Night of the Nobles II

He hands me a small box with a letter inside and says, "Milady, this is the gift that his highness assured me to give you, and this is his private letter for you." The man has brown hair, and I later learned his name is Rutherford. I strain to see the young man's expression, but I am unable to do so. He is the first rank in the western division, as he stated earlier, so perhaps he is a great knight.

Compared to the other divisions, the western division is very strict for knights. There are a certain number of knights in it, but only a select few eventually rise to the ranks. Even though I gave this man's appearance some intense credibility, I still feel no threat emanating from him; am I the only one who has these kinds of thoughts?

In any case, I accept Sir Rutherford's offer and take the seat next to mine. Sir Rutherford keeps his distance and never closes the door to our room. No malice is intended in that part, but the knight did intend for the servants to be able to see what we need to do since he is aware from the beginning that he will never speak to me.

“Then, Sir Rutherford, may I ask that you also take a seat?” I request. I set the little box with the blue lid and yellow ribbon on the table and turn to face the man with the brown hair.

He closes his eyes and nods while occupying the chair that is farthest from mine.

I eventually sigh and shake my head. I suppose it's sufficient that he heard me.

The room is full of silence. I fix my gaze on the box and letter while deciding which to open first.

I cast a quick glance at the knight, but he doesn't appear to say anything that I already expect. He is not gazing at me; he is merely passively observing the table.

I open the little box in a flash and realize it contains a ring. But it's not any diamond ring, it has a sapphire stone set into the gold portion of the ring's handle. My eyes start to swell up. The sapphire represents a person who is noble, truthful, sincere, and faithful. The gemstone Casimir gave me fits these descriptions, but why?

I couldn't care less if he is unaware of my existence. He has avoided me for the previous years as if I’m a plague that he should get rid of. But why this particular gem?

"Milady, I suppose you ought to read the letter as well,” Sir Rutherford's words abruptly divert my attention from my thoughts, warning that we might be late for the occasion this time.

I take a silent breath and nod back at him. I quickly put the ring on the ring finger of my right hand as I open the letter now.

In fact, there are other factors at play, and according to what Casimir had written, the sapphire he currently gives me matches my birthstone. In fact, I’m born in September, and he is well aware of that. I have no idea that my lips would incline upward until I fix my gaze on the mirror in front of me.

I must have been temporarily out of my mind if I didn't remember how Casimir had treated me in the past.

I attempted to stare at the jewel in my hand, but I started to hate it.

“Should we leave at this time, Sir Rutherford?” The knight nods and extends his hands to me in response to my query.

I accept it as I slip the letter into my dress' extra pocket and make our way to the carriage.

We nod in response to the servants' cordial farewell to the occasion as I grin. The knight I'm holding doesn't make any facial movements, but he is undeniably attractive.

Given what I now know about Casimir's preoccupation, everything or everyone he holds to be of the highest caliber, and possibly the reason he never acknowledges me is that I don't fit his criterion.

Our carriage trip is quite silent. We don't exchange words with one another. We remain still. I make a conscious effort not to stare at Sir Rutherford as he peers out the window to take in the view.

Throughout the entire journey, I learn about Sir Rutherford's unique trait, he finally taps his pointing finger above his right leg while gazing outside. If he sees some trees and some kids passing by with their chaperones, he will narrow his gaze. After a bit, he will return to his natural position and look at me as I pretend to do what he is doing. I did gaze outdoors for a full minute, albeit I'm just not tapping my fingers over my legs or squinting my eyes.

After some while, our carriage comes to a stop. As we enter the household where the gathering is being held, Sir Rutherford comes to lead me. The goddess of hope and love, Evelyn, calls this site her home. The place is constructed as a tribute to the goddess who shaped the empire’s history. However, in truth, it is constructed to host the "Nights of Nobles" event, where important nobles and their families assemble to make a deal in these 40,000 hectares of land.

Since this is the first time I've been here, the concept makes me shudder. Due to my sickness and injury, I never attended this event in my prior life. But things are different this time.

I suddenly experience a warm descent onto my shoulders. I turn to see Sir Rutherford putting his coat on my shoulder when I realize who it is. He doesn't respond when I raise both of my eyebrows; instead, he simply pretends to cough while lending me his arms once more.

We approach the place as any other noble would, but I do hear what he says when we get near the entrance.

As I hand the invitation and we enter the home, I listen to his words, "You are his highness' fiancé, Milady, and it's solely my responsibility to keep you safe and away from any sicknesses this night," he says.

“Then, Sir Rutherford, if I'm to have you as my partner this evening, I suppose I should order you to smile with me. In addition, as you mention, your highness, to whom I am engaged, is the crown prince.”

***

I tightened my grip on Sir Rutherford's coat since I could tell the breeze coming from this balcony would be chilly. The coat feels indeed warm, and despite his earlier attitude, I can still smell his fresh scent, giving off a summery vibe.

Maybe I wouldn't be able to feel at rest right now if I hadn't been able to speak those words to him. It's enough to make me feel at ease to see him smile like that. He is forced to comply since I told him to because my directive must have been shared by my fiancé.

I shiver as soon as I feel a breeze touching my face once more. My brown hair moves a few strands in that direction toward my back. This time, I grip the coat more tightly, and the perfume of summer assaulted my nose just like before. It's naturally colorful if I may put it that way.

I take the piece of paper Casimir previously sent me, and I read it once more. I'm still not sure about the final sentence.

I mumble when I read what Casimir wrote, "Let the sapphire ring sparkle like yourself tonight." This letter contained a similar worth-triggering element as the one he had before sent.

I can't help but squint when I look at the sapphire ring on my right hand. Since the time has not yet come, I sigh.

I noticed how attractive the clock is earlier when I looked at it mounted in the middle of the wall above the stairs in the main room of the house. The clock had diamonds inlaid in each of its numerals, yet the event has not yet taken place.

Three more hours will pass before the horrible incident occurs. I should at the very least spend some time here on the balcony rather than socializing with those nobles. Even though I’m prepared, the suffocating scents, images of expensive clothing, high-pitched voices, and laughter would constantly invade my thoughts, transporting me back to the day of my execution and sickening me with the same faces of fake smiles and masks they wear.

I shake my head as I place both of my hands on the balcony stool and lean forward to look outside when suddenly strange noises can be heard not far from where I am standing.

Without giving it a second consideration, I glance in the direction of the place and discover two persons who are acting improperly for a noble. Do they want to engage in sexual activity while positioned next to the balcony's corners? But why I care is what surprises me. In addition, the young man has lime blonde hair while the other has brown hair, so it's not like they're doing it on purpose. The young woman spreads her legs across the young man's torso, tying them together to draw him to her.

When the young man's lips touched the woman's exposed neck, her groan reached a high pitch. Beyond that, I have no further vision. I decide to turn a blind eye to it as I prepare to look away with wide eyes. But as soon as I turn away from the two, I’m hailed by someone I’m familiar with.

“Do you mind if I join you here on the balcony, Lady?”