Capítulo 16: 16. A Tiresome Night
As they were nearing the front gates of Marquess Hartwell's mansion, many horse-drawn carriages were queuing to enter the mansion gates.
When Ellie saw the line of carriages, her mind was in turmoil.
She couldn't imagine waiting for that long alone with Cassius in the carriage.
'If Cassius hadn't behaved like earlier, I wouldn't be so restless like this. It's all because of him.'
Realizing Eleanor's sharp gaze, Cassius put on an innocent face as if saying, 'What did I do?'
When Cassius noticed the line of carriages in front of him, he knocked twice on the window behind him, which was connected to the coachman.
Then Ellie saw the coachman get down and run towards the gatekeeper, whispering something to him. The gatekeeper nodded and ran towards his colleague.
Suddenly, the carriages in front of them pulled aside, making way for them. Ellie was surprised by the turn of events.
She watched in awe as the carriages cleared the way for them to pass.
'I guess this is similar to when a presidential motorcade passes by in my world. Wow, life is so easy when you have power.'
The two of them continued their journey through the gates of Marquess Hartwell's mansion.
Ellie looked at the magnificent surroundings, with the spacious garden and beautiful buildings.
The mansion indeed looked grand and luxurious, a bit excessive, befitting the aristocratic style.
Unlike Duke Ashford's mansion, which matched the military nature and lineage of Duke Ashford, his mansion could be described as a classical and grand structure, reflecting the courage and integrity of the duke.
They both got off the carriage and were welcomed by several servants standing at the main entrance.
Ellie was relieved that she was wearing a face-covering cloth, so she didn't have to bother with fake smiles or formal smiles.
She tried to remain calm, although her heart was still filled with unease.
"Your Grace, welcome to Marquis Hartwell's mansion," said the servant who guided them to the party hall.
Cassius and Ellie, who were walking, stopped instantly.
"Are you blind?" Cassius sharply rebuked.
Ellie turned and glanced at Cassius's expression, his cold face that shot a sharp gaze like a knife toward the trembling servant.
There was a sense of admiration in Ellie's heart. Then she straightened her posture, raising her chin slightly.
She didn't mind if people didn't respect her, but it was a different story when they disrespected her at a formal event.
Because that meant they also didn't respect the Ashford Duchy.
"Ah, w-welcome, Lady Eleanor Ashford."
Ellie nodded slightly, and they continued their journey towards the party hall.
"Grand Duke Cassius Caspian and Lady Eleanor Ashford, entering the hall!"
As the door opened, and the guest announcer called out their names, the previously bustling hall suddenly fell silent.
Ellie didn't care about that.
Considering Eleanor's experiences, she had often been treated like this.
But contrary to Ellie's thoughts, the nobles were astonished as to why Grand Duke Cassius came together with Eleanor Ashford, who was a joke among the nobles.
They thought Grand Duke Cassius would refuse this engagement.
Even if he did accept it, it might be because he had to, given that it was an order from the Emperor.
And considering there was no engagement party between the two of them, surely Grand Duke Cassius was not satisfied with this arranged marriage.
But contrary to their expectations, the couple they saw entering the hall were intertwined at the arms.
Grand Duke Cassius showed no signs of dissatisfaction on his face.
He walked with a beautiful smile.
The hearts of the women who saw that smile instantly melted.
And they cast sharp glances at Eleanor. How lucky Eleanor was, they thought.
Right after breaking up with Crown Prince Lucas, she immediately got engaged to Grand Duke Cassius, who was not only handsome but even more handsome than Crown Prince Lucas. Moreover, she achieved that with her supposedly ugly face.
The hearts of those women were filled with jealousy towards Eleanor. Meanwhile, the men present secretly rejoiced at Grand Duke Cassius' fate.
Although he was a handsome man born with royal blood, the sight of his engagement partner was a joke among the aristocrats. They thought fate was fair indeed.
As Cassius and Eleanor stood at the edge of the ballroom, Marquess Hartwell approached them, congratulated them on their engagement, exchanged pleasantries, and then left.
"I have to greet other guests, Grand Duke Caspian, and Lady Ashford, please enjoy the party."
His demeanor was neither condescending nor fawning.
Ellie couldn't read his intentions at all.
She couldn't conclude whether Marquess Hartwell was a friend or a foe.
'Do all aristocrats communicate like this? It would be very difficult to distinguish between friends and enemies if they're so skilled at hiding their faces,' Ellie thought, a bit anxious.
After Marquess Hartwell left, many noble girls approached Cassius.
"Good evening, Your Grace. You look more handsome day by day."
"Tsk, how vulgar you are, Nora," another girl retorted.
"What I said is the truth! At this grand party, I'm afraid no one would want to dance with me. Oh... how unfortunate I am," the girl said, winking at Cassius multiple times as if hoping he would ask her to dance later.
'How shameless these supposed "Noble" girls are, shamelessly flirting with Cassius in front of his fiancée,' Ellie thought.
Among them, none approached Ellie or even acknowledged her presence.
So, Ellie instinctively distanced herself from Cassius.
'With their audacity, they insult Eleanor as a vulgar girl. Don't they have mirrors?' Ellie thought irritably.
Ellie casually sipped the wine she held, seemingly indifferent to her fiancé being surrounded by girls like honey surrounded by bees.
Cassius, struggling, made his way towards Eleanor as he was obstructed by the presence of these women.
He didn't even spare a second glance at them.
"Forgive me," Cassius said apologetically.
"For what?" Ellie raised an eyebrow.
"Well..." Cassius himself wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but he seemed to feel the need to apologize to Eleanor.
Ellie took a deep breath. "It's not your fault. I don't know if they are so shameless like this."
Cassius suppressed a smile when he heard Eleanor's disdain for these noblewomen.
For some reason, he felt a little pleased seeing Eleanor's discomfort due to the girls approaching him.
Cassius saw one of his noble companions at the party and said, "I need to meet my friend across the room."
Ellie just watched him and didn't reply. Then she heard Cassius speak again.
"Will you be alright?"
"Yes, don't worry," Ellie responded flatly.
Cassius smiled. "Alright, wait for me."
Ellie watched him stride towards where his friend stood. Even in the middle of the path, the girls continued to swarm Cassius, despite his icy gaze directed at them.
'Tch. Insects,' Ellie thought.
As Ellie stood by the wall like a party decoration, a girl approached her.
"Hi, Ellie. It's been a while. You also haven't responded to my letters. Are you sick?"
Ellie looked at the girl with surprise. Just as she was about to think about who this girl was, Eleanor's memories kicked in.
"Ah... Rosalind."
She was Eleanor's friend and the only outsider who knew Eleanor's true face. She was Eleanor's emotional support during times of sadness.
She often expressed her confusion to Eleanor. "If I were you, I would show off my beauty to all corners of Astoria. Why do you foolishly hide it?"
"Don't lie! Are you really my friend? I can understand if my father says that because a father will always see his daughter as beautiful no matter how ugly her face is. But you're my friend! Do you really want me to embarrass myself?" Eleanor replied.
Since then, Rosalind no longer mentioned Eleanor's face cover.
Because Ellie could see things from Eleanor's perspective, Ellie believed that someone could see themselves with imperfections, even if actually that was an advantages.
It involved mentality.
Similar to people with body dysmorphic disorder who see themselves as fat when they're not, or think they're ugly when they're actually very beautiful.
In this era, there were no psychiatrists or people who understood various mental disorders.
They only knew that someone who acted strange was crazy.
Rosalind sensed something unusual about Eleanor.
It was as if she was speaking to a stranger. Because Eleanor had never addressed her by the name Rosalind.
She always called her 'Rosie'.
"Are you really that sick? Once you recovered, you treated me like a stranger."
Hearing Rosalind's words, Ellie corrected her way of speaking. "I was just daydreaming earlier, Rosie."
Upon hearing that, Rosalind smiled.
"Why didn't you reply to my letters? I kept sending them, but you never responded. Eventually, I stopped; otherwise, it would hurt too much to hope for a reply from you," Rosalind said with exaggerated flair.
"Sorry, but I was really sick at that time."
"Never mind, let's not dwell on the past. How is your relationship with your future husband? When I heard the news, I didn't know how to feel. Tell me, should I be happy or sad?"
It seemed this friend of hers had a knack for teasing.
"Of course, you should be happy. Why would you be sad about my good fortune?"
"So... You don't... Love 'him' anymore?"
Lucas' name was sensitive to Eleanor, but not to Ellie.
"No. Even when you insulted him in front of me, I would join you in mocking him."
"Oh my! The things I've been hoping for have come true! Thank you, God! Now, that's my girl!" Rosalind exclaimed with a wide grin.
"I actually wanted to tell you how delighted I was to hear about the end of your engagement, but I was afraid you'd be sad and think I didn't support you, hehe." She stuck out her tongue and winked one eye.
"That man was never worthy of standing by your side. You and him are like earth and sky, Ellie. Of course, you're the sky. He's not that clever either, and perhaps he's blind, considering he believed the rumors about you. Even though only your eyes are visible, aren't they already beautiful enough!"
Once Rosalind knew Eleanor no longer liked Lucas, she immediately voiced out the grievances she hadn't dared to express before.
Ellie smiled gently at Rosalind, who kept babbling and hurling insults at Lucas.
"Those rumors were created by him, Rosie."
"What!? Did he slander you? That confirms my suspicion that he's not only blind but also stupid! How could he treat his fiancée like that?"
"No, he misunderstood at first, when he saw my face affected by an allergy."
"Tsk, tsk. What a foolish man. What will become of this empire if it's led by such a man?"
"Lower your voice, Rosie. There are many ears here."
'Little does Eleanor know that she has so many valuable people around her. Lucas blinded her,' Ellie thought sadly.
After a while, the doors of the party hall opened, and the guest announcer shouted the arrival of someone.
"Crown Prince Lucas and Lady Ava Sinclaire entering the room!"
"He lives long," Rosalind whispered mockingly into Eleanor's ear.
Instantly, the room fell silent again.
And many eyes were fixed on Lucas, Ava, and Ellie.
"Tonight will be a tiresome night," Ellie thought, smiling.
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