and continued talking.

“Have you finally noticed women since last summer? I thought you had no interest in them, but now it’s all Arzen Duke’s scandals wherever you go?”

Helios was annoyed by the pointless remarks and turned his gaze away from the man.

The Christmas ball was nothing particularly special. It was just noisier and more glamorous than usual, with lights decorating not only the ceiling but also various other places, illuminating the surroundings intensely.

Amid the artificial light show, the gestures of people dancing to the waltz played by the orchestra were graceful, except for one lady in the middle of the dance floor, dancing quite energetically, catching everyone’s attention. The hem of her emerald green dress swirled lightly.

Why was she so excited? Helios couldn’t understand. Was it fun? Balls like this?

“Helios? Are you listening to me?”

“Hmm.”

Hearing the voice calling him again, Helios let out an annoyed sigh.

He had hoped that the son of Billiard would leave him alone, but unfortunately, the man was oblivious to hints.

With the wine glass in his hand, he kept opening and closing his mouth without taking a sip.

“Ah, you’ve got your eyes on the dancing ladies.”

Following Helios’ fleeting gaze, the man replied with narrowed eyes.

“Who are you looking for today? The night is getting deep, so I have to hurry up and find a suitable lover to spend the night with. I’m sorry to Ellie, who loves me, but I’m also…”

‘Love, what a joke.’

He kept spouting dirty jokes every time they met. It was impressive that some things never changed.

“You’re pathetic.”

Helios took a few turns and tossed the cigarette into the ashtray in his direction.

The man who understood the words he spat out with a low laugh asked his face hard.

“What?”

“Are you after me? It wouldn’t be the time for this. Come on. Go to Ellie, who loves you.”

Helios glanced at the corner of the garden’s path. The man and woman who had been passionately kissing since the first time they sat down here were still entangled with each other.

Ellie, his fiancée, was said to be passionately in love with Billiard’s second son.

Finally, the man’s face turned red with embarrassment as he quickly fled towards the corner of the garden.

‘Love, huh?’

‘Well, if they call that love.’

Helios wiped the wine glass with his long fingers. The wine-stained lips drew a gentle curve, unmistakably a mocking smile.

In the meantime, the song changed, and people found new partners to dance with. Even the overly cheerful lady disappeared into the monotonous scenery.

Helios stared down indifferently. Beyond the noses of the observers, everyone was watching him.

‘Maybe the parlour would be better than here.’

In the parlour, there were lively Trump and billiard games. Deon had already been there for a while.

After a short judgment, Helios left his seat and stood up.

“Um, excuse me…”

The strong scent of perfume that felt like it could tickle your nose filled the air at that moment. A young, immature woman stood before him with a contorted expression, almost on the verge of tears, blocking his path with her head deeply bowed.

It was evident since she was seeing him for the first time. A poor scapegoat of a suitable family, forcibly pushed out by her mother and grandmother.

As she trembled and shook, the lemonade in the glass she held seemed to ripple as if it might spill over.

Helios slowly raised his gaze.

“What is it? Do you have something to say?”

“Well, um…”

Surprised by his unexpected kindness, the woman cautiously lifted her head to look at him.

The straight nose with the white light shining through, the sharp jawline, and the calm and friendly eyes were so beautiful that one could stare at them in awe.

“Go ahead, speak.”

Helios rolled his eyes. The woman, now flushed like a rose, tightly closed her eyes as if she had made a firm decision and opened them again.

And she came up to me like that and twisted her foot. The lemonade in her hand spilt clumsily toward him. It was a very intentional action.

His jacket, tie, and crisp white shirt were drenched with sweet lemonade.

Such a trivial coincidence. It was so obvious who came up with it, so Helios let out a weak laugh as he watched the lemonade dripping from his body onto the floor.

Still the same. The script hasn’t changed.

“What should I do? I’m sorry.”

Meanwhile, observing Helios’ expression, the woman approached him with concern. Her hair seemed to have been soaked with perfume, and she was shivering.

“What to do…”

The woman took out her handkerchief and stretched out her hand to wipe his body. It was Helios who grabbed her hand.

“Your mother sure created a romantic coincidence.”

“What? Your Grace, that’s not what I…”

Her feet were clearly numb, and the woman’s face showed a look of bewilderment. The words barely spoken through trembling lips could not be translated into perfect sentences.

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of it, so go ahead. Now that you are at the ball, you should enjoy the dance and not get your hands dirty.”

Helios wiped the soft smile from his lips as the woman turned away. There was a hint of annoyance in the way he pulled the knot off the tie.

Discovered in the act, an attendant approached and guided him to a room where he could change his clothes.

There was a soft darkness down the stairs in a hallway lit by several lights. The sound of footsteps walking along the road was clear.

As expected, it was quite an annoying year-end ball.

***

Inside the mansion, the fragrance of citrus and spices gently lingered in the air. The smell, tickling her nose, made the place feel like Christmas, and Velia didn’t mind it.

Today’s Christmas ball was very special. The massive family tree outside was decorated as the largest tree she had ever seen, and the dazzling lights were beautiful. The sound of people chatting was gentle and warm.

As expected, it was a lovely and cosy year-end ball.

Considering it as a day that came only once a year, tonight became all the more precious.

However, there was only one problem she was yet to meet his fate that satisfied the three coincidences.

And if she had to mention one more problem…

“I’m sorry. Are you in a lot of pain?”

“I’m fine.”

She had accidentally stepped on the man’s foot twice while dancing. The first dance was perfect. She made a small mistake in the second dance because she was too excited.

When the man, who had asked her to dance twice, said he was okay, his voice was as clear and soft as his green eyes. But Velia was restless as she watched his toes.

The man observed Velia, who had a sullen expression contrasting her wide smile earlier.

Her wavy chestnut hair, rosy cheeks, and sparkling eyes under the light were lovely. So much so that he couldn’t help but smile even when he saw her drooping shoulders.

“I feel sorry to see you so upset.”

“No, it’s my fault. I get overly excited at year-end balls. Like a little calf. Even so, stepping on someone else’s foot, let alone bumping into them, makes me think I’d rather have my foot stepped on.”

“Huh? Like a calf?”

“My friend Evan Arcus told me earlier that I looked like a calf filled with joy. I said it wasn’t to that extent, but he was right. I regret not being able to admit it until now. If I had accepted it sooner, I would have been calmer.”

Her chattering was more like a sparrow than a calf.

The man bit his lip, suppressing a laugh, and then made a feigned cough.

“You are thorough in self-reflection, Miss Velia Devere.”

Her name flowed naturally from the lips of this unfamiliar man she had met not even three hours ago.

Surprised to realise it belatedly, Velia widened her eyes.

Only after that moment did Velia realise they hadn’t even exchanged names while dancing together for two songs.

“How do you know my name?”

“My mother talks about Velia Devere once a week.”

“Really? Why would she talk about me…?”

“Seeing that dance requests to Velia Devere haven’t stopped, wouldn’t you know why?”

“Velia!”

As she earnestly pondered the reason behind the continuous dance requests, Evan’s voice cut through the crowd as he looked for her.

It was probably time to return to Bretzen. Today, Evan hastened to return home early. To be precise, it had been since the time the western sky was dyed with a purple twilight.

Was it because of Duke Arzen? The man she isn’t supposed to meet tonight?

“Evan! Over here!”

However, it seemed like Evan didn’t hear her, and he gradually disappeared from her sight. His voice also became faint.

He would likely continue searching for her if she left him like that.

“I’m sorry for breaking the flow of the conversation, but my friend is looking for me, so I should probably go now.”

——♦ ⋄· 🜲· ⋄ ♦——