Useless Apologies

“Do you think simply placing a hand on it is the same as fondling it like it’s yours?”
“Who said I fondled it like it was mine…!”
“That’s how it felt to me. Besides, you must know that the social perception of a man’s and a woman’s chest is different. Just like women don’t go topless at the lake even if it’s hot.”
Theron’s mouth gaped open.
It seemed he had no room for rebuttal.
At that, Selene once again commanded coldly, “Go. Unless you want to hear insults like the day you fell into the fountain.”

After that, Theron, who had been kicked out of the mansion for touching her breast, sent letters to Selene every day.

[Miss Selene, the fallen leaves on the ground are increasing day by day. I hope you will consider those falling leaves to be no different from my heart and graciously appease your anger. I still deeply regret that day.

-From Theron, who is waiting for you]

The letters were mostly filled with apologies for his wrongdoing.
Of course, as the days passed, he began to express his frustration at her lack of reply with something akin to annoyance, but Selene was fine with it since she had no intention of replying anyway.

[Do you know, Selene? That I am sending you two letters a day. So my secretary, who consecutively sends letters without a reply, is looking at me like I am some kind of a stalker, but I have no intention of giving up. Even if the letters I send a day become two to three, three to four. I believe you will reply, Miss Selene, if only for the sake of the wasted stationery.

-From Theron, who is waiting for you tremendously, a lot, for a long time, until he grows old and dies]

After checking the contents, Selene immediately put Theron’s letter into the fireplace.
Just as the stationery was becoming a waste, as he had said, it was a relief that it could be used as kindling for the fire as the weather grew colder, instead of fallen leaves.
Knock, knock.
As the letter fell onto the flames, a knock was heard at the door.
Selene became quite wary.
Although Theron, who usually pretended to be a gentleman, rarely called or visited out of the blue, considering his patience as revealed in the letters, it wouldn’t be strange if he showed up at the mansion one day.
“Selene! You’re in there, right?”
Contrary to her expectation, a cheerful voice came from outside the door.
When she opened the piano room door, she saw a smiling Evelyn.
“There’s a new pastry shop near our store. The smell of butter was so good that I bought some to share with you.”
Selene was in the middle of practicing the piano.
So, normally, she would have refused.
But for some reason, her practice hadn’t been going well since she had kicked Theron out of here, so she decided to take a short break.
Besides, if Evelyn was chattering away next to her, she wouldn’t be able to concentrate anyway.
Evelyn was already opening the dessert box on the table as if she were on a picnic.
Croissants, eclairs, and chocolates came out in order.
“Ah, this is for Mrs. Gwendolyn. You can give it to her later.”
Evelyn held out a small, unopened dessert box.
Selene took it and placed it next to her seat.
“You look happy.”
Selene pointed out to the excited Evelyn.
Evelyn was the type to show her mood easily, whether she was happy or sad.
It was the same today.
Her cheeks and the corners of her mouth were raised as if they would soar to the sky.
“No, well. Rupert’s bruise on his face is all healed, and our brand’s sales hit the ceiling today thanks to someone.”
“…”
“You sly thing. You said you would never wear our products.”
Selene ignored Evelyn, who was looking at her with a chuckle, and took a bite of the croissant.
It was really no big deal.
She occasionally went to the department store where Evelyn’s brand was located, and when she did, she would stop by her store.
Rather than letting Evelyn suddenly gift her an accessory of a design that was not her style, it was better to choose the most modest design in advance.
“When did you come to our store?”
“Last week.”
“And you wore that necklace to the princess’s birthday party with perfect timing?”
Selene just nodded as she was chewing.
Talking while chewing food was an uncultured act that her grandmother detested.
“Thank you, Selene! Thanks to you wearing our product that day, all the women in Cantora bought necklaces of the same design, you know?”
But when Evelyn suddenly hugged her tightly, Selene had to swallow the croissant she was chewing.
“If you were going to do such a cute thing, you should have told me sooner!”
“I can’t breathe…”
At Selene’s low murmur with a displeased face, Evelyn finally let go.
“By the way, did you have a good meeting with grandmother?”
Evelyn still had a bright smile on her face and asked with clear eyes.
Beatrix’s stern and worried advice, which contrasted with Evelyn’s face, came to mind.

“Don’t trust Orlando too much.”

She knew her grandmother wouldn’t give such advice without a reason, but seeing the cheerful Evelyn made her feel bad.
“I had a good meeting.”
Selene answered appropriately, turning her gaze to the dessert.
“That’s a relief. You find grandmother difficult, don’t you?”
Evelyn’s playful smile vaguely overlapped with Uncle Orlando’s.
“Is uncle doing well?”
Still, one thing she knew for sure was that Selene didn’t want to distance herself from her uncle because of her grandmother’s vague warning.
That would eventually affect the relationship between her and Evelyn.
“Um…? Why dad all of a sudden?”
“He came all the way to Velora to see the competition I participated in, but I haven’t been able to treat him to dinner even once.”
Evelyn’s eyes wandered in the air.
“…It’s just that dad is busy.”
“I know, but I want to treat him once.”
Selene had actually been talking about this for a long time.
Nevertheless, she didn’t know if it was because her uncle was busy, as Evelyn had said, and the opportunity hadn’t arisen, or if her uncle didn’t like her, unlike how he acted in front of her, but she hadn’t been able to meet him privately for several months.
All he did was greet her warmly when they ran into each other at parties or events.
“Don’t worry about it, Selene. Between us. I’ll convey your feelings to dad.”
“…”
“He’s really busy. Dad is a soldier. He has many people to see and meet, so even I only get to see his face at family events.”
Evelyn was smiling, but she looked awkward somewhere.
Seeing that she looked uncomfortable somewhere, Selene decided to drop the topic of her uncle.
She believed that if it had something to do with her, she would find out someday.
After that, the topic quickly changed.
As if trying to erase the awkward expression she had shown for a moment, Evelyn tried to change the subject.
As always, Evelyn regained her vitality by talking about her recent life.
“So Rupert apologized to me for being sorry, you know? Anyway, I don’t know why men do things they have to apologize for. It would be best if they didn’t do it in the first place.”
It was around then that the story she had been half-listening to suddenly registered in her mind.
‘That’s right. Why do they do things they have to apologize for? It would be best if they didn’t do such things in the first place.’
Selene narrowed her eyes, recalling the letters she had burned.
“But the vase is empty today? Recently, there were different flowers in it every time I came.”
“They withered, so I threw them away.”
At Selene’s indifferent reply, Evelyn’s eyes widened.
“Are you already over with Mr. Cox?”
“Over?”
“No?”
“We didn’t even start, so how could we be over?”
Evelyn had a confused look on her face.
“Really? Rupert said he thought you and Mr. Cox were seriously dating after seeing you on that birthday party.”
“Mr. Rupert must have drunk a lot that day.”
“No, he didn’t…”
Selene became uncomfortable when Evelyn brought up the topic of Theron.
It was because she hadn’t reached any conclusion about him yet.
Just by thinking, there was no way to know if the reason Theron had naturally fondled her breast was because he was good at everything, if he was a womanizer who had made many women cry, or if he simply had a lot of experience with women.
Perhaps that’s why Selene also acknowledged it a little.
That she had been angry for quite a long time, unlike herself.
At the fact that that man might have deceived her.
“Something is going on with Mr. Cox.”
Evelyn, who had been observing Selene carefully, pointed it out with sharp eyes.
“Tell me. Your Sister will listen.”
Saying that, she sat close to Selene so that she couldn’t run away.
To deny it, Evelyn’s gleaming eyes made it seem like she was trapped in an inescapable Venus flytrap.
Hmph.
Selene, who let out a short breath, opened her mouth.
“I kissed Theron Cox.”
Evelyn covered her mouth with her hand as if she couldn’t believe it.