“I made quite a few assumptions at first, but after getting to know you and seeing you around the estate, I came to realize the rumors were baseless. But you seemed to be quite the object of fascination, given gossip about you had even spread within the military.”
“What…? I am?” Byletta asked Arnald.
She’d expected her husband to criticize her, but he actually seemed rather impressed.
“The men you turned down appear to have been rather spiteful and spoken poorly of you, and now everyone’s wondering about this harridan my fate has been tied to.”
“You might as well divorce me, then.”
Byletta knew the meaning behind the looks she’d gotten as soon as she’d walked into the venue, strangely enough. It was her husband’s attitude that she couldn’t fathom.
Byletta blinked, only to find Arnald looking back at her with a puzzled expression.
“Do you think any man worth his salt would willingly abandon such a wonderful wife? Alas, I am not that foolish. I consider myself fortunate to have made such an indomitable woman my wife. I won’t set you aside.”
Byletta had never cared for when people complimented her appearance, and even now, being praised for being “indomitable” was difficult for her to accept with open arms. She was doubtful whether it really was a compliment.
But she could feel that her cheeks had suddenly flushed red.
A kind of embarrassment different from the one she’d experienced during her and Arnald’s nightly encounters began to rise up within her.
It felt slightly uncomfortable. Her heart was pounding.
It was the first time she’d ever felt this way. It sent panic coursing through her.
“I-I have to go and freshen up.”
“I’ll take a breather outside, then.”
“Okay.”
Byletta ran as fast as she could to the corridor outside the venue.
Why did she feel so embarrassed beside her husband? Her heart was racing. She wanted to scream.
He understood her. He accepted her. He didn’t criticize her. And most importantly, he defended her.
That was the first time someone had ever defended her in front of anyone. It made her so happy she could cry out in joy.
“Would you happen to be Lady Byletta Swangan?”
The moment Byletta exited into the corridor, someone called her name. She snapped her head around to look at them with the same intensity as the pounding of her racing heart.
Standing there was an extravagant woman with blond curls. Her garish purple dress suited her so well that the color actually looked good.
The woman’s face, however, was caked with so much makeup that it was hard to make out her natural features. Even worse was the amount of perfume she wore, which made her so offensive to the nose that it took all of Byletta’s determination not to grimace.
“That’s me…,” Byletta began.
“I do apologize for suddenly intruding on your thoughts. I’m Carla Rydewall.”
The woman looked like she was in her thirties. Byletta wasn’t sure if it was because of all the makeup, but her seductive aura expressed a mature femininity. The queenly air of nobility she embodied seemed to let her get away with the openness of the bust of her dress.
Byletta hurriedly averted her gaze from the woman’s ample and unashamedly exposed bosom.
The Rydewalls were considered the same rank as the Swangans, as the family heads were both counts. It went without saying that the former was also part of the noble faction, granting them a certain status.
Byletta had heard many rumors in high society circles about the Rydewalls. There, the countess was known as the “Queen of Seduction.”
Carla had become Count Rydewall’s second wife at a tender fifteen years of age. She’d lost her husband since then, becoming a widow, and now spent her time flitting from man to man. It had earned her a reputation for being somewhat flighty.
She was currently acting as an interim countess until her son came of age.
Rumor had it, however, that the former count’s younger brother had taken responsibility for the day-to-day duties that accompanied the title, and Carla had fully devoted herself to the pursuit of passion, instead.
Since Byletta belonged to a different high society faction, she’d only ever seen Carla from afar and hadn’t experienced her feminine intensity up close and personal before.
The rumors about Byletta might have been baseless, but it seemed this woman was a true femme fatale.
As if dissatisfied with only being able to prowl the noble half of high society, Carla regularly attended military functions as well, so she’d become well connected. Still, she wasn’t related to any military men, so it was probable that she’d asked one to bring her here as his plus one.
As Byletta began to wonder what her reasons for going through all that effort just to attend this function could be, the countess smiled sweetly and spoke again.
“Do you know where I might find Arnald?”
“My husband should still be inside.”
Although he had said that he needed to step outside for some air, so perhaps he was on the terrace instead.
“I’m afraid I didn’t see him inside. It appears his wife has lost him, too.”
Carla snorted as if she considered Byletta beneath her before unceremoniously looking her up and down.
“I never imagined a young woman such as yourself would be able to keep up with Arnald—but then again, your reputation precedes you.”
“It’s truly embarrassing. What an utter travesty that such utter nonsense keeps making the rounds.”
“I see someone’s playing coy…”
“I’m afraid I don’t boast the same allure as you, Countess Rydewall.”
Usually those were words used to lift someone up, but in this case, Byletta wanted to put this woman down.
Whether Carla would be able to sense the disdain in her tone or not depended on the woman herself, but she seemed to be finding something else disagreeable. Carla’s well-groomed brow was furrowed, as though she didn’t appreciate Byletta’s collected attitude.
From her increasingly chilly expression, Byletta could tell the reason Carla was in attendance that night was to seek out Arnald.