Confrontation

Selene, who entered the party venue, immediately caught everyone’s attention.
Even without her beautiful face, her aloof atmosphere, as if she would not permit anyone near her, had a rather unique aspect.
Ironically, Selene’s cold atmosphere, which had deepened due to her annoyance with her suitors, had the result of making them even more anxious.
Selene’s expectation that interest would wane if rumors about her and Theron Cox circulated was also somewhat off the mark.
Similarly, although the gifts and letters piled up at the entrance had decreased, the glancing gazes like now had not diminished at all.
Of course, among those gazes, there would also be curiosity about Selene, who appeared at the party alone today.
If the two were dating after she received Theron Cox’s bouquet, they would have come together, but he had not come with her.
They were probably curious if the two’s relationship had ended after the loud public confession.
There was even a man who approached Selene, who had taken a seat in a corner of the ballroom, and finally asked about it.
“Good evening, Lady Ashcombe. I don’t know if you remember me, but I am Second Lieutenant Eldport. I am also a subordinate of Colonel Orlando.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Eldport.”
Although Selene didn’t remember him well, she greeted him appropriately.
“Theron Cox, I thought that man would escort you, my lady, but seeing you alone in a place like this, it seems all the rumors were false.”
“…”
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask about the truth of those rumors?”
Selene did not answer immediately and just stared at Eldport.
She knew this man was attracted to her without even having a deep conversation.
He was probably a man located somewhere between a horny bastard and a horny bastard pretending not to be.
However, this time, she didn’t stop her judgment of this man there and thought about it carefully.
Although not as much as Theron Cox, his face was quite handsome, and since he was Uncle Orlando’s subordinate, he probably hadn’t approached her with such a light heart.
Then what about kissing this man?
“…”
However, that hypothesis was immediately crushed.
Just imagining it made her stomach turn.
Indeed, it is not easy to attempt such a thing with a person with whom one has no intimacy.
It might get better if she saw him as often as Theron Cox, but that would require a considerable amount of time.
She reached a conclusion quickly.
There was no need to talk to this man any further.
At Selene’s intense gaze, the man’s face slowly turned red.
“If he were sincere to you, my lady, he would never have let you attend such a party alone…”
“Women have hands and feet too. I’m not an old woman who needs a man to use as a cane. So, a man’s escort is not essential for a woman.”
At the cold reply, the man rolled his eyes in embarrassment.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to disrespect women…”
“And there are many women who find such conversations bothersome.”
That should have been enough to get the message across.
“Someone is calling me… Then I will greet you again next time.”
Fortunately, the man who understood the meaning of rejection did not take up any more of Selene’s time.
Selene, who was alone again, sipped her water with a displeased face as Evelyn did not appear.
She had been here for an hour, so she planned to wait for another 10 minutes, and if Evelyn did not appear, she would return to the mansion.
However, before 10 minutes had passed, another person appeared in front of her.
“Miss Selene. You were here.”
It was Evelyn’s fiancé, Rupert.
If she greeted Rupert, she could be free without necessarily meeting Evelyn, so his late appearance did not feel entirely bad.
“Happy birthday.”
“Thank you. Being in a place like this, you must be waiting for Evelyn, right?”
As Selene nodded, Rupert lowered his voice.
“Actually… Evelyn fell while getting out of the car and went to the hospital. It’s just a sprain, so there’s no need to worry, but it will take some time for her to come after stopping by there.”
“I see.”
“Evelyn has a bit of a clumsy side, doesn’t she?”
At the sight of Rupert rubbing his neck in worry, the corner of Selene’s mouth rose diagonally.
As he said, Evelyn had also fallen badly when she came to visit the mansion a few days ago.
She had insisted that he never tell her fiancé, but did Evelyn know that she herself was hearing similar words from him?
“And… if you would allow it, Miss Selene, I would like to apologize for what happened last time.”
“Last time?”
Rupert’s cheeks were flushed as he looked around.
“I don’t think this is a conversation we can have in a place like this, so would you mind stepping out into the corridor for a moment?”
If it had been another man, she would have of course refused, but since Rupert was Evelyn’s fiancé, Selene decided to make an exception.
The corridor he led her to was deserted.
It was as calm as a different world from the bustling ballroom, but the sound from across the boisterous wall could be heard, so it wasn’t entirely quiet.
“It’s nothing else… I’ve been bothered by the fact that I left that place as if I were running away after being rude at the ducal estate last time.”
“Ah.”
“I should have apologized properly on the spot, but I would like to apologize now for being truly rude.”
Rupert was apologizing for being seen kissing Evelyn at the ducal estate.
In fact, he wasn’t just honestly kissing, but was also groping her cousin’s thigh, but since it was a thing of the past, Selene was fine with it.
Rather, that shocking incident had also given her new stimulation.
“It’s alright. Kissing isn’t a bad thing, is it?”
“Still, it will never happen again next time. I made a mistake because she looked so pretty for a moment, but I will never again carelessly kiss…”
But Rupert could not continue his apology.
Thwack!
A fist that came out of nowhere struck his face.
It was truly the fastest thing Selene had ever seen.
To that extent, the man who had appeared out of nowhere had hit Rupert’s face like a ruffian in an instant.
“What, you bastard? Say that again. You kissed her carelessly?”
Selene turned her head towards the man who had suddenly intruded.
The person who was holding the startled Rupert by the collar and shaking him like a paper doll was someone she knew.
“Theron…?”
In this absurd situation, Selene called him by his first name for the first time, not his last name.
Like a fierce dog that flinches when its master calls its name, Theron flinched.
But that was only for a moment; the menacing look in Theron’s eyes did not die down.
“Didn’t you say this bastard did something terrible to you, Miss Selene?”
Selene searched her memory.
What was she talking about with Rupert?

“I made a mistake because she looked so pretty for a moment, but I will never again carelessly kiss…”

Right, it was about kissing.
“If you mean something terrible, are you perhaps talking about a kiss? Yes, that. Even if Miss Selene proposed it first, this horny bastard who happily pounces on her like a dog that has been starving for days…”
“No.”
“Grind him up with the trash… wait what?”
Selene, who understood the situation, pulled away Theron’s hand, which was holding the dazed Rupert by the collar.
His hand fell limply.
“I think you’ve misunderstood, Mr. Cox. This person is my cousin’s fiancé. He was apologizing for being caught kissing my cousin.”
“…”
“It seems you’re the one who made the mistake, Mr. Cox.”
At Selene’s explanation, Theron, who had been dazed as if he had been hit, came to his senses.
“Is that really true…?”
“Yes.”
“You’re not lying to calm me down?”
“No.”
Theron’s time stopped.
He, who had been frozen, belatedly came to his senses and straightened Rupert’s disheveled shirt collar.
“…I’m sorry. I’ve made a big misunderstanding.”
Despite Theron’s apology, Rupert, who was clutching his sore face, still looked confused.
“W-what is this all of a sudden…”
“I know you’re surprised, but please understand. What man wouldn’t lose his mind when he misunderstands that some stray dog kissed the woman he likes? I believe you, as a man like me, will generously overlook today’s events.”
Theron’s apology was quite brazen, but surprisingly, Rupert did not get angry.
Rupert, who understood the situation, narrowed his eyes and pulled down the hem of his raised jacket.
“…For Miss Selene’s sake, I will not escalate this matter any further and will withdraw. I will keep today’s events a secret.”
“Thank you.”
“I hope this never happens again.”
Theron nodded.
‘Amazing.’
While Selene was deeply impressed by Rupert’s understanding, he politely bowed to her and left.
Probably when Rupert goes back to the ballroom, he will be busy explaining his reddened cheek.
But Selene didn’t care much.
This was something that happened because of Theron Cox.
Therefore, it was his job to bear the burden of guilt.
After the big commotion, Selene and Theron were left alone in the quiet corridor.
Selene spoke first.
“Where did you suddenly pop out from?”
“…It was noisy, so I came out to the corridor to rest for a while, and I heard a familiar voice.”
He rubbed under his chin with an embarrassed face.
“I made a fuss because of a needless misunderstanding.”
“You really did make a needless misunderstanding.”
At Selene’s calm reply, Theron’s hand, which was rubbing his chin, stopped.
One of his eyebrows rose slightly.
“But, don’t you think you have some responsibility for that needless misunderstanding, Miss Selene?”
One of Selene’s eyebrows also rose slightly.
“Me?”
“Honestly, if you hadn’t said that you could kiss other people, Miss Selene, I wouldn’t have made such a misunderstanding.”
“Did I say that?”
As Selene said that as if she really didn’t remember, Theron Cox rolled up his shirt sleeves.
“Yes, to be precise, you said, ‘I understood your position, Mr. Cox, and I can kiss other people, can’t I?'”
Theron roughly ran his hand through his hair with the hand that had rolled up his sleeve.
“What do you mean, understand? If you understood my feelings even a little, you wouldn’t have said that.”